By understanding the underlying principles of chemistry, students will be able to excel in performance on any assignment or test. Just memorizing the surface will not cut it in chemistry. I can help you understand chemical concepts at their foundations.

I would dive right into dealing with concepts that are causing the student to lose the most significant amount of points, unless the student is also struggling with concepts on which the initial concept is built upon. I would then address those more general concepts first. It will be necessary to initially touch base with the student prior to meeting, so I am aware of what we will need to work on.

I will have been most successful in my instructing when the student has learned how to identify underlying trends in chemical concepts. Developing the skill to identify such trends will enable the student to effectively reason their way from a question stem from a particular chemical concept to the correct answer.

I believe that diagramming the material, and employing causal arrows and other symbols that condense the amount of words to be comprehended, will enhance a student's ability to comprehend that material.

I believe it is crucial to understand the concepts the student has already mastered, because it will be on top of those concepts that I will instruct the student to build upon, initiating the construction of new concepts not yet fully understood.

It's difficult sometimes to get, let's say, a student of history thrilled about the workings of electron transfer and excitation. In some cases, it might not be possible to instill that in a student. To be blunt, in many cases the concepts will be forgotten and never used again -- completely irrelevant information. However, it is possible to develop in a student the capacity to engage by leading the student to the conclusion that they are in fact capable of understanding concepts one layer at a time. Confidence and an optimistic outlook can go a long way.

I have, in the past, authored my own chemistry questions, in preparation for the MCAT. I would employ both outside and original resources to test the progress of the student.

There is a concept known as the testing effect. Solid performance on tests measuring the retention of learned information has significant reinforcing effects on a student's self-efficacy. Conversely, though, poor performance on such tests will potentially result in decreased motivation and confidence. It is in these instances that, through teaching, the old "aha" moment can occur, which will result in a boost in a student's confidence, as they were able to understand something previously unclear.

I would analyze both assignments and tests if available. I would also visit the most underlying concepts of chemistry, as a firm understanding of such things will drastically enhance a student's ability to understand the rest of the curriculum.

It would depend on the nature of the need(s). There are different ways to communicate chemical concepts to a student. Adapting to an individual student will be very specific and will require processing a variety of factors after meeting with the student.

I will tend to lean towards the pen and paper or whiteboard/marker approach for teaching. Visualizing is of utmost importance in affirming a strong understanding of chemical concepts. Practice problems, which will be worked through together, are also very important, as they allow the student to witness the process of reasoning employed to arrive at a correct answer for a particular type of problem. Finally, testing will establish confidence, which will come in handy on test day.

It might be advantageous to take a step back if the student is losing motivation. Focusing on simplified content until the student's confidence is built up, may remind the student that they are more than capable of continuing to understand that next concept to be learned.