Teaching is not trying to cram information in a student's head. It is getting them to understand more about the subject, ideally to a point that they will be able to correctly explain the concept themselves with confidence.

Try to gain an understanding of how the student thinks in order to optimize the rest of the session.

Encourage curiosity and asking questions. Encourage looking at a situation or concept, thinking about it to determine what may be confusing, and asking questions that may lead to answers.

Try to determine why they are having difficulty and see if a different approach would be better.

Encourage them to read more, keep a dictionary when reading and to always think about what a passage means instead of blindly going over the words.

Assess what the student does not have trouble with, and see if it is possible to build upon that to help them with the material that they do have trouble with.

If possible, give a real-world example of how a concept is applied.

I would have the student attempt to explain the material to me. If they can do that correctly and with confidence, then they likely understand the material.

I make no remarks as to their performance prior to tutoring in order to avoid discouraging them. I would also try to encourage them if they seem to be struggling.

I try to assess if they do not understand material at all or if they have a partial understanding of the material to see where I should start.

I try to follow a pace that the student will be comfortable with, and change it if necessary.

Textbooks, old notes, and practice problems either in text books or ones I draft myself.