Typically, I tend to break lessons into tiny pieces, teaching small concepts that connect together and build to a larger, arcing whole. It's unreasonable to expect students to understand complicated subject without first learning the mechanics behind said subjects. With this in mind, I use a lot of examples to support the learning process, and will generally refuse to teach by pre-built templates (e.g. I won't teach Spanish like a phrase book).

I will explain my teaching methods. Then, I'll give simple quizzes to gauge how much a student knows about the subject. Any topics that they do not know or are shaky on, we'll begin there. If they have absolutely no prior knowledge, then I will teach the absolute basics.

I will give or recommend to them resources to further learn. I'll ask them to study a certain concept and next time we meet, I'll ask them about what they learned when I wasn't there. I hope that with my teaching methods that I can also instill an interest in the subject, further giving them motivation to learn by themselves.

I want to present the lesson in a way that will be easily absorbed by the student. With this in mind, I will create a positive learning process that is calm and doesn't overwhelm the student.

I will break the lesson into small pieces that the student can understand, and point out the underlying mechanics of the concepts being taught. If the student has further issues, we can move on to a similar subject and continue teaching until the student feels comfortable enough to move back.

I'll have them write down the words they are having trouble reading. We'll look them up together, and if the word has any components that can be broken down (roots, prefixes, suffixes, etymology), I'll explain it to the student.

Ask them how they learn best, and what they struggle at. The job of the tutor is to teach the student at a pace and format they can understand.

Try to show them something cool or interesting that the subject is related to. I find that typically when a student isn't overwhelmed by the subject and has an idea of the real world applications of the subject, they can make themselves interested in the subject.

Examples and a teaching method that teaches small concepts that build to a larger whole.

If a student can do something by themselves correctly in a subject, they build their own confidence in a subject. With this in mind, I tend to quiz students often about the concepts that were taught.

Typically, one can compare their knowledge of a subject with a syllabus of topics that a student should know. I encourage students to be open about their troubles in a subject, and emphasize that acting like they are okay in a subject that they are not will hurt them badly when they are asked to express their knowledge of that subject.

Examples can come in a variety of sources and mediums, and additionally subjects that they don't know or are shaky in can be restructured and emphasized to ensure the student can understand the topics being taught.

Computers, paper examples, and quizzes will typically be sufficient for most lessons. If not, then I can devise new materials for use, and either use them immediately if possible, or prepare them at home for use with the next lesson.