What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

In a first session, I would ask lots of questions to get a sense of a student's strengths, weaknesses, and confidence level in a given subject. I would go through any assessments a student had and hopefully view a syllabus so I could plan a scope and sequence for our upcoming sessions!

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

To become an independent learner, I believe a student needs three key things: 1. Resources (both content specific tools, and learning tools). I would help a student identify the resources they do have like formulas, study guides, organizational systems, etc., and work with them to collaboratively create any missing tools. 2. Mindsets. Students must believe in their ability to grow as a learner and that hard work will lead to success. I will help students grow their mindsets through consistent communication and finding opportunities to show them how their efforts are paying off. 3. Practice opportunities. In order to solidify skills and become a more independent learner, students must have plenty of space and time to practice! Before ending a session, I would ensure a student had additional problems (either their assigned HW or problems I found) to practice their skills in a more independent environment. We would then begin the next session by going over their practice problems - what went well, where did they struggle, etc.