Finding a common starting point for all is the best way to begin

As a native English Speaker, I find that with learning anything new finding a common starting point is the best way to start. It can be a little or none at all but finding out early helps me tailor my tutoring to the individual. As an avid reader myself, reading was a great way even as a native English speaker to pick up some great words and phrases and so I like to experiment with English alternatives of common books the student has read, so while not that far out of thier comfort zone enough to get them learning the key phrases for building up good English knowledge.