How to be an Effective Tutor

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"Different strokes for different folks" is the operative phrase when considering the fundamentals of the learning process. Students who require private tutoring need these services for a number of reasons. There are at least three different learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic [which is learning by touching and doing]), and all students operate under a different learning curve. The one-on-one attention that tutoring provides enables a student to work at his or her own pace, and in the stylistic manner that works best so that the student can develop confidence in his/her academic ability.



Get to Know Your Student

Before the first tutoring session begins, set up a preliminary meeting with the student and his or her parent(s). During this time, ask plenty of questions about the students likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, both personal and academic. It's a good idea (but not a mandatory one) to administer various "learning style" assessments to the child during this meeting so that you can get a sense of how you will approach subsequent tutoring sessions. Also, ask the parent about various measures taken in the past to combat the student's academic difficulties. You should also inquire about the parent's goals and expectations. Learn the specific area of attention that is needed for each student. The more questions you ask about your student, the better prepared you will be to provide effective tutoring.

ALWAYS Be Prepared

After you have gathered all the information you need to understand the needs of your student, access your pool of available resources, and obtain even more resources if needed. Before the first tutoring session, you should be prepared with various handouts, worksheets, websites, and other tools that can assist in the learning process. If your student appears to be a visual learner, get him or her into the habit of using worksheets to write down necessary information, or find creative videos on sites like YouTube that will help the student process and retain information. Have resources (or access to resources) readily available just in case you and the student determine that there is a need to change the scheduled agenda.

Set an Agenda

First, you and your student should set a goal for each tutoring session, and an ultimate academic goal for the extent of tutoring sessions. During each session, time should be spent with sole focus on the goal at hand, and all tasks should directly or indirectly address facets of the session's objective. You can establish your agenda for the next session at the end of each tutoring lesson, or you can set goals on a session-by-session basis. Be sure to emphasize your student's active participation in the agenda-setting process to encourage working independently, setting measurable goals, and building self-confidence.

Encourage Independent Thought

Tutoring is not teaching. Tutoring is empowering a student with various study techniques and the confidence they need to effectively work independently. During tutoring sessions, ask plenty of questions of the student, and even allow the student to explain or "teach" different lessons. If a student appears to be struggling with explaining a certain concept, then the tutor should intervene, and explain the concept simply and directly. After the tutor explains the concept, she should ask the student to explain the idea in their own words. Ultimately, when students learn that they actually know more than they thought they knew, they become empowered to process and articulate even more information.

Be Generous with Praise and Encouragement

If your student grasps a "simple" concept, make him feel like king of the world. Literally. If your student is able to communicate an idea with which she initially had trouble articulating, explain to her just how supremely awesome she is. Make statements like, "Great Job," "You did really well with that one," "See, I knew you could do it!" Nominal or significant milestones should get all the praise throughout every tutoring session. This praise and encouragement helps build self-esteem and self-confidence, and allows the child to focus on her strengths instead of supposed weakness. Also, be sure to explain to the child's parents the student's strengths and accomplishments before mentioning any challenging areas. You want to maintain a "glass half full" perspective at all times!!

Provide Tutoring Assessments

After each tutoring session, inform your student (and parents) of his or her progress during that lesson. If there are areas that need to be worked on between tutoring sessions, provide your student with the tools/resources to accomplish this task. Assessment sheets are available on the internet, or can be custom designed by any tutor. The most pertinent information should include the student's competence with a specific concept, progress from the beginning to the end of the session, strengths and weaknesses with a specific concept, and suggestions for improvement.


Tips:

If at all possible, find out what specific guidelines or rubric your student's teacher has or uses to assess demonstrated proficiency within a subject area. If the parent allows, contact the teacher directly via email and ask what the student will need for success in the class.

Communication is key! Be very open and honest about your student's progress and areas of difficulty with his/her parents. They are paying you to perform a task, and they should not have to seek you out to learn about the progress their child is making. Commit to providing correspondence at least once a week. Establish with the parent whether email or phone will be the best way to make contact.

To your success!


The Glass Half Full Tutor


References:

Centenary College of New Jersey's Part 2. Five Steps to Being an Effective Tutor (n. d.). Retrieved from http://www.centenarycollege.edu/arc_tutoring/02_FiveStep_Class.htm

Lewis, B. (2008). Implement a Tutoring Business Plan/About.com. Retrieved from http://k6educators.about.com/od/becomingateacher/a/tutoring2.htm