Tutoring Tips

Here are some general tips to use to help engage your student.

❗️

MOST IMPORTANT

The most effective way to know that your student has learned a concept is by having them teach it back to you. So let's say you're working on adding and subtracting negative numbers for a bit and they start answering problems correctly.

You then should completely flip the roles of tutor and student. Let them teach you and you ask lots of questions to trip them up. This process will allow them (and you!) to realize where they may have some gaps in their knowledge.

Use the tips below as general guidelines for how to make the tutoring engaging, but remember that HAVING YOUR STUDENT TEACH YOU IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO KNOW THEY'VE MASTERED A SKILL!

KEEP IT CASUAL!

Keeping things conversational and relaxed helps your student stay more engaged and can help you build more of a rapport with them.  This means talking to them before you start and really caring about how their day was, what's going on with them, etc.

SIMPLE EXPLANATIONS!

Avoid using too many technical terms too early. Try to keep your explanations as conversational as possible in the beginning so students feel comfortable with the concept. Use analogies and diagrams to help explain things in simple terms.

WHY, WHY, WHY!

There's two parts to this

1. Ask TONS of questions. Keep asking why the student did something. Even if the pace only allows you to solve a couple of problem during the session. Make sure you ask LOTS of questions.

2. Always ask WHY questions! Avoid the habit of turning your questions into yes/no questions. If you ask why questions, your students will be forced to explain things and you will be able to see where they are still struggling.

Here's a common scenario: you'll be explaining a problem and you'll say "so you subtract 2 to both sides, right?". Don't do that! Your student will always answer with a yes. Instead ask something like "so what is this next step?" and after they answer, ask why they did that?

One of the most effective ways to know if your student has learned a concept is to have them teach the concept back to you. Role play and let them be the teacher. Then, you, as the student can ask them question and test their understanding!

LESSON RECAP IS KEY!

Review key learning points in the session and try to outline what they should practice for next time.