How to Succeed as a Tutor

Our all-in-one guide to tutoring success

Being a tutor can be extremely gratifying, however, at ACE Tutors we believe that having a vast amount of knowledge on a subject isn’t always enough to succeed as a tutor.

We’ve compiled some quick and easy steps that will help you ensure that both you and your student get the most out of each lesson.

Number One: Assess their needs

Before you start your lesson, you first have to find out where your student is at with their subject. Ask them how they went in their last assessment and where they think they went wrong.

Remember, here at ACE Tutors, we do not judge. Try to make your student feel as comfortable as possible, and let them know that this is a *safe space*. It is important that you understand where your student is struggling and what concepts they find difficult to grasp.

You will also need to find out what your student already knows in order to ensure that you are making the most of your time. There is no point in going over elements of the subject that your student already understands.

To do this, ask your student to explain to you the concepts and ideas that they feel they understand best, and where they think they are succeeding in the subject.

Let your student have a good old-fashioned brag, it’ll allow them to feel confident, and perhaps even help to break the ice. After all, who doesn’t like to brag every now and then?

Everybody learns differently, so be sure to ask your students about their learning style. For example, are they visual/aural/verbal/tactile learners? If your student is unsure, here’s some brief examples for each type of learner:

• Visual learners are able to best understand concepts with the help of pictures, graphs and charts. These students work better when they are able to see the information in front of them in non-textual examples, so try your best to get creative!
• Verbal learners get the best results from talking through concepts. This may involve reversing the roles and having the student attempt to teach you a concept you’ve just covered with them.
• Aural learners are the opposite; they achieve the best results through verbal explanation. Try and mix it up a bit for the student. Perhaps go for a Scottish accent? Pirate voices be presentin’ themselves as a fine option too, says I (Just kidding, please do not do this).
• Tactile learners need to be physically involved. For example, using plasticine to create human organs or developing a hand shake that will help them remember the first 5 elements of the periodic table (let us know if you pull that last one off. We’ll give you a prize).

Number Two: Set clear Goals for you and your student

After evaluating the needs of your student, you will need to create both long- and short-term goals.

Short term goals can be as simple as the student being able to understand and explain a certain concept by the end of the lesson, or writing out an in-depth essay plan. However, you must make sure that you discuss these short-term goals and write them down with your student at the beginning of each session.

Please, please do not set unrealistic/unattainable long-term goals. This can make your student feel as though they are not progressing in the subject, making them less likely to put in the effort; and that, my friend, makes your job a LOT harder.

Instead, set goals that you honestly believe your student can achieve. This may mean that your student aims to achieve an extra 5% in their next assignment, or to start answering questions in class.

If they are able to achieve their goals, your lessons will feel extremely helpful and rewarding for your students. Again, make sure both you and your students are aware of their long-term goals by writing them down and referring to them each lesson.

Now, let’s get down to the good stuff.

Number Three: Developing a Lesson

First of all, ask your students to explain to you what you covered in your last lesson. Don’t be upset if they can’t remember everything that was covered. Remember, high school can be tough, so try to cut them some slack.

Secondly, ask about class requirements and upcoming tests/assignments, and set a goal to be achieved by the end of the lesson.

Now get stuck into it! Choose a concept to work on for the lesson, and try to explain it to the best of your ability. Remember to be clear and articulate in your explanations of new concepts, trying at all times to explain new concepts through concepts your student already understands.

After all, you wouldn’t define a word with itself:

Student: “What does ‘flying’ mean?”

Tutor: “Flying? That’s easy! You see, some things can fly, and when they do they are said to be flying.”

Student: “I see… Wait, what?”

Not that helpful, is it?

Take a minute to think about how you will approach teaching a new concept to your student, and try to put yourself in their shoes. You know what they already understand, so work with that. And if you don’t know, just ask them!

Remember to use language that is easy to understand, and to talk slowly to your student in order to ensure that they are following along with you. There is no one pace that works for every student, but if your student is asking you to repeat what you’ve just said, then you might be speaking too quickly.

Throughout your session, make sure that you test your student by quizzing them on what you’ve covered so far, or ask them explain the concepts in their own words. There is little point in introducing new concepts if your student doesn’t understand what you’ve already covered.

When your time with your student is coming to an end, delegate goals for your next lesson. This may include:

• Asking your student to recite the definition of a concept that you have reviewed word-for-word
• Drawing a graph or diagram for you to review in your next session
• Asking the student to explain the concept to their parents, and when they understand, ask the parents to give a signature for your student to bring to your next session.

We’re almost done, we promise. Just one last thing!

Number Four: Create a relationship with your student

Try your hardest to show up to each lesson in a good mood. If you need some psyching up, repeat after us: I CAN DO THIS!

It is incredibly important that you are able to create a positive environment for you and your student, because that’s where the best learning is done!

Remember to give your students a quick break every half hour. This shouldn’t be any longer than five minutes, and this time can be used to develop a bond with your students. Try asking them about their day, what they’ve got planned for the weekend, what they may want to study when they finish school etc., and be sure to answer any questions that they have about you (within reason).

Getting to know one another is the first step to building mutual trust and respect, and will help to make your students far more receptive to your teaching.

One final note: try your hardest to guide your students, rather than simply teaching them.

This might sound confusing, and you’re probably asking “B-b-but ACE Tutors, isn’t that the whole point of tutoring?!? To teach?!?! And why is being ‘sub-par’ considered a bad thing when it’s actually a good thing in golf?! Nothing makes sense!!!!”

Firstly, calm down. Secondly, yes and no. A good tutor doesn’t just point out or state the answers to their students. Instead, let your students find their own way to the answer, and guide them when they stray off-track.

When you encounter a new concept with your student, try to get them to figure it out based on their existing knowledge, prompting them when necessary. If your student is able to figure something out for themselves, then they will be far more likely to remember it, and their confidence will increase as a result.

As for the golf thing, you’re on your own.

And that’s it! You’re now ready to start doing some serious tutoring. Good Luck!