Tutoring students is a huge responsibility, but it can also be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. However, knowing a subject very well is not enough to be a good private teacher. To help pupils reach their potential, you need to individually assess their needs and goals. With attention dedicated only to him, any student can improve the level of understanding of a difficult topic.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Assessing a Student's Needs
Step 1. Pay attention to what he already knows
When you meet a student for the first time, you need to assess their current level of knowledge so that you don't waste time in lessons. Ask him what he is best at and what he appreciates the most about the subject under consideration. Let him talk about the subject in general and show what he knows. He will feel intelligent and appreciated, while you will be able to understand what concepts he has already learned.
Step 2. Ask which areas he is having trouble in
Students often know their weaknesses well. They know which questions are wrong in their class assignments or which parts of the lesson they have not understood. Let your student explain where they are feeling lost and make a list of items to refer to.
Step 3. Find goals together
Create a mix of major and minor milestones that can be achieved in a reasonable time. For example, a student may not be able to get their math grade up in one month, but in ninety days that is a reasonable prospect. Also think about smaller short-term goals: Your pupil might write a 150-word summary on a topic that will be questioned before the lesson ends.
Write the goals on a piece of paper and let the student write them down. Assigning him to monitor progress gives him more responsibility for his improvement
Step 4. Record student progress
Create a table that allows you and the student to evaluate their performance in your own class and in the classroom. You can enter:
- Question marks and assignments.
- General marks in the subjects.
- Achievement of the goals you have set together.
- Your assessment of the student's commitment.
- Your assessment of the student's level of understanding.
- Celebrate visible improvements, such as grades, with lots of praise! If the student's classroom performance is not improving, but you notice that he is working hard, the table will help him not to get discouraged.
Part 2 of 3: Structure the Lessons
Step 1. Start with questions about the concepts covered in the previous lesson
Before moving on to new topics, you need to make sure that the pupil has fully understood the old material. Ask him one or two open-ended questions that allow him to show his level of understanding. If you are having difficulty, come back to those topics before proceeding further. Also give your pupil the opportunity to ask questions about past lessons.
Step 2. Help the student meet his or her class requirements
Ask him to inform you of projects and relationships as soon as he becomes aware of them. Break down all projects into smaller parts and tackle them together slowly, well in advance. This way his works will not only be of better quality, but you will also make the guy understand how to manage his time effectively.
If the teacher communicates the topics of a question or assignment in advance, customize the lessons to address those concepts
Step 3. Focus each lesson on a specific goal
Depending on the student's needs in a subject, you could work on reports, projects or review the topics covered in class. Once you have reviewed the concepts from the previous lessons, speak out what you hope to achieve in the day's session. Make sure you set achievable goals:
- Today, we will work on the structure of this relationship. We will take the ideas you already have and arrange them in the best possible order.
- Today we will try to better understand the composition of the Allied forces in World War II. In the next lesson, we will talk about the Axis nations.
- Today we will go over the exercise you missed in the last math test and try to get to the correct answer. Then, we will tackle other problems that use the same concepts.
Step 4. Offer the student opportunities for success
While you should try to achieve goals, don't discourage him by setting the bar too high. All sessions should include exercises that the pupil can successfully complete. From that base, you can get to more complex and challenging problems.
If the student doesn't reach the level you expect, don't give up! Repeat the exercise until you complete it correctly. When he succeeds, shower him with praise for overcoming an obstacle
Step 5. Give your student some breaks
They shouldn't exceed five minutes. Working for too long will tire him out and cause him to lose focus. A five minute break is enough to regenerate without interrupting the rhythm.
Step 6. Adapt to the student's needs
Set goals, but bear in mind that in some cases school work exhausts young people, just as it does for adults. If your pupil seems tired or in a bad mood, don't hesitate to change plans and brighten the mood. For example, if you are teaching a student in a foreign language, you can listen to and translate songs instead of practicing conjugation. Alternatively, you can watch cartoons in that language and see if it can follow the storyline.
Step 7. Adapt your teaching style to the student's learning style
Not all children learn the same way. Some pupils work more effectively on their own and perform better if they have the time to complete tasks. Others learn more by working with you to solve problems.
- Aural students learn best through verbal explanations, then explain the concepts verbally. The verbal ones need to speak in the first person, so listen to them.
- Physical students have to work with their hands. Bring three-dimensional models if you are studying anatomy, or some clay they can use to shape the various organs of the body.
- Visual learners need the help of graphics, such as images, tables or instructional videos.
Step 8. Conclude each session by anticipating the next
The end of a lesson does not mean that the student is "finished" for the whole week. Make it clear that you expect him to prepare for the next session on days when you don't see each other. If you have not been able to finish all the work in the lesson, assign it as homework for the next time. If you have a fun activity planned next time you meet, tell him so he can't wait to return.
Part 3 of 3: Developing a Good Relationship
Step 1. Develop a personal relationship with your student
Your job is to help him express his full potential. For this, you will have to act as a friend and fan as well as a teacher. By forming a personal bond with him, you will be able to motivate him more effectively.
- Talk about how a material makes it "feel". Students who get bad grades are often ashamed of it. When they get better, they can feel strong and proud. Comfort them in difficult times and celebrate their successes.
- Share your failures and how you have overcome them.
- Find out what their passions are, in order to make the lessons more interesting. A simple equation may seem boring to you, while a subtraction problem between fighting dinosaurs can stimulate a student who loves prehistory.
Step 2. Learn the student's communication style
Bond with him according to his preferences. If he is very shy, you cannot ignore this fact! He may be able to communicate better when you don't see each other and he can write you emails. In some cases, students find it difficult to ask questions in person, even if they have many doubts.
Step 3. Always come in a good mood to class
Your students will immediately understand your state of mind. If you look tired or are low on energy, they will imitate you. On the contrary, if you smile and be optimistic, they will follow your example and try harder.
Step 4. Act as a guide rather than a teacher
School teachers and private teachers have very different roles. The former must follow many students together and must behave as authority figures imparting knowledge. The latter, on the other hand, work face to face and are more "educated people" than authoritarian figures. You're only dealing with one student at a time, so there's no need to lecture them. Let him decide what to learn and guide him to achieve his goal.
Ask a lot of questions. Do not let the student attend a lesson. Instead, ask them open-ended questions that force them to come to conclusions on their own, thanks to the research you help them conduct
Step 5. Give the student the opportunity to become passionate about the subject
While it's important to guide him so that he achieves his goals, don't be afraid to let him decide a few things. For example, if one of your pupils wants to spend a lot of time on an unimportant but very dramatic battle when studying the wars of independence, let him do it, even if he misses an entire session. A tutor should stimulate natural curiosity instead of trying to turn it off. The enthusiasm that the boy feels in the end will be very useful.
Step 6. Communicate clearly with parents and teachers
Without their help, you won't know how to focus lesson content in a way that helps the student in school. This tip is especially useful if your pupils are very young. While a high school student may be able to explain the objectives of a class to you, a third grade child may not be able to do the same.
- Talk to parents and teachers at regular intervals.
- You can talk to the parents as often as they bring the child to class.
- You can ask the child's teacher to email you on the first Monday of each month to find out what awaits him in class.
