It is important when starting a tutoring experience to make an agreement with the tutor. It should outline what the student and teacher expect from each other. It should also have concrete goals for the student, and outline what should be done when the goals are being completed. No tutor will be able to instantly fix grades, but with the proper communication, you can make great improvements.
Right up front, everybody should know that it's not a tutor's job to do the student's homework. That not only wastes time and money, but it lessens the student's chance to understand his homework. The act of struggling through material is important because it allows the student to realize the places where they might go wrong. For example, if a math tutor corrects every mistake instantly, a student won't remember which method was the correct one.
The next important part of the tutor agreement is what a tutor should bring to the table. A tutor should be closely in contact with the student, his or her teacher, and the parents. Thus the tutor should always know what the student is doing in class. Beware of any tutor who does not know about upcoming test dates etc. The tutor should also bring prepared notes to each session to maintain focus.
I've found that a student should need to work about an hour outside of tutoring sessions for each hour that he or she spends in session. This time is intended to maximize the efficacy of the tutoring sessions by giving the student plenty of time to practice the new material. An hour might not be the perfect amount of time for you, but it should be outlined in your agreement.
If a student is working with an English tutor or a writing tutor then he or she should spend much more time outside of sessions preparing. It could be up to 5 or 6 hours preparing writings and reading prose before a student is ready to work with the tutor. Remember that practice is always important, no matter the subject.
The final important facet of the tutoring agreement is a student's goals. These should be partly class related (a certain grade) and partly additional learning to work on when the grades are back on course. Some good examples of extra learning could be learning to use a computer program like Excel, or reading books from a different author (in English tutoring). Remember that the end goal should always be to maximize learning, not grades.
Hopefully you now have the information necessary to begin working with a new tutor. With the proper agreement of how time should be spent, you'll no doubt have a good experience. If your tutor is not living up to the goals you set forth, then you should start seeking a new one immediately.
Right up front, everybody should know that it's not a tutor's job to do the student's homework. That not only wastes time and money, but it lessens the student's chance to understand his homework. The act of struggling through material is important because it allows the student to realize the places where they might go wrong. For example, if a math tutor corrects every mistake instantly, a student won't remember which method was the correct one.
The next important part of the tutor agreement is what a tutor should bring to the table. A tutor should be closely in contact with the student, his or her teacher, and the parents. Thus the tutor should always know what the student is doing in class. Beware of any tutor who does not know about upcoming test dates etc. The tutor should also bring prepared notes to each session to maintain focus.
I've found that a student should need to work about an hour outside of tutoring sessions for each hour that he or she spends in session. This time is intended to maximize the efficacy of the tutoring sessions by giving the student plenty of time to practice the new material. An hour might not be the perfect amount of time for you, but it should be outlined in your agreement.
If a student is working with an English tutor or a writing tutor then he or she should spend much more time outside of sessions preparing. It could be up to 5 or 6 hours preparing writings and reading prose before a student is ready to work with the tutor. Remember that practice is always important, no matter the subject.
The final important facet of the tutoring agreement is a student's goals. These should be partly class related (a certain grade) and partly additional learning to work on when the grades are back on course. Some good examples of extra learning could be learning to use a computer program like Excel, or reading books from a different author (in English tutoring). Remember that the end goal should always be to maximize learning, not grades.
Hopefully you now have the information necessary to begin working with a new tutor. With the proper agreement of how time should be spent, you'll no doubt have a good experience. If your tutor is not living up to the goals you set forth, then you should start seeking a new one immediately.
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