How to Ensure Your Child’s In Home Tutoring Session Is Productive

in home tutoring

Ensure Your Child’s In-Home Tutoring Session Is Productive

In home tutoring is a positive step towards academic success for your child. The benefits include improved results, increased confidence and better organisation and problem-solving skills. Students learn higher order skills with a home tutor that will help them achieve in all areas of life.

To ensure in home tutoring is productive for your child there are several things you can do to prepare.

Keep it Positive    

Students should see working with a tutor as an exciting opportunity for growth, not as punishment. When discussing in home tutoring, it’s important to use positive terms and encourage your child to ask questions.

If they feel involved in the decision, your student will be more likely to feel good about tutoring sessions and approach them with excitement and optimism.

Confirm the Details  

To ensure in home tutoring sessions run smoothly, it’s vital to make sure all details are understood and agreed upon before the sessions start.

Details to clarify include:

  • Dates
  • Frequency
  • Duration
  • Cost
  • Expectations
  • Preferred contact method
  • Cancellation policy

Ironing out all the housekeeping issues before the first session helps avoid any awkward misunderstandings and the tutor can get straight into the session with your child. It’s wise to find out beforehand how feedback is provided. Tutor Doctor provides parents with regular written session reports.

The tutor should have a clear understanding of what you want from them, and your expectations. It’s helpful if you can provide information about problem areas beforehand in consultation with your child’s teacher.

A tutor can assess your child’s skills and knowledge and create a plan with measurable goals. It can take several months for tutoring sessions to show results, and patience is vital.

Organise for Success

The area where your child works with a tutor should be uncluttered and distraction free. A separate workspace away from televisions, siblings and noise is ideal for in home tutoring, but not everybody has this space. The kitchen table is fine as long as the room is quiet and conducive to study.

It can be distracting for students when parents are present during tutoring sessions. It’s only natural that you want to observe how it’s going, and the best way to do this is from an adjacent room within earshot. You can leave and enter the room discreetly, but hovering is not recommended.  A tutor is not a babysitter, and you or another adult should be at home throughout the session.

Get Involved

Ask the tutor what additional work you can do to reinforce learning. Your student will feel supported and encouraged by your interest.

It’s important to check in with kids after tutoring sessions to find out how they feel, and to discuss any fears or misgivings they may have. Are they enjoying working with a tutor? Do they feel more confident in class? If the answer is yes to these questions, the sessions are yielding positive results.

Follow these guidelines for a productive in home tutoring experience.

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