Write down the goals on a sheet of paper and have the student keep track of it. Putting them in charge of the “goal tracker” gives them more responsibility for their own improvement.
Quiz and test grades Overall class grades Achievement of the goals you set up together Your evaluation of the student’s effort Your evaluation of the student’s understanding of concepts Celebrate improvement in qualitative assessments like grades with a lot of praise! If the student’s grades aren’t improving, but you see a lot of effort, your chart will help keep him or her from getting discouraged.
If teachers give out study guides for exams, gear the content of your tutoring sessions toward the material that will be covered.
Today, we’re going to work on the organization of this essay. We’re just going to take the ideas you already have and put them in the best possible order in an outline. Today, we’re going to try to figure out the network of Allied forces in WWII. Next session, we’ll work on the Axis countries. Today, we’re going to look at all the problems you got wrong on your last math test and try to figure out the right answers. Then, we’ll do new problems that test the same concept.
If the student doesn’t perform at the level you expected, don’t give up! Repeat the exercise until he or she completes it correctly. When they do, heap praise on the student for working through an obstacle.
Aural students learn best through verbal explanation, so talk to them about concepts. Verbal students need to talk through concepts on their own, so be willing to sit back and listen. Physical/tactile students need to work with their hands. Bring in 3D models if you’re studying anatomy, or clay that they can shape into the different organs of the body. Visual students might need graphic aids like pictures, charts, or educational videos.
Talk about how the subject makes them feel. Students who perform poorly in class may feel ashamed of it. When they improve, they may feel powerful and proud. Comfort them in their down times and celebrate their successes. Share your own experiences of failure and how you overcame them. [10] X Research source Find out what their passions are, so you can make the tutoring sessions more interesting. A straightforward equation might seem boring, but a subtraction problem about fighting dinosaurs might perk up a student who loves dinosaurs.
Ask a lot of questions. You don’t want to lecture your students. Instead, ask open-ended questions that force them to come to conclusions on their own, with research you help them conduct.
Reach out to the parents and teacher(s) and set up a regular schedule for communication. You might speak to the parents every time the student is brought in for a tutoring session. You might agree to email the teacher on the first Monday of each month to get a sense of what’s coming down the pipe in the student’s classwork.
