As a tutor, you already know the importance of building a supportive one-to-one relationship with your students. You also know how important it is to align your tutoring style and lessons to suit the needs of your students.
In this article, we’ll look at a variety of ways you can further support your students and further their learning with online and home tutoring. From encouraging creativity to fostering independent learning, we’ll give you a toolbox of tutoring tips and tricks you can use every day to improve your tutoring skills.
Game On
No matter what topic is on the agenda, games can test your students’ understanding and develop skills such as memory recall. These days, you have a wealth of online games at your fingertips. From interactive games that put your students’ comprehension skills to the test to online quizzes that put them on the spot, there are games that are so much fun they won’t even realise they are learning.
Encourage Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is one of the biggest skills you can help your students to develop. From analysing sources of data to researching background information, these are skills that your students can turn to throughout their lives and careers. Your ultimate goal as a tutor should be to get students to think well on their own and hone their problem-solving skills.
Add a Little Humour
Research shows that adding humour to lessons can be very beneficial to students. Not only do a few witty retorts and funny facts increase interest and engagement, but humour can also help to build rapport between student and tutor. Learning doesn’t always have to be so serious, so have fun with your lessons and enjoy a few laughs along the way. Here are a few examples of some tutor jokes that will make your students laugh (and perhaps groan, too!):
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I could tell you a science joke…but all the good ones Argon!
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Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine!
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What did the triangle say to the circle? You’re pointless!
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What type of cheese is made backward? Edam!
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Which letter of the alphabet has the most water? C!
Be a Good Listener
Tutoring is all about listening as well as teaching. Over time, your students will start to trust you more and more and may open up about the problems they have with their learning. Listening to their troubles and challenges can help you to become a better tutor and support and guide them through learning. From helping them to overcome exam anxiety to supporting special educational needs, there are so many ways you can support your students.
Nurture Creativity
When students are following a set syllabus at school, they may not have the chance to let their creativity loose as often as they like. You can address the balance by nurturing and encouraging your students’ creative passion during your sessions. From finding unique and fun ways to solve maths problems to using bright colours to decorate revision timetables, there are so many ways to get those creative juices flowing.
Foster Independent Learning
You won’t be your students’ tutor forever. There will come a time when they need to step out into the big wide world armed with the skills and knowledge they have gained. Whether the next step of their journey is on to university or into the working world, being able to learn independently will stand them in good stead. Show them how to find and use online resources, set their own learning goals, and reflect on what they have learned.
Be the Best For Your Students
The more ways you can find to support your students, the more they will get out of every session. At Tutor Doctor, we’re always looking for driven, passionate, and knowledgeable tutors to join our family. If you believe that you can make a difference in the lives of every student you teach, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us today to find out more about becoming a tutor.
