What Makes Someone a Successful Tutor?
Are you thinking about becoming a tutor? There are many benefits that come with it, and it’s a great way to make a difference in your community. Becoming a tutor comes with increased responsibility, and there is always an opportunity to improve the tutoring experience for both yourself and your student. A tutor is an important job in helping future generations grow to become independent learners. Here are some qualities that make a tutor successful.
“I believe that a truly successful tutor is someone who genuinely cares about the achievements and well-being of their students, and makes an effort to connect with both the student and family on a personal level. They create a space that allows students to make mistakes and speak their mind without fear of judgment or punishment. They help these students build lifelong skills for success in all domains, not limited to academics. They remain professional and respectful of the student, while listening to their needs, desires, and experiences.”
-Joanne Kang, Head of Tutor Success at Pandemic Professors
Improve Student Learning
Student learning can come in all different forms. Some students are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and some are tactile learners. Here are some of the basics of each different type of learner.
- Visual learners: Students prefer pictures and diagrams as opposed to written text or verbal instructions. They can listen to lectures as long as they are accompanied by visual aids. Providing pictures and diagrams before the lesson is a great way to help this kind of learner.
- Auditory learners: Students prefer to listen to the instructor while learning, and sometimes they may verbally repeat what’s being said to reinforce their learning. Fostering open dialogue about the lesson, such as a Q&A, will help them to learn more effectively.
- Tactile learners: Students prefer to get more hands on with the topics being taught. They learn by “doing” or act out what is being asked of them to do. Giving them exercises to complete throughout each session is a great way to help them learn best.
How should you use these different learning styles when tutoring your student? First, work with them to identify how they learn best. They do not have to fit perfectly into one learning style. Try to pinpoint those methods that work best and help your student to build good learning habits and techniques. Provide them with tips on how to manage their time, how to stay organized, and how to speak up when they have a question or don’t understand. And remember to have fun! Both tutors and students have been through stressful times. Learning can be fun and empowering for all!
Having Confidence as a Tutor
Confidence is key. The saying exists for a reason. It comes down to preparation and giving it your best. It’s okay to feel nervous or worried that you may not be the best tutor, that your student may feel confused, or ask you a question you don’t know the answer to! It’s okay to not know everything. It’s okay to follow up with the answer, and can even show your student that tutors are just like them and that it’s okay to say “I don’t know.” As time progresses you’ll gain experience. Each tutoring session will serve as practice for the next, and ultimately your confidence will grow, alongside your students’ confidence!
Having a tutor provides a safe space for a student to ask questions and to gain a better understanding of their coursework and assignments. Great tutors want to help their students be self-sufficient and help students develop a thought-process to problem solving. Over time your growing confidence can result not only in better test performance but also in increased participation and creativity.
Having Empathy and Emotional Intelligence as a Tutor
Empathy and emotional intelligence are two fundamental skills that, if developed and fostered, can serve you for years to come in any profession. Having these traits can also be incredibly impactful to a student’s learning. Empathy is when you are able to sense and understand what another person is experiencing. Emotional intelligence (or EQ) is when you are able to recognize and regulate your own emotions in a positive framework, and you are also highly conscious of your own emotional state and understand how it affects others. Students can find themselves overwhelmed or frustrated with coursework leading to self-doubt, feelings of anxiety or demotivation. It’s common for students to lack proper emotional intelligence to deal with the stress of school which makes this all the more important. A great tutor learns the practice of empathy and social-emotional learning, providing students with the tools to overcome challenges and frustrations. Students will benefit from your companionship and from having a friend in learning.
Here are some tips to help you be more empathetic with your students:
- Actively listen to what your students are saying: When you actively listen you are giving your students full undivided attention. Not only will the student feel what they are saying is being heard, but it also allows for you to try your best to offer help or clarification.
- Give validation to their feelings: Allow students to feel frustrated. Reinforce with them that it’s normal to feel this way when learning, and offer advice on how to work through it.
- Create an environment to discuss differences: Opening dialogue between you and your student is a great way to foster healthy EQ. If you are tutoring multiple students at once, allow time for each student to share their feedback and point of view. Conversations like this get students to speak openly and may create a difference in opinion. Students exposed to this sort of environment allows them to recognize and embrace the differences of others.
Build a Bond
Creating trust and rapport with a student will make your sessions more successful and more fun! Get to know one another’s interests, goals, family and social life. Simple steps like asking them how their weekend was, and listening to what gets them excited or peaks their interest, will go a long way. By building a more personal bond, students will look forward to attending tutoring sessions as a way to learn and socialize too. Where possible, building a similar rapport with parents can also help provide a more holistic, well-rounded support system for the student.
Stay Committed
Successful tutors are able to stay committed and remain a reliable companion for your student. It takes time to build a trusting relationship, so as a tutor you should be ready to commit at least 2 hours per week for a minimum of 6 months. Of course unexpected situations arise that might require a shift in tutoring sessions or time commitment, and in these instances open communication with the students and parents will help alleviate the stress that can come from change.
A successful tutor can have a huge impact both personally and academically for a student. You have the power to strike a passion for learning within the student and make them eager to learn more or take on new challenges. If you’re interested in becoming a tutor and making a difference in a student’s life, head on over to our website and apply today!
Written By: Irfan Jeddy
