Idiot guide for the newbie tutors - an Interesting guide for the rest of us!
aDinDa: Something to share with my fellow business partners ;) ...
By Chang Han Thomas
Guide for new tutors
So, you’ve finally got a student. But here’s the problem – you don’t actually have much teaching experience!! What to do?? What if the student asks me something and I don’t know how to answer? What if I forgot how to integrate sin²x and differentiate tan x? Oh NO!
Here, here, relax… have a deep breath and listen hard. I’ve been through and done that, so here’s all that I wish I knew when I started out all alone in this competitive world of tutoring.
Here’s a few tips, for starters:
1.Do not be afraid to say “I don’t know”. Say it if you really don’t know how to do a certain question, and get back to them when you do (make sure you do!). If it takes 10 mins for them to learn something, it’ll take another 10 hours for them to unlearn something, so be responsible!
2.Don’t take yourself so seriously. Look the student had a hard day in school, so don’t start the tuition by giving your student another hard day having tuition. Laugh at yourself and your mistake. Laugh at theirs. Better yet, make them spot and laugh at yours!
3.Tell me and I may forget, show me and I may remember, involve me so that I will learn. Or something like that. I’m a staunch believer of this phrase! Do not just tell students the answer. Do not just show them the solution. Make sure you let them discover the solution themselves. How?? Use appropriate questioning techniques to elicit
partial answers from them. Hint them and guide them in their thoughts.
4.There’s more things to be learnt from looking at the mistakes made by students than from the correct answers. Try to understand why students made those mistakes. Often, it may stem from the correct theory or rule but applied in different context.
5.Strike a rapport with students. Simple rule: they like you, they score As. Many students will study for your sake, if you can inspire them greatly. Do not underestimate the charismatic power of tutors!
6.Tutor them not only on the academic subjects, but if you spot that the student is stressed over relationship problem, chip in your 2 cents worth of advice too! Basically, treat them as your mentee and be responsible not only to the subjects you teach but to the development of the whole person. Wow…too idealistic? I hope not!
About Chang Han Thomas
Find out more at http://nextlevel.com.my/tutor/thomaschang.
Copyright & Reprint Notices
This article is copyrighted by Chang Han Thomas. You are allowed to reprint this article on your web site as long as you include the full article text, the author profile information above and this Copyright & Reprint Notices.
By Chang Han Thomas
Guide for new tutors
So, you’ve finally got a student. But here’s the problem – you don’t actually have much teaching experience!! What to do?? What if the student asks me something and I don’t know how to answer? What if I forgot how to integrate sin²x and differentiate tan x? Oh NO!
Here, here, relax… have a deep breath and listen hard. I’ve been through and done that, so here’s all that I wish I knew when I started out all alone in this competitive world of tutoring.
Here’s a few tips, for starters:
1.Do not be afraid to say “I don’t know”. Say it if you really don’t know how to do a certain question, and get back to them when you do (make sure you do!). If it takes 10 mins for them to learn something, it’ll take another 10 hours for them to unlearn something, so be responsible!
2.Don’t take yourself so seriously. Look the student had a hard day in school, so don’t start the tuition by giving your student another hard day having tuition. Laugh at yourself and your mistake. Laugh at theirs. Better yet, make them spot and laugh at yours!
3.Tell me and I may forget, show me and I may remember, involve me so that I will learn. Or something like that. I’m a staunch believer of this phrase! Do not just tell students the answer. Do not just show them the solution. Make sure you let them discover the solution themselves. How?? Use appropriate questioning techniques to elicit
partial answers from them. Hint them and guide them in their thoughts.
4.There’s more things to be learnt from looking at the mistakes made by students than from the correct answers. Try to understand why students made those mistakes. Often, it may stem from the correct theory or rule but applied in different context.
5.Strike a rapport with students. Simple rule: they like you, they score As. Many students will study for your sake, if you can inspire them greatly. Do not underestimate the charismatic power of tutors!
6.Tutor them not only on the academic subjects, but if you spot that the student is stressed over relationship problem, chip in your 2 cents worth of advice too! Basically, treat them as your mentee and be responsible not only to the subjects you teach but to the development of the whole person. Wow…too idealistic? I hope not!
About Chang Han Thomas
Find out more at http://nextlevel.com.my/tutor/thomaschang.
Copyright & Reprint Notices
This article is copyrighted by Chang Han Thomas. You are allowed to reprint this article on your web site as long as you include the full article text, the author profile information above and this Copyright & Reprint Notices.
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