Did you excel in school and did learning a certain subject just seem to come easily to you? Do you enjoy working with other and helping them succeed in school? Are you a digital native who loves all things related to technology?
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions then you could be a great tutor! Online tutoring gives you a chance to get paid to share your resources and knowledge with students who are struggling in school. It is financially rewarding and will give you a greater sense of purpose.
Are you thinking about online tutoring but still on the fence? If so, this article will give you tips on how to get started and ways you can be a more effective tutor.
Teach how to be a problem solver
Obviously, your goal is to help and encourage your students but you should also want to teach them how to excel without you. The goal of any good tutor should be to help their students reach the point of no longer needing them. To do this, your students will need to learn how to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.
You can help them learn to be problem solvers by asking questions that require thoughtful responses. Encourage your students to express themselves and to continue their learning outside of your tutoring sessions. And when they answer a problem always ask them how they came to that conclusion.
Assess students’ current knowledge
What are your student’s current strengths and weaknesses? Ideally, you should have a system for assessing every student’s current knowledge. By understanding their needs and areas where they are lacking you will be better equipped to help them going forward.
Mix things up during your tutoring sessions
If your students are coming to you for outside help in a certain subject, then it is likely to be a subject they struggle in. After all, if they already excelled in that subject they probably wouldn’t need to meet with you.
One of the best ways to combat this is by making tutoring sessions more engaging. Find out what their interests are and find ways to engage them in every lesson. They will be more motivated to learn if tutoring is an enjoyable and fun process.
Request feedback
It is a good idea to regularly ask for feedback from your students and their parents. What do they like or dislike about your method of tutoring? Are there any sections you could have explained more clearly?
As a tutor, feedback should never be ignored or taken for granted because it gives you valuable insight as to how you can improve and better serve all of your students. Even when you find methods that work for your students you should be continually searching for new ways to improve and update the resources you already have.