A qualified tutor can help students achieve their academic goals with targeted, individual assistance in their areas of need. Whether they’re on top of their class or struggling with the curriculum, tutors can offer students support to extend their knowledge and understanding. Working with a tutor can be an effective way to supplement a student’s understanding of a difficult concept and tutors can even assist students with their study techniques and habits.

Tutors can help clarify misconceptions and review notes, as well as confirm and check if their student is prepared to take a test or quiz. They can also assist with homework and various types of assignments. This will ensure that their student can keep up with the class. Therefore, the main goal of a tutor is to help their student reach their goal, whether it be to raise their grade, or just to pass a difficult exam.

What tutors can’t do?

However, students must understand that tutors can’t replace their responsibilities like going to class, meeting their teachers, reading books, and taking notes. Most importantly, a tutor will not do your homework for you, although they can show you the steps in solving a problem or methods you should use to accomplish your homework. As a student, you shouldn’t not equate a tutor as a solution to all of your problems, since the primary goal of tutoring is to help you become a more independent learner. In short, your tutor WILL NOT do the assignment for you. 

In addition, the student must not just mimic the steps shown by the tutor, but they must strive to fully understand the concepts they’re learning and accomplish their assignments. This will help them develop their critical learning skills, which can help them succeed in school and later on to achieve their goals in life.

What does effective tutoring look like?

The core of a effective tuition sessions involves Socratic questioning, and this process is done through successive questions and answers. The student answers the tutor’s question, and the tutor will evaluate and then ask another series of questions. This will provide the student with the opportunity to exercise their resourcefulness and critical thinking. The tutor also aims to effectively address all questions and concerns communicated by their students.

This process will be continuous until the student discovers the solution to the problem on their own. The tutor only is the guide, providing strategies and resources to help the student learn and complete work more independently. They will not be the source of the solution.

Getting the most out of tutoring

The best way to get the most out of each tutoring session is to come prepared. This means students should bring their course materials every session, and this will include notes, books, and other materials required by the tutor.

Students should also understand that learning is not a passive process, so it’s important to try things out on their own and complete all homework set by their teachers and tutors. If they hit a roadblock or they’re struggling to understand a specific concept, then that’s the time to ask specific questions. Your tutor will be able to teach and guide you better if you’re making all the effort to learn things on your own.