There are many subject matter experts(tutors, teachers, professors, etc.), but not all of them can be good tutors. Tutoring methodology is what separates a good tutor from an average tutor. So, My Engineering Buddy makes it a point to employ a highly effective tutoring methodology to provide the best tutoring experience to our students.
Why Highly effective tutoring methodology is a must?
No matter how much knowledge a tutor has, it means nothing if they cannot pass it on to the tutee.
If the tutor does not know the tips and tricks, the student won’t understand much or will take a long time to understand. So to avoid inefficient learning, we train our tutors on various tutoring methodologies.
What tutoring methodology do we follow at My Engineering Buddy?
Understand student’s requirement
Every student has a different goal when they connect to a tutor for private online tutoring sessions. Some may be willing to learn from scratch; some may want to improve on what they already know; some may be preparing for an exam; some may have doubts that they want to clear; some just want their homework assignment questions to be solved, etc. By understanding the student’s exact requirements, we can employ a suitable teaching methodology for better learning.
Gauge the student’s knowledge
There is no point explaining unless the tutor knows the level of the student. It is true, especially in the case of a new student. Keep asking if the tutee is comfortable with the speed and if he can understand it.
Involve the student in the session
Lecturing is not tutoring. No matter how well a tutor explains(lectures), it won’t go deep inside the student’s mind. Involving students is a Highly Effective Tutoring Methodology.
A famous quote rightly says, “Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand!”
- Ask open-ended questions, follow up with probing questions, and rephrase the questions if needed
- Be ready to listen and give the student enough time to answer. Be prepared for long pauses and silence.
- Allow the student to write on the whiteboard, including drawings and diagrams
- Give simple tasks to boost the morale of the student
- Ask for a summary and give a summary
- Keep Appreciating whenever possible: Verbal: Good job! Nonverbal: facial expression showing the tutor has got amazed.
Empower the student
Teach in a way the tutee(student) does not need any tutor! Bad for business? Yes and No. Yes, because the tutee will need lesser sessions. No, because the tutee will be a happy customer and refer their friends and family members, driving more business.
Our sole focus is to make the student self-sufficient instead of dependent on tutors.
Easy to understand explanations
Only an expert can explain complex concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. Hence we only hire top tutors and subject matter experts with Excellent Subject Knowledge.
Motivate the student
Ultimately it is the student who has to learn. Keeping this in mind, we motivate the student toward learning. For example, if we teach calculus, we may give the student a brief list of things they can do with calculus. We may also quote some interesting historical facts which might inspire the student to learn calculus.
Use of drawing and block diagrams
Using drawings goes a long way toward learning effectively. “A picture says a thousand words!” is not wrong. In science or non-science subjects, drawing a diagram before starting to solve/explain a problem improves the understanding of many folds.
Highly Effective Tutoring Methodology: Take advantage of the online learning tools
- Using different Colours
- Using shape tools
- Using a 2way interactive online whiteboard
- Screen sharing
- Voice calls
- Videos if needed
- File sharing
Prepare before a session
go through lecture notes, prepare an outline of topics to discuss in the session
Build a relationship with the student
We are human beings, and we value relationships. Building a good relationship with the student makes the student more comfortable learning with that tutor. However, this relationship remains within a tight professional boundary, and we don’t get personal.
So this was all about the Highly Effective Tutoring Methodology that we follow. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to comment below.
Related: Excellent Subject Knowledge
