At face value, tutoring someone seems like a pretty easy task. You show up, study & practice the material, and leave. However, don’t you want to be THE BEST tutor out there? Of course you do. That being said, today I want to share a quick and effective tip to make the most of your sessions. Remember, you have only one hour (usually) with your student, so what is one way you can tackle the material in a way that is most beneficial to them? Easy. Start with the most difficult problems first.
I know, this seems obvious, but sometimes we don’t do this because it’s only natural to start at the beginning of an assignment and work your way through until time is up. What I’ve noticed with the online software that assigns homework to students is that it usually puts the easier problems at the beginning and the more complex ones at the end. So, if possible, skip to the end of the assignment, begin with the last problem and work your way backwards. By doing this, you tackle the more challenging questions first, and if you don’t finish the assignment, you’ve left the easy stuff for the student to finish on their own time. There is one caveat to this process that should be considered. It should be assumed and necessary that the student has already mastered the basic skills for the unit. For example, the other day I was working with a 5th grader on long division. He knows the process like a master! So, what was my job to do at that time? Well, since the word problems were at the end of the assignment, and setting them up was difficult for him, we started there! Our job as tutors is to help the student grow beyond their present capabilities, and you’ll only accomplish that by working on the hard stuff. Who wants to get paid to just sit there and watch them do homework? Not I! That’s my advice for today! Be the best you can be! Happy Tutoring! Comments are closed.
|
AuthorRossina here welcoming you to my blog :) Have you ever met someone who actually loves mathematics? Probably not, but that's me! I have been teaching math for 10+ years in a private one-on-one setting, helping families and students all over the country achieve mathematical mastery. Here, I share tips, insight, and provide resources to help you become a math master or tutor. I truly hope you find my blog helpful. Enjoy! Archives
September 2023
Categories |