Five Tips for Tutoring Young Students

As an English tutor, I am constantly faced with young children who are not interested in learning. Because learning is so important, it is up to me to make sure these students understand something about the English language while still having fun. Here are five easy tips that are sure to come in handy next time you're working with an uninterested student.

1. Establish that you are there to learn but are also excited about it.

Sometimes the easiest way to get a student involved is to be excited about the assignment. Greeting a student with an enthusiastic "Hello!" and a genuine interest in the assignment can make the difference in a tutoring session. If the student senses that you are not interested in the subject, why would he or she then become interested? Even though the material may be boring for you, it is important that you project excitement and enjoyment. Encourage the student mirror your responses and the session will go well!

2. Begin the session by covering the basics.

A session will implode faster than anything if you forget to cover the basics with your student. Even though a student may act confident, he or she may not understand the very basics of the subject. If an assignment asks you to find the direct object of a sentence, it is best to have the student first explain the meanings of nouns, verbs and finally objects. It is imperative to make sure that the student understands each part of the assignment before you begin working through it. If you don't, you may end up with a frustrated student who begins to hate the assignment. Remember, it is easier to spend five minutes at the beginning of a session covering the basics than to spend twenty minutes explaining a higher level concept only to find the student lost at step one.

3. Encourage the student to participate with open ended questions

The easiest way to kill a session is to ask yes or no questions. Your student is going to want to respond with whatever answer ends the homework session quickest. If you ask open ended questions that require the student to think, he or she will be more likely to get involved. Instead of asking if the student knows an answer to a question, ask the student to explain the answer he or she believes is correct. The dialogue between the tutor and the student will help the session go faster and also encourage further discussion. Best of all, by explaining the answer, the student may understand the concept better or consider new avenues of thought.

4. Make the lesson relative to the student.

I'm sure you remember what it was like to be a student. Sure, there was homework, but it was much more exciting to play the newest game or watch your favorite show on television. Part of being a tutor is being able to relate to your students. Spend a little time learning about what is popular in the age groups you tutor. Being able to relate your lesson to popular culture will make things go much quicker. Because students relate better to information that ties in with their hobbies, using the first few minutes of your session to get to know the student better is not wasted time but rather valuable information. Comparing the laws of gravity to Nathan's ability to fly on "Heroes" will grab your student's attention and keep it.

5. Keep your session positive!

The most important thing to remember about tutoring is to keep everything positive. Many students see tutoring as remedial work. The student's self esteem may already be low when he or she starts the session, so constant negative responses from the tutor will only encourage that false belief. Look for the positive in each response from the student. Even if the answer is wrong, congratulate the student on his or her thought process. Beginning each response with positive reinforcement will encourage the student to continue trying. When the student does give the right answer, show your enthusiasm. Let the student know that you are proud of him or her! The student worked hard to complete the assignment and should be rewarded for that.

Tutoring is not an easy job. It is important to remember that your role as a tutor is not just to help the student find the correct answer-it is also to encourage the student and facilitate learning. Every tutoring session is an opportunity for both the student and the tutor to learn. If you keep these tips in mind during your next tutoring session, it is sure to be a breeze!