Could regular Tutoring be beneficial for your child?

​With Term 1 over and done with and the kids enjoying the school holidays, you may find yourself wondering how your child has coped with the new school year so far. While some parents may have received a term one progress report, not all schools offer this. So how can you know if your child may benefit from seeing a tutor? In the absence of a progress report (or even in addition to one), there are several signs to look out for which may indicate that one-on-one tutoring might be the way to go.   

The most common reason for hiring a tutor is to support a child experiencing low grades. A teacher may have suggested tutoring first, or if you suspect your child may be falling behind, arrange to meet with their teacher to seek their input on how a tutor may help. Another occasion when tutoring can prove valuable is when a child has low confidence in their academic abilities. They may need a bit of extra time and practise their skills outside of the pressures of the classroom to slowly start to believe in themselves. In a similar situation, children who struggle to follow directions and process multi-step instructions often thrive in a one-on-one tutoring lesson because they can stop and ask questions or clarify concepts which they may not have understood initially at school. If your child feels lost in a school setting, tutoring could be part of the solution.

Another sign to watch out for is when your child claims that “school is too easy”. While it is possible that all lesson content is too simple for them, this comment is often uttered by a student who hasn’t fully grasped the complexity of a concept. A tutor can help to unpack a subject to deepen a child’s understanding of what they have understood already at school.  On the flip side, tutoring can also provide a platform for extending and challenging a child who does indeed find their current school work too simple.

Preparing for a Tutoring Lesson
If you do decide to find a tutor to support your child, there are a few things you can do to assist in a successful lesson. Firstly, find a space in your home where your child can concentrate with minimal interference from siblings or distracting background noises. Secondly, make sure pencils or pens are available as well as a ruler/protractor/calculator if your child requires it. Teachers from Mornington Peninsula Tutoring come equipped with exercise books and resources to teach with but having additional stationary ready to use will assist in reducing any time spent chasing down such items during a lesson.

The third and most important thing parents can do to assist with preparing for a tutoring lesson is to inform your child’s teacher that you have arranged for regular tutoring lessons. Tutoring is most beneficial when what is being taught at school is reflected in the work being done at home with a tutor. This allows a child to consolidate skills that they can apply in the classroom immediately. In my experience, passing a tutor’s email on to the student’s teacher has been the most effective way to open the lines of communication. Alternatively, if the teacher doesn’t mind, pass their contact information on for your tutor to establish an initial connection. This enables the teacher to either speak generally about what is being taught at school in the current term, or to request the tutor focus on assisting your child with something specific.

Finally, make sure you take some time to talk to your child about their upcoming tutoring lesson. Discuss the reasons why you have decided to include a tutor in their learning journey and let them know that it’ll be a team effort. Explain that their tutor is like another teacher in their life and will be coming to support them to reach their potential. All the teachers at Mornington Peninsula Tutoring are friendly and approachable and come ready to create lessons designed specifically to support the individual needs of their students. They will likely do some initial assessment but quickly move into engaging and fun ways to learn. Ideally, try to help your child to see their tutoring lesson as a useful opportunity to work on the skills they need to experience success in school and beyond.
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For further details about booking a session with a tutor contact Lauren on 0401 468 075 or email her at Lauren@morningtonpeninsulatutoring.com.au.

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~Bryony ~

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