Five Questions to Ask Before You Tutor

Renowned educator Carol Ann Tomlinson, now the Professor of Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at the University of Virginia, is a pioneer in differentiated learning. Eloquently and forcefully, Tomlinson emphasized the fact that all children learn differently—and that it is their right as learners to receive instruction that fits their needs and makes them feel like valuable contributors. Teachers across the nation have seen real, positive results by establishing differentiated-learning classrooms.

As a parent/tutor, you can put these concepts to work, too. According to Tomlinson, there are five characteristics of teaching that really help students feel engaged and capable. Before beginning a tutoring session, ask yourself the following questions:

1) "Is what I'm teaching important?" Think about times in your own life when you have thought, "How is this relevant to learning?" Maybe you had a social-studies teacher who loaded you up with worksheets, or a math teacher who "taught to the test" but didn't bother to make math applicable to daily life. Can you even remember those teachers' names? Probably not! Students need to feel that what they are learning is absolutely essential. They should receive the message that they are on their way to becoming experts in that subject area. Each lesson they complete is an important step toward mastery of the subject—not a busy-work time-waster. 

2) "Is my tutoring focused?" You know why you're tutoring your child. You want her to get better grades, feel more confident, and become an active learner. But does she know why the tutoring session is taking place? Instead of positioning yourself as an authority figure, emphasize to your child that you and she are colleagues. You're combining your efforts to do important work. You're striving, together, toward a well-defined goal. That goal could be an essay about Treasure Island, or it could be a firm understanding of the quadratic equation. Whatever the goal is, keep your tutoring sessions focused by letting your child know what you hope to accomplish together. Seeing the "big picture" will help her stay on-task and interested.

3) "Is my teaching engaging?" A student may understand the goal of his tutoring sessions. He needs to ace the biology midterm, or he needs to really understand the fundamentals of civics. But that understanding is undermined if he is not engaged by his tutoring sessions. Help your child to see the value in his work. Help him understand how his knowledge can go far beyond the classroom; what he learns in a tutoring session can positively affect his future career and the world around him. When he sees the assignments as engaging and intriguing, he will find that learning comes much more quickly.

4) "Is the work demanding?" If your student struggles in the classroom, this may seem counterintuitive. But it's true nonetheless: Students want a challenge. They do their best and work their hardest when the scope of the assignment is just beyond their grasp. This is why most of us loathe busy-work. Sure, we can get it done quickly and correctly . . . but it also bores us out of our minds. There is no pride, no sense of ownership, in completing an easy worksheet. But there is plenty of pride in finishing the book that seemed so long or solving the algebra problem that looked so daunting. When you set the standards high for your child, you are telling him: "I've set these standards high because I know you can meet them."

5) "Is the work scaffolded?" Scaffolding is a key concept in the differentiated-learning classroom. Basically, a scaffolded lesson provides a variety of supports for students with a variety of learning styles. For an auditory learner, the scaffold might be a read-aloud of a textbook passage. A visual learner might be given the chance to sketch a scientific term, rather than just define it with words. Think about ways to scaffold your child's tutoring sessions. Before doing so, you may want to "take inventory" of your child's learning style (see our post on learning-style inventories). Once you understand how your child learns best, you can create tutoring sessions that offer support and plenty of opportunities for success.

Many tutors also apply differentiated-learning concepts to their sessions. If you choose to hire a tutor, chat with her about your child's learning style.

If you need to find a tutor who's a good match for your child's learning needs, compare solutions here.