Yes, Independence Can Be Learned!

There are hundreds of different reasons why a child might benefit from tutoring; there are myriad goals that can be accomplished through one-on-one instruction. Many tutoring sessions are designed to produce very specific outcomes, such as learning to use the quadratic formula or gaining understanding of a basic grammar rule. Other tutoring goals, however, are broader. One such goal is the ability to work independently. This is an invaluable skill that proves useful in primary education, secondary education, college, and the professional world.

But just how can you help your child become an independent learner? You can't — or, at least, you shouldn't — just plunk a big pile of books in front of her and expect her to teach herself useful skills. Rather, you (or another good tutor) should guide her toward independence.

Think of it this way: A student who struggles with addition problems is unlikely to automatically understand complex algebraic equations. Rather, he can only come to an understanding of more complicated math by taking smaller steps and receiving structured help. This same approach works for students who are learning to be independent in their thinking and studying.

First, a learner must build skills. We can't work independently without plenty of skills in our "tool box." Help your child build her skills by assigning her small tasks during tutoring sessions, and by monitoring her ability to comprehend and follow directions. You may want to ask her to explain her process to you, so that you know for certain whether she understands what is being asked of her. During this first step toward independence, you certainly can give her the opportunity to make her own choices; just be certain that her options are fairly simple (e.g., the choice to underline a text or to use a highlighter, the choice to work a problem out by hand or use a calculator).

Next, your child can enter the phase of "structured independence." There's more freedom here than in the skill-building stage, but you're still offering plenty of scaffolding and support. One way to make structured independence work is to provide your child with a list of options. For example, you can give him a choice between creating a written description of a science concept or drawing a diagram of that same concept. The choice gives him a taste of independent learning, but the prescribed options provide the structure that is necessary at this stage, when a student is not yet ready to determine his course of study entirely on his own.

After your child seems comfortable with structured independence, she can move from having tasks assigned to her to being the creator of those tasks. If she wants to learn more about the Cold War, for example, she could do an archival search at the library and write a report. Or, she could interview someone who lived during the Cold War and write a newspaper-style article about that person's experience. Once she has completed this activity (or as she works on it), she can turn to her tutor for guidance and feedback. In this way, her work is independent, yet it does not exist in a vacuum — she gains valuable insight from an instructor that helps her revise or refine her work.

Finally, after moving through the three previous stages, your child is prepared for "self-guided independence." In this phase, he selects the area of study that interests him and pursues a project of his own design. (He can, of course, ask for help if he needs it — it's just not required to solicit help at this stage.) Independent study is both intellectually satisfying and confidence-building, and it prepares students to make reasoned decisions in all areas of life.