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Different Teaching Methods for Your Tuition Lessons
When it comes to tutoring, there are instances wherein the tutor may feel like they have been doing the same kind of lesson over and over again. When this happens, it might feel almost robotic for the home tutor and this may not be the most effective for the student you are tutoring. Choosing the ideal tutoring approach for you and your student has a significant impact on overall performance as a tutor and how successfully you can help your students attain the best learning experience possible through your lessons. If you are a home tutor looking for a change in the way you tutor your students or you are a new home tutor looking for ways to make your first tuition session engaging and exciting for your student, we have a few popular teaching methods that you can use.
Methods you can use for your tuition lessons
1. Teacher-centered
It is probably the most common method used in schools and surely, you also have experienced this. This method is popular because there are too many students per teacher in class so it can get out of control if the teacher doesn’t take the lead. In using the teacher-centered approach, teachers will be the ones to teach them content, ensure the student has good behavior, attentive to the lesson, are disciplined, and also maintain the level of noise so as to not be disruptive to the class. Additionally, it’s also up to the teacher to ensure that students complete their tasks per the teacher’s expectations.
As the term implies, all eyes will be on you, and the students will be forced to pay attention to you. However, there are also some downsides to this method such as students may behave in the way they are supposed to but they may not really absorb what they are learning. They may also find learning to be boring and wouldn’t really be keen on it. There are also fewer chances of honing practical skills and creative thinking. As such, since students wouldn’t be able to move around a lot, they may not develop collaboration with others as well as the confidence to speak out.
2. Student-centered
A student-centered approach focuses on students learning alongside one another through projects, conversations, and collaborative problem-solving. There will be several partnerships and conversations, and the teacher’s responsibility will be to facilitate the discussion by providing good activities and guiding the students through their debates. Student-centered learning, also known as cooperative learning, is a type of learning in which students improve their collaboration, communication, and teamwork skills while also learning how to work with others to achieve their own goals.
As an example, you can give difficult problems to students in groups so it would require them to use their ideas as a group to come up with a solution. They would be able to combine all of their ideas to form a cohesive approach to the difficult problem presented. However, it should also be noted that introverted and shy students may find it difficult to thrive in this method so it’s important to make it compulsory for everyone in the group to make their equal contributions. This will make for an effective collaboration without leaving any of the group members behind.
3. Flipped classroom
In a usual classroom setting, teachers would teach the lesson in class before students can go home to do their homework. But there are times wherein students are not able to pay attention in class. It could be they are distracted by their surroundings, they are tired, or even they are shy to speak out and ask questions. For whatever reason, they would go home and feel lost and confused when they attempt to do their homework.
The flipped classroom strategy entails literally “flipping” the traditional teaching style. Instead, students conduct their own reading and learning before coming to class so that they can correct their mistakes, ask questions, and confirm their understanding. It allows your students to go through the information at their own pace, saving time and giving them control over their own education.
As technology has advanced, kids can now access more productive learning as homework from the comfort of their own homes. You can develop a list of relevant videos for your students to watch before coming to class, which will be more engaging and exciting for them than reading textbooks. This method is effective for tutors as it can easily bridge any gaps in learning the student may have all at once.
4. Inquiry-based
It’s also very common in classrooms for the teacher to be asking questions to students to test their understanding of the lesson. But even when teachers ask the class a question, the pupils are not motivated to respond in a large group environment. And due to a lack of time, teachers are frequently forced to rush through their lessons and move on.
When you have smaller groups of students as in home tuition, it’s easier to engage them by asking them questions that stimulate their thinking. Simply going through the material in class would not suffice because many students would not take the initiative to clarify whatever they didn’t understand and would instead brush it aside. You should use deliberate inquiry rather than merely asking yes or no questions. They can easily get it right with only two options, but they may not understand the concept.
Socratic inquiry is a common form of questioning that encourages students to reflect by asking questions in a structured manner. Instead of spoon-feeding answers to students, the inquiry-based method encourages them to use logic to come to their own conclusions, allowing them to be more independent while still being directed in their learning.
5. Hands-on learning
Teachers that use the kinesthetic teaching technique encourage students to learn through discovery by using hands-on activities. There needs to be a plan of suitable activities and preparation of materials for students to understand the concepts you are aiming to teach them. Hands-on learning can easily get out of hand if it’s not well-thought-of or planned.
Examples of hands-on learning would be instead of telling them where the countries are on the map, you can do a fun activity for them to locate the countries themselves and pin them on the map. Kinesthetic and even visual learners can benefit from this strategy because they can play with and learn from visualizations.
6. Differentiated instruction
Differentiated instruction, often known as customized learning, is a popular teaching style that caters to the particular needs of each student. In the traditional classroom, pupils are taught in a one-size-fits-all manner, with teachers attempting to deliver classes in a way that will benefit the majority of students. However, not all pupils fit into the mainstream, and each student has their own preferred style of learning.
Conducting differentiated instruction entails being flexible and adapting to the various learning demands of your students. As an example, if you know that your student learns best when they are reading notes, you can prepare the notes. As for students that just don’t absorb anything when they are reading in black and white, you can use practical learning materials for them instead. This will ensure that both students are learning rather than forcing the student to adapt to a standard learning technique that they are unable to learn with. Differentiated instruction encourages you to think quickly and creatively in order to create learning that is tailored to your student’s specific needs.
7. Game-based approach
Everyone loves to play games, especially younger students. It lifts up the mood and provides entertainment in between lessons. However, school curriculums are often constrained and stressful, making it difficult for teachers to include enjoyment into their students’ learning. As a result, pupils struggle to stay up and maintain their enthusiasm for studying. Many students believe that learning is unpleasant and tedious, but it does not have to be. You can change that for them by incorporating games into your tuition sessions.
Students will be naturally motivated to do their best and pay focus to the content they need to succeed if they play competitive games. It will not even feel as if they have to put an effort into actually learning. Any lesson may be turned into a game if you make it interesting for your student, the possibilities are endless.
Carelle
Carelle is a teacher who has been through the ups and downs of the teacher and learner life. She wishes for every learner to gain educational satisfaction that will help embody the people they want to be in the future.
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