What Questions Should You Ask Your Child’s Home Tutor
A smart approach to check on your child’s academic progress is to have them tutored at home. Tutors have received specialized training examining how students learn, adjust to new situations, and respond to assessments. So, home tutors assist parents in figuring out how to help their children even more. They give you plenty of information about how your child is doing and growing in school. Therefore, due to their training and expertise, they are also not restricted to teaching only within the curriculum. Parents who hire a home tutor are assured of a customized lesson for their child, wherein home tutors will be able to guide and teach them in a style and pace that suits them.
Being a consistent source of support for your child’s growth, academically or otherwise, is crucial for parents. For this reason, parents should make it a habit to inquire about their child’s development.
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What questions should you ask your child’s home tutor in every milestone?
Asking the appropriate questions of your child’s home tutor is crucial, but so is choosing the appropriate moment to do so. While monitoring their development is a good idea, persistent questioning could divert both the student and the home tutor. Not to mention that instead of tracking their development, it could become an obsession. That is why we’ve gathered some questions you can ask your child’s home tutor at every milestone.
1. When your child first starts with home tuition
There are hundreds to thousands of home tutors in Singapore alone. And as such, there are also about as many home tuition agencies to choose from. The question therein lies in which home tutor would fit your child best.
By discussing your child’s needs with the home tuition agency you have chosen, you will be doing them a favor by making the agency’s selection process much simpler. Additionally, some parents are unaware of what takes on during home tutoring sessions. They consequently have little to no idea how to effectively monitor the sessions. Take time to speak with the agency or the selected home tutor to fully understand what will go on during the sessions, what to expect during the program, and their approach to helping the student learn.
As students learn differently from one another, home tutors also have certain techniques and teaching methods for every child. By asking these questions to your child’s new home tutor, you can grasp some ideas on how to monitor their sessions.
- How will you get an idea of my child’s learning style and needs?
- What kind of results might I expect to see from my child?
- How can I help my child to be more comfortable with home tuition?
- What are your teaching methods or techniques?
- How will you test my child’s progress?
- How can I help with your sessions?
Asking these questions can help you learn more about the home tutor you are working with as well as how to keep an eye on their sessions. You might also learn ways to make home tutoring and tuition easy for both your child and yourself. It’s critical to create a welcoming learning environment for both the tutor and the student, particularly for a struggling learner.
2. Before and after the first big exam
Exams and big tests are always stressful for students. However, students react differently to that pressure. Some students could spend the week or two days leading up to the test cramming. Some students may devote a lot of time to studying for the test, but on test day, they may become anxious and forget what they have learned. There are numerous strategies a student might employ to maintain composure throughout tests, yet often they are ignored.
The most important thing will be to make sure your child is ready for the test. For suggestions on how to assist your child in studying at home, speak with their home tutor. Home study sessions for the student alone should still occur, even though home tuition sessions only last an hour and a half at most. During these moments, parents can assist with the child.
As such, parents can also ask for their progress based on the test scores and see which areas they’ve improved and are still struggling in. Some of the questions you can ask are as follows:
- Which study habits or skills does my child struggle to cope with?
- Which study habits or skills has my child improved in?
- Does my child show signs of anxiety when reviewing test materials?
- How does my child react after the exam? Is he/she indifferent or more motivated to succeed?
- What are your recommendations for helping him/her study at home?
- Is there a subject my child particularly struggles with?
- What can I do as a parent to help them?
3. After the student’s first term
This is an excellent opportunity to catch up and have a lengthy conversation about your child’s development from the start of home tuition to the end of the term. It’s an opportunity to discuss with your child’s home tutor the patterns they’ve observed in your child’s learning and study habits as well as the gains they’ve observed in their performance. You may assist the home tutor in creating a plan for their approach for the upcoming term by being aware of the progress they have made and the challenges they still face. It will benefit your child for the upcoming term with new objectives in mind.
Here are some questions you can discuss with the home tutor:
- How is my child adjusting to home tuition?
- How has my child been progressing during the term?
- In what areas did they improve in this term?
- What areas are they still struggling in?
- Are there any areas my child should focus more on in the next term?
- How can I help my child prepare for the next term?
4. After the school year
After the school year is over, it’s time to examine the previous year of home tutoring more closely and evaluate your child’s long-term development. Ask the tutor who works with your child at home what trends they observed in your child’s learning skills and abilities. You can talk further about their areas of growth over this period, as well as those that stayed the same or still require improvement.
After speaking with your child’s home tutor, you can get their thoughts on what you should do next to help your child’s academic progress, such as enrolling them in remedial or additional programs. Additionally, you can ask the home tutor what steps you can take during the child’s break to help them be ready for the upcoming school year.
Some specific questions you can ask are as follows:
- Which areas did my child improve the most this past school year?
- Which areas are they still having trouble in?
- What areas can still be improved on?
- Should I enroll my child in remedial learning programs?
- What can I do to help them retain their lessons over the break?
- Will holiday tutoring help my child for the next school year?
Conclusion
In the contemporary, cutthroat world of today, education is crucial. Everyone is striving to reach their full potential. It makes sense for parents to want only the best for their kids. As a result, they must absorb and remember the lessons as much as possible. In addition to preparing kids for the future, it may boost their self-esteem and help them become more self-assured and capable individuals.
Parents can keep an eye on their child’s development at home and in school with the aid of home tutors. Additionally, parents can learn how to support their children in ways that will benefit them in school. Never hesitate to request progress reports from your child’s private tutor. Therefore, if there are any aspects of your child’s education that you find confusing, you can also contact home tutors for advice.
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.
