This is a guest post by Alice from www.tutorsville.net
Today, tutors are considered important not only for students who have learning difficulties or are having issues understanding a particular topic, but for those who want their kids to do well in tough subjects like math and get better grades. Although tutoring costs, often parents don’t mind paying for the promise of a better future for their children.
With hectic schedules and transportation issues, parent’s are increasingly turning to online tutoring to get that essential help for their child. However, many parents ask if they can do something to get the most out of their child’s online tutor, especially since the relationship can often be different than if the tutor were teaching in your home. Read through the steps outlined below to ensure that online tutoring ends up being a positive experience.
1. Figure out what exactly you want your child to get out of the tutoring and select the tutor accordingly. Do you need an online tutor who has taught young children before or do you need a calculus expert? Does your child need general math support or are they preparing for a specific math test?
2. Explore a number of online tutoring sites. Check out their “About” page, click around the site to see what qualifications their tutors hold and find out how they filter their tutors (you can sometimes find valuable information by reading the information for potential tutors)
3. Keep an eye on how the tutor is teaching by sitting in on the lesson (or listening in from another room). You’ll want to avoid the situation where the online tutor actually does the student’s work instead of teaching them the underlying concepts. This will negatively affect the student’s abilities and confidence.
4. Choose a tutor to suit your child’s learning style. By opting for the right tutor, you can help your child to develop other positive traits as well. For instance, some tutors will help your child to develop a sense of order in their math work and others may encourage them to think creatively about math.
5. Choose a tutor who can communicate well with your child, and not just about math. Share the interests of your child. If your child is a fan of baseball, a tutor can use baseball examples to explain mathematical concepts.
6. Be realistic. Don’t expect overnight improvement. By all means have high expectations from the tutor, but avoid having unrealistic expectations. This will put less pressure on the tutor and will enable them to perform better. Discuss targets and expectations in advance to avoid any misunderstandings.
7. Make sure the technology works on your side. A fast internet connection is essential, but also make sure others in the house aren’t using valuable bandwidth by streaming movies during your child’s lesson. Be on hand to sort out any technical problems.
8. Get regular feedback.Some tutoring sites offer scheduled parent conferences. Attending these online conferences is a great way of judging the progress of a tutor as well as a student. At the very least ask for the tutor’s email and email questions and requests for feedback on a regular basis.
Online tutoring can be as effective as in-person tutoring. By following the steps above and supporting both your child and the tutor, you’ll soon see an increase in your child’s math ability and confidence.
Alice writes for www.tutorsville.net which provides live, online tutor services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
