Many
times you may be asked to help a child understand a particular topic or problem
area. It is sometimes difficult to know “where to start” with such an open-ended
request. Here are a few suggestions to
help you plan your tutoring session with a student.
1.
Think about your
tutoring session in three sections or stages. The three
sections are 1) a motivational opening 2) the development of the lesson and 3) the closing. These stages will help
the student remember the lesson more effectively and understand the concepts on
a deeper level.
2.
Make sure your
motivational opening is fun and engaging. In this
first section of the lesson you want to stimulate student’s interest in the
topic or subject. Students tend to
think, “Why do I have to learn this?”
Thus, when you start a lesson try to include some element that shows the
practical application of the lesson’s content.
You can tell or read a short story which highlights the concept in a
practical application. Another idea is to
show a picture or diagram which visually shows the concept in action. Or, you can start the lesson by asking the
student some open-ended questions to peak their curiosity.
3.
Tap into the
student’s background knowledge. Make sure
to ask questions to see what the student already knows about the subject. They may know more than you think, but they
may be having trouble integrating their knowledge or expressing it in the way
the teacher is assessing.
4.
During the development
of the lesson break down the information in to small steps and praise the child
for each step they accomplish. Also, remember
to assess the student’s knowledge periodically by asking questions By doing
this, you know the students are retaining information and fully understanding
the lesson.
5.
The closing section
of the lesson should encourage the student to reflect on what they have learned
and how they will use the knowledge. Encourage the child to come up
with their own ideas about how they can remember the information and how the
information might be assessed in classroom exams or homework.
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