The First Tutorial Session with a Private Tutor

by Phil Marks

The first meeting is critical to a successful tutoring assignment.

Firstly, the parents/guardians and the student have to be comfortable with having the tutor in their home, and that the interaction with the tutee is positive. This may take a cup of coffee and a fifteen minutes or so to establish.

Additionally, the tutor needs to establish the entry level of the student, and the objectives of the assignment. It is clearly essential that the entry level and the objectives align. For example, it may be unrealistic to set an objective of an ‘A’ grade when the student is having difficulty with the basic concepts of the subject and there are only six or seven weeks before an examination.

Typical objectives might be selected from:

* build/reinforce basic knowledge to achieve an exam pass?
* improve exam grades?
* build confidence in the student to achieve a basic pass?
* improve exam technique (i.e best ways to analyse and answer questions)?

Some objectives might be even more refined, for example interview preparation for a college/university interview, with ‘mock interview’ sessions with the private tutor and discussions of suitable answers for key interview areas.

So, before the first session, the family should discuss their objectives and have a clear idea of what tutor support is aiming to achieve. This will make the first session more productive.

My preferred approach is to set up a log book with lesson plans and set-work assignments so that it is clear to all concerned what should be achieved during and between tutorial sessions.

Students should be prepared, with their text books, a ring binder and looseleaf pad to hand. Access to a PC is not essential, except for ICT.

Tutorials are best taken in a quiet room with a table (preferably not coffee table height) or desk.

Sessions usually start with a brief oral test of the previous session’s lesson and a review of any set work. This is followed by ‘new material’ for the session, producing some summary notes. This is rounded off by running through an examination question and agreeing the set work to be completed by the next session.

After the first session, certainly by the end of the second session, the private tutor will be able to confirm that the objectives and the student’s entry level are appropriate, and that expectations of the student are stretching but reasonable.

Private Tutor - Next Steps?

If you wish to arrange an informal discussion, tutorial session, or just want to know more about using a private tutor, then please email me or telephone.

Don't leave it too late as my diary is filling rapidly for the run up to the next examinations!

Thank you for your interest.

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