Top 10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Tutoring

Tips for Getting the Most out of Tutoring

Working with a tutor can help you to better understand course material. The best way to get the most out of tutoring is to be prepared for your sessions. These ten tips will show you how to prepare for and best benefit from those sessions.

1. Always bring all your course materials to tutoring sessions. This includes course syllabus, books, notes, or other materials. Treat your sessions the same way you would treat your class in terms of what you bring to it.

2. Ask questions. It’s a good idea to come to each session with written out questions for your tutor about something you may be struggling with. These should be prepared prior to your session while you are studying or doing work for class. Make sure your questions are specific so that your tutor can answer you effectively.

3. Get to work. Learning is not a passive process, so it’s important to try things out on your own. Stay active in your sessions by working through problems or practice questions. If you don’t have problems to solve, ask your tutor to prepare some.

4. Keep the work going after your session. Learning isn’t just for class time and tutoring sessions, and it takes practice. Practice what you are working on after your tutoring sessions, just like you do after class. Take some time to reinforce what you’re learning.

5. Know how you learn. There is a good chance that you and your tutor learn differently. If you don’t understand what your tutor is telling you, ask if the two of you can try a different approach more in line with your learning style.

6. Don’t expect your tutor to replace your professor. Your tutor is there to help you understand the material and retain it longer, not to re-teach material from class or give you answers to problems. It may take longer than expected to learn the material, but stick with it.

7. Be patient. Have patience with your tutor and with yourself. Because learning is a process, the material is not likely to come all at once. Try to reduce your anxiety and frustration by practicing some stress relief.

8. Stay engaged. You may not be highly interested in your subject, but try to find something you can connect to in what you are learning. If you’re having trouble, ask your tutor to help you relate material to something that makes sense to you.

9. Reduce distractions. Keep your sessions in a quiet, secluded space and put away things like cell phones, excess materials, or anything that draws your attention away from your work.

10. Get started early. The best way to succeed in class is to stay on top of it from the beginning