How to Find the Perfect Tutor
Tutoring success depends on the student-teacher fit
By Damon Korb, M.D., Director, Center for Developing Minds
As a behavioral and developmental pediatrician, parents often ask me about how to find the “perfect tutor.” In reality, whether or not a student responds to tutoring often depends on the student as much as the professional tutor. Finding the “perfect tutor” often means finding the best fit for the individual child. Students struggle at school for a variety of reasons, and why they struggle dictates how much they might benefit from educational support and determines the type of support they need. Below is an overview of student types that stand to benefit the most from a tutor:
The Disorganized Student
A “disorganized student” is often a source of great frustration to parents. I frequently hear from parents, who are at a total loss as to how their child could forget to turn in completed work, neglect simple instructions, or fail to meet a reasonable deadline. This scenario leads to chronic frustrations and distressing parent-child conflict. Hiring a tutor can help you avoid much of this turmoil. In addition to taking the pressure off of parents, many tutors are well versed in organizational methods and can model successful strategies for your child to emulate.
The Student Who Never Learned How to Study
Tutors can offer a wealth of experience about what types of studying have worked for other students, share different study techniques specific to the subject material, and make appropriate recommendations for a particular student. It is not uncommon for a bright student to make it all the way to high school without having to study. Then, once the demands increase, she finds herself overwhelmed by her inability to master a subject. Tutors can help the “never-learned-how-to-study student” by teaching her self-assessment skills and study techniques.
The Inattentive Student
The “inattentive student” can present with gaps in his knowledge due to missing information during periods of being “lost in a daydream.” The group classroom setting is not ideal for this type of child as it presents so many distractions and provides very little individualized support. Working one-on-one with a tutor is often just what these students need to master specific subjects.
The Absent Student
Like the inattentive student, the “absent student” has gaps in her understanding of subjects. Holes in learning are commonly found in students that miss class, including chronically ill students, athletes, and students who move to a new school that may have a different set of standards from their old school. Tutors can identify gaps and work with the “absent student” to fill in the missing information.
The Under-Confident Student
A big part of learning is about being willing to take academic risks. It helps to have the confidence to try to solve a math equation that may be difficult, or to be willing to give a wrong response in front of classmates. “Under-confident students” have a tendency to give up, and thus miss out on learning opportunities. Working one-on-one with a tutor can help a student feel safe, allowing the child to gradually come out of “academic hiding.”
The Inflexible Student
The inflexible student requires a good tutoring fit. School is stressful for him because he does not do well with transitions and detests making mistakes. It is likely that he particularly deplores when mistakes are pointed out to him. Usually, by the time a tutor has been requested, the inflexible student will have been oppositional with teachers and in frequent conflicts with his parents. Tutors can succeed with an inflexible student if they are very careful about setting limits and prepare the student for transitions by using schedules and following routines.
One-on-one tutoring can help students with many types of learning challenges. Be sure you identify a tutor who is highly qualified to teach the material, listens carefully to your needs, provides you with a goal-driven plan, and establishes a positive learning environment with your child. If you see a trend or suspect a possible learning disorder, contact your doctor about a behavioral and developmental assessment to help identify any neurodevelopmental issues.
Damon Korb, M.D., Director of The Center for Developing Minds (CDM), is a board certified behavioral and developmental pediatrician. The CDM is a multidisciplinary pediatric clinic that provides care for children and young adults who struggle at home and at school with behavior issues, learning difficulties, attention problems, social skill deficits, autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays and psychological disorders. For more information about the services available at the Center for Developing Minds, please visit www.devminds.com or call (408) 358-1853.
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