The Ultimate Tutoring Prep Guide

By Brittany Loeffler on April 23, 2017

You’re struggling in a class and have decided to receive help from a tutor. Good choice! Nobody wants to struggle in a class and risk needing to retake it. Once you’ve found a credible and affordable tutor, there are some things you need to know before you go to your first session.

I’ve made the ultimate prep guide to getting a tutor so you can get the most out of having a tutor. Just because you are paying someone to help you doesn’t necessarily mean you will see an improvement in your grade. You have some work to do on your own.

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Organize your class materials

Organize the materials you have received from your professor. This includes notes you may have taken, PowerPoints your professor has presented, textbooks, etc. Anything that includes information about the course’s topic will be important.

Present these materials to your tutor so he can understand the focus your professor has for teaching the class. It may be about victorian literature, but the professor may take a certain approach to how he is teaching it. This will help your tutor decide what to focus on and how to approach helping you.

Make a list of questions

While you are sitting in class or doing homework, start a list of questions that come up. If you don’t have the chance to ask them in class, write them down so you can ask your tutor. Before the first tutoring session, have a list of at least five questions or concepts you need help understanding. This will give your tutor a place to start and will let them know what you need to focus on.

Continue to do this throughout your tutoring sessions. Each new session, make sure to bring questions from the previous week’s classes. If you have questions about the homework that the tutor assigns, make sure to ask them!

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Cut out extra time for more homework

Nobody likes to have extra homework due on top of every other activity and class you are taking, but it’s inevitable when you decide to work with a tutor. Homework has proven to increase the understanding of a concept. Be prepared to cut out some extra time during your week to complete homework or study assignments from your tutor.

Just going to the tutoring session is not enough to help improve your performance in a class. You also need to put in some extra work!

Talk to your professor

Let your professor know that you are struggling in class and that you have decided to start working with a tutor. Since your professor has designed the course and is an expert in what they are teaching, they may offer you some advice as to what to study and how to approach it.

They may be willing to write or chat with your tutor about what they should focus on and what you seem to be struggling with. It’s also good for your professor to be aware that you need some extra help because they may cater more towards you to make sure you understand the material.

Set goals

If you want to improve something about yourself, you have to set a goal. In order to improve yourself, you must have a set goal that is measurable and attainable. Saying to yourself, “I want to do better in class” is not a specific goal. It is not something you can measure. Saying, “I want to end this class with a B+ grade” is an achievable and measurable goal.

Before you meet with your tutor, make sure you have an idea of what you want to achieve. Tell them your goal so the both of you can make a plan to achieve your goal and track your progress.

via Pixabay 

Let them in

Be prepared to open up to your tutor. You may feel very vulnerable when you are struggling to understand something. This is okay! Your tutor is there to help you and knows that you do not understand the material.

Don’t feel embarrassed when you do not understand what your tutor is teaching you. The point of having a tutor is to work one-on-one with them and to ask them specific questions about what you do not get. You and your tutor will get to know each other by working with one another. The more sessions you have, the more comfortable you will be with your tutor.

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