Tutoring techniques for high schoolers

Photo credit: Lin Pernille

Tutoring is a great way to get involved in high school, but if you’ve never done it before you might be wondering what exactly you’ll be doing.


Ask them what they expect. Before you meet or on the first day, ask the person you’re tutoring what they expect to get out of the tutoring session. Basically it's up to them to decide what topics they need help on.


Bring your notebook and textbook. If you took good notes in the class you’re tutoring in and you know where to find things easily in the book that you used, it's be a good idea to bring them. That way you're not fumbling through their book to find an answer you could have easily found in your own.


Review the material. Flip through the textbook before you meet just to remind yourself what kind of topics you learned in that class.


Don't focus on the homework. The point of tutoring is not for them to double check their answers or for you to do their homework for them. You can use homework as a starting point, but try to see what topics they are having trouble understanding. Take time to explain the concepts in different ways until they understand it and they can do the homework problem on their own.


Be honest about what you know. If you don’t know the answer to a question right away, be honest. It’s ok to look through the textbook or your notes for the answer. You can even take a minute or two to try to figure out the problem on your own. You don’t have to be an expert; you just have to help.

 

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