Whether it’s Math or Music - an effective talentmaster is the one who makes each session impactful for the student. Before getting into how to deliver an effective tutoring session, let’s investigate what exactly is an effective session.
An effective tutoring session is the one which has:
- a clear set of mutually agreed-upon goals
- a neat session flow (e.g. pre-assessment, main content and recap)
- ignited curiosity in the student (For example, discussion about the music pitch in one tutoring session leaves the student curious about tempo and rhythm for the next session)
Delivering an effective session is not difficult. Just be sure of your subject matter prowess – be it academics, arts or sports!
Here is a 5-point checklist to make each session effective and goal-oriented:
1. Plan a session outline and add time tags to it
Distribute the session time into small sections as pre-assessment time, explaining the concepts, quiz time, revision, etc. for the next session. Add clear timelines to each and try to stick to the schedule.
Here is a sample mathematics tutoring session schedule:
Jan 1st 2019, Chapter - ALGEBRAIC IDENTITIES (60 + 5 Minutes)
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2. Prepare and carry all the necessary documents, worksheets, and other materials
It is easy to forget important documents and materials. Prepare a folder and update it well in advance. An effective talentmaster is after all, always organized and punctual.
Here is a general checklist of some documents you may need:
- Session plan
- Teaching notes
- Worksheets/notes
- Printed notes for the student
- Reference books
- Curriculum outline for the term
3. Stick to the Background – Battle Ground – Foreground Rule
Always follow the BBF rule while talent mastering.
Background: Every session must give some background to the student viz. why is the topic important for the subject (e.g. importance of repertoires in piano lessons).
Battle Ground: Follow it up with a detailed take on theory and important subject matter.
Foreground: Leave the student curious. Give them an insight into what would come next and how interesting it would be.
4. Make the session interactive and participative
Never make the session seem a pedantic discourse or a monologue. You can do the following to keep monotony at bay while teaching:
- Use popular characters, everyday phenomena, etc. as examples
- Use demonstrative videos to break the pattern of verbal instruction
- Allow for adequate breaks in between
- Use games & puzzles (for e.g. note-learning games can help a student do better with piano lessons)
5. Document and keep a track of daily progress to plan future sessions even more effectively
Keeping a record of feedback can also help you curate your next session’s agenda much more effectively. Talentnook allows you to customize and update the lesson outline on the lesson page shared with the parent. You can also use the message board to discuss specific issues/concerns with the parent. Such discussion and parent involvement will help you plan the student’s success path with much more clarity. After all, the student’s progress is teamwork.
Try these 5 key steps and discover the genius talentmaster in you! Happy tutoring to you!