The Benefits of Tutoring

You know your child like no one else. You know his strengths and his weaknesses. You also can tell when it’s time to reach out for help. Many people assume that tutoring is just for students who are slipping through the cracks, but as Christine Fee of Sylvan Learning notes, tutoring services may benefit a child for many reasons.  “Many times students are missing skills or have gaps,” Fee says.  “When students are getting good grades but do poorly on tests, tutors can help provide students with tools to master skills. Maybe those students need help with study skills, including note taking, time management and test taking strategies. Approximately one-third of our students [at Sylvan] are enrichment students looking to improve their skill set.”

Tutoring eventually will lead to better grades, but don’t expect overnight results.

Tutoring services abound in many forms, from educational therapy to online tutoring, private tutoring to learning center programs. Just how do you go about finding what works best for your child? Fee recommends parents look for a certified tutor or academic coach who can provide a 360 degree academic assessment to determine a student’s true needs and skill gaps, while offering an adaptive learning program. Likewise, high schoolers looking to prepare for the SAT and ACT should seek a tutor who offers a comprehensive college prep program. A simple online search can showcase what is available in your area, while parent referrals will provide testimony to how effective each one is.

Many parents and students may assume the moment tutoring services begin, grades immediately will begin to rise. Not only is that expectation unrealistic, it overlooks the primary benefit of tutoring: training a child how to learn and be a more independent thinker. Despite what the adage states, practice does not make perfect. Practice, instead, makes permanent. If a student has long-ingrained poor habits or has struggled with an academic area for a long time, the process of building improved study habits takes time. Tutoring eventually will lead to better grades, but don’t expect overnight results.

What a student can expect immediately is feedback. Unlike a classroom teacher, tutors, with their undivided attention on one student, instantly can identify when a student is having a hard time grasping a concept or making a series of mistakes. This input may seem surprising, off-putting or even harsh to a student who’s not used to it. Remind your child that a tutor’s critique comes from a place of concern for his best interest and, if taken in consideration, will help him grow. On the flip side, instant feedback means that students also may ask as many questions as they have. This instant feedback between tutor and student offers a unique resource that can help a child reach his full academic potential.

The terms tutoring and academic coaching are sometimes used interchangeably. But what’s the difference? In many cases, it’s purely a matter of marketing. But at its basis, academic coaching focuses more on strategies for motivation, focus and organization, whereas tutoring focuses more on concrete academic skills that need improvement. In either event, both skills can be taught interchangeably and, consequently, an instructor can be referred to both as tutor and coach. Many students, particularly in middle school and above, may view being tutored as a sign of weakness on their part. Viewing a tutor as an academic coach can ease that perception, as the act of being coached, much like in athletics, focuses constructively on becoming stronger, better and more adept. 

Your child may be the one under the instruction of a tutor, but you still play a valuable role in the process. An engaged parent seeks not only to encourage his child but ensures there is clear communication with everyone involved in his education. Tutors can complement your child’s classroom learning opportunities but will not innately know what your child’s syllabus is. Make sure to be in communication with your child’s teacher in order to help the tutor build a customized lesson plan that will prepare him most effectively for upcoming material within the classroom, as well as tests or quizzes.

"First and foremost, consistency of attendance is critical, especially if a child is trying to catch up in a subject," states Sabrina Denny, center director for The Tutoring Center. She adds, "Committing to attend all scheduled tutoring sessions helps a student obtain the frequency needed to master new concepts and continue building on previously learned material. Second, it is important to maintain open lines of communication between parents and tutors so that any areas of concern can quickly be addressed." Engaging in beneficial communication with your child’s tutor, as well as your child and his classroom teacher, will ensure your child makes the most of every learning opportunity afforded him. Moreover, one of the biggest lessons your child will glean from your involvement in his tutoring process is that success comes from hard work, perseverance and curiosity.

Your Child Might Need a Tutor For…

• Remediation and maintenance. He needs more time, drill and practice on foundational concepts than the classroom is able to provide.
• Support. She expresses anxiety, stress and anger toward school and/or her academic performance. 
• Test prep. He does well on homework but doesn’t perform well on tests over the same material.
• Enrichment. She appears to be bored and restless with current school work as a result of not being challenged enough.

Mom of three Lauren Greenlee writes from her Olathe home.