“I’m not good at this”, “I can’t do it”, “I’m dumb”, “I don’t understand”. Do any of these phrases sound familiar? Not understanding key concepts covered in class can have a massive impact on a child’s confidence and self esteem, and ultimately their attitude and progression with their learning.
The classroom is a busy and dynamic place where learning is industrious and often moves at a fast pace. Teachers aim to address the individual needs of each child within their classroom however due to the amount they need to cover and curriculum requirements, time is scarce and often children may not obtain a full understanding of the key concepts covered. As a result, the foundations and building blocks required to develop skills and understanding may not be laid and therefore when that topic or concept is revisited, children cannot draw on the basics and in-turn build on and develop an understanding of new concepts.
Their attitude towards learning changes, their self belief and self esteem diminishes and they start to think that they cannot do things or experience success. So why is one-on-one tutoring so powerful and how does it build happy, smart and confident kids?
Tutoring allows children that struggle with the regular classroom setting to learn and develop the confidence to explore unfamiliar concepts at their own pace within a supportive environment where they feel safe to risk take without being worried about getting something ‘wrong’ or sharing their ideas. Focused one-on-one learning allows the child and tutor to develop a positive learning relationship and attitude towards learning and approaching new topics without worry or fear.
Tutors take the time to get to know the student’s needs and develop an individualised learning plan that focuses specifically on where they are struggling. The key to success lies in the powerful relationship between the student and their tutor; having mutual respect, knowing the child’s interests: what they like, what they don’t like and what they hope to achieve is essential.
Using the interests of the child within their session to engage them in their learning is a fun and fantastic way to explore concepts, would you believe that you can integrate music into learning maths? Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off’ was used to explore “Odd and Even” numbers and resulted in a successful understanding of a topic in a fun way that had meaning to the student.
Tutoring is a powerful way to help any child experience success at their own level, whether that be to improve or develop skills or extend and challenge.