Roman O.

I firmly believe that the essence of a good tutor lies within their ability to communicate the most complicated concepts while maintaining rapport with the tutee and keeping them engaged. This is because, from my experience as a school student, teachers generally focus less on ensuring that all the students have fully grasped a concept and instead prioritize the quantity of material taught.

Typically I would first introduce myself and then kindly ask for a brief introduction on the tutee's behalf. Afterward, I would ask them what they wish to gain from our sessions to obtain a clearer picture of what to prioritize and how to structure my future lessons. Finally, I would waste as little time as possible and begin teaching them based on what they have said they desire.

The most important aspect I would seek to communicate to my tutee regarding them becoming more independent in studying would be to experiment with different learning techniques, as I myself have found that there is not "set rule" that everyone has to follow. I would then demonstrate a variety of those techniques and clarify that doing exams/practice tests are a great way to test whether a learning technique has been successful or not.

My motivation to learn is derived from envisioning myself once I have understood a given subject and therefore have a better version of myself to strive towards. I firmly believe that being goal-oriented is the best way to stay motivated (not just in academia), which is a notion I would certainly be trying to communicate with my tutee.

If this is the case, in my opinion, the best way for my tutee to appreciate a concept in a subject would be to learn it from the first principles. Therefore, as a tutor, I would emphasize the derivation of a given concept, making sure that each step makes complete sense to them. In the end, once I have derived a concept, I would ask my tutee to apply it to consolidate their understanding.

If a student is struggling with reading comprehension, and if this is not their primary concern with regards to learning a specific subject, I would most likely not teach them like I would teach other students and would address this issue by advising them to learn the necessary vocabulary for this specific subject I am teaching them, as the reason they don't understand particular concepts or questions could be due to lack of specific vocabulary. If the matter is direr, I would advise them to see a qualified professional since their struggle could stem from a psychological impairment that may require professional treatment.

First of all, knowing the specific goal of the lessons will mean that I will have done adequate preparation before a lesson and made sure I have all the necessary equipment. Moreover, talking with my tutee to understand what type of learning suits them best is a strategy that has worked well before. Another successful strategy was to summarize what I had taught throughout a lesson. I think this is a crucial step when starting to work with someone, and my goal is always to make sure that my tutee does this automatically by themselves so they can retain a more significant proportion of the content covered.

I would understand how they have been taught this subject previously and experiment with different teaching techniques. For example, suppose my tutee has struggled with learning physics or other more theoretical subjects and has always been taught traditionally with a whiteboard. In that case, I may explain some concepts visually using actual objects or include real-world examples to demonstrate that these concepts occur in the real world. From my personal experience, this strategy has made students more enthusiastic about studying those subjects they typically struggle with.

Aside from testing my tutee on occasions using past exam questions and papers, I may ask them to summarize the topics covered using a mind-map on a virtual whiteboard. I find the latter to be more effective in demonstrating a good understanding of the material because using questions on their own often leaves students struggling if they cannot apply their knowledge of the material in different scenarios. For me, a fundamentally firm grasp of the material is the first step to using it well.

Firstly, I would encourage my tutee to avoid comparing directly with their peers about exams or class performance. It is in my interest as a tutor to communicate that comparisons with other students inhibit ardor for a subject because everyone works at a different pace, and the ultimate goal isn't to triumph over others but to obtain the best understanding of a subject as much as possible. Furthermore, in my opinion, it is crucial for my tutee to observe the progress they have made in a particular subject through quizzes and mini-tests, as this would make them more confident in their ability and encourage them to improve further.

First of all, my priority would be to understand how much of the subject my tutee already knows and what topics they have sufficient confidence in. To do this, I would ask which topics they are particularly good at and which ones they like the most. Secondly, I would pose a very open-ended question regarding their weak areas and how they have tried to themselves find a solution. After this, a sensible conclusion can be made regarding what assistance they require.

I do this in many ways. If required, I obtain the necessary equipment or install the right software. According to my tutee's style of teaching that they find the most effective, I can change how I approach teaching virtually any subject and adjust the amount of time spent on topic-specific questions depending on how confident my tutee is in the specific topic.

In terms of technology, I mostly use the screen-sharing function or invite my tutee to a google doc. Sometimes I use whiteboard software. All of these tools are highly versatile, in my opinion, and I use each one depending on the type of subject I teach.