Online tuition has risen in prominence over the last decade all thanks to the taxing education syllabus these days. The education system in many countries has changed to a great extent due to the fact that the technology and developments in many other aspects are thriving and advancing at such a rate that education has to keep up with all of it.
Being an online kids tutor is certainly not easy as it requires tutors to make use of technology effectively to teach their students, without pushing them into boredom. Online tuition is what students prefer these days as it is one of the most convenient options. It brings the right balance for students as they can learn from the comfort of their home and there are lesser restrictions. This way students would not be tied down by unnecessary stress factors.
Many tutors who are willing to become online tutors are often unsure as to what kind of teaching techniques they should use. Tutors who were used to teaching a student in person in private tuition or a group of students at the tuition centre may find it challenging to adapt to an online system.
So, here are some essential qualities of an online tutor that we all should take note of (this will be a good guideline for tutors to follow and for students to observe in their online tuition teachers)…
KEEPING UP-TO-DATE
It is essential for tutors to keep themselves updated about the syllabus of the subject they teach. Things keep changing and some topics may take precedence over others due to its importance in real life. Thus, tutors need to understand the uses of the concepts they teach in real-life as well.
This means tutors need to be students themselves (by that, we mean that they need to get into the habit of reading and learning about related content every day). For example, online english tutor should always make it a point to read up and keep up with current affairs as a good tutor would always have real-life examples at their fingertips to suggest to their students for argumentative essays.
Being “updated” goes beyond spoon-feeding students, it is to inspire students to read up more by themselves for their own essay writing during examinations.
ONLINE RESOURCES
There are many online resources that online tutors can make use of to teach their students effectively. There are various online quizzes and websites that illustrate concepts in pictorial forms and there are podcasts as well. Online tutors should avoid going on and on about the topic in a one-directional way as it will bore students out. In order for the lesson to be engaging, online tutors need to enable their students to be exposed to other alternative resources so that there is a healthy balance in learning. That way, students can internalize the material easily.
TESTS
Tests and mock examinations are good ways to assess a student’s level of understanding. They are essential checkpoints which act as a good way for students to understand how much they have learnt and it is a good way for tutors to understand their students’ strengths and weaknesses as well.
This is also a good “end-goal” for students to look forward to. At times students may feel demotivated to study as there isn’t an end goal for students to look forward to. With tests and mock examinations in place, students often feel the necessity to keep up to date with the content so as to not accumulate them and struggle at the end of the way. Thus, it is crucial for online tutors to make sure that their students are assessing themselves at every checkpoint.
PATIENCE
It certainly takes time for students to progress towards an A-grade so it is of utmost importance for high school tutors to be patient. It is not possible to achieve excellence overnight; hence it is necessary for tutors to keep in mind that their students will need the time to improve themselves and work on their weaknesses one step at a time.
Students often compare themselves to their peers and put themselves down for not being as good as the toppers in their class; however, this comparison is absolutely useless. Every student has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, and it definitely takes time and patience to carefully observe and understand them.
After realizing the strengths and weaknesses, students as well as teachers will have a better idea as to what kind of study techniques as well as teaching techniques (respectively) can be utilized to bring the optimum results.
KEEPING TRACK
School examination other than the finals (ex. Semestral assessments, midterms, etc.) are also good checkpoints to understand oneself. Every school has their own special way of setting up a question paper and they would have their own way of designing the answer keys. Every school might prioritize topics and high-yield information based on what they think is important. As such, students as well as online tutors need to make it a point to keep track of the scores achieved in those examinations.
The results in those tests and examinations have to be tracked closely and that will be the best way to pave way for improvement.
Also Read: Things Managed By Tutors During Online Tutoring
MOTIVATION
Students may feel insecure and may put themselves down in many occasions. Sometimes classmates may contribute to peer pressure and parents may get disappointed with a bad grade. The only best “pick-me-up” will be tuition teachers as they always have faith in their students. Tuition teachers genuinely put in their best effort to motivate their students and encourage them to perform well in examinations despite the bad grades in the past.
BOTTOM LINE
Being a tutor to begin with is no mean feat. And being an online tutor is an even bigger job at hand. However, with experience, tutors will get the hand of it and things will become much smoother at the end of it all! Ultimately, the end goal is for students to achieve the best results possible to secure a seat for themselves in good schools or universities.