Handling children and educating them is no joke. It takes lots of patience and a proper understanding of their feelings in order to teach according to their learning needs. Today, tuition has become something so essential that no one can do without it. The syllabus in school is now rigorous and it demands so much more from children as compared to how it was a decade or so ago. It is not an easy task to understand what children need or want and hence there are certain qualities that kids tutor need to possess or at least cultivate if they are not used to it.
Source: Reading Rockets
So, let’s take a look at the essential qualities that a kids tutor has to possess when teaching young children.
#1: PATIENCE
Children may be of all sorts of personalities. Some children may be obedient, others may get restless easily and may have a shorter attention span. As such it is of utmost importance for teachers to have a clear understanding of their young students first, before going any further into the teaching.
Tutors need to talk to their students and first understand their mentality, their level of confidence, and maturity and be able to judge their students’ pace of learning. This will enable students to customize their teaching accordingly.
Particularly, some children may be late bloomers and hence they might learn at a slower pace. They may need concepts to be taught several times to reinforce the information and hence tutors need to be patient and explain the topics how many ever times their students need. Tutors need to empathize with their students and take the necessary time to get their students through the hurdles.
#2: INTERACTIVE LESSONS
Source: Kids In The House
Children as we all know love to play more than sitting in one place to study. They get restless easily and hence tutors need to find a way to keep the lessons interactive. Instead of just reading off the books or getting the student to try out practice questions, lessons have to be more interactive. Students need to enjoy the process of learning. Learning with joy will always be the best as information retention is much more effective in that case.
How can lessons be more interactive?
Tutors often find it challenging to come up with different strategies to make lessons more interesting, however, tutors need not get stressed about this. Interactive lessons can be in the form of discussions about a concept, some math tutors provide math games, or a tutor can create a reward system that can keep things exciting. Tutors can also lean towards the side of technology where online quizzes can be mini checkpoints to tests students’ understanding. It is a good way to break the monotony!
#3: SUPPORT
Supporting students throughout the journey with encouragement no matter what happens is of utmost importance. Students might feel disappointed with themselves because of a bad grade or may face criticisms from their friends, or parents might be upset about it. Tutors have to be the pillar of support and though you might have some expectations for your students as a tutor when your students under perform, it is crucial to keep motivating them.
With constant support and reassurance, students would not lag and feel upset unnecessarily. A bad grade could cause undue stress but that becomes a huge hurdle to success. Persistence and constant hard work will always keep the journey going smoothly and no matter how tough the going gets, students need to keep in mind that their tutors are always there for them.
#4: ENCOURAGE CRITICAL THINKING
Today, understanding of theory is insufficient and students need to venture further into learning by applying their knowledge in real-life scenarios. By imparting this skill from the beginning, it becomes second nature whereby it is almost an immediate response. It will become much easier for students to read texts, analyze them, hypothesize, and derive solutions. This certainly takes patience and lots of practice, so tutors need to guide their students and closely monitor them for their progress.
#5: PUNCTUALITY
If tutors turn up for tuition on time and if they are disciplined with sticking to their schedule, it encourages students to just as disciplined. If tutors seem a little relaxed or flexible with timings, students will take that as an advantage; they may not be serious with their work and may not complete their homework with sincerity. Set yourself as a good example and an inspiration for your students.
IN CONCLUSION
Students always look up to their teachers for inspiration, for advice, and for help; so, it is extremely important for tutors to be the best version of themselves. Tutors’ knowledge and work ethic will set the example and their guidance will enable students to progress a good rate. The experience of attending tuition is certainly a memorable journey because, beyond just the learning process, a special teacher-student bond is also established!