For new tutors and even experienced tutors, creating a tutoring environment which is welcoming for a student where they feel comfortable to express themselves is difficult. This especially the case where the age gap between tutor and tutee is big, and the shared interests between you are minimal.

Therefore, it is tough to build a rapport which allows the student to feel comfortable enough to answer questions, get them wrong and be willing to improve. My tutoring style is very conversational, I want the sessions to be free-flowing and for my students and myself to bounce off each another.

However, I understand this is not how every tutor wishes to teach but may want to make their sessions more relaxed and fun. In this blog post, I am going to give a few tips which have helped me apply my conversational style to all of my student’s educational needs.

 

 

1. Build a rapport with your student by learning about their non-educational lives.

 

My first tip is quite general however it can easily be forgotten when starting with a new client. It is to take the time to time to learn about your student. This is an extremely valuable tool to help your sessions run smoothly and construct a rapport with your tutee. I feel the main time to do this is the preliminary session where you first meet your student.

Of course, you will mostly be talking about their educational needs, however, this is an optimum time to learn more about them! It is the best time to learn about the extracurricular activities they take part in at school or their plans for the future. The questions you ask should depend on the student, for example asking A-level students about their plans for university or apprenticeships is completely appropriate.

However, a young primary school student would probably rather be asked about their favourite sport or food. Showing interest in the student outside of what they need to learn will be a good start to building a friendly and professional relationship with them and make your sessions run smoothly.

 

 

2. Know your content, create visual aids, and tailor the content to them.

 

My second tip is centred around what you can do with your lessons to help them flow and be fun. The first part of the tip is to have extensive knowledge of the content you are teaching and even some background knowledge would also help your sessions become more dynamic and have greater freedom.

This is because when asking questions and prompting your student, you have the ability to answer their questions with confidence. Further, even if the questions become slightly off topic, you will be equipped to bring in outside knowledge and help the student get back on track. The second part of this tip is to have visual aids to supplement your knowledge.

This could be a PowerPoint presentation, diagrams or pictures. My personal favourite is a presentation which combines all three! This keeps the lesson structured whilst giving you more material to ask questions about or for the student to ask you about. Impromptu questions and answers are key! Another trick up your sleeve is tailoring the content to the student; this can be skill level, age, interests or hobbies.

For example, I teach a GCSE lesson about the ‘Geographies of the iPhone’, this often has a good reception as an iPhone is desired product by many teenagers, if they don’t have one already! This tip is fairly intuitive and will need practice before you become a master conversationalist tutor, as it often requires some practice to get a balance between a lesson and conversation: I am still learning myself!

3. Relax!

 

My final tip is to relax! This is easier said than done and often comes with practice and time. The more students you teach the more this approach will become second nature, and the more confidence you will have in your ability to control a lesson. Being relaxed is extremely important as it will have the same effect on the tutee most of the time, and will help you seem more confident and make sure that the fact you are in charge is not lost in your more conversational style.

By Joe B, Private tutor in London.

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