24th July 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Private tutors are often hired by parents who are anxious that their children do well at school, particularly in the run up to exams. More often than not, students are happy to receive tuition, and respond well to a one-to-one, friendly teaching style. However, there are times when tutors have to accept that, while the parents want them there, the students do not. One of the most challenging aspects of private tuition is how to approach a student who refuses to work.
A standard teaching method for private tutors is to set work, which may be elements of school coursework, or independent work devised by the tutor, and mark it with students during the lesson. Arriving at a session to find that the work has not been completed is concerning for the tutor on a number of levels. In some cases, a thorough chat with the student about difficulties they are facing can help identify specific problems, for example if a student hasn’t understood what they have to do, or has too much other work to get on with. Tutors can adjust their activities based on this, and problems can be ironed out with good communication.
Sometimes, a student has lost their confidence and has disengaged with the subject. Again, this is something that the tutor can address step by step, building confidence through activities during the teaching session, and building up to the point at which it is appropriate to set work again. However, the most challenging cases come when a student is not motivated, and refuses to spend time preparing for sessions. There are many tools a tutor can use to help engender a greater interest in the subjects they teach, but if a student consistently refuses to work at all at the subject, they waste the tutor’s time and their parent’s money. At this point it is necessary to consider whether a break from lessons would be beneficial, so that the student and their parents have an opportunity to discuss whether tuition is right for them at that point.