What are the benefits of tutoring for children?

If you’re going to invest in a tutor, you want to be sure the fee is worth it – both financially and for your child.  We say invest because a tutor can not only help kids succeed at school, but they can also help give them greater life choices.

But how exactly does tutoring help students succeed in school? And what are the benefits of tutoring for children? While catching up and getting good grades is a given, tutoring also offers a wide range of other pros for your child – some may surprise you.

How does tutoring help students succeed in school?

To understand how tutoring helps students succeed at school, let’s first look at what tutoring is.

At its simplest level, tutoring means providing additional or special instruction. The easiest way to explain it is to say that tutoring is different to how teachers teach at school, as follows:

·       Teaching typically involves leading 20+ students. Teachers apply a one size fits all approach to learning, using teaching styles, approaches and pace of learning that works for the majority of students.

·       Tutoring, on the other hand, is delivered one or one or in a small group with individual student attention. Sessions are tailored to a student’s preferred style of learning, specific ability, and pace.

However, while tutoring is different to classroom teaching, it isn’t completely distinct. In fact, tutoring is usually intended to support what a student’s learning at school by:

·       Providing a student with one-on-one support and targeting their assessed ability level in order to play to strengths and overcome sticking points

·       Consolidating what’s being taught by going over certain concepts and topics, so it’s more easily remembered

·       Going beyond the curriculum to stretch students who are academically ahead and in need of more stimulation

Benefits of tutoring for children

Not only can tutoring help students to catch up, keep up and extend their learning by building on the school curriculum and classroom learning, but it also offers many other benefits – educational, behavioural and psychological.

Academic improvement

The main goal of tutoring is to improve the academic performance of a student – and studies certainly show this is the case.

One study by the University of Toronto found that tutoring delivers ‘consistent and substantial positive impacts on learning outcomes.’ It goes on to say that these effects are stronger when teachers or professionals run the tutoring program.

Interestingly, English tends to get better results in the earlier grades, while maths tends to do so in the later grades.

Better grades in school

Because a tutor can deliver academic improvement, it naturally follows that they can also help students improve their grades. While grade aren’t the be-all and end-all, they’re an important part of school and affect your child’s future opportunities.

It's not that a tutor can guarantee that every student they teach will get an A or 100 per cent. It's that they can help each child reach their potential to get their best grades. This may mean a C or 75 per cent for some students, and that's okay; everyone has different natural abilities.

Tutoring in some of the core subjects, such as maths and English, can also not only improve grades in those subjects, but it can also help improve them in other subjects where good English or the application of maths is expected.

Builds self-esteem and confidence

Students who need a tutor to help them catch up and keep up in class have often had their confidence knocked.  They may also be reluctant to put their hand up and answer questions because they’ve got it wrong too many times.

In other cases, a shy, quiet child may be struggling because they lack the confidence to put their hand up to ask for help when they need it.

By teaching one-on-one and at a level they’re comfortable with, tutoring can help students grow in confidence as they start to get the answers right. It can also help them feel more comfortable asking questions in class if they don’t understand.

And this boost in confidence and self-esteem tends to extend beyond the classroom.

Develop good study habits

Working regularly with a tutor can also help your child develop good study habits; they can show them the benefits of a structured approach to learning.

Study habits and skills a tutor can impart include:

·       How to organise and process information
·       How to easily memorise information
·       Better time management
·       Improved motivation levels
·       Computer literacy (if online)
·       The habit of homework
·       Goal setting
·       Revision and test-taking

These learning skills can help students from Kindy to Year 12 and transfer across all subjects. They also set students up for the workplace.

Fosters a love of learning

We don’t just want our children to endure school; we want them to enjoy learning. This passion is something a good tutor can ignite.

We all have a favourite teacher we remember at school. What was it about them that made you enjoy their lessons? In most cases, it’s because they were passionate about their subject, listened to you and made learning fun.

These same qualities are what you can expect from a good tutor. Tutors also have more freedom than a classroom teacher to be creative and vary their methods. Plus, they have the time to foster more meaningful student connections.

Developing a love of learning at an early age is something that often continues through life, making people more successful, interesting and happier.

Who doesn’t want that for their child?

Enjoy the benefits with the right tutor

Tutoring certainly offers many benefits, but these benefits only come with the right tutor. A qualified teacher tutor will typically deliver them better than an unqualified tutor because of their specific teaching knowledge.

Ultimately, making the learning environment fun and engaging, acknowledging successes and ensuring the student and tutor have a great rapport can really take the benefits of tutoring to the next level.

Explore related articles or book your free learning assessment today to see if tutoring is right for your child.

Published in AU

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