How to Take an Active Role in Your Tutoring Session

By Brittany Loeffler on July 27, 2017

College classes are much harder than high school classes, so it’s common for college students to hire tutors to help them succeed and pass the class.

When you hire a tutor, though, that does not mean that you will automatically understand the material from class. It takes hard work not only from the tutor but also from you. We’ve come up with some ways to take an active role in your tutoring sessions.

via Pixabay

Prepare questions

Come to the tutoring sessions prepared with questions. These can be questions from the lecture you heard in class that day or a question about the homework from a week ago. Your tutor cannot read your mind, so you must tell them what you are struggling with and what questions you have.

When you come prepared with questions to your tutoring sessions, it can help guide your tutor to give you the help you need to succeed and pass the class.

Do your homework

There is a common misconception that tutors will do your homework for you. This is not the case. To get the most out of tutoring sessions, do the homework that is assigned in class as well as the homework your tutor assigns you after each session.

You can’t slack off and still expect to learn and pass the class. You must put a lot of effort into your work and take the time to learn the material.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

It is not only beneficial to prepare questions before tutoring sessions but also very important to ask questions during your tutoring sessions. When your tutor is explaining the material to you and you do not understand, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Tutors are there to help you understand.

Even if it takes them 10 times to explain the material in different ways until you understand it, don’t be afraid to ask!

Try your best

Just because you hire a tutor, it does not mean that you will understand the material overnight. It will take a few weeks for you to fully understand and learn the material. Trying your best means paying attention in class, taking notes, preparing questions, attending your tutoring sessions, doing your homework, and spending some extra time on the material.

via Pixabay

Go to class

We all know the feeling of wanting to stay in bed as your morning alarm goes off. It’s so tempting to stay in the warm covers, but if you expect to pass your class, then you have to go to class. If you don’t go to class and miss teachings about new concepts, then you not only fall behind but also miss out on your tutor reviewing or helping you with the new material because you were not in class to hear it.

Communicate openly

It’s important to have open communication with your tutor. This can be in the form of email, text, phone call, or in person. You should feel comfortable being with and talking to your tutor (but not TOO comfortable). Especially since you can feel very vulnerable while getting help through tutoring sessions, you need to feel comfortable with your tutor.

If you do not communicate openly and honestly with your tutor, then they are unable to help you to the fullest. When you don’t understand something, let them know. They will be happy to explain it in a different way or find new techniques to teach.

via Pixabay

Don’t waste your (or your tutor’s) time

Let your tutor know exactly what you need to review before a big test or in general. When you do not specify the problem areas, then you are wasting your time and your tutor’s time reviewing material that you are not struggling with. It’s a classic tip from grade school when first learning how to study for a test: only study what you don’t understand. Why spend your time reading over a concept you understand when you can spend that time reviewing and learning a concept that you are struggling with?

Keep studying

Set yourself a study schedule. You should study more than just when you go to class and have your tutoring sessions. If you truly want to succeed and pass the class, then you need to carve out some extra time in your schedule to study what your professor has gone over as well as what you have reviewed in your tutoring sessions.

Spend time on concepts you struggle with, so you can then prepare questions for your next tutoring session.

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