Planning Effective Tutoring Sessions

You know your subject matter and you've done this a thousand times before.  You don't have to have a plan, you can just wing it in your next tutoring session.  Playing it by ear works sometimes if you really have a handle on your subject matter and if you've tutored the same student in the past.  But, winging it doesn't leave the best impression on your students and it doesn't benefit them as much as when you have a specific plan.  Planning a tutoring session doesn't have to be a time consuming or lengthy process.  You can break it down into manageable parts and the best part is, once you've done it once or twice you'll be a pro and you'll breeze through in no time.

Pre-Assess

First things first.  On your very first meeting with a potential or registered client, you should give them an assessment.  For the SAT, you can go to online sites like MajorTests.com or the CollegeBoard.com and have them take a few scored practice questions.  If you're tutoring in another subject, simply give them a practice activity in that area and see how well they do.  Once you have the data, you can better gauge where your future sessions will go and implement a plan to get where you need to go.

Analyze Assessment Data

Analyzing assessment data can be as simple or as complicated as you make it.  If you use an online source, it will tabulate and score the data for you and you just have to pull out the areas that need improvement and build upon the areasthat are already strong. If you use your own tailor made assessments then you will have a little more work to do, but the extra effort will help your students in the long run and increase your credibility.

Read Up On Theory

One of the best things you can do to power up your tutoring sessions is to read up on the latest and best educational theories and research.  You don't have to get your doctorate, but knowing the theories behind how students think and learn will help you better plan for your students.  Here is an article that presents an excellent mind map of the important learning theories that teachers use to help their students.

If you follow these three simple steps when planning your next SAT tutoring session will be more effective and streamlined and you'll feel more productive. Most importantly, your student will reap the benefits of a personalized, planned and professional tutoring session.  For more information on SAT tutoring, or to schedule a free consultation, visit Simply Tutoring and fill out the contact form on the right.