Parents nowadays have little time to tutor their children due to demanding schedules, and so they let professional tutors do the work. Moreover, some of them are ill equipped to impart the necessary knowledge and skills that a young child needs. That is why there’s been a tremendous increase in the number of tutors in recent years, and parents are now spoilt for choice when deciding on the best tutoring program for their children. Below is a guide on tutoring services aiming to advise parents on factors they should consider before settling on any particular service.
Know what your child needs to learn
The starting point is knowing what exactly the child needs to learn. They might need to catch up in one subject such as math or they might actually need help in several subjects. They might need homework help, intensive remedial lessons, or something in between. Perhaps what the child needs is a little motivation, an impartation of general study skills, and etc. After you determine what the child needs to learn, find out the child’s preferred learning style – reading, moving, touching, listening, or a combination of all? Find out what interests and motivates him as well as whether he needs a firm hand or plenty of nurturing.
It is after learning all this about your child that you can ably decide on the most suitable tutoring program for him or her. If the child needs help with more than one subject, then you should explore the range of services that offer general learning strategies instead of concentrating on a specific subject.
Find a tutorial vendor that best matches the child’s needs
Once you learn about your child’s learning needs, you can then move to the next step and find a tutorial vendor who best matches the child’s needs. For instance, the child might need particular help with language skills i.e. writing, reading, comprehension, and has a preferred learning style which lends itself to a formal and systematic teaching approach. If this is the case, then you’ll need to find a tutorial vendor that offers a program that is well structured and formalized.
However, the child may also need to learn specific learning strategies that they haven’t fully grasped, and prefers to study them in an informal, open-ended format. If that is the case, then you should find a tutoring program which dwells on learning strategies rather than the teaching of specific courses.
This means you do some homework to learn more about each of these tutorial vendors as well before putting your child in their care.
Narrowing on the vendors
The first step in narrowing on the right tutorial vendor is to get recommendations from your child’s school, friends, or phonebook on the programs available. Next, interview the people running those programs and meet the person who’ll be your child’s tutor. It is then that you’ll decide if there is a fit between the child’s learning needs and the services the vendor provides.
Go a notch higher and ask the vendor about the kind of feedback you’d expect and how frequently you’d get it. Regular feedback is important as it will help you keep an eye on your child’s progress and if the child isn’t doing well, you can try a different program
Talk to your child
You’ll need to talk to the child after sampling the tutorial programs available. Explain to him or her what you are doing and why you are doing it, and listen to his or her opinion on the different programs. This is to involve the child and so ensure they take more responsibility in doing the required work.
Below is a rundown of the best tutoring vendors countrywide and a brief explanation on what sets each apart from the thousands of tutoring firms currently setting up shop:
- Sylvan Tutoring
- Club Z Tutoring
- Revolution Prep
Sylvan Tutoring
Perhaps one of the best tutoring service nationally is Sylvan Tutoring. From their assessment processes, scheduling, tutoring, payment options, and results – they are simply superb. For starters, learning at Sylvan Tutoring is personal, as it should be. They employ innovative, groundbreaking methods to teach kids, inspire them, and improve their confidence levels.
Some of the teaching tools tutors employ include iPads, and this ensures learning is fun and interactive. Parents or guardians receive a personalized website where they can follow their child’s academic progress.
Noteworthy is the kind of tutors they employ. The selection process is usually very rigorous and stringent to ensure only the best and most qualified get to be employed as tutors. During tutoring, they draw personal connections between lessons taught and the child. In fact, in the interview process for tutors, Sylvan prefers individuals who understand the local curriculum of the child so they can link the lessons offered at Sylvan to what is being offered in the child’s conventional school. The tutors often communicate with the child’s school teacher to collaborate and ensure the child is making an all-round progress.
Club Z Tutoring
What makes Club Z stand out is the splendid nature of the services they offer. Their tutors are screened & checked before they are hired. Through the innovative Z! Tutor Match’ system, the tutors are matched with students based on learning preferences, personality, weaknesses, as well as academic strengths. They also stock a wide range of academically uplifting programs such as K-12 academic assistance programs, the proven SAT/ACT prep programs, Learning Built to Last skills, and pre-K readiness. All these together ensure that students experience a tremendous academic growth in just a matter of weeks.
Revolution Prep
Revolution prep is touted as one of the best tutoring services available owing to the vast experience of its tutors and innovative, effective services they offer. The tutoring vendor has been providing tutoring services to thousands of students for the last fifteen years in about fifty states and in over forty countries. They employ highly-qualified, full-time tutors who benefit from a weekly, professional development. Their online platform is loved by students as it optimizes learning experiences through easy scheduling and access to some of the best tutors.
Most importantly, they take a holistic approach to tutoring that transcends grades and test scores. Their teaching methods are geared towards lowering stress as well as the building of a positive mindset – all of which ultimately leads to better student scores.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon the parent to choose a program that best suits his child’s learning needs. Do the homework to find out the right fit – of course after thoroughly learning your child’s strengths and weaknesses.