You’ve no doubt heard it said that “Those who can, do; those who cannot, teach”. It is a quote sometimes thrown at educators, whether they’re A Level Tutors or a statistics professor at university. The reality though, is somewhat different – many people can be a teacher, but it takes a special set of skills to be a great one.
Here at Tutorspot we have a wide range of online tutors in the UK, offering support in a variety of different subjects. Some of our tutors are professionally trained teachers who are either still working in the classroom or having decided to use their qualifications and skills away from schools, are tutoring full or part time. Some are also recently retired teachers. Other tutors have jobs within their chosen specialism and bring an in-depth real-world knowledge to their teachings which benefit students. Yet more are completing their own training, perhaps taking advanced qualifications in their chosen subjects, and allowing students to get insights from their recent experience of navigating exams and coursework.
Regardless of their own experience or formal qualifications when it comes to teaching, our most popular and successful tutors all have four things in common. These are the things that we believe make a great tutor.
The difference between online physics tutors, for example, and a physics teacher working face to face in a Sixth Form or College primarily comes down to the number of students they teach. In a typical classroom environment, you can expect anywhere from 20 – 30 students to be studying at any one time. This means there is constant competition for the teacher’s attention and support.
The online physics tutors here at Tutorspot do not have that problem. Instead, they work with their students online in a one-to-one setting, always ensuring that you have their undivided attention for the whole of each lesson. Not only does this ensure they are on hand to be immediately reactive to any problems you may have, but it allows them to build a far more significant relationship with you as their student.
Having a good relationship with your tutor is essential as it allows you to feel more comfortable with them. Knowing that you can voice an opinion, make a request, ask a question, or make a mistake without fear of being challenged or brushed off is key to ensuring you get the absolute most out of your tutoring sessions.
Really getting to know you will also help your tutor tailor lessons to best suit you. This may simply be the case of getting to know your preferred learning style. If you are undertaking online chemistry tuition, your chemistry tutor may find that you do better with diagrams of physical representations of concepts rather than merely reading information in a book. Knowing this will enable them to tailor lessons to you, which in turn means you will get the most out of them.
Tutoring is about much more than simply teaching a specific topic with the aim of ensuring a student can achieve a particular grade. A great tutor will offer support in all relevant areas, to help the student make significant progress both now, and for the future.
Really great online physics tutors, for example, will obviously provide relevant study information and support in understanding the topic, but they would also encourage progress, build a student’s confidence, provide exam tips or revision strategies, and create a safe space for the student to ask questions. This means all students receive a well-rounded level of support throughout their studies, just as they would expect from a teacher at school or college with the added benefit that every lesson is tailor made for them as an individual, rather than for a class full of students.
You could be forgiven for thinking that accessing a one-to-one lesson with one of our online biology tutors, for instance, would be a far more relaxed experience than you may have in a biology lab at college. To some extent, that is true – we certainly don’t recommend turning up to college in your pyjamas. However, that’s not to say it shouldn’t be treated as a professional interaction.
Our great tutors all act professionally, knowing that this does have an impact on the efficacy of the tutoring session. Whilst attire may be less of an issue in this situation, it’s still vital that tutors turn up on time and are fully prepared to host a session. This means preparing each lesson carefully, and according to the student’s needs prior to the lesson and making suitable plans to align with the overall goals and aims of the student.
Tutors also ensure that they are available to teach a lesson and to provide support, for the allotted time frame. If a session is an hour long, a great tutor will give additional time, without charging any extra for it, if you need it. They should also be flexible enough to allow for any deviations from a session plan. It may be the case that an initial introduction to a topic raises questions, which need to be addressed before you’re able to move on. A tutor who is dedicated to their student’s outcomes will invest the time in ensuring there is a strong embedding of foundation learning, before moving on to higher levels of understanding.
All of the tutors here at Tutorspot are passionate about the subjects they teach. However, they know physics or chemistry may not necessarily ignite your interest, yet you still need to pass your physics and chemistry exams.
Using their own teaching, knowledge and experience the great tutors can provide real world examples, which really help to bring context and relevance to the area of the topic you’re studying. Such information can spark a new interest in the subject, or inspire students to read around the area further, thus further enhancing their knowledge.
If you’re looking for a great tutor to help support you with your science, maths, English, or any subject for that matter, we can help. Use our handy tool to search for an online tutor that meets your requirements and get in touch with them today.
