Tutors have different experiences, personalities, and teaching techniques. The best tutors in London are eager to instill a love of learning and help children feel confident and empowered.
For younger students, as long as a tutor has a teaching degree, specialization in a subject is optional. But from high school onward, tutors must have expertise in the subjects kids struggle with.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s emotions. This includes feeling their pain, fear, joy, and anger. It’s often seen as a key to effective communication, and it can be especially helpful in helping students overcome test anxiety or social awkwardness.
Throughout history, philosophers and psychologists have discussed the nature of empathy in various ways. Psychologists generally assume that there is a positive, even if weak, correlation between empathy–measured in a variety of ways–and prosocial behavior.
Some people have difficulty empathizing with others. For example, people with borderline personality disorder have trouble with emotional empathy and may not feel the need to help others. People with narcissistic personality disorder tend to have low levels of cognitive and emotional empathy.
Certain experiences can decrease empathy; for example, medical school burnout may lead to reduced levels of empathy in medical students. However, improving empathy by practicing mindfulness and engaging with perspectives from different cultures through novels, movies, or TV shows is also possible.
Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is a powerful characteristic that can motivate and inspire those around you. Merriam-Webster defines it as “having or showing strong interest, enjoyment, or approval.”
Studies have found that teacher enthusiasm is a powerful source of student behavioral and cognitive engagement and intrinsic goal orientation. This may be due to emotional contagion, which describes how individuals’ emotions influence one another through social interaction. In other words, when teachers display positive emotions, students model and mimic those emotions, whether consciously or not.
In contrast, when teachers exhibit negative emotions, students are likely to behave in antisocial ways.
When hiring a tutor for your child, look for someone patient and empathetic. They should also be enthusiastic and positive in their approach to teaching. Especially for children who have been discouraged by poor grades, they need to see that learning math isn’t always boring and hard. A good tutor will make the subject fun and engaging with games, activities, and rewards. This helps them stay interested and learn more. They will often use different learning styles depending on your child’s visual, aural, physical, verbal, or logical needs.
Reliability
Tutors must be reliable, as it’s their responsibility to provide your child with the necessary education. A trustworthy tutor such as tutoring in London will keep their tutoring appointments, communicate often, and provide constructive feedback.
Look for a tutor familiar with your child’s classroom curriculum and exam board requirements. The best tutors are trained teachers with teaching qualifications and teaching experience. This means they are up to date with the current curriculum and can make a real connection with children of all ages. If you use a reputable agency, they should be able to brief you on tutors’ backgrounds and successes and guide you to the best fit.
A good tutor can identify your child’s learning needs and prepare appropriate material for each lesson. They will also offer feedback to parents after each lesson, as this is important for keeping them up to date on progress towards a defined target. This can be as simple as a quick chat after a session or sending an email detailing what your child has learned.
Flexibility
When it comes to finding a tutor for your child, quality matters; however, it is also important to consider flexibility. You want a tutor willing to alter their teaching style and lesson content according to your child’s needs and learning style.
When interviewing a potential tutor, you should ask about their education and tutoring experience. Make sure they have a university degree in their chosen subject area and that they have previously worked with children of your child’s age group. Reputable tutors will be able to provide you with references from other parents and children that they have worked with in the past.
A good tutor will place learning above performance goals and be willing to work with you, your child’s teacher, and other professionals to ensure that all parties agree about their goals. This will help your child succeed in their education and become a more confident.
Patience
Patience is an essential quality to look for in a tutor. All students learn at their speed, and the tutor needs to be able to work with this and keep them motivated until they understand what they are learning. This may involve patience in explaining the concept multiple times and encouraging them to persist with difficult tasks until they have mastered it.
A tutor also needs patience in the face of a student’s mistakes and setbacks. Giving them feedback on their progress and being generous with praise will encourage them to try again instead of giving up.
Studies have found that patient people often experience less depression and negative emotions, probably because they can cope with upsetting situations better. They can put their feelings aside and think about the bigger picture, throwing instant gratification out of the window and choosing actions with long-term benefits.
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