Hey everyone,
I was PM'ed about how I tutor English, so I thought I'd just post up a thread on it since it is fairly detailed. I will add to this later on when I remember other things, I did this in a rush...
Planning lessons: - In January, you'll get plenty of tutoring requests, and these will add up over the year. It is crucial that you set out defined tutoring days and locations (home, uni, library etc.) and ensure that the location is suitable (bookings, noise, furniture etc.) Every student will have their own preferred day, time and location, so it is in your best interests to accomodate their needs. Students may be studying different texts/contexts, so you need to be adamant from the get go, whether you intend tutoring ONLY the texts you know, or are willing to study new texts (with/without added costs).
- Get to know your students - find out what their study score aims are, discuss their strengths and weaknesses, talk about their performance in other subjects and in year 11, swap contact details and try to keep in contact with their parents when possible. Also remember to introduce yourself properly and provide some background to your experience.
- After a few weeks of tutoring, you will (hopefully) have a good routine and pattern. What I did was have lessons one after another to allow for convenience and also consistency. Giving students a set time/day every week makes it a routine for not only you, but also for them. Allow around 10 minutes in between lessons, just in case you need to go over time (DON"T charge them extra if you go over the allotted time, you'll look stupid) if the student is late or if you just need to go through extra material etc. If, for any reason, students need to reschedule or cancel lessons, make changes to your timetable as appropriate.
- Set out a timetabling sheet if you're the neat freak type, set out time/day/location for each day and set out what the lesson plan and set homework is for each student. BUT keep in mind that there may be the need for improvisation - students may come in with a big problem they need to work on, so that would be your first priority. Also note down the payment for each student, reason being that sometimes they may pay in bulk, may forget to pay, or may pay for 2 lessons if they don't have change etc. You need to keep track of payments so that you are not leeching extra money or losing money, after all, it is your part time job.
- It is better to have 4 lessons in a row rather than 4 lessons on separate days. Be smart with your timetabling... I sat my ass on the chair for a few hours on a particular day, but that was a lot more convenient for both me and the students since it would be done in a day and they wouldn't be getting different times every week.
- Every student likes getting notes - so give them the notes!!! You will be able to distribute some of the notes you've done during year 12, but you may also need to type up your own notes. You'll also find other resources like uni journal articles, newspaper guides and little bits and pieces that will be extremely helpful to students. If you can, try to print notes off 2 weeks of notes in advance, print off the right amount of notes and set out a lesson plan so you know when you're distributing what notes. For example, in the lesson before a SAC I might hand out sample essays to draw inspiration from, extra resources on essay structure, vocabulary lists and essay topics etc. In the first lesson on text response, though, I might give students a handout outlining the VCAA criteria for the AOS, brief notes on the text, and most importantly, a list steps outlining 'how to study the text' in order to get the top marks.
- You need to know exactly what you're teaching in each lesson - BE PREPARED! Students will know if you are unprepared, and it really shows. Be mindful of the fact that some students may have missed a lesson, so you need to figure out how to get them back up to speed. Try to space out your lessons using common sense, keep in mind the SAC date and work towards that.
- Also, you should get into the routine of confirming lesson time/date EVERY WEEK. For me, this would be a mass texting where I'd text every student using a pre-made template on the iPhone which came up when I typed in the cue. I did this 2 days before each lesson just to make sure that students were aware of the time and date (especially important if they changed lesson times for the week). This also gives your students the opportunity to bail out and skip the week's lesson for whatever reason.
- Definitely don't be late, and try not to cancel on lessons unless you really have to...
Lesson content and style: - At the start of each AOS, you need to set out what the task is and what is required of students. Make your expectations very clear to the student. You should have a clear structure and plan of each lesson leading up to the SAC, eg. one lesson on essay structure, one lesson on themes, one lesson on characterisation, one follow up lesson on structure and writing skills etc. Ideally, focus on essay topics and planning in the final lessons leading up to the SAC. Obviously, your lessons should also be flexible and open for improvisation - give students some flexibility in deciding what they want to work on as well.
- At the beginning of each lesson, make sure you review the previous lesson and most importantly, ask students if they had any troubles or questions about the homework. They may have already asked you questions during the week, but it is always good to ask them again during class just in case they're not saying everything they want or could say.
- Lessons should NOT aim to cover EVERYTHING about the texts, because this is literally impossible in 1 hour blocks. You need to teach students how to study the subject of English - most, if not all, students are unsure about how to study it. Instruct them to annotate their texts, look into examples and quotes deeply and insightfully, develop an appreciation for the subject and the books etc.
- Students want to get some of your insight and thinking, and sometimes they'll even ask explicitly 'What do you think?' which is great because it means they value your thoughts on something. They always like to find ways to stand out with essays, so give them pointers in terms of examples and quotes that are overlooked or more complex. For example, if you're going through one short story in the lesson or looking at symbols/motifs/metaphors, go through some examples with students and analyse those lines together. Pinpoint 'different' examples that they explore and delve into, and use in their own essays.
- Hand out relevant notes and materials, and go through these sparingly. DO NOT read word-for-word every single page, as this is incredibly pointless and time consuming. Go through the main points and get students to highlight those. I wouldn't recommend getting students to read notes out loud either, it seems too babyish in my opinion (some tutors do this though).
- Drive the discussion, ask open-ended questions, correct any misunderstandings and drill things into students' heads. Offer them constructive criticism and feedback, and also don't forget to praise their work as well. Encourage them to work on their weaknesses and inspire them to do better and strive even higher. Encourage students to develop their own ideas and interpretations. Ensure that they are familiar with the criteria for each AOS. You want to make it very clear to students that you will only be serious about their learning, if THEY are serious about their learning.
- Set realistic and appropriate homework. DO NOT bombard students with homework but also don't be too lenient. Every week, students wrote AT LEAST 1 essay for me, and preferably 2 before SACs. After Unit 3, all students had to complete 2 essays per week since they were able to write essays on all 3 sections - it is important to review language analysis during Unit 4, rather than 2 weeks before the exam. I also set other types of homework as well - compiling notes, making character word banks, planning topics, writing introductions, quote analysis, research etc. If homework was not completed, I wouldn't go absolutely beserk but I'd definitely ask why it wasn't complete and boost their motivation if possible. I would give them the opportunity to email/fb the homework to me in the next few days, or at last resort bring it in at the following lesson. The homework that you set is absolutely crucial because it is given to students for a reason, and it will only benefit them. I remember saying 'It's all for your benefit' and 'You'll thank me later' a million times during the year... LOL it may seem like a lot of homework, but it really isn't, they have to put in the hard yards in order to get the scores they want.
- You need to mark their essays. Try to print out marking criteria sheets for each section of the course, so that you can write comments on them and staple the sheets onto the essays. You can give out number scores out of 10 for essays, but I decided not to do this until Unit 4. Explain that each mark in an English essay is extremely crucial and can mean a huge difference to overall exam score and study score. I find it a lot more efficient to mark essays outside of class and then give feedback during the lesson, rather than mark essays on the spot together with the student - they will feel nervous and scared as you read through each line AND it will take a huge chunk of the lesson time. Be adamant with essays - refuse to mark half-assed and incomplete essays unless there is a reason why it wasn't complete OR unless they really had trouble with the topic etc. But if it was due to laziness, don't mark it until it's complete. You should encourage students to hand in as many essays as possible.
- Vary your lessons and make them interesting/challenging. DO NOT talk for ages, students will not take any of it in. Mix it up - go over some notes, plan an essay topic, get students to write a timed 5 minute introduction, review some things from previous lessons, give them some pointers etc.
- At the end of each lesson, reiterate what you've gone through in the past hour, remind students of the homework and remind them that you are available via email/phone/fb if they need your help. They may be a bit reluctant to ask for your help outside of class at first, but once they start asking you for help, it is a good sign because it means they're putting in the effort.
Other things to consider:- Every now and then, send a mass group email with reminders and tips/tricks just to make sure that students are constantly on the ball. Spam them with information and materials that they can refer to. Like I said, students love getting notes.
- Some of your students can be quite reliant on your teaching and lessons, particularly when their school teachers are not going through texts in enough depth or are away too often etc. So you need to tailor lessons according to each student's needs.
- Be careful with group lessons - you need to make sure that the students in a group are of similar capability and ability. I find a group of 2 or 3 works best, any more than that can be too hectic and busy.
- Encourage students to ask you questions, even when they say they have no questions, reword it and draw out at least one or two questions from them. Unless they say they are 100% confident in doing the SAC tomorrow, then they aren't ready - pinpoint whatever flaw that may be, and give them some advice.
- Follow up on what students have been doing in the past week at school - this will give you a guide as to what you need to teach and work on.
- Improvise and change up lesson plans whenever you need to! BUT make sure you do have a lesson plan and back-up materials to go on, otherwise you and your student will be stuck and lost, trying to find something to work on.
- Don't be dodgy and 'hold back' some of your knowledge until later on in the year, so that students stay on for the whole year. If you know what can help your student, you better tell them - don't leave it until the end of year just to secure the place.
- Make sure that you know the texts and the subject inside out - students can tell if you don't know something or are making it up etc. You need to be knowledgeable, reliable and the go-to person for them.
- Make sure that you are talking clearly and concisely. Some students will actually write down some of the words that you say, or ask you to repeat them, and that's a great sign because it means they're working on their vocab.
- A lot of the time in English, it's all about clarifying students' knowledge and approach. Most students gave a general gist of what the essay structure of a text response is, they just need to refine it and work on actually studying the text.
- When you read a great essay or see a marked improvement, PRAISE YOUR STUDENT!!! Reflect upon your own experience as a year 12 student and remember that sometimes you had problems with motivation and confidence. Sometimes, your students will need someone who believes in their ability - you should try to fulfil this role. For example, a month before the exam I told one of my students to write down their dream score - they wrote down a 35. I said 'Hmmm...' and then they looked up and said, 'Is that too high?!' and I said 'No, that's way too low. You'll get a lot higher than that, rub it out and write down a new goal!' Believe in your students and the results will show!
Overall, tutoring has been a great experience for me. It does involve a lot of work, particularly behind the scenes, BUT it is definitely rewarding. This was topped off by one of my students writing the following to me:
'I cannot, and never will be able to, thank you enough for all your hard work in helping me succeed. It was your effort that motivated me to strive higher and higher, beyond what I thought was possible. No matter what I get for English, you should know that you have improved my skills to the greatest. I am so grateful to have been tutored by you'.I'll add to this later on - I wish you all the best of luck with tutoring/studying!
Andrew