Is One-to-One Tutoring the Best Option for Your Child?

When students need additional support with schoolwork, the two most common options outside the classroom are group tutoring and one-to-one tutoring. 

With group tutoring, children learn together in groups of varying size. One-to-one tutoring, on the other hand, involves a tutor coming to your home or working online with your child individually to address their needs.  

One-to-one tutoring has proven to be the most effective option for many students because of the focused attention and individual support they receive. 

One-to-one tutoring is often the best choice for students who:

Have Trouble Concentrating 

Lack of concentration is one of the major reasons students struggle in class and fall behind. The classroom is a very busy place and there are many things to distract students. Those who are easily distracted work best with an individual tutor because it’s much easier to focus on their work in a quiet environment where there are no other children to draw their attention away.

Learn at their Own Pace 

A tutor will help your student learn at their own pace and adapt lessons to their learning style. This is much harder in classrooms and group tutoring sessions where the teacher or tutor must cater for a range of students and learning needs. Some students need more time to process information, or they may require information and concepts to be explained in a different way. Others move ahead quickly and need more work to keep them stimulated. In one-to-one sessions, the tutor is able to adapt their approach for each student.

Require Individual Attention 

For a range of reasons some students just don’t learn well through group instruction. These students perform at their best when they get individual assistance and attention. Children who love to communicate and share their views can find the classroom difficult because opportunities to express themselves are limited. As a result, they can become disruptive and distract others. A tutor will allow extroverted students to share their opinions and thoughts while keeping them engaged and on track.

Experience Learning Anxiety

Introverted and anxious students also have a lot to gain from one-to-one tutoring. Often these students dislike speaking up in class because they fear being noticed or making mistakes in front of their peers. Working with a tutor allows anxious students to build a relationship of trust, which helps them to relax and express themselves. They also learn that making mistakes is part of learning. 

Lack Motivation to Learn

Sometimes students perform poorly at school because they’re not motivated. This might be because they’re bored and unstimulated, or because they don’t understand the relevance of what they’re learning. By getting to know each student as an individual, a tutor is able to find out what motivates and excites them. They can shape tutoring sessions in a way which appeals to each child and reignite a love of learning.

If you recognise any of these qualities in your child, one-to-one tutoring may be the best option for them.