How to stay involved in your child’s learning process

Want to make sure that your child is getting the most out of his or her Skooli tutoring sessions? Below are tips for staying involved and making sure your child is learning effectively.

Share expectations and goals with the tutor your child chooses

Are you hoping that, with help, your daughter will be able to bring up her English grade from a C to a B? Do you want your son to have more confidence understanding pre-algebra concepts? Or are you hoping to have a tutor who will work with your son for a few weeks to construct a strong college application essay? Clarify your goals and expectations so that your tutor can construct a week-by-week plan.

Make sure your child is accurately reporting their assignments

All too often, children do not report all the instructions in their assignments, so your tutor will work hard with them writing an essay only to have it receive a C+. What the tutor didn’t know was that the actual assignment was not simply to “write about the War of 1812,” but to write a 3 – 5 page essay focusing on one battle of the War of 1812, citing at least 5 different original references. Whenever possible, make sure that your tutor sees the assignment from the teacher as well as any grading rubric provided.

Notify your tutor of recent work and quizzes that have given your child problems

Focus your child’s work time by letting your tutor know what your child has been struggling with. Working on long division won’t do much good if your child still struggles with multiplication tables; on the other hand, you don’t want to spend time reviewing concepts your child already has a good grasp on. Give your tutor advanced knowledge of what your child should be working on so that they have time to prepare a useful lesson.

Keep a positive attitude

Tutoring won’t change your child’s grades overnight. Discuss any specific concerns with your tutor, but stay positive and remember that this is a long learning process that requires a lot of work from you, your child, and your tutor.

Discuss your child’s learning with her

Keep your child involved with his or her own learning. Ask them what has been working and what they still struggle with. In order to help them keep a positive attitude, point out the progress they have been making and have them reflect on the areas where they have gained confidence.

Understand you can’t do their homework for them (and neither can their tutor)

Finally, remember that it is ultimately your child’s responsibility to complete their work – neither you or your tutor can do it for them. Keep reasonable expectations and understand that you and your tutor are there to scaffold their learning, not to do the work for them.

If you’re ready to bolster your child’s in-class time with a tutor, you can browse the available tutors by subject on Skooli.