Are you good at Maths and want to tutor it?
Do you know about your expertise and want to share your knowledge and skill?
Tutoring maths is a challenging task. It takes a lot of practice and a more profound knowledge of the subject. Being good at maths does not mean you would be good at tutoring. There are many challenges, and you must practice specific techniques to overcome them before you start tutoring.
You must be patient and proficient in problem-solving skills. Furthermore, you must understand your students better to help them with their problems and weaknesses.
In the article, we will discuss the essential things you need to tutor maths like a pro:
To become a good maths tutor, you should first know your area of interest and expertise. For example, if you are good at algebra but not at geometry or calculus, you should only go for algebra. You must have a thorough knowledge of all the concepts you are tutoring. A good maths tutor knows all the maths standards that might come with tutoring. It will enable him to convey his best knowledge and make his students proficient and knowledgeable in the subject.
Knowing your student is the first step to becoming a good tutor. To better understand your student, you can ask them multiple questions as you meet them for the first time. It will help you learn their area of interest and weaknesses in the subject. You will also be able to understand their attitude towards the subject. How proficient are they in solving certain mathematical problems? How much interest do they take while doing that? Are they lacking interest in maths, or are they just lazy?
Having a computer or a laptop for online tutoring is an obvious thing. To run a smooth online tutoring session, you must have a system that does not lag during work. Moreover, your system needs to have enough memory to save and run multiple software. You can also have a tablet or smartphone for online tutoring sessions. But make sure your device's camera and internet connection are good enough to avoid boredom for the student.
Before starting the session, you must have the right internet connection. Not only you but the student you are tutoring also needs to have access to the appropriate internet connection. In that case, you can expect to have continuous tutoring sessions.
If the tutoring session is live, you will need a microphone working correctly. But in many cases, the tutors share pre-recorded lectures where the tutor and students do not talk directly. So, in that case, you can also work without a microphone.
For online tutoring, the most important thing is the online teaching platforms connecting tutors with students. You can sign up for any of them according to your choices and the one you think is more suitable.
Once you get access to everything discussed above, you must follow several techniques to start your maths tutoring session successfully. Following them, you will be able to tutor maths like a pro.
Effective maths tutoring starts with discussing concepts with students. A good tutor always discusses pre-existing concepts and knowledge related to the topic. It will not only help the students in solving problems but also enable them to become independent learners and problem solvers. During this discussion, students also get a chance to make important notes and write important points in their own ways. In that case, if you ask them to solve particular problems, they will do it in the unique way they have written, making sense to them.
Always start by solving the simplest problems after you have discussed the important points. You can start by doing it yourself, and then asking students if they can solve it further. You will guide the students through the solution process, explaining to them more important steps. Try to solve more examples related to the same concepts. The tutor, during this, also tells the students about the quick and easy steps or shortcuts to solve certain problems.
Once students understand the solution and key points, the tutor can make them solve further problems. These problems can be from students’ textbooks or assignments. But one thing you have to remember is to start with the easiest one. If students solve it correctly, continue to the complex ones. But if you feel they have not understood it yet and are finding some difficulty, explain them again. Commonly, many students do not get the solution to solving a single problem. Maths is a subject that comes only with practice and repeating several times.
After students have solved the problems, check it yourself. If you find it wrong, find the error throughout the whole problem. When you have found it, ask the students to spot the error. Usually, students do not know where they have made the error. They might ignore it when solving, affecting the whole problem or sum. Once you find the error, mark it and tell the students about that. Then explain to the students why they had made this error and why they think it is wrong. Also, share with them essential points and tips on not to repeat these mistakes and errors in the future. Keep guiding them again when you solve the same problem or similar problem so that students memorize it.
Then you can ask the students to solve more questions. This time, you should expect them to make lesser mistakes than before. Through it, students get a chance to practice their learning and get to solve the problem themselves. After they succeed in solving it, you can make them get to the next problem and so on. Ask them if they can solve it or not; if their answer is yes, ask them to do it. Make them practice more questions to improve and correct all possible mistakes and errors. In the end, you can also ask the students to explain the fundamental steps to make sure they have understood it fully without any doubt.
Unlike any other subject, math comes only by practicing it several times. Moreover, a good math tutor can make it easy and understandable for his students. This does not mean it does not require students' cooperation and interest. If a student is keen to learn and is lucky enough to find a good tutor, he can have a command of maths sooner or later.
