This Is How You Can Organize Online Lessons
Distance learning tutoring is similar to classic private tutoring and, for example, teaching scientific subjects and is ideally suited for languages in general. In addition to the countless advantages of online tutoring via webcam (cost savings for travel, flexibility in terms of time …), you have to ensure the progress of your students through regular school support.
Whether to help him or to show him how to iron out his weaknesses: Your role as a tutor should be to always have an open ear for your student and to suggest exercises according to his level. In the following we want to take a closer look at what you need for successful online 11 Plus Tutoring via webcam. The same model applies to the higher level online tutoring.
The right audio and video material for online tutoring
As in all professions, people who want to become professional tutors must first obtain the right programs and work materials! Some private tutors neglect the technical aspect of distance learning.
You shouldn’t forget that you are dependent on your technical material!
In order to communicate effectively with your student and get the information across in an efficient way, both participants must make an effort to use good material.
With good material it’s much clearer: you don’t have to shout into the microphone to get the information across. In the best case, the visual and linguistic communication works flawlessly.
Do you have a small budget?
No panic!
For a budget of less than 100 euros, you can buy the right equipment to become the online tutor from the (digital) picture book:
- The webcam (between 40 and 60 euros): Most laptops already have an integrated camera. However, the quality is usually marginal and it is difficult to show your student documents (e.g. exercises, etc.) via the webcam. It’s still best to buy a good quality webcam so your student can see you clearly!
- The headset (between 20 and 40 euros): Nice to see you! But we can’t hhh … ör …. e … n. Hello? If this situation sounds familiar to you, it is high time you got yourself a high-quality headset! The same applies here as for the webcam: Quality pays off. Since you, as a super math professor, know your way around equations:
A good webcam + a good headset + super professional + you = A happy and successful student
In order to avoid losing valuable teaching time with sound interference and other bugs, you should invest in a good headset right away!
If you have acquired good material, you should not hesitate to include it in your advertisement!
If your future student has to choose between you and another teacher, the choice is made quickly …
Prepare tutoring lessons with playful online resources
You don’t necessarily have to go out of the house to prepare for your private lessons via webcam. The success of extracurricular coaching is of course based on the preparation of the teacher: If your lessons are well prepared, your students can benefit from better supervision and thus counteract school failure.
In order to be able to cut your pedagogy like a diamond and give high-quality tutoring, you should not hesitate to use the following resources:
MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses are courses that are freely accessible to everyone on the Internet and that can help you to become even better in your subject. You can even contact other teachers directly who will help you to make your lessons (even) better!
Official curricula and programs
Special pages for your subject: Whether you teach math or even music, you will definitely find the most popular websites (such as the Math Bible) that offer online courses or videos. Depending on the level of your student, you can repeat the basic knowledge of your subject with him in a playful way.
Apps: You can download free educational applications on your smartphone or PC. Some of them, such as Babbel, are very popular with the students and will help you design suitable exercises.
With all these means you ensure the progress of your student!
How do you stay in contact between two courses?
It is not enough to give a course here and there!
In order to consolidate the knowledge of your student and to help him to improve his level or to achieve a good grade in an examination (high school diploma, intermediate exams, university exams, etc.), you should stay in permanent contact!
As a qualified teacher, you should, for example, make sure that your pupil does not forget the material that he learned with you in private lessons at home during the long summer vacation.
Therefore, you should motivate him to do exercises during the summer holidays, on the weekend or in the evening: thanks to a regular rhythm, it will be easier for him to pass the exams at the end of the school year.
To help him with his homework or to answer his questions, the following online services are available:
- Use a planning tool (Podio, Fusioo etc.),
- Use an instant messaging program (Slack, Trello, Gmail, etc.)
- Communicate by email (Gmail, Yahoo etc.).
The most efficient method is arguably instant messaging. If you were to write yourself classic mails, your e-mail inbox would be full in no time!
In addition, you can use planning tools to, for example, file your exercises online or simply to correct mistakes your student made.
Whether online tuition for students of secondary level I or secondary level II: There are many programs that simplify your life and help you to get to the essentials faster: The courses!
Homework control online
Dedicates the beginning of the course to reviewing or verifying homework done online. Before you start with the essentials of the course, you should repeat the last lesson with the student. Always very seriously and with an open ear you should repeat the schoolchildren’s difficulties:
- What did he not understand in the last task?
- Is there anything he doesn’t understand?
- Does he have certain preferences for a subject? (e.g. is he good at geometry but not good at mental arithmetic?)
- Are there any concepts that he did not understand in class?
- Which exercises does he like best?
Once again explain, step by step, the mistakes you found while taking the time to explain his mistake. A good practice is to let the student summarize the lessons in their own words and ask what they understand. The goal is not for the student to memorize things, but to understand the concepts behind the ideas. You can ensure that your student gets better in all major subjects:
- Mathematics
- English
- French
- German
- Spanish
- Story
- Geography
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Geography
- Religion
- Ethics
- Philosophy