Many tutors are trained in talking, how to talk, what to talk about, what tone to talk in, but not many are taught when to listen. Every student is a completely unique individual, with all of their learning styles and levels of understanding different to every other student that we work with every day. When we first meet a student, we listen to their background, what they struggle within the subject etc, but from that point onwards we try our best to tell the student every piece of information we know every session in an attempt to help them.

Some students are great communicators and always discuss what they are confused or concerned about. However, not all students have learned how to effectively communicate and some may even tend to pretend they understand something they do not to prevent embarrassment or avoid being disruptive. This is where listening as a tutor is so important. Learning how to spot whether your student is not fully comprehending a topic is so crucial to building a base of knowledge to build on. Having a student explain a worked problem to you, like you are their friend is another way of listening which can help tutors to observe their students level of understanding. Once you have identified that your student is not properly understanding a concept, it is very important to listen to why they are confused or stuck on certain concepts, instead of jumping into an explanation.

Listening helps tutors understand their students issues from the roots, and provides each student with an opportunity to feel heard and understood, building a stronger understanding between the student and the tutor. Listening and understanding is the key to developing a students education, no matter the level or the difficulty of the problem being addressed.

Katie Waller