During my time at First Education I have actually noticed how effective tutoring can be in the primary school years, not just as a student but also as a person. younger students in particular are still developing their own learning habits, so tutoring can be useful for more than just explaining content.For example, during a session, I noticed that a student would immediately ask for help whenever they came across a question they didn’t understand. Rather than giving them the answer, I started encouraging them to read the question again, identify what they already knew and think about what the question was actually asking. At first this took quite a bit of encouragement but eventually students started doing these automatically. I think this is a really valuable skill, especially at such a young age. It can be tempting to focus on getting through a worksheet or completing homework but teaching students how to approach problems on their own is something they can carry with them across all subjects and through all their years of schooling. It also made me realise how easily younger students can become dependent on adults when they are unsure of themselves. As a tutor, it is important to support them without doing all the thinking for them. I have realised there is definitely a balance between being helpful but also giving them enough space to work things out on their own. Tutoring really isn’t all about improving grades, it’s also about helping students develop the habits they need to improve themselves. Teaching a child how to learn instead of what to learn can benefit them well beyond a single tutoring session.
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