No two students learn in exactly the same way. Some students are visual learners meaning they thrive when they can see concepts through diagrams, colour-coded notes, or videos. Others are auditory learners, who grasp ideas best through repetition, and discussion. And some are kinesthetic learners, who need to move, touch, or physically interact with materials to fully understand what they’re learning such as using blocks when counting.

Learning also goes beyond these learning types and personalisation is also important for specific behaviours. A quiet student might need gentle encouragement and time to open up, while a more energetic learner may benefit from fast-paced tasks. Because of this, no two tutoring sessions should look exactly the same. Tutors must learn to adapt their teaching styles to fit the student they are teaching. Tutoring isn’t just about teaching content, it is about teaching the student, which some people can forget when they think about how ‘easy’ tutoring can be.

Lily Powell