How do I choose the right tutoring service?
By Chantale Alvaer, teacher and founder of SOSteacher and Teaching forward
There is a wide range of tutoring services available to students. Many parents have difficulty distinguishing tutoring from homework help. However, these are very different services that will have a different impact on their child’s academic progress. Let’s be clear: all these services support the same cause: your child’s academic success. Let’s demystify the different services offered by companies specializing in individualized teaching, such as SOSteacher.
Homework help service
The young person targeted by the homework support measure is one who is doing well academically, but who sporadically needs extra help to understand concepts in the process of learning. Their previous knowledge is well integrated, but they still need a good academic helper to help them explore other, more in-depth areas of knowledge.
Catching up on school work
The name says it all: the ultimate aim of this tutoring service is to take a step back in the student’s school career, to consolidate the concepts that have not been acquired and that are preventing the young person from performing as he or she should at his or her grade level. Not only is the student unable to add new, more complex concepts to his or her learning process, but most of the time he or she is failing. In this case, the tutor’s focus is mainly on the material previously covered, and given the specific time allotted by the parent, it’s difficult to provide homework help unless the tutor spends more time working with the child.
School tutoring service
Tutoring is a judicious blend of remedial work and regular homework assistance. Aimed at students who are staying afloat without excelling, it seeks to consolidate and improve their academic results to prevent them from dropping out. A child whose academic results are regularly in the 65% range shows us that he or she understands a certain amount of the material, but needs to consolidate and reinforce what he or she has learned.
So, if we summarize the three services, remedial education is aimed at clients who are experiencing learning difficulties or who are regularly failing at school in one or more subjects. Homework help is a way of maintaining and deepening the concepts taught in the classroom in real time, and it works magnificently with young people who are performing well academically. Tutoring, on the other hand, is a service that integrates remedial learning with homework help. It targets young people who often demonstrate good academic skills, but who are also likely to be approaching 60%.
These three tutoring services therefore complement each other. They very often depend on the academic content, i.e. the subject that poses difficulties.A child might do well with homework help in French, but should opt for remedial math. Finally, as learning speed is different for every learner, it’s not uncommon to be able to switch from one service to another in a relatively short time, for example, starting with remedial teaching until better academic results are achieved.
Learning challenges and tutoring
According to recent studies, around 10-15% of students have learning disabilities, making personalized tutoring essential. The appropriate strategy will vary according to the specific challenges faced by the student. Targeted support is often the key, with some benefiting from homework help in subjects where they excel and remedial help in those where they struggle. The flexibility of these services means they can be adapted to each learner’s individual pace, paving the way for tangible improvements and an enriched educational experience. In short, whether it’s overcoming academic obstacles or stimulating intellectual curiosity, SOSprof is your trusted partner in your child’s academic development and success.
Evolving needs for tutoring
In our commitment to providing a quality tutoring service, we have found that 33% of our families prefer specialized tutoring, while almost half (46%) opt for weekly follow-up. This preference marks a clear trend towards personalized teaching, showing that the “one size fits all” approach is no longer appropriate for the individual needs of today’s students. The reasons for using a tutor are many and significant. A qualified tutor offers more than just academic help; he or she brings an outside perspective that can revitalize a student’s interest in learning. Tutors help identify strengths and areas for improvement, enabling a targeted approach that maximizes the student’s potential.
There are many advantages to using a tutoring service
The benefits for the student extend beyond academic results. By gaining confidence and autonomy, students develop better stress management and a greater ability to meet future challenges, academic or otherwise. Tutoring can also foster a renewed interest in education, which is crucial for ongoing, self-directed learning. For the family, the impact of a tutoring service is immediately felt in the atmosphere at home. Less stress over homework and studying means more quality time spent together. Parents are often relieved to see their children take charge of their education with the help of a professional, reducing the burden of always having to intervene in schoolwork.
When it comes to the parent-child relationship, tutoring can act as a bridge to overcome communication barriers. When children feel supported by a tutor, they are more inclined to share their academic challenges with their parents, strengthening the bond of trust and cooperation within the family.
At SOSteacher, we understand that tutoring is a three-way collaboration between student, tutor and family. By working together, we can ensure that each student not only achieves his or her academic goals, but also flourishes in all aspects of life.
Here’s another article that’s sure to please:
- Parents: What to expect from your first meeting with your tutor? | SOSprof
- Tips and tricks to make homework time easier | SOSprof
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