"The best tutoring relationship is one that is collaborative between a parent, the child and the tutor," says Tozzo.
To make the most of tutoring and give your child the best chance for success, Tozzo offers the following tips:
Identify the root cause of the problem. Whether your child is falling behind or struggling with basic concepts, before any tutor will be able to help, he or she must first understand the problem. Tozzo says that at Huntington, teachers perform a diagnostic evaluation of every student prior to beginning instruction in order to identify his or her strengths and weaknesses.
Make sure the tutoring curriculum is tailored to your child. For a tutoring program to be successful, it must be customized to your child to addresses his or her precise needs. While you may have suggestions for what areas the tutor should focus on, be sure that he or she does a thorough assessment of your child’s current abilities before developing a tutoring plan.
Foster good communication with your child’s tutor. Arrange regular appointments to discuss your child’s progress as well as any concerns or other observations the tutor has about your child. Also, frequently revisit the initial goals you set at the beginning of the relationship, and adjust as necessary.
Ensure the child and tutor have good rapport. A one-on-one teacher-student relationship will be quite different than the teacher-classroom relationship with which your child is familiar. It’s important that your child connects with his or her tutor, although parents should give tutoring proper time to be effective. If your child opposes the idea of tutoring, remember that trained tutors have significant experience working with children who were initially resistant. As your child closes those learning gaps, he or she will become more accepting of tutoring, perhaps even welcoming it.
Let your child’s teacher know your child is working with a tutor. If you haven’t already, talk with your child’s teacher about his or her classroom observations of your child and let him or her know that your child is receiving supplemental education. Consider introducing your child’s tutor and teacher so that the two can discuss specific areas of concern as well as your child’s ability to transfer his or her new skills to the classroom as the tutoring continues.
Tutoring can make a world of difference in a child’s life, helping him or her overcome learning gaps in his or her development and improving confidence and self-esteem. "It’s important that parents and their child go in with an open mind, set goals with the tutor, and evaluate results together with the tutor after a few weeks of tutoring," says Tozzo. "We often see that children want to continue tutoring because the change is so noticeable to them and their parents."
For more information, please contact Huntington Learning Center Glendale at 602-504-9600.
About Huntington Learning Center
Founded in 1977, Huntington Learning Center is the nation’s longest-running supplemental education services provider. Today they continue to be an industry leader providing instruction in reading, writing, spelling, phonics, mathematics and study skills as well as SAT and ACT preparation to tens of thousands of students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Huntington prides itself on its unparalleled programs that help parents, caregivers and educators identify the gaps in skills and knowledge that can limit learning potential. Huntington’s personalized programs of instruction enable children to excel. To learn more or to locate a center near you, call 1-800 CAN LEARN.
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Huntington Learning Center Glendale, 5870 West Thunderbird Road (Safeway Plaza @ 59th Avenue), 602-504-9600
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