How to become a good tutor?

The best ways to tutor well are to practice good communication. I’ve worked with many tutors who are incredibly intelligent in the subjects they teach, but they don’t listen well enough to really understand how the student needs to learn.

First off, teach socratically—you should be asking far more questions than you are making statements. Make sure to roll that back if the student really can’t progress forward without information, but your job as a tutor is to give the student tools to learn so they don’t depend on you. They need to gain the thought processes that lead them to the answer more than they need the answer.

Secondly, even if it seems the student is incorrect, make an effort to figure out where they’re coming from. There’s a reason they thought the way they did, and it’s much easier to work with what the student already knows than to start from scratch. Teach them on their terms, not yours.

Finally, try to build rapport with the student outside the subject matter. Things work much more fluidly when there’s a basis of rapport to work off of. It builds trust, and trains you and the student to give each other the benefit of doubt when communicating. Sometimes students will feel insecure when they get something wrong, and it can be tough to figure out how to navigate that. Insecurity can be a huge roadblock to learning. If they like you, they’ll feel more confident in their abilities and will be willing to try new things—both essential to learning and mastering their subject matter.