4 General Tips & Suggestions For Tutors June 5, 2020
1. Establish a relationship: In order to be an effective tutor, your student needs to like you-or, at the very least, be able to tolerate you. It will take time to develop a workable relationship.
2. Communication: To learn more about your student, you must first be able to communicate. Communication is crucial so find out how he does it best. Once communication is established, find out what his interests are. This will give you something to communicate about right away and will help you get to know him faster.
3. Student's abilities: If a student is severely disabled, those disabilities can blind us to his abilities. At every turn, we can only think of what he can't do. Discover what he can do. Can he smile or make gestures? Can he speak? Can he read? Is he able to scribble or even draw? Does he give eye contact? Can he listen as you read to him? Can he answer questions with yes or no? Capitalize on his abilities by encouraging him to do as much as he can.
4. Student's Interests: Your student will enjoy things he finds interesting. Does he have a pet? What's his favorite food? What does he like to do? What music does he like? Line up a few simple objects and let him choose what he likes best. Show him some pictures and let him point to the ones he prefers.