As a tutor, having a strong communication skill is a vital part of the learning process. It is a challenge to put across your ideas and thoughts about a concept to the kid and that is where communicating better with your students comes into the picture. Here are some ways to ace it:
- Ask Open-ended questions-
It is more interesting when it is a discussion than a mere lecture! Dialogue is always preferred over monologue. Therefore, always ask open ended questions and give your students a chance to make mistakes. Do not loathe them if they do so. Explain to them that some answers are subjective and it is completely fine to have contrasting views. Ask more rhetoric questions. For instance, Don’t you’ll think this was a good move? How would you’ll have done it differently? Etc.
- Active Listening-
Be an active listener. Children understand when an adult is actually listening to them and when are they not. For them to open up to you, you really need to be an active listener. It is all about being empathetic towards them and telling them that yes, you do care for them.
- Use task that gives impetus to critical thinking
To increase their critical thinking skills, you should ask the right questions and give them their space to ponder on these questions. Create hypotheses on various aspects or fields that they’re interested in and get ready to get some awesome and unique answers. We can never underestimate the amount of curiosity and critical thinking that young minds hold!
- Be empathetic
Whether it is a kid or an adult, being empathetic is the first step to completely understand them. Empathy roughly translates into being in someone’s shoes. Asking yourself why has this person behaved in a certain way and how could you solve the problem. Once the kid knows that his tutor is empathetic towards him, witness the magic and communication unfold.
- Use technology
You would be completely wrong if you feel kids cannot be tech savvy at a young age. Even a 2 year old kid knows exactly which icon he has to click to open YouTube, how to pause or play a video and which are the other icons for games. They will love studying if it includes more use of technology. Don’t tell your students to not use technology, teach them how to use it efficiently!
Use these tips and communicate efficiently with your virtual or actual students. There are several tutorials out there wherein they teach how you can be a tutor and work from home. However, with EMaesters, they not only teach you but also guarantee you employment with their varied educational courses.
