7 tips on Planning your First Lesson

Tip #1 – Planning your first lesson with the student in mind!

My first tip on planning your first lesson would be to involve the student as much as possible! As someone who has been tutored a few times herself the sessions I have found the most beneficial and also enjoyed the most are the more interactive sessions which I feel as though I am involved in. Examples of this may include Kahoots or quizzes. However, all students are different and this may differ from student to student. Nonetheless, I do still believe it is an important piece of advice.

Tip #2 – Vary your locker!

Another piece of advice for your first tuition lesson is to have a range of different practice questions on you. First sessions are always hard as often I will email the parent or guardian about the student and will get no reply. This can therefore make it hard to plan the session. I currently have lots of different resources so if the student does not want to continue with my original plan, I still have plenty of other options!

Tip #3 – Have backup options in your first tuition lesson

My third piece of advice on planning lesson is to be prepared to have a change of plan. As mentioned in bullet point 2, sometimes students will not want to go with the lesson you have planned and therefore unless you really know what the student wants, have a lot of fluidity in your lesson plans. Do not be disappointed if the student does not want to do what you have originally planned as this is completely natural! Just make sure you have something else prepared.

Tip #4 – Warm the student up in your lessons!

My fourth tip is to plan a warmup activity. This should only take 10 minutes at the beginning of the first lesson. Not only does it help you build rapport which I will talk about later, it also allows you to see the student’s ability and strengths/weaknesses.

Tip #5 – Tailor your approach

Another tip for planning the first tuition lesson with a student would be looking at the information you have been given on the tutoring4you website. Normally, it will state the exam board and if the student is doing higher/lower of this paper. This will give you an indication of the working at grade of the student, and the exam board allows you to understand the content they may need help on. This will allow you to find resources etc.

Tip #6 – Personal touches

Another tip for your first tutoring lesson is building rapport. I believe that in tutoring, it is crucial to know and understand the students that you tutor. This makes the session more interactive which I believe can increase productivity in younger people. It also allows you to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of your students. So, try to get to know the student you are tutoring. You can do this by asking them basic questions such as what other subjects they study, or any hobbies they may have. It does not need to take any longer than 5 minutes, but definitely makes the session feel more personal!

Tip #7 – Using the best resources in your first lesson and all lessons!

My final tip for planning the first lesson is know where to find good resources. I have also written a blog about this so would recommend you check that out for some good websites!