New Research Reveals a Few Misconceptions About Teaching and Tutoring

New Research Reveals a Few Misconceptions About Teaching and TutoringI've spent the past several months writing and reading a new book titled, The Tutor's Journey: Expanding Your Horizons for Success by Gilbert MacLarson McKenzie. While reading this book I was struck by what I realized are the common misconceptions about tutoring students. The following article will help dispel some of these misconceptions and help you recognize your potential and recognize the mistakes you may be making with your tutoring practice.I've spent many years working as a teacher and has been a tutor for many years. This book covers many misconceptions. One that really stood out to me was that it is not what the student brings to the class that makes a teacher successful or unsuccessful. It is more about what the student brings to the school and to their classmates. The idea of 'customer satisfaction' has been my philosophy for my own success in life.The book also did a great job of exposing the fact that not every student can be tutored by any one tutor. For some students, it may be impossible to be tutored. I'm sure the parent of a child who cannot be tutored would tell you that. But the author of the book goes on to say that every individual student has a unique learning style.To have a successful and happy relationship with your student, you have to realize that there is no cookie cutter student. Most students learn at different rates and at different ages. Some may need extra help for reading and math, while others may need it for their academic writing skills. So when you're working with each student, you must know what type of assistance they need.One very important factor is to understand the point of view of the student you're working with. Different students have different expectations of their lives. Whatsome students may want is 'to go back to school' while others want to get a better job and then start a family. While working with each individual student, you must be abl e to adapt your skills and knowledge to meet the needs of each student.Students who struggle with their homework tend to do better when it's assigned to them. So if a child is doing poorly in school, find a way to make them go to class. This doesn't mean you can't work as a tutor, but find other ways to make the assignments easier. You also must be willing to take on some extra work or set some deadlines that relate to homework help.Another thing I learned is that students are not the same. Some students don't like being pressured and will struggle in those situations. This is not always true for all students, but it's one of the key ideas in the book.In addition to the new research findings, there were other wonderful ideas presented in the book. For example, if you need to consider providing tutoring services to the students you currently have, you must do so differently than if you were to open up your business. Perhaps the main reason that the book was written was because there were so many misconceptions. Hopefully this information can help you.