Getting To Know Your Student

Getting to know your student is the first step to a successful tutoring session. Unless you are a veteran tutor, you will most likely feel uncomfortable when you meet your student for the first time. Some tutors may even feel so intimidated when they meet their students for the first time, that they skip the introductory process. Its easy to jump to the "meat and potatoes" of the lesson, but ignoring this initial step is not recommended. Without spending time getting to know your student, you will not be able to establish rapport with them. Students also tend to find it difficult when disclosing information about themselves or the problems they are struggling with if a foundation of trust is not first created.

Here are some suggestions for one-on-one or small group introduction:

You should begin by briefly introducing yourself and your educational experiences. You can even guess as to how these experiences can help you relate to and even help your student.
Share you work and personal experiences, such as the your peers, volunteer activities you have participated in, business ventures, travel experiences and so on - any "real-world" experiences that you think relates to your student or to the subject you are tutoring.

After letting the student know a little about yourself, ask questions about the student and his or her background. If possible try to relate what what you learn about your student and use it in the tutoring session. When explaining a concept for example, you could give examples from what you learnt of the students favorite sports or hobbies. Relating the material personally builds trust, it shows that you are interested in knowing your student personally. A foundation of trust also builds confidence, it may even help your student to increase his or her rate of learning comprehension.

Here are some possible starting questions:

Who is his or her favorite teacher?
What is his or her major or favorite subject?
Who are his or her peers at school?
What are his or her favorite activities, hobbies, likes and dislikes?

When getting to know your student, its also important to leave time, either in the beginning or towards the end of the tutoring session to ask your student about his or her concerns and questions. This will further aid you in preparing a focused lesson plan for your next tutoring session.

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