Tutoring Frequency and Duration

As a tutor I am often asked how often tutoring should take place and its duration. The answer to this question is multifaceted and depends on the student’s individual needs, abilities, time frame, and academic goals. This article contains guidelines that parents and tutors can use to gauge tutoring frequency and duration.

The frequency of tutoring often depends on time with respect to an academic goal. For example, if a student needs to achieve a certain grade on their final examinations but normally scores poor on tests then more time is required. As obvious as this may seem in practice I find that many parents and students do the opposite. As a tutor I often receive requests from parents and students for numerous tutorials the week preceding an exam. This last minute attempt to learn course material right before the final exam often backfires as most students don’t have the capacity to learn at this rate. Even advanced students seldom benefit by attending numerous tutorials back to back preceding an exam. A better approach is to plan ahead and book these tutorials weeks in advance allowing at least three days between sessions. Scheduling tutorials with day off in between allows students to obtain the full benefit from each tutorial.

In addition, many tutors often encourage two hour sessions. The benefit to them is that they earn more money for each visit to your home. However, in practice I have found this to be detrimental to the student’s motivation. Even gifted students rarely have the attention span to participate in two hours sessions for a prolonged period of time. Most often during a two hour session the student and tutor become mentally fatigued and the quality of the tutorial greatly diminishes. Most students benefit from shorter sessions scheduled more frequently. Many parents and students fail to realize that when working individually with a tutor students learn at a much faster pace then in the classroom. A one hour session with a tutor is perhaps equivalent to three hours in the classroom.

It is also, important to remember that a student’s participation in extracurricular activities will also determine the frequency of tutoring. If a student is already involved in several activities outside of school such as sport, drama, dance, or band they may have difficulty scheduling tutorials. Best advice for students in this scenario is to prioritize the importance of these other activities and perhaps reduce their involvement.

The best way to maximize the benefits obtained form tutoring is to have a long term plan. If the goal is to teach academic skills allowing students to become independent learners then time is required. Although a student’s mark may immediately improve it takes several months to learn certain academic skills. Students who participate in even a single one hour session during the course of the school year reap the benefits of higher grades, less anxiety during final exams, and higher motivational levels.

The frequency and duration of tutoring is an important factor that determines success. Tutorials should be scheduled based on the student’s academic goals, abilities, and participation in extracurricular activities. In order to maximize the benefits that can be obtained from tutoring each tutorial should be scheduled three days apart. In addition, the length of each tutorial should be kept to a minimum of an hour. The right amount of tutoring can greatly enhance your child’s academic success, alleviate test anxiety, and improve motivation. Best advice is to plan ahead and realize that tutoring is a long term solution that takes time.