The secrets to make online learning a success

Schools are closed; so you’ve decided to be proactive and give your child a headstart by hiring a tutor. The first lesson is on the horizon, but to make the most of it, you need to prepare. Today we look at what you to can do to help make the first lesson a roaring success, and create a strong working relationship with your tutor.

Before the lesson takes place

Have a word with your child’s teachers. They can often be very helpful in terms of providing you with useful materials, such as the curriculum and syllabus, an overview of what they will be doing each week and what has already been covered, recent school reports and internal assessments. Your tutor will be able to use these to help creating an individual learning plan for your child tailored to their needs. They’ll probably welcome the news too; it shows that you are concerned about your child’s education and are willing and happy to get involved and support them.

List your child’s weaknesses

Before your child has their first lesson, have them sit down with a pen & paper and note down a list of area’s that they struggle with. Some tutors will start off with initial diagnostic assessments in order to ascertain these weaknesses, whereas other tutors prefer to get down to teaching in the first lesson.

If you email this over to them in advance of your child’s initial lesson, then your tutor can begin to start coming up with a plan of action, and deliver a better, more thought out lesson rather than a generic one of ‘winging it’.

Prepare your child mentally

If your child is new to one-on-one tuition, it’s possible they may be a little apprehensive about the first lesson and have many questions. A good way of alleviating some of these nerves is to take some time out to sit down with your child and have a discussion. This can be as straightforward as describing how their tutor is going to help them, and what they can expect from the lesson.

If you don’t know the answer to any of the questions, it can be a good time to reach out to your tutor. You may be new to tuition too, but they will have heard them all before and be happy to answer them.

The big day!

The day of the lesson is really important. You need to make sure your child is in the right frame of mind for learning. A rumbling stomach or parched throat can make it hard to focus and concentrate. A dark and gloomy environment can do the same, as can a noisy one. Check out my tips on how to create the ultimate home learning zone here

Once the lesson ends

The learning does not end when the lesson is over. That post-lesson period provides a great opportunity to consolidate your child’s progress, and set them up for success.

A lot of tutors will give your child some homework to do before the next lesson, or some background reading to do. Sometimes children may forget to do the homework. Or come up with another reason or excuse to why it may not be done. I’ve heard them all before, and you can check out some of the more humorous and wacky ones I’ve heard here. Your tutor will let you know if they have given your child homework, as parents can often help remind children to complete it or communicate with them if there is a legitimate issue.

Get some feedback

How did your child find the lesson? Did they learn anything? Did they form a good relationship with the tutor? What went well? What didn’t? Did they have fun? Is your child looking forward to the next lesson? These are all important questions that you can ask your child to check that they are happy to continue learning, and to allows you to address any issues if there are any.

Maybe they don’t understand what the tutor was trying to explain. Perhaps the work was a little too easy. Maybe the tutor was a little too strict. It’s important to listen to any feedback your child may have and either address them yourself, or pass them on to the tutor. This will help ensure better learning going forward.

I love meeting new students and helping them get started on their online learning journeys, and currently have a limited amount of vacancies available. Contact me now to book a free no obligation trial session and let's find out how I can help your child get off to an amazing start.