10 Incredible Benefits of Tutoring

Short answer: The main benefits of tutoring are one-on-one attention, fewer distractions, better grades and retention, a better attitude toward learning, more confidence, stronger study habits, more willingness to ask questions, independent learning, future opportunities, and better organization and time management. Most of these come from a safe setting where a student can make mistakes and reach real understanding.

Key points

• Safe to make mistakes: One-on-one sessions let students learn at their own pace without classroom pressure.
• Understanding beats memory: Retention is proportional to depth of understanding, and a tutor can show the deeper logic.
• Confidence comes first: The most important benefit of tutoring is building confidence, which lifts grades and engagement.
• Habits that last: A tutor helps students build a study routine and attempt homework before each session.
• Independent learners: A good tutor knows when not to give answers, so students learn to solve problems on their own.
• Know the signs: Slipping grades, incomplete work or lost motivation can mean a child needs a tutor.

What are the benefits of tutoring?

1. One-on-one attention

One of the important benefits of one-to-one tutoring is the student may feel comfortable learning at their own pace without the pressure of teacher expectations and classroom competition. Complex concepts and processes are explained at the individual student’s level for a broader comprehension and application of the material.

Often the student will not want to be called out in class because they are embarrassed about their level of understanding. This is a deep social fear that can be traced back to early human history when rejection by the group meant certain death.

Students that are highly capable will often “hide” from the teacher and their peers so they are not exposed in front of the class. Think of the outfielder that prays the ball won’t get hit towards him. When a student is in flight or fight mode they experience significant anxiety and can’t learn anything.

One of the benefits of tutoring is creating a safe and comfortable learning environment for the student. It is essential for the learning process that the student feels safe to make mistakes. For some students, this safety is best achieved in a one on one tutoring session.

“There’s a fear that they’re behind, and they don’t want to be embarrassed… This should never be an ego thing. It’s just, where are you, what do we need to learn, and why do we learn it?”

Jake Gerhardt, Alexander Tutoring math tutor

2. Fewer distractions

The classroom can be a distracting place. Learning is not every student’s top priority. The ones not there to learn can make it challenging for those who are.

From the class clown to your current crush, there are a lot of factors in the classroom that are not related to learning. A major benefit of one to one tutoring is that it removes all of these distracting factors. Many students learn much better when the environment is simplified to just one other person.

3. Improves academic performance and retention

Another benefit of tutoring is the tutor can demonstrate best practices for taking exams and problem-solving. Many students don’t know the best way to study and waste time using ineffective methods.

For example, many math students will prepare for an exam by reading the chapter. Just reading the chapter will have very little impact on performance. The only effective way to study math is to grind through as many problems as possible. Many students don’t know this, and a skilled tutor can clarify this for them.

Tutoring can also teach test-taking skills and strategies. Many times, a child may know the material at home but freeze up or run out of time on the test, and tutoring helps students learn coping measures to overcome these problems.

Does your student struggle with retention? Guess what? It’s not because they have a bad memory as most people believe! Retention is proportional to your depth of understanding. A student having a hard time retaining information from day to day is using memory, not logic.

For example, if someone rattled off a random string of 10 numbers would you remember them? Probably not, because there is no relationship between the numbers. How about this set of numbers:

1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 …

Do you see the pattern? This is the famous Fibonacci sequence (which we’re obsessed with; see the Fibonacci sequence in nature). The current number in the sequence is obtained by adding the prior two (kudos if you figured it out)! Guess what, you’re never going to forget this now.

Once you see the deeper connection, retention is no longer an issue. One massive benefit of tutoring is that your tutor can demonstrate the deeper logic behind anything from literature to math problems, thus solving your student’s retention issue.

4. Changes in attitude towards learning

Students with learning disabilities and those that find STEM subjects especially challenging may find they struggle to enjoy school and learning in general. Another benefit of one to one tutoring on specific STEM subjects like math or physics is building confidence to understand, learn, and keep up with classwork.

Not liking a subject really means the student doesn’t understand the subject. Every time the student has the light bulb “ah-ha” moment, they switch to liking the subject on a dime.

One of the primary benefits of having a tutor is that they can give the student the all-important “ah-ha” moment. You would not believe the profound effect this will have on student enjoyment and engagement.

5. Improves self-esteem and self-confidence

The most important benefit of tutoring is building confidence. Too much emphasis is put on “natural ability”. Certainly there are born geniuses, but almost always the real issue is self-confidence.

Often the task of the tutor is to help the student get out of their own way. Many students have developed defense mechanisms over the years so as not to be exposed for what they don’t understand. The job of the tutor is to put the student at ease and lower their defenses. Once this happens, the mind can absorb knowledge efficiently.

The task of building confidence is best achieved by following these steps:

1. Create a safe environment built on trust.
2. Show the student how to approach the assignment with best practices.
3. Achieve the “ah-ha” moment.
4. Have the student practice their newfound knowledge on their own.
5. Prepare well for the next quiz or exam and get an improved score.
6. Give lots and lots of praise.
7. Build momentum by introducing progressively more challenging assignments.

This process will greatly increase the student’s confidence, which will have profound benefits ranging from improved grades to overall engagement and enjoyment. This newfound confidence will greatly improve the learning experience.

6. Facilitates good study habits

You become your habits. Studying is a habit that must be learned and worked into your daily routine. A tutor can help the student prioritize their time. One great technique is to create a study calendar. That way the student has a daily regimen to follow and be accountable for.

One benefit of tutoring is the tutor can evaluate the effort put in by the student each week. Did the student attempt their homework before the tutoring session? If the student is just starting their homework during the tutoring hour, they are not using their time wisely.

Tutor tip: Attempt all of your homework to the best of your ability BEFORE the tutoring lesson. That way the tutor can identify the problem areas quickly and efficiently, instead of spending the hour on problems you could have done alone.

7. Encourages students to ask questions

Some students are intimidated to raise their hands and ask questions in front of a class. One of the benefits of tutoring services is that they can eliminate the stress of being the center of attention. Even the most reserved students feel comfortable asking a private tutor the questions they were afraid to ask in class.

Being engaged and asking questions about class material shows personal investment and critical thinking that is vital to success in subjects such as math and science. When students go back to the classroom after a tutoring session, they often feel more able to join class discussions by asking and answering questions.

8. Helps students become independent learners

Another one of the benefits of tutoring is the tutor will teach the student how to fish, so to speak. There is such thing as becoming addicted to your tutor, meaning the student relies too heavily on the tutor for answers.

You can tell a beginner tutor from a pro based on how often they answer the student’s questions. If you answer every question the student asks, they won’t develop the confidence to work independently on their own.

A professional tutor will answer questions when appropriate, but also know when not to give answers so the student can solve their own problems. This is what creates independent learners and is a major benefit of tutoring.

Tutor tip: If your child’s tutor answers every question right away, ask them to hold back more. Being stuck for a few minutes and working it out alone is how students learn to solve problems without help.

9. Provides future opportunities

Schooling is designed to set students up for the next phase of life, either in education or future careers. The benefits of tutoring go well beyond passing a class or understanding a specific topic.

A tutor may help a student prepare for college entrance exams. There are benefits of tutoring in college as well. A college tutor can demonstrate effective study habits for university and the study skills needed for the next academic level.

10. Enhances organization and time management skills

Executive function skills are vitally important to becoming an independent learner. Executive function skills are the organizational and time management skills that your child needs to:

• Plan ahead and set priorities
• Meet goals
• Exhibit self-control
• Follow multi-step processes
• Stay focused in the face of distractions

Tutoring can help your child learn the skills they need to prioritize tasks, schedule their time, and effectively organize their school work.

How else do tutors help students?

They teach to how your child learns

Although the belief that everyone learns best in one of a few styles, such as auditory, kinesthetic, or visual, has been largely debunked, there’s no doubt that people learn differently. How someone learns best largely depends on what they’re learning.

Classroom teachers generally present a lesson in the way that’s either easiest or appeals to the most students. Tutors, on the other hand, can use teaching methods that are engaging and relevant for your child.

For example, if your child is obsessed with Minecraft, their tutor can create lessons around Minecraft that are deeply meaningful to your child. Everyone learns more when they’re invested in the lesson.

They build conscientiousness

Being conscientious, with habits that include being disciplined, organized, focused, and responsible, is more important than intelligence in predicting college and career success.

The discipline your student learns by sticking with a subject until it’s mastered, the organization they show when they plan a study session, and the responsibility they learn by being accountable to a tutor all help them become more conscientious students and, eventually, adults.

Does my child need a tutor?

The stress of school can have a negative impact on student performance. Children are often unable to articulate the problems they are having in school. Tackling these challenges is one of the benefits of having a tutor.

The most obvious sign a child requires tutoring is poor grades or test scores. You may also discuss your child’s performance and supplemental teaching needs at a parent-teacher conference. However, there are subtler ways to tell when a student needs additional support or assistance.

Signs that indicate your child may need a tutor include:

• Slipping grades and scores.
• Having trouble getting started.
• Turning in poorly executed or incomplete assignments.
• Changes in personality.
• Diminished self-esteem.
• Lack of motivation or interest in learning.
• Spends a lot of time studying, but does not get results on homework and tests.

For math specifically, see 5 signs your child needs a math tutor.

There are many benefits of tutoring, from managing workload to developing proper study habits. Taking advantage of one-on-one tutoring could mean the difference in you or your child’s academic success now and in the future. A tutor teaches lessons that stay with students throughout their education and into their professional careers.

Frequently asked questions