We’re all Singaporeans, so we’ve all taken a tuition class at least once in our lives.
But whether it’s a private 1-1 tuition in the comfort of our home, or a bigger group class in a tuition centre, or at the community club, one thing seems to run common among them all. And that’s that they’re…
BORING!
So we’ve come to expect any class time to be boring, right?
Hey, as long as you, the tutor, get your job done and your tutee understands the concept, does it matter if the last two hours were boring?
However, why should classes be boring?
Tuition classes should be a fun time for your student to learn, and it doesn’t hurt you to make it a fun few hours for both parties!
The Benefits of Making Tuition Classes A Fun Time!
Why are workshops more fun and always seem to teach more than regular classes?
Because they’re more hands-on and you’re actively involved during the learning process with the activities they assign and reflections at the end.
Not only did you have fun, but you were fully engaged in the learning process the whole time, right? And you didn’t see the process as a boring chore but as a fun, stress-free activity!
So why not harness the same tactics that workshops use to reap the same benefits?
Also, many Asian parents see tuition a certain way.
It’s either extra “drill practices” so their child doesn’t slack and fall behind in school or that it’s valuable money being spent on their child to catch up in class.
If your tutee falls in the latter, then their parents are probably already annoyed at having to spend this extra money.
So whichever way you view tuition, making classes enjoyable for both you and your tutee would make the time, money, and effort you spent for that student more worth it. Their parents will probably be more satisfied with your services too.
After all, like us here at Smiletutor, don’t you believe every student should have a smile on their face during tuition?
And you know how Asian parents love to recommend things they are fans of? So think of it as putting in extra effort to get more recommendations through word of mouth!
What Makes A Boring Class?
Do I really need to give you a picture of a boring class? I think most of us have sat through countless boring classes, right?
But classic signs of your tutee getting bored are:
- Looking anywhere else but their workbook.
- Shaking their legs or tapping their pencil.
- Staring at the wall or out of the window.
- Rolling the eraser dust into one big ball.
- Speaking unenthusiastically and dragging their words out.
- Mean words about how “This is boring.”
There there. Let me pat your back and wipe your tears as you realise that your tutee exhibits these signs every lesson.
How Do You Make Your Classes More Interesting Then?
So now you’ve resolved to make your classes more fun, exciting, engaging, and interesting!
But how do you break the mould?
Well, let me tell you how you can make classes even more exciting for both you and your tutee with minimal extra time, effort, and money spent, now that you know how fun tuition classes will benefit both you and your tutee!
5 Ideas For Exciting Activities
Draw It Out
Did you know that more than ⅔ of children are visual learners and that 80% of learning happens visually?
Additionally, we all know how useful mind maps can be, right? But most of the time, the most effective mindmap for us is the one we make for ourselves.
So draw it out! Being able to visually see how the food chain or force in physics works, can help them understand the concept on a deeper scale.
RolePlaying
This would work best if you’re a humanities tutor or for younger students with science concepts.
Let’s say you’re teaching your primary school tutee about germination. Pretend to be seeds and act out the process of germination with them while being the storyteller as well!
And as a bonus, children will probably read the book if they see it as a script for your roleplaying activity, or pretend to be the opposition in a debate about Stalin’s war crimes.
Putting your tutee in Hitler and Stalin or Lady Macbeth’s shoes could finally help them understand why Hitler and Stalin formed the Nazi-Soviet Pact or why Lady Macbeth went crazy.
Use Kahoot!
Who says Kahoot! can only be played in big groups?
You can use Kahoot! As a stress-free way to test how familiar your tutee is with the topic before or while you’re going through it.
Or you could also replace your end-of-lesson reflections with a fun Kahoot!. To make it more fun, join in on the game as well!
Use Real-World Problems
A lot of my teachers back in school complained about how most students wouldn’t know how to apply concepts they’re learning to real life.
I guess it’s true when I think about how my friends and I knew the Pythagorean theorem’s formula but got confused knowing how to insert the formula into our equation.
So this is where you’ll have to get creative in making your own problems and equations.
Or you could just look at workbooks and take their equations, but make them more relevant to your students!
Find a way to insert relevant topics like superheroes, bubble tea, or TikTok trends. Your students will be more inclined to try it out because it’s fun!
Bring Out Their Competitive Spirit
We Singaporeans are competitive. It’s why ‘kiasu’ is even a thing, right?
So play to your tutee’s competitive side by giving them a challenge or goal to reach! Make sure the goal is doable so they’ll stay motivated. If it’s too hard, they might just give up!
Instead of calling it homework, challenge them to solve these sums before next week. Or if they think this equation is too hard, challenge them to do as much of it, because you know they can!
You can also use scoreboards of what they’ve accomplished or mark their achievements on a calendar to give them a visual reminder of how far they’ve come.
This can empower them to do more since they know what they’re capable of!
Conclusion:
Lastly, remember to be enthusiastic and just as excited as they are.
If they’re not excited or energetic about it, just continue with your high energy. It can rub off on them!
Also, remember to use positive reinforcements. What’s the point of having fun with your tutee if you just lash out at them afterwards?
Tuition classes most definitely don’t have to be boring for the tutor or the tutee!
Having fun during the learning process brings countless benefits to your tutee’s learning and your mental health. It also strengthens your bond, and it might get you more recommendations too!
So have fun during lessons!
Join SmileTutor, Singapore’s #1 tuition agency, if you’re looking for more tutees today!
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