Tutoring philosophy – What makes you a unique & great tutor

What is tutoring philosophy?

Tutoring philosophy or teaching philosophy in its simplest form is a personal belief and value a tutor has about tutoring and learning. It is a very important factor in tutoring. A tutor without a tutoring philosophy may be said to lack vision and mission. Every tutor whether a school or non-school tutor needs to have at least one tutoring philosophy.

This topic is as important as your teaching career and to be a successful and great tutor, a tutor must know and has a tutoring philosophy. However, you’re not a tutor or teacher if you don’t know and do this.

Tutoring philosophy is a self-reflective statement of your beliefs about teaching and learning. It’s a one conveys a tutor’s core ideas about being an effective tutor in the context of the tutor’s chosen discipline. It develops these ideas with specific, concrete examples of what the teacher and learners will do to achieve those goals. Importantly, your tutoring philosophy explains why a tutor tutors. Tutoring philosophy is different from a pedagogical theory. Although, the two are related; tutoring philosophy is more personal than general.

JUST IN: Passbuttons.com connects tutors to nearby learners, educational institutions, and private lessons to teach any subject or skill. It also trains tutors on tutoring methodologies, practices, and principles, support and connects tutors to opportunities and jobs. To become or get a tutor on passbuttons.com just create an account.  You may wish to join our Facebook page @ facebook.com/passbuttons

Meanwhile, it’s worth knowing that tutoring philosophy is flexible and dynamic. Therefore, there is a need to review and update it from time to time and make modifications when necessary. This is very crucial since teaching styles and methodologies change over time based on a person’s career and area of application.

What are the basic tutoring philosophies?

Pay attention here. I can see you shake your head, but don’t flip the page yet.  What are the major philosophies of education? The major philosophies of education can be broken down into three main types: teacher-centered philosophies, student-centered philosophies, and society-centered philosophies. These include Essentialism, Perennialism, Progressivism, Social Reconstructionism, Existentialism, Behaviorism, Constructivism, Conservatism, and Humanism. (The details of these are beyond the scope of this article).

“What Is Your Teaching Philosophy?”

Here is how to answer this question and examples. If you’ve never put your teaching philosophy into words, this three-step process can help you articulate your beliefs.

• Begin simply with one or two sentences that neatly encapsulate your thinking.
• Then elaborate on what your philosophy means in practical terms.
• Then include an example of how you apply your teaching philosophy in the classroom. This will help make your philosophy even more concrete.

Example 1: Our priority is our students, and every decision that we make as educators is driven by that priority to provide our students with the best opportunity for success. Our drive to provide each student with the best opportunity for success embodies our values: Passbuttons.

Example 2: All students are individuals, and everyone learns in their unique way. I use multiple methods of teaching (linguistic, visual, auditory, kinesthetic) to reach students so that no one is left behind.

Example 3: Everyone in the classroom contributes as a student, teacher, and thinker. I learn from students as much as they learn from me. One way I emphasize this philosophy in my classes is to incorporate regular feedback from students. For example, I ask students to fill out a mid-course evaluation of the class, in which they reflect on the course goals and provide feedback on whether or not the course is helping them meet these goals thus far. The students have been so insightful, providing useful information for me on what is working in class, and what I can improve upon. I believe we never stop learning, and I want my students to know we can learn from each other.