Small Group Tutoring

Of all the different types of tutoring scenario, small group tutoring is perhaps the most effective form of tutoring. Small group tutoring usually takes place after school, work, or squeezed in between lunch breaks. Is small group tutoring ideal for everyone? The answer is that it depends on the tutor. To a new tutor, the prospect of tutoring a small group may feel somewhat overwhelming. The more experience you have with tutoring in general, the easier it will be for you to effectively adapt to small group tutoring. Some skilled tutors can juggle their class, delegating responsibilities for one student to work on his or her assignment, while directly paying attention to teaching another student. For many experienced tutors, small groups are more dynamic and fun to tutor than one-on-one tutoring. Often the students within the group know each other and they are comfortable working with each other. The size of a small group may vary according to the subject taught, the motivation of the students themselves, and how many students a tutor can handle at any given time. For example a maths tutor may feel overwhelmed teaching a group of eight students, while this group would be the perfect number for a conversational English teacher.

There are some obvious disadvantages of small group tutoring that you need to be aware of. For students who are not vocal about asking questions their needs can easily get overlooked. Also depending on the size of the group, it can be very difficult for a tutor to provide individual support - small group tutoring is never a substitute for individual student support. It isn't always perfect, but for many students, small group tutoring offers the best solution for getting specialized help while paying less.