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I started tutoring with my current tutor when I was in the 6th grade. She tutored me in junior high level math back then, and continues to tutor me in math now that I'm a Freshman in college. Needless to say, she and I have become pretty good friends, and (besides learning a lot about math) we have a lot of fun together during tutoring sessions.
Well, I just found out that she has been offered a job on the East Coast (I live in OR), and will be moving at the end of next month.
Help! I don't know what to do about this. She has been my only tutor for 8 years, and besides feeling like I'm losing a good friend, I'll be losing a great tutor. Are there any options for how we could work together long distance? She said that she'll still be tutoring once she moves, and that she's open to the idea of long distance tutoring, but has no idea how to do it.
Thanks for your help!
Janie, a tutee from OR
Answer: Hey, Janie! Sorry to hear about the impending move, but it is great that you and your tutor have such a great working relationship! Once you have a rapport with a tutor it is definitely something to keep going, and it sounds like you are both enthusiastic about the idea of long distance tutoring.
You know, back when I started tutoring, I would have said "no way." Long distance tutoring, back in the olden days, was just not very possible, particularly with a visually learned subject like math.
Nowadays, though, long distance tutoring isn't just a possibility, it is a reality for a ton of tutors and tutees around the globe. Tutees are getting tutoring from countries halfway around the world, so cross-country tutoring is definitely something that you two can do.
Plus, you'll be in good company as you join the thousands of happy tutors and tutees who long distance tutor. Long distance tutoring is typically loved by people who do it, partly because of the convenience and flexibility in schedule coordination, partly because of the convenience in tutoring location.
So how do you two work together and have effective tutoring sessions while living at opposite ends of the country?
The key, as with in-person tutoring, is good communication. It sounds like you two already have that mastered, so I'll move on to the technological aspects.
I have worked with tutees all around the world, and it has usually gone very well. I tend to use video chat fairly frequently, partly because I can read the body language of my tutee, I can show my tutee concepts visually, and I can have my tutee show me the work that he or she has done so far.
So far, video chat is my favorite method for long distance tutoring. I also appreciate the fact that there is little to no specialized equipment for either of us to purchase, making it more affordable for my tutee and/or my tutee's family. Most of my tutees have built in cameras on their computers, or have bought a small external camera for a few dollars at a local electronics store.
For things like essays, or other written assignments, I will have my tutee email me the work a day or two in advance so that I can review it before our tutoring session. This also works well when I need to send my tutee a document or assignment to review before our tutoring session.
I am also fond of using online document sharing sites so that my tutee and I can share work back and forth.
How about the rest of you readers? Any long distance or online tutors out there who have tips or techniques to share?
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1 comment:
Hey, wanted to chime in and say that I second the video chat method of long distance tutoring wholeheartedly. I tutor 7 kids: 1 in Australia, 1 in England, 1 in Korea, 2 in Canada, and 2 at the other end of the US, and video chat has worked perfectly every time. Anybody out there who has a chance to give it a try, DO IT! You won't regret it, log distance tutoring can be a lot of fun.
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