Playtimes HK Magazine The School Book 2019-2020 | Page 19

T
utoring is so prevalent in Hong
Kong that it often seems the
only way to help a struggling
child. However, it’s best to
focus a child’s limited after-school hours
on a couple of subjects in which they’re
falling behind, or those which you’re not
able to help with. For subjects which
you can assist your child in, try to work
together at home.
This may seem like a fast route to
a difficult parent - child relationship,
but it needn’t be. Read on for the key
questions a tutor asks themselves when
working with a child. Keep these in
mind and approach your teaching time
from a new perspective.
What is the child’s learning style?
There’s no right or wrong way to learn
things, and the sooner you figure out a
child’s learning style, the sooner you can
teach effectively. Research learning styles
and find the one which best fits your child
(check out the article on www.playtimes.
com.hk). Make sure to tailor any teaching
sessions to their style, for example,
make models with your kinaesthetic
learner, help your visual learner organise
information clearly, and take notes while
your verbal learner brainstorms.
What is the desired outcome of this
teaching session?
Have a specific end-goal in mind every
time you sit down to teach. It should
be measurable and achievable, e.g.
tackle an item from the syllabus, clarify
a specific issue or simply complete
today’s homework. Broad-scale goals
such as ‘improve their maths skills’ will
never lead to a successful session.
Once you have an outcome in
mind, work backwards to figure out
the stumbling blocks you’ll face. For
example, imagine a session on asking
for and giving directions in French. Your
child will need vocabulary and grammar
for that, so you could plan word lists,
flashcards or a brainstorming session.
But also consider how proficient your
child is with directions in their first
language. If they’re not great, make a
map in your living room of string roads
and paper shops. Play a simple left and
right game before working on any of the
more complicated topics in the session.
What are they good at already?
It might seem counterintuitive, but
start by looking for what your child
already knows about or what skills
they have mastered. It could be a skill
or even an interest, rather than a topic
they’ve mastered, but once you’ve
found it, that’s your way in. A great deal
of learning success comes down to
attitude, and if your child can set out with
a positive one, they’re primed to do well.
I teach English language and literature
to both primary and secondary school
students. In my years of teaching, every
child I’ve taught has been great at some
aspect of the subject. By emphasising
that wherever possible, I can pull them
along into the parts they struggle with.
How does the school teach this?
Although I said before that there’s no right
or wrong way to learn something, there
is often a specific way to do it, and that’s
the way your child’s school teaches. While
you may feel certain that the maths you
learned as a child is simpler than this new
maths your kid is doing, it’s best to ignore
that thought. Take the time to learn the
way your child’s school teaches and follow
that. Otherwise, you risk confusing your
kid and irritating their teacher all at once.
It’s also important to follow the school
when looking for any extra exercises to
give your child. Whatever topic you’re
covering, there will be plenty of books
and online exercises to do. But be very
wary of giving materials which teach
things differently or include topics your
child hasn’t yet done. This can be far
more confusing to a child than you might
anticipate. For help with this, ask a friend
who’s a teacher, even one of a different
subject, as teachers are well trained in the
skill of spotting what’s level-appropriate.
What questions are they asking?
When your child was a baby, their only
way to show displeasure was to cry.
That crying could mean hungry, sick,
cold, sleepy, sad, or many other things,
and it was your job to figure it out.
As a tutor, I think the same way about
the questions my students ask. They can
often ask a question in the right area,
but the actual meaning of it needs some
interpretation. If they’re asking very large-
scale why questions, which would take
a lecture series and several PowerPoints
to explain, they’re clearly feeling very
lost with the subject. They need you to
start from the basics again and work up
step by step. If they’re asking smaller-
scale questions about things which
you’ve already covered or which you’re
sure they understand, that’s often an
invitation to go back over the information
from a different angle and make them
feel secure with it. If you get into the
confusing situation where you answer
their question, but they keep asking it,
help them break the question down into
smaller parts or rephrase it for them to
get at what they really want to know.
What questions am I asking?
You’ve spent decades building up your
critical thinking skills. Children find it very
helpful to hear you process things out
loud, so they can model the steps they’re
missing. Exaggerate those parts which
come naturally to you, so they can follow
these. For example, adults are great at
interpreting the meaning of a complex
question by weighing the key words in it,
but even strong students can struggle with
this. Demonstrate the fact that you read the
question a couple of times, and emphasise
the parts which stand out to you by
highlighting or underlining them. Model
the way in which you rephrase a question
in order to be sure you understand. Then
proceed from there by summarising what it
is you need to do to answer it.
By answering these questions while
working with your child, you can help
them tackle the topics they’re unsure of
in the most effective and positive way.
Willow Hewitt is the Head of English
for i-Learner Education Centre. She
also leads the Publishing Department
at i-Learner, which creates engaging
storybooks for young learners of both
English and Mandarin.
The School Book 2019-2020
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