Two tips for parents who've hired a virtual primary school math tutor for their child
Here are two tips for parents who've hired a virtual primary school math tutor for their child.
They should create a suitable studying environment for their child
The first thing parents in this situation should do is set up a study area for their child in which they can work when they're having their online tutoring sessions. This study area should not only have a reliable internet connection (so there's no risk of the tutoring sessions being disrupted by the connection disappearing) and should be away from areas of the home that are noisy or which feature items (like a TV or toys) that might distract the child. It might be helpful to provide the child with headphones to further reduce the chances of them losing focus as a result of any noise in their environment.
If the child will be using some math-related study supplies for their tutoring sessions (like a geometry set, algebra tiles, a calculator, etc.) their parents should ensure there is enough space for these supplies and that there are storage options nearby to keep them organised. This should prevent the child from wasting time searching for these supplies in the middle of a virtual tutoring session. Additionally, whilst many online primary-school math tutors will give their students access to virtual, interactive whiteboards to use when practising things like fractions or arithmetic, it might still be helpful for parents to give their child a small whiteboard and dry-erase markers. This would allow them to continue practising math with their tutor, even if there's ever a technical glitch that results in the tutor's virtual whiteboard temporarily malfunctioning.
They should communicate with the tutor regularly
If possible, parents in this situation should arrange to speak to the tutor after each tutoring session (or after every couple of sessions), before their child logs off the tutoring platform. When talking to the tutor, the parents should find out how much progress their child is making and whether there are certain math topics that they are still struggling with and may need additional help with.
For example, if the online tutor says that the child finds it challenging to understand basic concepts related to fractions, the parents might decide to book their child in for an extra tutoring session each week, where the tutor will focus solely on the topic of fractions. In addition to this, they might ask the tutor for suggestions on how they can help their child to better understand this topic, through their daily activities. The tutor might, for example, suggest that the parents let their child help them bake, and then use this as an opportunity to talk about the use of fractions when measuring out ingredients to bake a cake. This could not only result in the child having a better idea of how they can apply fractions to daily life but could also reinforce the work that they are doing to grasp this topic in their tutoring sessions.
Contact a local company to find out more, like Maths From Nothing.