Homework Help Today – A Tutoring Blog for Students and Tutors Where Students and Tutors can help each other out!

Teaching can be one of the most gratifying career choices – if you’re a teacher, you probably get a thrill out of helping a struggling student understand a difficult concept in any subject.  But what do you do with your summer downtime? Many students need summer tutoring, either to fulfill requirements for the previous school year, or to prepare for the upcoming fall semester.

There are tons of benefits for both teachers and students in tutoring arrangements.  As a teacher, you can keep sharp on your teaching techniques, try out new ones, and stay up-to-date in your subject area.  You might have found that after summer break, you feel a little rusty in the classroom – summer tutoring can be a great way to stay current and avoid this.

Helping a student who finds a particular topic elusive can be an emotionally rewarding experience in itself; and tutoring also provides the opportunity to earn extra money to put towards your well-deserved vacation or further education costs.  Cash-flow can be a problem during the summer months for teachers, so tutoring is a great way to ensure you can keep paying the bills – and you’ll gain valuable experience while doing it.

Tutoring provides you with the flexibility to determine your own schedule, the amount of hours you wish to work, and where you work.  If you love to travel and are adventurous, teaching English as a second language in a foreign country can be a unique experience.  Or, stay at home and work with local kids to contribute to your community and prepare them for the upcoming fall semester (and enjoy the short commute!).  Working with parents as clients can also be a satisfying experience as you get to know more about the community and the kids you teach during the normal school year.  Many students who receive tutoring in addition to regular class time during the school year build lasting relationships with their teachers and often credit them as having a hand in their future successes.

Working over the summer as a tutor has the added benefit of allowing you to deviate from your typical subject area:  maybe you teach English during the normal school year, but you have a hidden passion for math that you miss utilizing.  Tutoring at a basic level can give you the chance to exercise some of those neglected muscles.  Teachers are also in demand for adults and children for whom English is a second language. This chance to experience variety and make an important difference in someone’s life can be greatly appealing.

To re-cap, teachers who tutor enjoy the following perks:

• Increased cash-flow/compensation for lost pay during summer months;
• Rewarding relationship with students and parents;
• Opportunity to set your own hours, work from home, work locally or even travel abroad;
• Chance to try new things; keep your skills focused, and work in areas you might otherwise not have the chance to during the school year.

Visit Tutor Match to build a tutor profile and register to be linked with a student who needs your expertise this summer.

Posted under Teaching, Tutoring

Finding a tutor can be a difficult and sometimes frustrating process. Thanks to the Internet, students and parents now have a free, easy way to find qualified tutors in their area. Tutor Match Tutoring Network is your one stop for all of your tutoring needs.

Whether you’re lost in math, need help in English, or just don’t understand a foreign language, TutorMatch.com can help you find a tutor to help. This is a free search service; there is no fee and you don’t have to give any personal information you’re not comfortable with. Just go to the Tutor Match Local Tutoring Search, type your zip code in the box provided, and you will be able to browse the list of tutors available within a specified radius of your zip code.

If you would like to become a tutor or get a job as a tutor, then TutorMatch.com is the place for you. It is free to post a tutor profile, or for a small fee, you can obtain preferred listing status and have access to more options and better exposure.  Premium TutorMatch Profiles tend to attract about 3 times more student leads on average than free profiles.

Depending on preferences, sessions are scheduled for over the phone, in person, or online. The fees for tutors vary based on experience, but are affordable. To request a tutor, simply fill out a form, which will be sent to the tutor. Once he or she receives the request, they will contact you through the preferred method you have listed.

TutorMatch.com makes finding help for yourself or your child easier than it’s ever been. No matter what subject you are struggling in, Tutor Match has someone that can help.

March Giveaway Contest!
If you’re interested in becoming a tutor on TutorMatch and would like a chance to win a free premium membership, check out the Contest Corner for the free TutorMatch profile Giveaway this month!

Posted under Tutoring, Website Review

by Tutor Glen D. on TutorMatch.com

This article is about the best method for ensuring that a student succeeds in math and benefits from the tutoring experience.  The primary thing for the tutor to keep in mind is that, while the parent may be paying the bill, it is the student who is the primary client.  The student’s needs may sometimes be at odds with what the parent perceives as the best approach to getting a better grade.   The tutor’s focus should always remain on the student. 
 
My strategy is a “two step” approach:
 

Step 1:

 
Regardless of how poorly a student is currently performing in class, I always immediately start every new client by teaching the student “ahead” of the class.  In other words, I teach the course material that the student has not yet been taught by the teacher.  Why?  Because one of the biggest problems with most students is that they are “lost” in class.  They do not understand the material that is being presented to them by the teacher, and they are reluctant to raise their hand due to concerns about how they will look in the eyes of their classmates.  Their natural fear is that they will look foolish and that they will be the only ones who do not understand the material.
 
The way to conquer this fear and build up the student’s confidence is for them to hear the material first from me in the privacy and safety of their own home.  Here they can freely express their thoughts on whether they understand the material without fear of looking “bad” in the eyes of their classmates.    I also have the student demostrate their proficiency by doing problems in front of me, so that I can be sure they really understand what I am teaching them.
 
The power of this approach is that when the student then hears the material from their teacher, they are already familiar with it.  This yields two very important benefits.  The classroom experience is now a positive one instead of a negative one.  The student develops more confidence and less anxiety about attending class.  Most importantly, the teacher now becomes my ally in teaching the student new concepts.  Now I do not have to play “catch up” by attempting to teach material that the student has already heard in class, but did not understand.  Instead, the teacher reinforces concepts that the student has already learned from me. 
 
This approach has been extremely effective at building up the student’s confidence, and enhancing their understanding of the material presented in class.
 

Step 2:

 
Many of my students are already “under water” with a poor grade and a lot of confusion about the material.  So, it is important to also go back and review prior material that the student did not grasp the first time through.  Since mathematics tends to be cumulative, it is important to fill in the missing gaps.  So, I try to spend time each session to go back and review old material. 
 
This two step approach has been extremely effective.  The humorous analogy I use with my students is that they are a little bit like a sinking ship.  We must keep the ship sailing along (by working ahead of the class), but we must also pump out the water that is already in the hold (by going back and filling in the missing gaps from prior material). 
 
The students love this tutoring method because it immediately builds up their confidence.  The classroom experience becomes more positive, the teacher becomes a valuable ally, and the students invariably improve quite dramatically in their academic performance. 
 
To my fellow tutors, I hope that you will consider trying out my approach.  I think that you will find it very effective. 
 
In a future article, I will outline my approach to SAT training, which is very different than the approach outlined in this article.

About the Author: Glen D. is a math professor at a local Boston area college and a math tutor on TutorMatch.com. His expertise is in math tutoring for elementary through college students of all ages and abilities. He also offers a very successful SAT training program. Glen lives in Natick, Massachusetts with his wife and two children. He does most of his tutoring in his students’ homes. He has turned many frustrated “C” students into confident “A” students by using the approach outlined here.

Posted under Math Tutoring, Parents and Children, Tutoring

Choosing a tutor for a second language, be it German, French or Spanish, is not a decision that should be taken lightly. Whether the reason for learning the language is a trip abroad or simply personal growth, proper enunciation, vocabulary and meaning are crucial in the development of the language. For this reason it is important to choose a native speaker of the language or a person that has been extensively trained in the language, preferably in a post-secondary institution.

 
The benefits to hiring a native speaker of the language are the influence that culture will have in the teachings. This tutor has more than likely been exposed to cultural occurrences like food, songs, and beliefs that can enrich the tutoring environment. This information, along with the natural ability to teach dialect and proper pronunciation of the words, combined with the natural phrases used in everyday conversation, are the reasons that many choose to enlist a native speaker of the second language in which they are trying to learn.

Contrary to these thoughts, there are many benefits to choosing a professional tutor that has been educated in the second language to teach the student. Technical aspects of the language will be covered with concise curriculums, and the lessons will come with the expertise of teaching techniques that are shown to these tutors through the course of their education.
 
Using a post-secondary educated tutor will ensure that the basics of the language, the foundation, will be taught before the knowledge is expanded upon and grown into phrases. This technique for learning languages is most effective for those looking to grasp the concept of the language from the bottom up. Although it may take longer to speak as a native, the teachings will remain in the mind solidified as knowledge.

Find an online tutor to teach you a langauge over the internet:

• Online German Tutors
• Online French Tutors
• Online Spanish Tutors

To make the choice, consider the following aspects:

• What are the reasons that the tutor is being hired?
• How long does the student have to learn the language?
• What does the student expect to learn in this time period?

It may be quicker to learn the essentials from a native speaker of the language, rather than to begin with the foundation.
 
Regardless of the choices, speak with the tutor in the initial meeting to discuss the plan of action, curriculum and objectives of the tutoring sessions. Creating a plan of action and practice are two of the essential counterparts to learning a second language.

Posted under Language Tutors, Tutoring

Many high school students have a difficult experience with their first classic literature assignment. The archaic prose of works by Dickens, Melville and Shakespeare can prove difficult to understand and seem like a whole other language. So how do we break the barriers between literature and learning? 

There are a variety of ways that we can increase comprehension when reading literature. Using these techniques increases the comprehension of a classic novel in a variety of students and can result in successful comprehension of the piece of literature.

One of the top ways to increase comprehension of literature in the classroom, and with tutoring tactics, is to compare the text with a modern day interpretation of the literature. Learning by comparison can be helpful. Comparing classic literature to modern situations can also help students. Often younger generations will be more adept to learn the themes of classics they are able to identify with. If the tutor is able to provide some mirroring within the classic to modern day situations, the student is more likely to learn the information.

Providing a translation for texts written in poetry can also prove helpful. Since poetry is a language all its own, especially with Victorian authors such as Byron, Keats and Shelley, providing a text with a contemporary translation under or opposite of each line in the poem increases comprehension for the student.

Using textual clues such as descriptive words to gain the feeling of the literature can improve comprehension greatly. These identifier words can create recognition of one word, which can lead to the comprehension of one phrase, which can lead to the comprehension of the whole page.

These are just some techniques a good tutor can employ to help their student’s grasp of reading comprehension with classic literature; find a tutor near you to learn more!

Resources for Classic Literature

• Classics at the Online Literature Library
• Classic Lit authors from A to Z
• SparkNotes and Study Guides on Classic Literature
• Free Classic Literature in the Public Domain from the Classic Literature Library
• GradeSaver Classic Notes on Lit Classics
• Free Online Literature and Study Guides

Posted under Reading, Reading Comprehension, Tutoring

Here’s a great video I found focusing on an adult literacy tutor in Rensselaer County, New York.  This volunteer tutor discusses why he started volunteering his tutoring services for adults in need of literacy education.  He’s truly a nice guy who saw a need and decided to donate his time and skill to help out illiterate adults.  A very noble cause – not only kids need tutoring, sometimes adults need tutoring in reading also!

This video is from the tutor’s perspective, there’s also another video from the student’s point of view.

Posted under Literacy, Reading, Tutoring

Learning English as a second language can be difficult to learn in a formal setting. Informal settings release the pressure from the learning environment and allow the student to feel at ease in the environment, therefore being able to absorb more.

English as a second language (ESL) tutoring sessions can range from basic exchange of conversation; these sessions can be arranged with two people wishing to benefit from learning the native language of the tutoring partner. It allows the two people to converse on a level of language that we use on a daily basis.

Informal tutoring sessions also create higher levels of reading comprehension through the use of everyday texts like: newspapers, magazines and letters and because these reading comprehension tools are being used, participants maintain an interest at the same time as learning the culture of the language.

Personal tutoring is referred to as face to face conversation. This has been proven to be the fastest and most effective way of learning a new language. The conversational tone also allows the speaker to learn phrases and slang that are not learned in a language classroom. These phrases are often avoided with the classroom, as they do not adhere to the basic language curriculum, but the phrases are necessary when traveling to another country.

There are two other additional concepts used in informal tutoring, these are: pen pal, or emailing and text, or voice chatting via the internet.  Although these additional methods can be helpful, the verbal cues provided in face to face information tutoring lead to learning English as a second language quicker and more effective.

Posted under ESL Tutoring

This past weekend I came across a great site called the Tutor/Mentor Connection.  They describe their mission as “dedicated to improving the availability and quality of comprehensive, long-term, volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs in high-poverty areas of the Chicago region and other large US cities through an ongoing, dynamic exchange of ideas.”  It seems to me it’s a pretty lofty and worthwhile goal.

For a while now I’ve been looking for a way for TutorMatch.com to work with a charitable organization and it seems like this one is a pretty good match, since it directly involves tutors.  I exchanged a few emails with Dan Bassill, the President of the Tutor/Mentor Connection, to discuss the possibilities of working together.

I had mentioned perhaps we could send a notice out to active tutors on TutorMatch asking if anyone was interested in volunteering their time as tutors, but he said what they need most at this time is donations, not just tutors.

According to Dan, “For there to be tutoring/mentoring in poverty areas we don’t just need tutors; we need donors who help pay the rent and other costs of making a tutor/mentor program available. This is what enables us to offer free services to our kids and families. If you can build the connection between those fortunate enough to be able to afford paid tutoring, then many of them might become the donors who also support tutoring for poor kids.”

So that got me to thinking, what if we donated a certain percentage of each TutorMatch Premium Subscription to the Tutor/Mentor Connection?  We don’t make a whole lot, but by giving back and making potential tutors aware of the donation perhaps we can increase tutor signups and help out the Tutor/Mentor Connection at the same time.  Even if we don’t, I think it’s just our resonsibility to help out community improvement programs like this one whenever we can. 

For anyone who is (or isn’t) involved with TutorMatch and would like to donate you can visit their donations page and help them out.  As they say, “if it is to be, it is up to me” … it’s up to you to make a difference!

Posted under Tutoring

If you’re interested in blogging as a guest blogger, please just drop us a line at support@tutormatch.com.  Since we’re just starting out we’re open to just about any suggestions related to homework help, tutoring, or teaching issues.  In exchange you can write about whatever you would like, and link back to your blog or service as well!

Posted under News

I just found this interesting educational video on Youtube which explains what seasons are, and why we have them.  The video goes into some pretty good detail talking about the effect of the sun as the earth rotates, as well as more advanced subjects such as equinoxes and solstices:

Educational videos like this one are certainly good for some homework help, but if you are really struggling in Geography you should probably consider hiring a professional Geography Tutor.  Whether you work with one online or find a tutor located near you who can provide in-person tutoring, you’ll find learning is a lot easier when you have someone helping you.

Posted under Geography Tutor