What to expect from tutoring

[summertime]

My son has been seeing a tutor for 3 sessions now - in that time all he has done is mark the bond papers that my son has done the week before - he does not seem to offer any more help or explanation than I was previously giving him at home and is working through pretty much the same books that I had bought. Should I expect more? My son is happy to go but says that he thinks it is a waste of money as he is not getting any more out of it than he was getting at home with me.

Thanks

[muffinmonster]

I would expect more. When my DS did practice papers during the week, I marked them and went through any he had got wrong. DS would bring the papers to his tutor just to show how his scores were doing, and go over any questions that we had both been unsure about. (She was tutoring him in Maths and English as well as VR and NVR, and we did the same with all practice papers.)

I would say the tutor should be spending the one-to-one time working through papers with your son, teaching methods to approach the different types of question, identifying any areas of weakness (based on the practice papers your DS does between sessions) and concentrating on them. You pay a tutor to do the things you can't do yourself!

[pheasantchick]

Yes, I would expect more unless he is just doing this to guage your son's level. Anyone can mark books if they have the answer sheet. A tutor is there to teach and encourage.

[cocoa0101]

Hi Summertime,

I agree with Muffinmonster. I encourage all my parents to mark their child's work so I can add value during the session on areas of weakness and development of technique. Perhaps you could send your son to the tutor with work already marked? It could however be that your child is very bright and therefore needs little extra help at this stage, in which case perhaps you just need less frequent sessions and make sure you stay on top of it yourself at home.