Jumping Jacks with Carly
Zoom isn’t always easy. How do the tutors of TriTutoring keep kiddos engaged during online sessions? Well, that’s an interesting question! It is so dependent on the age and the content, but the tutors of TriTutoring are perfecting engagement and digital learning. Carly, one of our fabulous (and one of our first) tutors has worked with young children for years, but she’s learned new methods during the pandemic that have allowed her to keep sessions fun and educational. I asked Carly about these methods and ideas.
“Keeping the younger kids engaged definitely requires me to channel all of my creative energy into planning a session. Games are a key tool I use to help make learning fun. When the kids are engaged in finding matches or moving around a game board, answering educational questions or identifying a word that matches a picture doesn't seem like learning, and the student is more likely to stay focused on the task at hand.”
Regardless of age, learning can and should be fun. “Fun” can mean different things depending on the age group. Maybe it doesn’t mean a game when studying AP Chem, but it still means keeping the content relatable and tangible so that students can dive right in. For younger kids, “fun” might be a game or song. What if that’s not enough to keep a student in their seat? Carly has a fix for that!
“Movement is another tool I use with kids who are particularly active. I use jumping jacks to get kids to remember spelling words. If they can spell the word while multitasking, then they can spell the word anytime, and it makes spelling fun, too! I've also used scavenger hunts when I can tell a student is having trouble sitting still. I'll show them a trick word on the screen, and ask them to find something in the room that matches the word. This is a great way to get kids to familiarize themselves with the spelling of things they see everyday.”
Lastly, I asked Carly which part of the TriTutoring philosophy she felt was the most important.
“How can a student be expected to read a sentence when they never fully grasped the sounds of individual letters? Oftentimes, I find that revisiting the basics at the beginning of a session can help a student succeed later. When a student has a sturdy foundation to work off of, they can revisit it when struggling with more difficult concepts later.”
Foundations are key to everything we do. Students aren’t always sure why they’re stuck, but it’s so frequently a foundational concept. Luckily, Carly clearly has that under control!
“Watching the moment that a student understands a concept is priceless. That moment when a student understands something they have been struggling with is definitely the best part of being a tutor.”