Tutoring

Tutoring is helping one learner or a small group learn a subject step by step. Start by learning the words and the people involved.

• Name the common kinds of tutoring: homework help, test prep, language help, reading help, and subject catch-up.
• Explain the difference between a tutor, a teacher and a learning coach.
• List who asks for tutoring: parents, students, adult learners and newcomers.
• Say what a tutor does not do: give grades, diagnose learning needs or replace the school.
• Describe what a first meeting covers: need, goal, schedule and rules.
• Compare one-to-one and small-group tutoring.
• Identify the learner's own goal, not only the parent's.

Activity. Write a one-page glossary of ten tutoring words and interview one parent or student about what help they wanted.

Standard to meet. Task: define ten tutoring terms. Condition: using your own words and one short interview. Standard: every term is correct and the interview note has a date and the need in one sentence.

Good tutors know that people learn in small steps, by practice, and with quick feedback.

• Explain that a learner needs a clear goal, a small step, practice and feedback.
• Describe how to find what a learner already knows with three short questions.
• Explain why guessing 'learning styles' is weaker than checking real results.
• Describe how to keep a learner calm: short wins, praise for effort, and breaks.
• Describe how spaced practice helps: short sessions repeated over days work better than one long session.
• Open each session with a quick check of what the learner remembers.
• Explain why asking the learner to say the steps aloud shows what they understand.

Activity. Teach one small skill to a friend in ten minutes, then ask them to show it back to you.

Standard to meet. Task: teach one small skill. Condition: ten minutes with a real person. Standard: the learner shows the skill without help and you wrote down what worked and what did not.

Tutoring is a small business and often involves children. Rules and safety come first.

• Explain that school rules, safe-person rules and business rules differ by province; check the current rule with the local authority.
• Describe why a police record check for vulnerable-sector work is often asked for by parents and agencies.
• Apply safe habits: meet in open places, keep doors open, never be alone in a hidden room with a child.
• Explain that learner details are private; ask for consent before you share notes, photos or recordings.
• Check whether you must register a business name and report income; talk to a licensed accountant.
• Describe what to do if a child says something worrying: stay calm, do not promise secrecy and tell the proper local contact; check the local steps.
• Write an agreement with the parent about place, time, payment and cancellation.

Activity. Write a one-page safety and privacy promise you would give a parent.

Standard to meet. Task: write a safety and privacy promise. Condition: plain words, one page. Standard: it covers place, contact, photos, notes and what you do if a child says something worrying.

A lesson is a short plan: a goal, a warm-up, teaching, practice and a check.

• Build a lesson with five parts: goal, warm-up, show, practise, check.
• Use the 'I do, we do, you do' steps to move the work to the learner.
• Write the goal as something you can see, such as 'solve five fraction questions with no help'.
• Prepare two extra questions, one easier and one harder.
• End with a one-minute summary said by the learner, not you.
• Plan the time: 5 minutes warm-up, 10 show, 10 practise and 5 check in a 30-minute lesson.
• Prepare a note for the parent with the goal and one home task.

Activity. Plan and teach a 30-minute lesson, then write what you would change.

Standard to meet. Task: teach one 30-minute lesson. Condition: a written plan and a real learner. Standard: the learner meets the goal on at least four of five practice questions and your notes list two changes.

A tutor shows progress with simple records, not feelings, and fixes the cause of mistakes.

• Use a short pre-check and post-check to compare before and after.
• Sort mistakes into three kinds: careless, a missing step, or a missing idea.
• Fix the cause: slow down for careless, add a step card, or re-teach the idea.
• Keep a one-page progress sheet with date, skill, score and next step.
• Share progress with the parent in two or three plain sentences.
• Calculate a score as a percentage: correct divided by total, times 100.
• Set a target for the next session that is one step beyond the last.

Activity. Build a progress sheet and use it across four sessions with one learner.

Standard to meet. Task: track four sessions. Condition: a pre-check and post-check at the same level. Standard: the sheet shows dates, scores and a reasoned next step each time.

Tutoring only works as a business if the price covers your time, travel and costs.

• Count paid time and unpaid time: planning, travel, messages and notes.
• Compute hourly price = (target income + costs) / hours you can really teach.
• Choose package prices or single sessions; set a cancellation rule in writing.
• Remember that income must be reported; set aside money for tax and ask a licensed accountant how.
• Check the current rules for sales tax with the federal tax agency before you start.
• Calculate your real hourly rate by dividing income by all hours, paid and unpaid.
• Compare a four-session package with single sessions and say when a discount makes sense.

Activity. Build a one-month cost and price sheet and test the price with five parents.

Standard to meet. Task: set a price. Condition: a spreadsheet and five real reactions. Standard: formulas are visible, the unpaid time is counted and you wrote what you would change if you lost a third of your hours.

Families choose tutors they trust. Show your proof and be easy to reach.

• Write a one-page offer: who you help, subject, result, price, how to start.
• Use word of mouth, schools' community boards, libraries and local groups.
• Offer a short free chat, not a free lesson, so the family can meet you.
• Be ready to teach in English, French or another language you can use well.
• Ask for a short written review only after a good result and with consent.
• Write a short message that says who you help in the first line.
• Calculate the reply rate and the chat-to-package rate from your numbers.

Activity. Run a four-week plan: send 20 messages and book 5 chats.

Standard to meet. Task: win learners. Condition: four weeks and your one-page offer. Standard: numbers are recorded at every step and you tested one change.

Now run it steadily: schedule, records, quality and growth.

• Keep a weekly plan: sessions, planning time, messages and rest.
• Review each learner every four weeks with the parent.
• Hold a simple rule for when to say no or to refer to a specialist, such as for a suspected learning difficulty.
• Write a 12-month plan with three milestones and a budget.
• Plan how to share your lesson plans with other tutors.
• Calculate the cancellation rate: cancelled sessions divided by booked sessions.
• Plan a pause or holiday and tell families in advance.

Activity. Run your service for 60 days, write the review and present the 12-month plan to three people.

Standard to meet. Task: run and review a tutoring service. Condition: 60 days with real learners. Standard: the log has measures, the review reasons from evidence and a panel can repeat your plan.

L1: Care aware learner. You can define: name the main terms, people and rules of tutoring. Focus module: Know what tutoring is and who it helps (Understand, 6 h). Tutoring is helping one learner or a small group learn a subject step by step. Start by learning the words and the people involved. Key points: Name the common kinds of tutoring: homework help, test prep, language help, reading help, and subject catch-up. Explain the difference between a tutor, a teacher and a learning coach. List who asks for tutoring: parents, students, adult learners and newcomers. Say what a tutor does not do: give grades, diagnose learning needs or replace the school. Describe what a first meeting covers: need, goal, schedule and rules. Compare one-to-one and small-group tutoring. Identify the learner's own goal, not only the parent's.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A parent says her child is 'bad at math'. The tutor asks which topic and finds the child can add but struggles with fractions. The need is fractions, not all math, and the tutor writes the goal in one sentence. Then set the activity: Write a one-page glossary of ten tutoring words and interview one parent or student about what help they wanted. Mark against the standard: Task: define ten tutoring terms. Condition: using your own words and one short interview. Standard: every term is correct and the interview note has a date and the need in one sentence. Check at this level: What is the difference between a tutor and a teacher? Model answer: A tutor helps one learner or a small group with a chosen need; a teacher is responsible for a whole class and its marks. Level note: Start here if new. Evidence: a one-page glossary and a visit or interview note.

L2: Support worker or assistant. You can describe: explain how tutoring works from first contact to result. Focus module: Understand how learners learn (Apply, 6 h). Good tutors know that people learn in small steps, by practice, and with quick feedback. Key points: Explain that a learner needs a clear goal, a small step, practice and feedback. Describe how to find what a learner already knows with three short questions. Explain why guessing 'learning styles' is weaker than checking real results. Describe how to keep a learner calm: short wins, praise for effort, and breaks. Describe how spaced practice helps: short sessions repeated over days work better than one long session. Open each session with a quick check of what the learner remembers. Explain why asking the learner to say the steps aloud shows what they understand.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A tutor wants to teach reading a paragraph. She first asks the learner to read one sentence aloud, sees where they stumble, and picks that as the first step. Three 20-minute sessions in a week give 60 minutes of practice spread over three days. Then set the activity: Teach one small skill to a friend in ten minutes, then ask them to show it back to you. Mark against the standard: Task: teach one small skill. Condition: ten minutes with a real person. Standard: the learner shows the skill without help and you wrote down what worked and what did not. Check at this level (this question is covered in module 3: Know the rules and keep children safe): What should you do if you are unsure of a rule? Model answer: Check the current rule with the local authority or a licensed adviser and keep the answer in writing. Level note: Evidence: a flow chart and a two-minute spoken explanation.

L3: Practitioner or coach. You can apply: carry out a routine task in tutoring to a written standard. Focus module: Know the rules and keep children safe (Apply, 10 h). Tutoring is a small business and often involves children. Rules and safety come first. Key points: Explain that school rules, safe-person rules and business rules differ by province; check the current rule with the local authority. Describe why a police record check for vulnerable-sector work is often asked for by parents and agencies. Apply safe habits: meet in open places, keep doors open, never be alone in a hidden room with a child. Explain that learner details are private; ask for consent before you share notes, photos or recordings. Check whether you must register a business name and report income; talk to a licensed accountant. Describe what to do if a child says something worrying: stay calm, do not promise secrecy and tell the proper local contact; check the local steps. Write an agreement with the parent about place, time, payment and cancellation.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A tutor meets a ten-year-old at a library table. The parent is in the building. The tutor keeps messages on the parent's phone number, not the child's, and the written agreement lists the place and time of all 4 sessions. Then set the activity: Write a one-page safety and privacy promise you would give a parent. Mark against the standard: Task: write a safety and privacy promise. Condition: plain words, one page. Standard: it covers place, contact, photos, notes and what you do if a child says something worrying. Check at this level: Where should you meet a child learner? Model answer: In an open, safe place with other adults near, not alone in a hidden room. Level note: Evidence: a supervised task record that meets the standard once.

L4: Senior practitioner or tutor. You can analyse: diagnose why a tutoring result missed its target and fix it. Focus module: Plan and teach a clear lesson (Evaluate, 8 h). A lesson is a short plan: a goal, a warm-up, teaching, practice and a check. Key points: Build a lesson with five parts: goal, warm-up, show, practise, check. Use the 'I do, we do, you do' steps to move the work to the learner. Write the goal as something you can see, such as 'solve five fraction questions with no help'. Prepare two extra questions, one easier and one harder. End with a one-minute summary said by the learner, not you. Plan the time: 5 minutes warm-up, 10 show, 10 practise and 5 check in a 30-minute lesson. Prepare a note for the parent with the goal and one home task.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. Goal: add fractions with the same bottom number. Warm-up (5 minutes): shade parts of a circle. Show (10 minutes): one example. Practise (10 minutes): four questions together, then four alone. Check (5 minutes): the learner explains the rule. That is 30 minutes in all. Then set the activity: Plan and teach a 30-minute lesson, then write what you would change. Mark against the standard: Task: teach one 30-minute lesson. Condition: a written plan and a real learner. Standard: the learner meets the goal on at least four of five practice questions and your notes list two changes. Check at this level: Name the five parts of a lesson. Model answer: Goal, warm-up, show, practise, check. Level note: Evidence: a fault or gap analysis with a fix and a repeat test. This course targets this level.

L5: Team lead or programme lead. You can evaluate: judge options for tutoring against cost, risk and quality. Focus module: Price your tutoring and plan your week (Create, 6 h). Tutoring only works as a business if the price covers your time, travel and costs. Key points: Count paid time and unpaid time: planning, travel, messages and notes. Compute hourly price = (target income + costs) / hours you can really teach. Choose package prices or single sessions; set a cancellation rule in writing. Remember that income must be reported; set aside money for tax and ask a licensed accountant how. Check the current rules for sales tax with the federal tax agency before you start. Calculate your real hourly rate by dividing income by all hours, paid and unpaid. Compare a four-session package with single sessions and say when a discount makes sense.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. You want 1,500 CAD a month and have 150 CAD costs. You can teach 30 hours a month. Price = (1,500 + 150) / 30 = 55 CAD per hour before tax (teaching numbers only). If planning and travel add 10 hours, your real rate is 1,500 / 40 = 37.50 CAD per hour. Then set the activity: Build a one-month cost and price sheet and test the price with five parents. Mark against the standard: Task: set a price. Condition: a spreadsheet and five real reactions. Standard: formulas are visible, the unpaid time is counted and you wrote what you would change if you lost a third of your hours. Check at this level: How do you find an hourly price? Model answer: Target income plus costs, divided by the hours you can really teach. Level note: Evidence: an options paper with numbers and a recommendation defended to a panel.

L6: Service manager. You can create: design and pilot a new offer or process in tutoring. Focus module: Find learners and keep them (Evaluate, 6 h). Families choose tutors they trust. Show your proof and be easy to reach. Key points: Write a one-page offer: who you help, subject, result, price, how to start. Use word of mouth, schools' community boards, libraries and local groups. Offer a short free chat, not a free lesson, so the family can meet you. Be ready to teach in English, French or another language you can use well. Ask for a short written review only after a good result and with consent. Write a short message that says who you help in the first line. Calculate the reply rate and the chat-to-package rate from your numbers.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. Twenty messages to local groups gave 6 replies and 3 chats. The reply rate is 6 / 20 = 30% and the chat rate is 3 / 6 = 50%. One chat became a four-week package. The weak step is replies, so the next message gets a clearer first line. Then set the activity: Run a four-week plan: send 20 messages and book 5 chats. Mark against the standard: Task: win learners. Condition: four weeks and your one-page offer. Standard: numbers are recorded at every step and you tested one change. Check at this level (this question is covered in module 3: Know the rules and keep children safe): Where should you meet a child learner? Model answer: In an open, safe place with other adults near, not alone in a hidden room. Level note: Evidence: a pilot with measured results over at least 30 days.

L7: Director or founder. You can lead: run a team or business in tutoring and develop others. Focus module: Run your tutoring service for real (Create, 8 h). Now run it steadily: schedule, records, quality and growth. Key points: Keep a weekly plan: sessions, planning time, messages and rest. Review each learner every four weeks with the parent. Hold a simple rule for when to say no or to refer to a specialist, such as for a suspected learning difficulty. Write a 12-month plan with three milestones and a budget. Plan how to share your lesson plans with other tutors. Calculate the cancellation rate: cancelled sessions divided by booked sessions. Plan a pause or holiday and tell families in advance.

Speaker notes. Teach: open with the worked example. A tutor runs 12 learners for 60 days and keeps a log. Thursday cancellations are high: 6 of 20 Thursday sessions, or 30%. She moves Thursday sessions to Tuesday, and cancellations fall to 2 of 20, or 10%. Then set the activity: Run your service for 60 days, write the review and present the 12-month plan to three people. Mark against the standard: Task: run and review a tutoring service. Condition: 60 days with real learners. Standard: the log has measures, the review reasons from evidence and a panel can repeat your plan. Check at this level: When should you refer a learner on? Model answer: When the need seems outside your skills, such as a possible learning difficulty. Level note: Evidence: a record of results over a year and of people you have coached to a higher level.