Look Before You Leap: What You Need To Know Before Choosing A High Dosage Tutor for Your Child
Major shifts in your child’s learning environment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic likely resulted in learning adaptations and setbacks that may continue to impact their schooling. Back in the classroom, teachers are noticing gaps in students’ skill sets. Some students are not prepared for a new curriculum after learning fundamentals in a less traditional learning method online during the school shutdowns throughout the pandemic. Because so many students are coming back to school lacking skills and knowledge, teachers are recommending that their students spend time outside the classroom to get everyone back on track. Luckily, students do not need to take on this challenge alone: working with a tutor is a great way to catch up again!
What is High Dosage Tutoring?
High dosage tutoring is a tutoring style that involves frequent, consistent sessions for very small groups. Some high dosage tutors even work with students one-on-one. You can find everything you need to know about high dosage tutoring in this article!
What To Expect From High Dosage Tutors
The Basics
High dosage tutoring is a method of instruction that involves at least three tutoring sessions per week. Each session should last thirty minutes to one hour. Regular sessions throughout the week effectively monitor the students’ skills as they learn new curricula throughout the school year. Each session has a student-to-teacher ratio of 3:1 or smaller. Small groups are crucial to ensure that the students receive personalized support from their tutors. High dosage tutoring follows the student’s school curriculum to ensure consistency in their knowledge and skills.
Frequent Sessions
High dosage tutoring relies on frequency. Tutors who are available once a week are not high dosage tutors! Rather than scheduling one long session during the week, a high dosage tutor schedules many short sessions. Working with a tutor throughout the school week makes a huge difference in a student’s ability to retain the information they learn in the classroom. Short, frequent sessions function to review assignments, ask questions, and find accountability for the lessons learned in class. Throughout the semester, frequent sessions with a tutor ensure that a student has plenty of opportunities to ask questions, revisit lessons from their school day, work on homework with their tutor, and stay organized.
Frequent sessions also play a large role in accountability. Meeting multiple times per week is a great way to avoid falling behind and missing assignments. When looking for the perfect high dosage tutor, students should set expectations for the frequency of their tutoring sessions.
Consistent Practices and Building Relationships
For the best results with a tutor, it is important to prioritize consistent meetings. The most successful high dosage tutoring sessions allow students to work with the same tutor over a long period of time. Developing a strong relationship with a tutor and focusing on consistency is the best method for success. Before choosing a high dosage tutor, it is a good idea to set expectations and review schedules to ensure there is mutual compatibility between the student and tutor. Make sure that the tutor you hire has room in their schedule for a long-term commitment!
Small Group Settings
One last key component to look for when hiring a high dosage tutor is the small group setting. High dosage tutors must work in groups of three or fewer students for every tutor. These small groups ensure that each student receives quality time and attention from their tutor. Large tutoring groups dilute the tutor’s attention. In a small group, instruction, collaboration, and practice work is concise and tailored to each student’s needs.
Basic Limitations and Simple Solutions
Not every student can stay after school to meet with a school-assigned tutor on campus. Whether the student lacks transportation after school hours or participates in after-school activities and jobs, not every student who needs tutoring can access it on campus. Scheduling and logistical limitations are some of the many reasons online tutors are great options! If your schedule is limited, high dosage tutoring’s solution is simple: meet with a tutor online.
Working with a tutor on a frequent and consistent basis is one of the core principles of high dosage tutoring. If on-campus options are not accessible to your student, then an online high dosage tutor is a great option.
While high dosage tutoring does require a time commitment, it is still accessible to students. Meet with your tutor anywhere by working in a digital workspace!
What Kinds Of Students Can Benefit From A High Dosage Tutor
Before choosing a high dosage tutor, consider the types of students that find the most success and best results working on a consistent, frequent basis in a small group setting.
- Students Who Have Fallen Behind During The Pandemic
After large-scale school shutdowns, many students are seeking support outside of the classroom. Students who struggled to learn from home without the support of a tutor are returning to school with gaps in their curriculum. Transitions and adjustments throughout the previous school years during the Covid pandemic have set students back. High dosage tutoring is an effective solution for students heading back into the classroom!
A student looking to lay a strong foundation by reviewing the basics, or hoping to find a tutor to help ease their transition back to school should consider how high dosage tutoring can benefit their academic performance!
Students Who Want To Improve Their Grades And Stay On Track With Their School’s Curriculum
Falling behind in class or struggling to reach academic expectations is stressful and working with a tutor is a great way for students to develop study skills, organizational skills, and time management skills. Consistent and frequent tutoring sessions that are tailored to the student’s needs are hugely impactful for students looking to raise their grades and stay on track throughout the semester.
Students Who Need More Guidance Than Can Be Provided in The Classroom
High dosage learning is a great option for students looking for more time in their studies. Feeling rushed throughout the school day may leave students feeling stressed. Supplementing your time in the classroom with time outside of the classroom helps alleviate pressure for students who struggle to keep up in class. It is also helpful for students who need more time to ask questions and process concepts learned in the classroom. If a student is dealing with the pressure of feeling rushed throughout the day at school, working with a high-dosage tutor is a great solution.
Finding a High Dosage Tutor
Now that you know what high dosage tutoring is and what kinds of students benefit from high dosage tutoring methods, you may be thinking, “How do I find the right high dosage tutor for my child?”
When finding a high dosage tutor, scheduling priorities and relevant qualifications should be the two main focus points in your research. Find the perfect tutor for your child by assessing their needs, then looking for a qualified tutor that suits your child’s schedule.
Schedule Priorities
As we have mentioned, frequency and consistency are major pillars in high dosage tutoring success. Students have busy schedules with extracurriculars, jobs, college applications, test prep work, and social lives. With so much on their plates, the right tutor will need to fit into your student’s schedule and vice versa.
Consider these questions when seeking the perfect tutor for your child:
- How many times per week should a tutor be available?
- What days and times work best for my student’s schedule?
- Can the tutor commit to a consistent schedule?
- Can the tutor make a long-term commitment?
- Can the tutor fit my child into a small group session, or is a private session preferred?
Matching priorities are important to ensure your child gets the support they need from frequent and consistent instruction.
Qualifications
As you seek out the perfect tutor for your child, consider the qualifications that are important to you. If you are looking for a tutor to support your child in a specific class, then expertise in the given subject matter is important. If you are looking for a tutor to help your child manage assignments, due dates, and test preparation, then talk to potential tutors about their qualifications and successes.
It is also important to consider the method of instruction your tutor is using. If you are working with a tutor online, it is a good idea to ensure that the tutor has the expert skills and experience for effective and enjoyable virtual learning!
Virtual Tools That Improve High Dosage Tutoring Experience
Working with a virtual tutor is a great way to make high dosage tutoring accessible, even for students with the busiest schedules. One of the biggest challenges students face when committing to high dosage tutoring is time. If you are interested in high dosage tutoring but worried about the amount of time that is needed to reap results, then consider how working online can boost the efficiency of your work, without sacrificing the frequency or consistency of your tutoring sessions.
Some tools that improve high dosage learning online are video calls and digital workspaces! Here is a detailed look into how these virtual tools benefit students and tutors.
Video Calls
Meeting with a tutor online is a great way to maximize efficiency. Frequent meetings with a tutor are possible if a student is able to meet with their tutor from anywhere. Conference calls and video chats offer opportunities to connect with a tutor without having to sacrifice any tasks and priorities in your busy schedule.
Digital Workspaces
Digital workspaces allow students and tutors to collaborate, ask questions, and give step-by-step instructions in real-time. A great tutor uses digital workspaces and virtual canvases (like Whiteboard, Notion, and Bitpaper), allowing students to enjoy the convenience of virtual tutoring without sacrificing the creative and collaborative parts of a great tutoring session.
As you look for the best tutor for your child, consider if the high dosage tutoring method is right for your student’s goals. Virtual high dosage tutoring is a great option! If you are interested in finding an online tutor, you should know that Tutorly’s tutors are highly trained, experienced, and empathetic toward any student’s needs. Tutorly offers students the technology to succeed with our tutors’ support and guidance. No matter the subject matter, there is a Tutorly tutor who can help your child succeed. If you are looking for one-on-one virtual tutoring that prioritizes your child’s schedule, confidence, and success, then Tutorly is right for you! Find a tutor that is able to commit to long-term schedules, frequent meetings, and small group or one-on-one sessions to help your student reach their academic goals. Sign up with Tutorly to hire the right tutor for your child!