Getting a tutoring service is not to be taken lightly. It involves a significant investment in time and money. Even then, the results are not guaranteed. However, tutoring can be a very effective way to review past lessons or to take new lessons. The effectiveness of tutoring will depend not only on the skills of the tutor but also on the strategies adopted by the tutee to learn quickly and retain information. According to Nancy Darling Ph.D., “You need to know the basics before shortcuts can help.”
In a nutshell, having the right mindset and practicing correct methods of learning will help you get the most from your tutoring sessions. This article discusses ways to do exactly that. In addition, this article also presents ways to take care of your physical and mental health, as having a sound body and mind will work wonders on your ability to learn.
Taking Care Of Your Body And Mind
The first thing to realize is learning involves both the physical body and your mental state. The brain is responsible for learning, and this organ cannot function properly without a steady supply of nutrients. Nutrient deficiencies can cause interfere with learning, so make sure that you are eating a well-balanced diet and that you take multivitamins if required. “Scientific research shows that eating healthy can drastically change your mood and improve your way of life,” says Donna M. White, LMHC, CACP. Regular exercise is also a great idea, as it improves the circulation of blood throughout the body, including the brain. The greater supply of blood enables the brain to function more effectively, and while it is not a muscle that can be directly enhanced by a workout, it still benefits greatly from aerobic exercise.
Aside from physical activities, mental exercises can also help keep your brain in tip-top shape. Even though you may feel that your mind is getting a good workout from the tutoring sessions, you should still engage in other mentally stimulating activities. Playing games, reading a good book, or conversing with friends are all good ways to exercise your brain. Also, make sure that you are emotionally prepared and sufficiently motivated to study.
Learning Techniques
Depending on your arrangement with the tutor, you might be able to suggest new ways of going about with the tutorials. If so, a good suggestion is to use spaced learning, where each lesson is split into segments that tutors can discuss in days or weeks. Each session, bits of information from the previous lesson is reviewed. With this method, you will forget some parts of the lesson over time, only to relearn them once you review them. From multiple research studies, this process is shown to enhance long-term retention of the subject matter.
Another strategy you can try is active recall. At the end of each lecture, try to summarize the lesson without looking at any of your notes, then let your tutor address any corrections. According to research, this method forces you to consolidate what you have just learned, making it easier to remember vital information. So there you have it — focus on practice testing and studying evenly over the course of the entire semester. “Those techniques are going to be the most time-effective and the best use of your brain cells,” says psychologist John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
A Common Misconception
Not every learning strategy is supported by research. For example, consider the concept of learning styles, where people supposedly have an optimum way of learning. This theory believes that some people might learn better from reading, while others learn better from watching videos, listening to lectures, or incorporating body movements into the lesson. Unfortunately, no scientific evidence supports this idea. Stick instead to learning methods that have already been proven by science.
On the other hand, the job of a tutor is not easy and it can become stressful as well as challenging. If you need to find ways on how to get rid of these stresses and learn strategies on how to maintain a healthy state of mind, try reaching out to BetterHelp. It is an online platform that is committed to assisting and guiding you towards making your life less difficult to navigate. Most of the team members working for BetterHelp only have good words to say about it. If you want to know more, read about the pros and cons of online therapy. Get connected and free yourself of worry, stress, and anxiety today!