BTA's Tutoring Methodology
Better Tuition Academy has developed and refined our tutoring methodology since 2015.
This proven approach is used consistently by all BTA tutors.
It consists of the following five stages:
Stage 1:
Initial Informal Assessment
Stage 2:
Identify Strengths and Areas for Improvement
Stage 3:
Prioritise Content
Stage 4:
Target Priority Areas
Stage 5:
Ongoing Review & Assessment
BTA tutors are taught how to informally assess students in initial lessons to gauge their level and figure out how they can best support them going forward.
We prefer to use this informal assessment method as it can yield similar results to formal assessments but allows for greater tutor-student rapport to be developed in the early stages of the tutoring process.
Following the informal assessment, BTA tutors will then identify the student’s strengths and areas for improvement. This can include reflecting upon not just a student’s academic performance but also their organisational and note-taking skills.
This ensures that any “gaps” in a student’s learning are identified and addressed, and to ensure a strong academic foundation is established upon which to build going forward.
BTA tutors are taught to then prioritise the most important areas to cover for each individual student to ensure their time and effort at tutoring is optimised.
This can include completing SMART short-term, medium-term and long-term goal setting which may include organisational and note-taking skills.
Once the priority areas are identified, BTA tutors will select the best resources and course of action to get the best results.
BTA has over 700 of the best tutoring textbooks available for students to use, as well as a plethora of resources such as practice examinations and text summaries.
Working one-on-one with students allows our tutors to have distinct knowledge about how they are progressing.
BTA tutors will continuously review student improvement and make necessary changes to ensure they are tracking successfully towards completing their tutoring goals.
General Lesson Structure
Primary School - 1 Hour Lesson
Whilst the lesson structure for each individual student will vary depending on their goals and learning style preference, BTA tutors are taught to conduct primary school lessons with the following general structure:
1. Introduction – 5 minutes
BTA tutors will ask general questions to develop rapport. This may include questions about sports, hobbies and the school week, ensuring the lesson gets off to a positive start.
2. Goals – 5 minutes
BTA tutors will reflect on the student’s short, medium and long-term goals, as well as any classwork or assessments, to ensure the student feels well supported and the purpose of the lesson is well established.
3. Essential Skills – 15 minutes
The following 15 minutes of the lesson may focus on essential primary school skills such as times tables and fractions for maths or spelling and grammar for English.
4. Priority Areas – 30 minutes
The bulk of the lesson will tackle the student’s priority areas which are often highlighted in the initial informal assessment.
This will ensure students are spending the bulk of their tutoring sessions focusing on content that is most relevant and beneficial to them.
5. Conclusion – 5 minutes
BTA tutors will collaboratively reflect on the lesson content with their student. They will ask questions to check a student’s overall understanding of the subject matter and help students with what to prioritise throughout the week.
**Please note: This is just our general lesson structure and we can adapt it to your particular needs.
General Lesson Structure
High School - 1 Hour Lesson
As the needs of each high school student differs drastically, so will the most beneficial lesson structure. BTA tutors are taught to use the following general lesson structure for high school students but adapt it to suit the individual needs of each student:
1. Introduction – 5 minutes
BTA tutors will ask general questions to develop rapport. This may include questions about sports, hobbies and the school week, ensuring the lesson gets off to a positive start.
2. Goals – 5 minutes
BTA tutors will reflect on the student’s short, medium and long-term goals, as well as any classwork or assessments, to ensure the student feels well supported and the purpose of the lesson is well established.
3. Course Content Check – 15 minutes
The next part of the lesson will be spent on ensuring the student is understanding their current schoolwork. This helps in building a student’s confidence as they can feel assured they’re learning everything they need to be whilst simultaneously making sure there is no gaps in their knowledge.
4. Student Specific Content – 30 minutes
Each student will require different content to be covered pending their own individual needs. If you wish for particular areas to be addressed, please let us know in your initial contact with us.
5. Conclusion – 5 minutes
BTA tutors will collaboratively reflect on the lesson content with their student. They will ask questions to check a student’s overall understanding of the subject matter and help students with what to prioritise throughout the week.
**Please note: This is just our general lesson structure and we can adapt it to your particular needs.
