Address common tricky situations in small group tutoring

This involves a little more preparation on your part. If you’re getting the students to apply the theory to some questions in class, bring a few extra questions along for the student who’s ahead. It’s important to offer these same questions to the other student(s) to take home at the end of the session, so they don’t feel like there is differential treatment in the class.

You can also make that student’s increased knowledge a learning advantage! Implement some group exercises where your students work together to solve a problem. This lets others benefit from your more advanced student, who in turn will be tested in new ways as they naturally assume a teacher-esque role in the group.

You can also send the students work to do in between classes. The advanced student may like to take advantage of this extension work, and you’ll still be helping them in providing extra resources for them to practise with.

Similar to the above, it’s useful here to implement exercises where the students work together without you for a time. Since they are friends, it will be easier for that student to come out of their shell while you simply listen to their thought processes as they discuss with one another. Shy students will often just say ‘yes’ when you ask them if they understand, even if that’s not the case. Resultantly, a lesson more based on activity where you can formatively assess their understanding will be more useful.

Remember, just because a student is quieter doesn’t mean they don’t understand! If you can see they’re grasping the content, you don’t need to push them to talk to you more. Everyone has their own learning style, and they might need to absorb what you say for a long time before asking you any questions.

If a student is distracting others, the easiest way to put a stop to this is always to address the student themselves, rather than the ones who are being distracted. Ask them frequent questions relating to the material you’re teaching, which encourages consistent engagement and doesn’t give them time to go off task. It’s important to still rotate who you ask the questions so that one student doesn’t feel singled out.

Don’t be afraid to call the student out in a joking way 😁, just to let them know you’re onto the fact that they’re going off topic. Most students will self-correct their behaviour after this.

You can also meet up / send out the Zoom link a little earlier, so that you and them have time to chat, catch up and muck around a little before the class officially starts, so that a lot of that energy is out of their system.