Laurel, MD. October 5, 2009. It was an idea that took shape while she was staying after school to tutor her students. Why not provide a platform for educators to help students at any location, at times that are the most convenient for them and their students?
‘Several of my students who really needed extra help were not able to stay after school because of transportation issues,’ says Chandra, science teacher, and now entrepreneur. ‘I knew that I didn’t want that to hinder them from getting the help that they needed. I made weekly home visits for a while, but the reality was, I could not make visits for all of my students who were unable to receive extra help outside of class.’
So, she created Advantage Learning Tutorials, LLC, an online tutoring service also known as ‘ALT.’
But this is not your typical online tutoring environment. ‘I am so proud of the fact that ALT matches students with tutors quickly,’ Chandra says, ‘but unlike many online tutoring companies, ALT puts an emphasis on equipping students for long-term success. We communicate with families to establish learning goals, match each student with their own tutor, provide them with virtual classroom space, and bring teachers into what we are doing by sharing ‘recap reports’–summaries of what was covered in each session and how the session directly addresses the child’s learning goals. We want students to begin tutoring with a goal in mind so that they can see how much they are progressing to reach that goal.’
Advantage Learning Tutorials serves students in grades 3-college, and covers subjects in reading, science, math, ESL, social sciences, foreign language, and Advanced Placement courses. The company also offers proofreading services for college and scholarship applications, resumes, papers, lab reports and written projects.
When asked why she wants to help students solve their academic challenges through tutoring, Chandra replies, ‘I believe that my first love has always been tutoring because of the mentor-mentee relationship that it creates. Students are inundated with lots of information on a daily basis, and many are unable to hone in on the most important themes and learn them effectively. I wanted to start a tutoring company that would address that need.’
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Any info on how I could train to become a personal tutor? – UK?I'm 20 years old and have had various office jobs but just genuinely do not what I want to do with my career.
I'm really motivated at the moment but I just don't know what to pursue. I don't want to go to university and am hoping there is another way of becoming a personal tutor? I'm good at English and would love to teach one on one with children rather than further education.. Does anyone have any advice?
About Author
About Teacher and Business Owner, Chandra Bowden
Chandra is a science teacher in Severn, MD. She has experience teaching children in general education, special education, and academically gifted Biology and Conceptual Physics classrooms. Her online tutoring company, Advantage Learning Tutorials, LLC is a ‘student first,’ goal-oriented online learning environment for students in grades 3-college. You can access the website through www.altclassroom.com.
Chemistry isn't easy, and I agree that a good tutor helps by leaps and bounds.
There are a few things you can do:
1) Ask a senior for help. When I say senior, I mean a student who has graduated from this course in your school (possibly someone who has graduated from the high school already). They will know best what to do and how to go around the problems you're facing.
2) If you're willing to pay, then find a tutor at your local community centre or look through your phonebook. There will be ads for tutors in there.
3) Ask your parent's to get you one. Parent's can easily check around with colleagues etc.
no sorry i persume u have to go to university
bitesize and other sites can give you help
then just print off the syllabus and find a german tutor. to be honest with a language you dont need a specific course tutor you need someone to teach you the language?
advantage-
extra help is always good, a tutor keeps you from procrastination, and a second point of view helps.
disadvantage-
the tutor will probably not teach the concept the same way as the teacher, the tutor may be unfamiliar with the textbook/materials, and the tutor could end up costing a lot and not helping that much
I am a personal tutor. I am only useful if my student wants to learn from me. If your kid is unmotivated, no amount of tutoring will help. An unwilling kid will just waste the tutor's time, and waste your money. But if your kid really wants the help, a motivated tutor can help him/her immensely. Tutors can give the one-on-one time the kid can't get at school, especially if the class is crowded, of if s/he is naturally kinda shy in class.
You can shop around for tutors. Some have more experience than others. I didn't have any formal experience when I started this gig, I only do it as a favor to one of my coworkers (I have a regular job besides teaching) and I didn't even ask to be paid. But there are a lot of people who tutor professionally — businesses like Sylvan, SCORE!, etc. Or you can post an ad at a local college and find a talented student to hire. Personally, I'd recommend a graduate student — they don't get paid much and they have flexible hours.
I teach a free first grade phonics course via an online classroom, but I have a full student load at the moment. However, I can do some diagnostic activities with him. From that I may be able to give you some objectives to work on and some free activities to do with him. When he meets those objectives, I will meet with the two of you again and give you the next step.
My schedule will ease up over the summer months and I will likely be able to fit him in for some one-on-one or small group (2 to 3 students) free tutoring depending on how intensive his need is at the time.
You can access the course page for Phonics and Phonics Intervention to get my contact information at
http://www.virtualhomeschoolgroup.com/course/view.php?id=24&sesskey=0pKLDXLOFF&switchrole=6
I am the 1st grade homeroom teacher there. The actual class and tutoring occurs in a live, online classroom with full-duplex audio and whiteboard. He will need a mic and a headphone.
It would be helpful if he isn't told it is a test. He needs to be relaxed and the activities will be very game-like, so it will seem like play to him. If possible, I would like to see him over the course of several short visits instead of one long one.
Let me know if you are interested so I can get set up for him. Just e-mail me using the contact information at the link I provided above.
I have experience tutoring college algebra. The best way would probably be over the internet. I will e-mail you my e-mail address.
Ok, you've got to give us more information. Why does she need to sign your portfolio? Why won't she sign your portfolio? Are you paying her or is she employed by the university? Is she a student like you or someone who already has a degree?
I've never heard of tutors having to sign a portfolio before, so I'm not really sure why she would need to.
not unless your school allows that, which most dont.