17+ SAMPLE Tutor Lesson Plan

What Is a Tutor Lesson Plan?

A tutor lesson plan is an individualized lesson plan that is meant to supplement and promote the education of a student outside traditional classes. A tutor lesson plan can cover different types of topics and subjects and can come in various structures and flexible formats. 

According to an online article by Indeed.com, it is ideal for a tutor to possess ten skills. These must-have tutoring skills are time management, problem solving, leadership, communication, active listening, technical knowledge, confidentiality, empathy, positivity and most of all, patience. 

Tips For Tutoring Students

Being a tutor is not an easy job. Just like teachers, professors and instructors, careful preparation is needed for every session or class. Creating lesson plans and other instructional material takes time and effort. But despite the challenges, being a tutor can be a rewarding and fulfilling job. If you are tasked to tutor young children and students, try keeping in mind the following tips to make the learning experience meaningful for both of you.  

Get to know the student. When it comes to teaching, having the right approach is key. It can be a very different experience if you truly know the other person you are teaching. It can be a much richer and deeper learning session if the tutor actually exerts effort to get to know the student he or she is handling. Just like any important relationship, there must be an abundance of self-awareness as well as sensitivity to the other person’s needs. If you are a private tutor, it can be helpful to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your student. What subject areas does he or she excel in? What are his or her learning styles? What is the student interested in or what areas need improvement? Practice professionalism. Even if being a private tutor is not typically considered a regular job, it is still important to practice utmost professionalism at all times. Whether it is towards the student’s parents, the organization or to the students themselves, a tutor needs to conduct himself or herself well and carry the right amount of respect and courtesy. The student looks to you for knowledge, expertise and guidance. So it is only proper that you set a good example to the student. Even if it is outside the confines of a tutoring session or classroom, you should always exude professionalism, respect and confidence as a tutor. Ask questions. As a tutor, you are essentially a mentor. You need to be able to guide your student in all aspects of his or her education. Whether the subject you are teaching is Social Studies, Math or English, encouraging your mentee to ask questions is vital. Asking questions helps foster interest and deeper understanding of the subject matter. It is important to create an atmosphere where the student is comfortable enough to speak up and is not afraid to raise concerns with you if he or she does not understand the lesson. Whether it is seeking clarification or instruction, it is the tutor’s responsibility to cultivate a conducive learning environment that encourages openness and inquisitiveness. After all, it is the student’s education that is on the line and they have every right as well to have their ideas heard and their learning needs met. Be flexible and open minded. In addition to promoting inquisitiveness, it is essential that you, as the more senior and more experienced individual, advocate flexibility and open-mindedness. What this basically means is that you remain open to your student’s learning style and adjust accordingly. You need to be flexible enough to accommodate the student’s needs if it will help advance his or her education. Keep in mind that being open minded does not only mean in the sense that you yourself are practicing it, but to actually encourage and help your student be open to the lessons and subject matter too. Teaching and tutoring will come more naturally and will be more engaging if the student is open and willing to learn. Promote teamwork. Just like in any relationship in a professional capacity, teamwork must be present in order to fully maximize the working relationship. Even for a tutor and a student, a sense of solidarity and camaraderie is needed if the tutoring session is to be successful. There must be effort on both sides to work hand-in-hand to achieve a common goal. Whether that goal is to master a subject matter, to practice for a class presentation or to simply ace an exam, a tutor should be able to encourage a spirit of teamwork wherein there is a clear goal to be accomplished and the methods to achieve it are mapped out and shared with the student.

Types of Tutor Lesson Plans

A tutor lesson plan can come in a variety of forms. The structure and format of the lesson plan is generally dependent on the needs and level of capability of the student. The content of a tutor lesson plan will typically also follow its structure. So if, for example, the lesson plan is designed for a week, the content and subject matter of the tutor lesson plan will contain enough topics that can be tackled within a week. The following examples listed below are some types of tutor lesson plans that can easily be created and replicated.     

Weekly Tutor Lesson Plan. A weekly plan is pretty basic and relatively easy to make. The subjects and topics would depend on the agreement established by both parties. For instance, if the tutor is only paid to offer tutoring services for a single subject, then the lesson plan would only contain topics of that one particular subject. But if the tutoring contract agreement covers multiple subject areas, then a weekly tutor lesson plan would look quite different. Each day of the week would have a certain subject assigned. This can be easily modified according to ability level and availability of the student. For example, science and math can be covered in a single day; while reading and grammar may be lumped together for another day. Daily Tutor Lesson Plan. While a weekly tutor lesson plan may work for some people, a daily tutor lesson plan can be another alternative. Although shorter, a daily tutor lesson plan may be more detailed, constrained or inflexible compared to a weekly lesson plan. There are only a few hours during the day that can be dedicated to a tutoring session. One needs to consider other important activities a student may need to attend to as well. Thus, the tutor must practice effective time management if tutoring sessions are to be maximized. One way to ensure this is by using a proper format. Using the right format helps bring structure to the student’s day and promote order. Having a planned itinerary or schedule incorporated in the daily tutor lesson plan with details such as time, date, topic, duration and assignment of the day can ensure that the student’s day is optimized accordingly. Semestral Tutor Lesson Plan. Weekly and daily tutor lesson plans are not necessarily long and can be created in a relatively short period of time. However, a semestral tutor lesson plan is a lot more complicated and understandably lengthier. An entire semester comprises several months. So not only does the tutor need to plan that far ahead, but it is equally important to put in the details of each month, week and sometimes even the days. A typical semester of an elementary, high school or even college student consists of several subjects at the same time. So it is the responsibility of the tutor to take all of these into account and plot the necessary lessons throughout the semester. To do this, the tutor would need the help of the student as well with regard to the syllabus, requirements and classroom activities for each subject. It is highly important that the lessons and subjects tackled in the classroom and in private tutoring sessions are in sync with each other. Subject-based Tutor Lesson Plan. Another common type of tutor lesson plan is subject based tutoring. Not all students require a private tutor for all school subjects. Others just need help and guidance in a particular subject or course. A subject based tutor lesson plan is primarily focused on basic courses such as English, Math, Science or Social Studies. The tutoring schedule is then based on the topics and lessons in that particular subject. And just like a semestral tutor lesson plan, it can contain several topics. Although it does not necessarily have to be plotted over several months, a subject based tutor lesson plan’s main focus is on the subject material. This type of lesson plan should have the course description and subtopics clearly defined and arranged according to a particular order.

How to Create a Tutor Lesson Plan

In order to create a tutor lesson plan, you need to prepare the right resources. Depending on the type of format you choose, your lesson plan can either be brief or detailed. Both the structure and content of your tutor lesson plan are equally important. If you want to save time and energy, you can easily use a ready-made tutor lesson plan template and simply modify it according to your needs. Just make sure to keep in mind the following steps as you craft your tutor lesson plan.   

Step 1: Identify the Learning Goals

The first step for any lesson plan is always to determine the learning goals or objectives. What are the primary goals that you want your student to achieve? What is the purpose of tutoring them and giving the student a special form of instruction? The learning objectives must be clearly stated and enumerated in your lesson plan. As far as format is concerned, this may serve as the introductory paragraphs of your tutor lesson plan. You want to limit your learning goals to just a couple of bullet points. Avoid listing too many goals that you run the risk of losing sight and focus of what’s actually important.       

Step 2: Assess the Resources and Methods

After establishing the learning objectives, you need to evaluate the learning material. What resources are available that will allow you to tutor the student more efficiently? What methodology are you planning to use in your instruction and lesson plans? These are important questions to ask because as a tutor, you need to know what you can offer your student or mentee. Doing a proper assessment of resources and education material can also help manage expectations of the parents or guardians of the student. To illustrate, you may be using a variety of learning mediums and instructional material to creatively convey the lessons to the student. Apart from traditional books and worksheets, you can even incorporate audio visual aids or digital tools to supplement the student’s education.   

Step 3: Establish a Schedule

A tutor lesson plan should always have a time element. This means you need to incorporate a timeline or propose a schedule that you and the student will honor throughout the duration of the tutoring. Establishing a schedule is key because it will set the pace and tone of the sessions that will accomplish the learning objectives you have stated in the beginning. For this section, you can prepare a table or chart so as to better organize the tutoring schedule. If you do not want to start from scratch, you can easily use an existing template from above to save time. Using a predesigned template is more convenient and more efficient especially if you are short on time.      

Step 4: Prepare an Evaluation Tool 

After evaluating the subject material, assessing the resources and forming a schedule, the last requirement you need to come up with is an effective evaluation tool. How will you gauge the understanding and comprehension of your student? You need to prepare a rubric or system of measurement to ensure that what you are teaching and imparting to the student is retained. It is crucial to have a monitoring tool that you can employ to track the progress of the student over the course of your tutoring sessions.       

FAQs

How do I write a tutoring lesson plan?

To write a tutoring lesson plan, you first need to identify your learning goals. Afterwards, assess the subject material and plot out the needs and topics as required. You can incorporate a tutoring schedule in your lesson plan as well. Lastly, provide a monitoring or evaluation tool where you can adequately gauge the comprehension and progress of the student.

What are the 5 parts of a lesson plan?

According to an article by the English Language Teaching and Testing Guide, the five main key parts of a lesson plan are the objectives, warm-up, presentation, practice and assessment.

What are tutoring lessons?

Tutoring lessons are formal educational lessons that are meant to supplement traditional classroom lessons. For example, a student may engage the help of a private tutor because the former may find certain subjects more difficult and challenging.

Tutoring can be a rewarding yet challenging job. Thus, it is imperative that a solid and carefully-planned lesson plan is prepared. Browse the sample templates above and easily customize your own tutor lesson plan in minutes!