- Love for Physics –
Physics is a challenging yet interesting subject. The subject is filled with both quantitative and qualitative components. When a Physics tutor loves the subject, he/she will be able to teach with enthusiasm, garnering the attention of the students. “Learning is life-long process” is an undeniable phrase and this can be expressed by Physics tutors when they have the love for the subject.
- Friendly attitude
Having a friendly attitude is an essential quality for all teachers. With friendly attitude, tutors will look approachable resulting in students clarify all their doubts. Upon clarifying doubts, students are able to have clearer idea of the concepts. In addition, tutors will have a better view of the type of students they are teaching and plan a better catered lesson to the students.
- Patience
Learning is not an overnight process. Results do not appear overnight. It takes time and effort from both the students and tutors. For instance, Thomas Edison invented light bulb after failing 1000 attempts. If he did not have patience and expected overnight results, we would not be having light bulbs now. Physics tutors do need patience to guide the students till the finish line.
- Adaptability
Every student is different – different learning curves, different methods of learning, different amount pf practice required etc. It is important for a tutor to identify the type of leaner the student is and cater accordingly. For instance, there are 3 types of learner: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic. For a visual learner, the tutor should use flashcards, mind maps etc. For an audio learner, the tutor should play videos and lastly for kinesthetic learners, the tutor should use experiments to explain a concept. A good tutor must be able to change his method of teaching from one student to another depending on the type of learners they are.
- Listening skills
As important as it is for students to listen to teachers, it is equally necessary for tutors to listen to students. Good listening skills are needed to understand what they have been taught and what are their concerns. Listening skills and friendly attitude works together. Stronger listening skills helps tutors make a more powerful connection with the students which boosts learning.
- Passion for teaching
Teaching is not an easy job and not everyone can pull it off. A key difference between a good tutor and an average tutor is a good tutor has the passion for teaching and deeply wants to help the student to improve and do well for Physics. Not every tutor will be available to reply to your doubts immediately, send a list of key notes to look through before tests etc. Only tutors who are passionate will do all these.
- Preparation
As mentioned before, not all students are the same. Hence a lot of preparation is required before the tuition session. Besides preparing mind maps or finding videos or preparing experiments, tutors should prepare worksheets, quizzes etc. Preparation is a key difference between a good tutor and an average tutor.
- Motivational
Besides teaching, a good tutor must be motivational. One should never ever demoralise the student. Instead one should give compliments or even constructive criticisms as these would instil confidence in the students resulting in better performance for Physics. Learning is like running a marathon, after each kilometre one might feel like giving up and it is the tutor’s responsibility to keep the student going and achieving great results at the end.
- Disciplined
Being friendly and approachable may result in the students being over comfortable and being distracted during class time which is why a good tutor must be disciplined. One must be disciplined to ensure no time is wasted during class and the students are on the right track. Without discipline, it is possible to see tutors struggling to complete the syllabus before examinations.
- Setting expectations
Tutors should set expectations in order to track the progress of the students. Setting expectations is a double-edged sword, it could motivate the students to do better or it could demoralise and break one’s confidence. Thus, a good tutor must be able to identify the situation. Setting expectations is also a guide to students and reiterates that results do not come overnight. If a student has been failing Physics, a good tutor will expect the student to pass or close to passing mark in the next exam, followed by to a C grade, then a B grade and eventually getting a distinction for the final exam
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