2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Aid for Beginning Tutors, 19 Sep 2011
By Susan Min - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: How to Tutor Your Own Child: Boost Grades and Inspire a Lifelong Love of Learning--Without Paying for a Professional Tutor (Paperback)
I picked up this book as a volunteer writing tutor of teenagers. I had no tutoring experience whatsoever, and I had no idea how to get started. I used the book's 6-step method for organizing my sessions, which helped a lot. The author includes tons of simple pieces of advice that I had never thought of and that only an experienced teacher would know from years of working with students. I appreciated the advice, especially on breaking down tasks, and how to greet your student and set the right tone for the session. The book is warm, funny, and contains striking insights that I found helpful not just for tutoring better but for being a more patient and compassionate person in general. Good read for any beginning tutor, teacher or parent.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Also great for aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even teachers, 20 Aug 2011
By RheaK - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: How to Tutor Your Own Child: Boost Grades and Inspire a Lifelong Love of Learning--Without Paying for a Professional Tutor (Paperback)
I picked up this book not as a parent but as an aunt. The practical tips, like creating a portable tutoring toolbox and inviting family members to come up with their own mnemonic devices, can serve aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends of the family as well as parents. I also recommend this book to teachers. Ironic, I know! My English students may not realize it, but this semester's lesson on outlining will look a lot like pages 52-53 of this book, and I'll definitely incorporate Ruben's great advice on how to break large tasks into manageable pieces. Those students may also receive pointers based on Chapter 8's "Notes on Note Taking."
While Ruben's advice can be very specific and address crucial steps in learning, she keeps the tone light, fun, and sometimes downright hilarious. (I kid you not -- I laughed out loud at least twice in every chapter!)
Throughout the book, Ruben reinforces the themes of demonstrating a love of learning and respecting the student. Again, these are lessons that anyone in a child's life should learn.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read! You CAN tutor your own child with the aid of this book!, 11 Sep 2011
By E. Fulton "fern" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: How to Tutor Your Own Child: Boost Grades and Inspire a Lifelong Love of Learning--Without Paying for a Professional Tutor (Paperback)
Ms. Ruben provides insightful tips on how to tutor your own child. Having limited tutoring experience, I wanted to read the book to see what I could improve upon. I had some ideas on what I was doing right and wrong, but this book certainly will "up" my game!
Ms. Ruben addresses myriad topics to turn the parent-child relationship into that of a "parent-tutor" (Ruben's term). She first discusses what she calls "helicopter parents," and how to avoid that downfall. (For those not in the know, helicopter parents "hover" over their children while doing schoolwork.) She describes feedback word choice, positive reinforcement methods, ethical tutoring (not doing the homework for the child), and how to effectively utilize time- even when the child isn't at their most attentive state.
The book goes into greater detail on how to make learning more fun, and to help teach the child that learning is a lifelong pursuit- not just something for the classroom. She describes how to expand the classroom into the home and on field trips: add to your room decor with maps and posters! Visit museums, historical landmarks, etc. Further, the book points the reader to many, many internet resources- some of which you wouldn't even think to check out on your own! One of those (why would I look at that...) resources is the "unschooling" movement and how to incorporate some of their unique and effective methods to boost learning. To be clear, she's NOT suggesting pulling your children out of school!
The book also details how to tailor the tutor relationship based on the child's needs as an individual, as well as by grade level.
Overall, I think the book is highly effective. The reader is bound to pick up at least a few tips & tricks to help them get started tutoring. I think it's a valuable book for the price.
Just think- you'd be paying more than the book price for an hour's worth of professional tutoring! Why not give this a chance, and save at least an hour or two?!