Your One-Stop Guide For IB Online Tutoring In 2023

As people around the world continue to grapple with Covid-19, online tutoring has become the only means to support children with their IB education. The complete overhaul of the education sector and its virtualisation has sent ripples in the industry, changing the way students and parents interact with IB tutors. Our expert online IB tutors at Baccalaureate Classes have collated some guidelines that can help all tutors out there attain success with IB online tuition. Specifically, this guide will focus on the first hand experiences of an IB Maths tutor, IB Physics tutor, IB English tutor and IB Biology tutor of switching from face-to-face to online tutors.

Use Silence Purposefully

It is important for an IB tutor to pause at regular intervals in their lessons to allow the students to think deeply about a point you raised. Research has shown that if teachers wait for the pupils to verbalise what they’re thinking or put it down on paper, it helps them to solidify the concept that is being taught. If applied, this research can reap benefits for any IB tutor who is looking to make some breakthrough with the child and want to permit the learning process to flow seamlessly in IB online tuition classes.

Focus Is Key

One of the biggest challenges that online IB tutor face in virtual IB tuition is the child’s lack of focus. The overly-digitalised world comes with its pros and cons. As the avenues of entertainment targeted towards children increase, their attention span faces the brunt. Our IB online Maths tutors quips in: you will have to make your speech more direct since non-verbal communication is a no-go. Reminded of his training, he further shares a helpful tip: lean towards the webcam and slow down your speech to indicate to the student that you are aware of having lost them to a text from their phone or some other kind of distracting element. Wait patiently for them to concentrate on the task assigned.

Also, before the start of the lesson, our IB online Physics tutor has made it a rule to tell his students to keep their camera on throughout the lesson and to have a clutter-free desk. Research has proven that students study better in an organised, non-chaotic environment.

Navigate Technical Difficulties

Our online IB English tutor has some important advice for you if you’re anxious about losing internet connection in the middle of IB tuition: These things happen. What’s important is that you should have an alternate device ready which you can log into class with. Also, have the contact info of your student handy so that you can inform them of the blip if it’s taking longer than usual to navigate the potential difficulty. You will conquer the problem if you engage your problem-solving skills and approach the issue head on.

Show Your Appreciation

A student’s performance can be enhanced multifolds if, our IB Maths tutor observes, you show them that you appreciate the efforts that they’re putting in. As an IB online tutor, you’re morally obligated to remind the student from time to time that you are immensely proud of them and the progress they’re making. Our online IB Biology tutor has observed over time that by boosting the morale of the pupil, they are more likely to want to perform better and strive for improvement. Here are a few strategies for IB online tutors to build a level of understanding with their student:

1. Greet them warmly: It is imperative for a good IB online tutor to put the student at ease by welcoming them warmly. Not only does it set the tone for a productive virtual class, it also helps you connect with the student and reduce the stress levels or jitters that they may be experiencing. E-meetings do not allow you to share physical and emotional space with the student. However, our IB Biology tutor quips in, this can be compensated for in the online format by watching a viral video or blog towards the beginning of the class.

2. Ascertain the learning objective: Our IB Maths tutor strongly feels that identifying the learning goal of the session will help both you and the mentee stay on track. It will also pave the path for open-ended questions and assessing the weak and strong points of the student.

3. Prioritise areas of concern: Our IB Physics tutor spends five minutes of his class setting a plan in motion that will prioritise the weak areas of the student and what he needs to do to address the child’s immediate needs. He says that a good tutor should assist the pupil by discussing the strategies the tutor will apply to help the student solve problems independently over time.

4. Apply the concept taught: One of the simplest pieces of advice that we received from our experienced IB online Physics tutor is that until the student applies the concept discussed to a problem, they will continue to feel under confident. Our IB English tutor encourages mentees to apply known literary devices to different non-literary text types to expand their skill set.

5. Push to think independently: Once our online IB English tutor and our online IB Biology tutor have met the objective that they’d set out at the start of the lesson, they appreciate the student for the efforts they made, give them questions to solve for the sake of practice and end the class on a positive and light note.

In the face of an unexpected crisis like this, offline IB tutors have been put to test. Overnight, they’ve been expected to transform traditional learning to meet the expectations and needs of students in a virtual format. In the face of unprecedented changes, online tutoring can prove to be a boon and a bane. We, at Baccalaureate Classes, hope that the tips we have shared with you help you make the transition to online format as smooth and hassle-free as possible.