What is the Value of Private Instruction?
Many parents might ask the question: If my child receives academic instruction all day at school, how could he possibly benefit from instruction private instruction from a tutor? If my child plays the clarinet in the beginner band at school, why should I enroll her in private music lessons? There is much value for students who undertake private instruction, either for academics or for music. These may be divided into two categories - learning benefits and social/emotional benefits.
What is the Value of Private Instruction?
Learning Benefits
The first and most obvious learning benefit for students in private instructional situations is the individualized attention that they receive. Tutors are able to provide specific, individualized help. An algebra tutor may be able to quickly determine that a student lacks the understanding of factoring, for example, and address that first, so that students can take that new learning back to the classroom. A private music instructor may recognize that a student's fingering technique on the clarinet could be improved easily, and provide suggestions to the child for improvement. Because tutoring is most often a one-to-one teaching and learning situation, a private tutor is able to tailor his or her instruction to the child's dominant learning style, and address the child's specific learning needs.
In fact, one of the main strengths of private tutoring is the tutor's ability to immediately identify student errors and correct them. Consider a typical classroom setting; a teacher has 20 students. She has just taught an initial lesson on long division, and has given her students 25 practice problems. Michael did not completely understand the division process, but completes all 25 problems. Incorrectly. That means that Michael has just practiced the process WRONG 25 times. This procedure is now somewhat ingrained in his memory as the way to divide. A tutor who sits one-on-one with Michael would be able to stop him immediately - right at the point he is making a mistake. That will "break the chain" of misunderstanding, and allow Michael to begin to re-learn the procedure correctly.
A second learning benefit is that children often feel that private instruction provides a "risk-free" environment, so they are willing to "go out on a limb", even if they are unsure. Often, in classroom settings, students are reluctant to raise their hand to ask and answer questions. They are worried that others may think they are asking a "stupid question", and they do not want their peers to think they do not understand. However, private tutors and instructors are able to establish that it is all right for the student to admit he or she does not understand. Tutors are able to address any misunderstandings of academic content or music performance in private - a situation to which students are very responsive.
A third learning benefit is that students are able to advance at their own rate of learning, free of competition. In academic classrooms and music classrooms, there is always an undertone of competition, as there are some children who always want to have the highest score on the timed math fact test or who want to be first-chair in the flute section of the band. A student who plays trombone in the 5th grade orchestra, for example, may exhibit difficulty with scales, exercises, or music pieces. Working with a private instructor will allow him to improve his technique gradually, as he masters skill after skill at his own pace. The student is then able to take those mastered skills and apply them in the classroom or band room.
Social/Emotional Benefits
In addition to the learning benefits of private tutoring or private music lessons, there are also several social and emotional benefits. First, private instruction allows children the opportunity to develop relationships with another adult who is knowledgeable in the area of study. The tutor is just like another teacher, and the instructor giving private voice lessons is just like another chorus director. These relationships provide another facet for rich and meaningful learning of the content.
A second social/emotional benefit to students who undertake private instruction is that they often experience improved self-esteem, confidence, and attitudes. Think how much better Julie's attitude would be toward math if the "gaps" were filled in for her, and she went from making D's on her math tests to B's? These gains in self-esteem and confidence often results from the increased feedback, praise, and encouragement that they receive in one-on-one learning situations.
Perhaps the most significant benefit of all is the ability of a private tutor and his or her student to focus on the mere process of learning, rather than only the outcome. Instead of emphasizing the completion of a project or the grade earned on a paper, the child can focus on HOW to do things: how to solve problems, how to set goals, and how to be proud of his accomplishments.
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