Weekly Tips
Making Sense of Fraction Size, Equivalence, and Operations (4:43 video) As many students continue to work on fractions, they may treat them as numbers to memorize rather than quantities that represent parts of a whole. This video shows the use of several visual techniques that can help them compare fractions visually.
Increasing Students’ Sense of Ownership and Engagement. Offering students some choice in how they spend their time can build opportunities for students to make choices based on their interests, while still focusing on the same key skills and learning goals.
Re-Engaging Reluctant Learners. You may find that some students seem to be disengaged from learning. Their bodies come to tutoring but their hearts and minds seem to be somewhere else. Learning is a mental activity so if we want to re-engage students we need to start with getting their brains switched on to it.
Reinforcing Place Value Number sense and place value are essential fundamentals for students progressing to more difficult math topics. When students lack understanding of these concepts, they can quickly fall behind.
The Self-Explanation Effect When a student is struggling, it can be tempting to jump in with an explanation. However, prompting students to explain their thinking not only helps identify points of confusion but also encourages students to reflect on their learning, develops deeper understanding and supports long-term memory.
Reading Strategies for Multilingual Learners This article features strategies for comprehension that recognize the unique skills and challenges multilingual students may face, with three main approaches: building background knowledge, teaching vocabulary explicitly and checking comprehension frequently.
Math Word Problems Many students jump straight into solving without really understanding what the problem is asking. This article shares the Three Reads strategy, which encourages students to slow down, think through the context and pull out important information before solving.
Reading Comprehension Strategies Oftentimes students may be able to read a piece of writing aloud but don’t always understand what they’re reading. This article provides suggestions to encourage students to reflect on and recount what they’ve just read. Making predictions, asking questions and making connections can help make reading time feel more intentional!
Creating a Safe Space for Immigrant and Multilingual Students While it's difficult to summarize all of the social and emotional effects of the current geopolitical climate into simple "tips," groups like Colorín Colorado and Fugees Family provide numerous resources for supporting immigrant and multilingual students. More specifically, here are several articles to get you started on supporting these students:
10 Strategies for Building Relationships with ELLs (for professional teachers, but can transfer to tutoring well)
Strengthening Tutor-Student Relationships Sometimes you might sense your student may feel overwhelmed or frustrated, and being prepared with responses for these situations — whether that means taking a water break or discussing how you're both feeling — allows us to stay calm and shows the student that we value them, regardless of their emotional state.
Reinforcing Math Fundamentals This article offers some simple strategies increasing foundational understanding of concepts such as fractions, place value and choosing operations in word problems.
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This page last updated 4/13/2026.