6 Benefits of One-to-One Tutoring

We understand that children’s reading abilities vary and all kids learn differently. This is where one-to-one tutoring comes in.

Nearly 40 years ago, educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom studied the effects of one-to-one tutoring versus teaching in traditional classroom settings. He also examined the effect of mastery learning on test scores of students. Bloom discovered that students who receive tutoring can perform better than 98% of students in the traditional classroom. 

So, beyond improved test scores, why is one-to-one tutoring an effective approach to reading instruction? Here are some reasons:

1. Personalization

Bloom’s study proved that aligning the instruction path and pace to the individual’s needs leads to better results. Each lesson is taught based on the child’s strengths and challenges. This way, the tutor can easily target areas that need more attention to ensure the child masters these skills first before moving on to the next. 

2. Skilled Guidance and Support

With early learners, the International Literacy Association’s review found that the positive effects of one-to-one tutoring were long-lasting. The gains in reading abilities are more significant especially when tutoring is done by skilled and experienced teachers. In addition, a tutor who is focused on a child’s specific needs provides emotional and moral support, contributing to their overall success.

3. Immediate Feedback

During a one-to-one tutoring lesson, constant feedback and conversation (known as dialogic reading) is key to accelerating progress in reading, as observed by the Journal of Reading Recovery. Providing immediate corrections, including pronunciation or diction, enabled the student to quickly adapt, correct, and solidify new skills. 

4. Active Participation

Our New York University efficacy study by Dr. Susan Neuman found that students were more engaged and at ease when taking one-to-one tutoring lessons via video chat. Adding video technology greatly increased attention and students were more comfortable to speak up and participate during lesson time. This led to better outcomes in every lesson. 

5. Reduced Distraction

In classroom lessons or group tutoring, some students can be distracted by their peers. One-to-one instruction eliminates outside noise and allows for focus on the skills that need to be worked on, enabling the student to stay on task and be accountable for their individual learning.  

6. Less Stress, More Fun

In addition to Neuman’s findings, a one-to-one reading lesson experience leads to less frustration and more enjoyment for students. Stress from feeling compared to or competing against peers is reduced and helps kids build more confidence to further enhance performance. 

Despite all that we know about the advantages of one-to-one tutoring, learners today still rarely get individualized attention at school. With the average teacher-student ratio in US schools at 1:15 and in Canada, 1:20, you can see why this is the case. Teachers are already running against the clock to complete all their tasks in a day, making one-to-one time with each of their students extremely difficult.

At Hoot Reading, we provide personalized one-to-one tutoring led by skilled and experienced teachers. It is our mission to ensure students get the guidance and support they need to excel with reading. 

We work around your schedule - we know families are busy! Our tech-driven approach allows for lessons to take place on a tablet or computer anytime and anywhere. 

Studies have shown that kids who take Hoot Reading lessons improve their reading skills by up to 3x more compared to those who don’t. See for yourself and discover the benefits of one-to-one tutoring with Hoot! We’re here to help your child achieve their reading goals faster.