Understanding Systems

entropicthoughts.com

5 pointsvinhnx2 comments

"That’s the main thing good tutors do differently. If motivation decreases, they switch to lighter content, or even transition into non-lesson conversation. If motivation increases, they ramp up the difficulty of the lesson."

I would say that's reasonable (but not optimal) if we're talking about an adult client who is footing the bill himself or herself. But in the case of, say, high school students, parents don't like that kind of laissez-faire ambiance.

My experience is, if anything, the opposite. People who pay for tutelage out of their own pocket get stressed about not "getting their money's worth" when lessons lighten, even if that's exactly what they need at that time.

In conrast, parents like seeing their children's motivation increase almost as much as they like the test score improvements that come with increased motivation.

Might be a cultural difference, though.

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