The Difference Between Tutors And Academic Coaches
When it comes to academic support for middle and high school students, guardians and students often turn to tutors and Academic Coaches to help bridge the gap between classroom learning and academic success.
Both roles aim to enhance a student's educational experience — they serve different purposes and offer distinct approaches. Whether you're a guardian looking to invest in your child's education or a student seeking extra support, read on to discover the nuances that set tutors and Academic Coaches apart.
The main differences
Students often seek tutors when they have one troublesome subject area, struggle with a particular academic skill such as math facts or French verb conjugations, and have a standardized test to prepare for.
When students turn to Academic Coaches, they have difficulty in several or all subject areas, have trouble with global skills like note-taking, active reading, and/or study habits, and need to learn how to prepare effectively for different types of classroom tests.
The advantages of Academic Coaches
Academic Coaches’ approaches extend beyond assistance with academic tasks — they’re committed to boosting students’ work habits, focusing on the following areas:
Academics + Athletics Integration: Academic Coaching integrates with school curriculum, and adapts to the student's athletic schedule.
Executive Function Cultivation: Academic Coaching focuses on crucial skills like prioritization, organization, and laying the foundation for lifelong learning and achievement.
Progress Feedback Loop: Academic Coaching consists of collaboration with parents, guardians, school administration, and athletic coaches, ensuring goals are met through detailed feedback and check-ins.
Organization: Academic Coaches help student-athletes organize their academic load by providing personalized Trello workboards where they upload in-class assignments and Academic Coaching session work.
Self-Regulation: Through critical thinking, rationality, and exercises on understanding consequences, coaches guide student-athletes in self-regulating their emotions during every Academic Coaching session.
The type of student who benefits from Academic Coaching
Academic Coaching is an important resource for students facing various challenges in their academic journey. It's not just about preventing grades that don’t allow the student to progress — it's about optimizing existing skills and nurturing essential qualities like motivation, organization, and strategic thinking.
Students grappling with attention-related issues, such as ADHD, often find solace in Academic Coaching, as it equips them with the tools to stay focused and succeed. Interestingly, coaching models aren't limited to academics alone — student-athletes who've thrived under the guidance of coaches in their respective sports often respond remarkably well to this approach when applied to their educational pursuits.
The impact of Academic Coaching is broad-reaching, catering to students across different stages of their educational journey. As students progress into their middle and high school years, the role of an Academic Coach becomes increasingly vital. Whether it's the need to prioritize tasks effectively, stay on track with homework assignments, or prepare for standardized tests, an Academic Coach can provide personalized support.
How Swoon Learning’s Academic Coaches go above and beyond
Through curriculum integration, Swoon Learning’s Academic Coaches work directly with schools to access up-to-date materials and even bring in school teachers as strategists to help close the loop, so they can learn how to more effectively cultivate executive functions. We help students prioritize their work, and stay organized and focused with tools like Trello and OKIOCAM.
Our Academic Coaching sessions include focusing on academic guidance to optimize study habits and develop critical thinking skills, and targeted test preparation that includes planning, study techniques, and post-test analysis.
Want to help your student-athlete excel both academically and athletically? Get started here.
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