Academic Coach vs. Tutor

Academic Coaching differs from tutoring in many ways, but the most important distinction is one of focus.  An Academic Coach focuses on developing core organization and study skills in the context of the student’s current workload.  A Tutor typically focuses on the short term re-teaching of subject specific content.

Here is a quick reference as to the differences between the two and when each might be most appropriate.

Academic Coach

  • Teaches and practices skills that can be applied across all subject areas and used throughout their academic career.
  • Weekly sessions reinforce theses skills by incorporating them into their regular school-work and receive feedback and support from the coach.
  • Weekly monitoring creates routine and structure.
  • Mastery of skills gives the student a sense of control over their academic success.

An Academic Coach is most appropriate when:

  • Student wishes to improve overall performance across subject areas.
  • Student is disorganized and has difficulty managing his or her school life.
  • A student has been dependent on their natural abilities to succeed.
  • A student’s success is coming at the expense of stress or anxiety.
  • Declining results are affecting the student’s confidence and effort.

Tutor

  • Re-teaches subject specific content that a student is struggling to understand.
  • Does not address the reasons why a student is struggling with content.
  • Places responsibility for learning on the teacher and the tutor, instead of the student.
  • On-going tutoring can create a dependency if the student prefers to be taught one-on-one instead of in a classroom setting. Tutoring can become a substitute for learning in the classroom.

 A Tutor is most appropriate when:

  • Goals are short term and specific (eg. one coarse, a specific exam)
  • Catching up on missed content or gaps in knowledge base.
  • Going back to improve basic math skills

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    What people are saying about us

    • I would like to thank our coach and your organization for giving my son a great opportunity to improve. He is much more responsible now and understands the importance of working hard as well as how to work and organize himself.

      Chieko(mother of grade 10 student)

    • Thanks for your good work with our son – I believe we are starting to see some positive changes and improvements. He seems to have a positive attitude overall and he is getting at his work on his own initiative which is good to see.

      David(father of grade 12 student)

    • Our daughter feels much more confident and on top of her work and comments often about how strong her marks have become. She feels that her sessions with you have been a big reason for the turn around.

      Sharon(mother of grade 8 student)

    • Thank you very much for providing such a very helpful facility for my daughter. She has benefited so much from the program, not only for her present situation but I think for life. Your coaches were excellent and they gave her the motivation, guidance, self-confidence and self-esteem that she lacked.

      Sandora(mother of grade 12 student)

    • Our coach works hard with our son in helping him approach his academic studies with more maturity, effectiveness and independence. Our son has responded well to his mentors coaching and guidance.

      Barbara(mother of grade 11 student)