If you are using a tutor for foreign language...

[madteaparty]

I'm going to be using a native speaker who is also an adjunct professor in the language this fall. It's quite expensive so we cannot do more than once a week. I am taking it one semester at a time, and might alternate between tutor/online class/some immersion in the summer. (again, due to expense).

 

If you use a tutor, are there any tips to making this work and seeing progress? Do you supplement? I already plan to ask for daily homework, and he already does duolingo and mindsnacks 7 days a week.

[regentrude]

We have used a native speaking tutor for weekly lessons for two years.

In order to make the best use of the precious lesson time, we worked on grammar/vocab during the week independently, had the tutor give a weekly writing assignment, and we spent the lesson going over the writing assignment with the tutor and practicing conversation.

[8filltheheart]

My dd's tutor selects the textbooks and gives homework for the book, requires watching online videos or other audios, gives her dialogues to create, etc. even though they only meet once per week, dd has a full load from her.

[madteaparty]

Thanks, this is very useful.

This arrangement is quite expensive (more than we pay for piano lessons,  or similar private classes) and you've given me concrete ideas to make it worth our while.

[crazyforlatin]

So far what I've liked for DD is exactly what regentrude does; DD learns grammar/vocabulary on her own and the tutor assigns short writing assignments, short stories with comprehension questions and practices conversation. But we are not learning French or Italian, the former which has a higher fee per hour around here (tried it and subsequently switched to Spanish), so we have more flexibility with each meeting.

[mombygrace]

We use tutors for Latin and French. Both tutors select the textbook and assign work  for the week. They go over the assignments and do oral work during class. For french she also assigns video and audio recording to be listened to and recorded before the next class. We do extra grammar/ vocab practice in between.

[8filltheheart]

You might be able to find cheaper options.  Dd's Russian tutor, who is Russian, is fabulous.   Dd has had nothing but a wonderful experience with her.   She teaches via Skype (which has not been a drawback at all) and charges $25/hr.    She has encouraged dd to participate in something like a Russian Olympiad (don't remember what it is called exactly) and has had students accepted into http://www.nsliforyouth.org/    (IOW, she is a great tutor.  :) )

 

Just a thought.  

[madteaparty]

You might be able to find cheaper options.  Dd's Russian tutor, who is Russian, is fabulous. 

 

 

How did you find her?

[8filltheheart]

Asking online via homeschool email loops and I think even here on WTM.   Cleo might have some recommendations for you since she lives in Montreal.    I'm not sure if there any other French posters on the forums or not.

[HejKatt]

We use an online tutor for Mandarin lessons. Textbook and supplemental resources are suggested by the teacher, who is an experienced elementary school teacher. 

 

During the lesson, she

- quizzes characters learned  last lesson, as well as memory work (passages memorized, sentence assignments)

- teaches a new unit from the textbook, including how to write the characters,

- uses the supplementary resources: a workbook and sentence writing/grammar.

At the end of the lesson, I speak with the teacher for 5 minutes to learn of any trouble spots, expected homework and I also raise my concerns, e.g. if I have seen DS struggling over certain words. 

 

During the week, we spend 15-20 mins daily : 

- Practice writing characters from latest lesson (to be quizzed next time), and memory work. This is usually the first 2 or 3 days of the week.The remaining days, I quiz DS on the newest characters and earlier lessons (up to 5 earlier). 

- Practice creating sentences (grammar practice) and writing down a couple of variations. 

- I ask DS to read aloud short excerpts from children's books. I also read-aloud to DC and they play some apps for drilling characters. 

 

So in short, we use the textbook as a spine and progress a chapter/week. My focus is on the textbook and resources, but I also try to find resources created for his age group/level to add variety. 

[IrishMum]

If you are comfortable with online tutoring, I am personally using a native french speaker on http://www.italki.com/. she doesn't want to teach children, but I did a few lessons with others who would. I picked mine based on the fact we got on. My boys have a tutor come once a week for French, and we do similar to what people say above. We also watch 80%of our TV/movies in French. Our tutor is expensive, but she is teaching my 4 at the same time. I am thinking about getting my oldest someone on italki too.

[lewelma]

We pay $50/hour and have 1.5 hours per week shared between both kids (although he often stays longer).  At this point, the tutor spends the hour with my older teaching the lesson entirely in mandarin.  My son has about 45 minutes of homework 5x per week.  This includes speaking (to me), reading, writing, listening (to the CD).  He is making excellent progress.  My younger boy does not have his lesson in mandarin, but they do try to speak for 10 minutes every lesson.  he has about 20 minutes of homework 5x per week, most of which (including talking) he does with me.