Tutoring notes should be simple. They do not need to be long, formal, or perfect. The best notes are clear enough to help the tutor prepare for the next session.

A strong tutoring session note should answer six questions.

1. What was the intended outcome?

Before the session, tutors should be clear about what they want the scholar to accomplish.

Examples:

• Scholar will solve two-step word problems with less support.
• Scholar will explain the main idea of a passage using text evidence.
• Scholar will complete missing assignments and identify what still needs to be submitted.

When tutors name the intended outcome before the session, they use their time more intentionally. They are not just helping with whatever comes up. They are working toward a clear result.

A helpful question for tutors to ask is:

What do I want this scholar to be able to do by the end of our time together?

That one question can make a tutoring session more focused and effective.

2. What was the actual result?

After the session, tutors should write down what actually happened.

Example:

Intended outcome: Scholar will solve two-step word problems with less support.
Actual result: Scholar solved one problem independently and needed a prompt for the second. Highlighting key information helped.

This helps tutors reflect and adjust. If the scholar did not reach the intended outcome, the tutor can ask:

• Was the goal too ambitious?
• Did the scholar need more modeling?
• Did I use the right strategy?
• What should I adjust next time?

This is how tutoring notes become more than a record. They become a tool for improvement.

3. What worked?

Tutors should write down the strategies that helped the scholar make progress.

Example: Scholar stayed more focused when we used real-world examples connected to basketball.

A strategy that works once may work again. Writing it down helps tutors build on what is effective instead of starting over each session.

4. What was challenging?

Tutors should also note where the scholar struggled.

Example: Scholar understands the steps when guided but struggles to start independently.

Challenges are not failures. They are useful information. They show the tutor where the scholar may need reteaching, more practice, encouragement, or a different approach.

5. What preference or pattern did I notice?

This is different from relying on fixed “learning styles.”

Research does not support the idea that students learn better when instruction is matched to a fixed learning style, such as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. Yale’s Poorvu Center notes that students may have preferences, but matching instruction to learning styles does not improve learning outcomes.

Still, tutors should pay attention to preferences, patterns, and context.

Examples:

• Scholar likes talking through the problem before writing.
• Scholar gets anxious when timed.
• Scholar responds well to encouragement before independent practice.
• Scholar is more engaged when examples connect to sports, music, or real life.
• These observations help tutors personalize instruction without labeling the scholar.

6. What is the next step?

Every tutoring note should help the tutor answer:

What should I do next time?

Example:

Next session: Start with two guided examples, then have the scholar complete one independently and explain their thinking.

If the note does not help prepare the next session, it may include too much information. The next step should be clear enough that the tutor can quickly review it and know where to begin.