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Learning, whether formal or informal, is a lifelong endeavour. It does not stop with primary school, secondary education, or a university degree. Instead, acquiring new skills and advanced training experience continues for various reasons.
It might be because of work promotion, intellectual development, research purpose, learning a new language or music. To this end, a teeming number of adults consider online courses or informal learning as an important alternative to conventional educational programmes to further their education.
For children, parents are also subscribing to online learning methods as a complement to formal classroom education. Apart from the convenience that online learning methods offer, it is also a quick way for children to acquire extracurricular skills and academic support.
Children can use these online sessions to catch up with missed classroom lessons or understand certain topics taught in the classroom.
Besides, conventional education methods in most countries, including Nigeria, took a significant hit from the covid pandemic.
This event made parents, primary school administrators, secondary school teachers, and even university lecturers teach based on a flexible curriculum online. The system seemed like informal learning at first, but the international community grew into it with time.
Another avenue for children and parents to climb the educational ladder, especially during the covid pandemic, is through private lessons. Beyond the covid pandemic, online learning, private lessons for adults, home tutoring for adults, and adult education, in general, has evolved in Nigeria and continues to receive warm reception among seniors even in the international scenes.
To this end, we shall be looking at the essentials of adult education classes and the benefits of teaching private tutorials to adults in Nigeria.
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What Private Lessons For Adults Entail
Many people think graduating from secondary school, obtaining a degree from a university, or attending other tertiary institutions marks the end of formal education. Some others think children are the only age group capable of learning or imbibing new skills.
Both assertions are wrong as seniors can also improve their education status and learn new skills with good help via home tutoring or private lessons for the elderly.

Apart from helping them climb to a higher level on the educational ladder, these opportunities can also help or support seniors to become productive members of society. However, working as a teacher for seniors through private tutoring for adults or home tutoring is a delicate role. One that requires a high degree of expertise.
First and foremost, seniors resemble kids in many aspects, but slight differences exist in how they learn. Research has shown that the educational planning and requirements for adult education are also different from what we see in conventional primary schools for kids.
In terms of natural inclinations, seniors are more prudent than kids. This is important for teachers that specialize in adult education classes or private lessons for the elderly. The reason is that a calm and attentive student eases the tutor's work.
Also, kids need a tutor's support to sustain their concentration level for a long time which is different for seniors in most instances. If the tutor can help sustain the students' concentration for a long time, there will be significant progress in the learning experience.
Furthermore, adults can assimilate new ideas faster than children. Kids need more time and help to grasp novel concepts and require the teacher to explain concepts systematically.
Adults are also as curious as kids. This quality will make them engage the tutor and ask thought-provoking questions during and outside the educational programme.
They also tend to carry out more self-evaluation based on the training. Besides, educational planning and curriculum development in Nigeria and other countries are also less demanding when training adults.
On the one hand, the tutor must be passionate about the subject matter. Whether it is a private lesson to teach a language such as English or art such as music, passion brings out the best in students and teachers. It also allows the teacher to be engaging, ensures quality, proper support, and a rewarding learning experience.
Another important responsibility for teachers who engage in private tutoring, home lessons for adults, or other forms of informal learning is motivation. The teacher must motivate the pupils as they have numerous extracurricular engagements.
However, motivating a senior is less demanding than offering motivational support to kids, whether they are learning music or a language like English. In essence, the tutor will come across several differences and requirements peculiar to home lessons for adults and other adult classes.
The requirements to qualify as a good home, online, or private teacher for adult classes at a national or international level start with professional qualifications.
You must have a good degree of expertise in what you teach, whether you're involved in English lessons for adults or other forms of arts such as music. Having this will make your students develop respect and confidence in you and even earn some free reviews if you teach online courses.
You must also be versatile and adopt a distinct teaching style depending on the pupil's need. Some seniors might need more time in a week to learn what others will learn in a day. As such, a good tutor with adequate knowledge of proper educational planning will consider these differences.
You don't need to run lessons every day. You can have some lesson-free days that will enable you and your pupils to rest. These lesson-free days can also be used for evaluation and assignments.
Lastly, a creative teacher with proper knowledge of educational planning will adopt a fun learning approach for the pupils. For those who do online courses or private tutoring, this can be in the form of hosting one or two lessons free of any cost to discuss the pupil's preferences. Doing this will aid you in earning some free reviews and run a rewarding programme in the long run.
Benefits of Tutoring Adults: Receptive Students
Many people assume that seniors have learned all they need to know from primary schools, secondary schools, or the university. As such, they do not need further secondary education or advanced studies. Apart from the erroneous nature of this belief, it also undermines seniors' ability to further their studies, study new online courses or learn a new skill.

Adults can learn as many new things as they want, whether through informal learning or private tutoring for seniors. The advantages of anchoring adult education or classes are numerous. However, the pupils' reception is top of the list.
Seniors can learn a lot within a small period, whether indoors, at work, or in a standard educational setting. Hence, the work becomes satisfying since the pupils can move faster, and you can see the desired results when you teach.
Seniors are also enthusiastic learners. They are willing to go the extra mile to impress the tutor and combine several lessons. You might not find these traits in primary school or secondary school students. Besides, enthusiasm on the pupil's part makes the teacher's work easy.
As more and more people join the "adult education Nigeria" bandwagon, the onus is on the teachers to build a versatile and inclusive curriculum that caters to the pupil's overall intellectual development. A receptive student must be met with an engaging curriculum and teaching style.
It does not matter if it's private tutoring for seniors or other types of adult education classes. The primary aim should remain running an efficient programme and nurturing productive pupils.
See how to become a freelance private tutor for adults in Nigeria.
Benefits of Tutoring Adults: Seniors Engage Their Teachers
Apart from teachers' apparent receptiveness from seniors in adult classes, they also find them engaging. It is not common to see children engage their teachers with thought-provoking ideas. On the other hand, adults can challenge, criticize, and applaud new ideas depending on their views.
They can also ask the teacher questions about a wide array of subject matters. All these traits make private lessons for adults rich, lively and satisfying.

If the teacher is well-grounded in the subject matter, the pupils can get clear answers and explanations to their queries. Besides, the role of competence and confidence cannot be overemphasized. Confidence is contagious, especially when it comes from a teacher to his pupils.
learn more about the difference between teaching adults and children in Nigeria.
More so, some seniors come for private lessons to acquire confidence in things they know beforehand.
In the same vein, if the teacher employs unique styles during the training, the pupils will be triggered to engage one another and the teacher. They will also be pumped to perform personal and advanced research on a wide array of topics. Their knowledge base becomes widened, and they become stimulated to ask questions about things that go on around them.
Beyond online schools or informal education, most teachers that specialize in private lessons for adults are around the same age as the pupils. Hence, this becomes a fertile ground to form a more cohesive relationship with the pupils. However, a professional boundary should exist between both parties.
According to a report by the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC), adult education in Nigeria continues to evolve.
More and more seniors subscribe to various private and online learning platforms such as Superprof. The advantages are numerous and rewarding for both teachers and pupils. For online or offline teachers, you can easily create a profile on Superprof and start getting students as soon as possible. It is recommended that you offer one lesson free of charge for potential clients. Doing this will earn you free reviews and occasionally long-term clients.
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