A Platform for Tutors and How to Work with It

By TalkEn.Cloud Author Team

Organizing students’ work in online learning is quite a puzzle for English tutors. Various technical and organizational difficulties can get in the way of effective teaching and learning. The good news is that modern tools and approaches simplify this process and help teachers organize not only their students’ learning but also their own work. Special platforms for tutors combine features for teachers with effective teaching methods.

With their help you can ensure continuous online language teaching: create study programs, homework and assessment tests, give grades, leave feedback and so on. Below we look at the features of platforms for English teachers and how they help in their work.

Contents

1. Online tutoring platforms: features and benefits for English teachers and their students
1.1. An LMS for English tutors
1.2. The benefits of using platforms for English tutors
2. How to choose a tutoring platform
2.1. Comparing platforms for English tutors
2.2. Features of the TalkEn.Cloud platform for English tutors
3. Tips for English tutors on using an LMS
3.1. How to use platforms for English tutors effectively
3.2. Training for English tutors

Special online platforms make learning easier for both English tutors and their students

Online tutoring platforms: features and benefits for English teachers and their students

Platforms for English tutors can be useful for different participants in education:

• tutors: they simplify organizational matters and help with modern online English teaching, communication with students, planning working time, professional development and more;
• language courses and foreign language centers: they help set up modern online learning and save time on routine and organizational processes;
• schools and universities: they make it possible to move to online learning effectively and comfortably and make English teaching more advanced and varied;
• education startups: a ready-made solution for those who plan to create their own courses, schools, English learning apps and so on.

An LMS for English tutors

First we need to explain what an LMS is. In short, it is a system for managing the learning process. The main task of a Learning Management System is to simplify teaching and learning English for all participants. It lets you keep the key elements of learning in one place: learning materials, homework, the schedule, student lists, data on their performance and attendance, assessment materials, an electronic grade book, your own library of materials and so on.

Tutoring platforms can offer various functions and capabilities for learning and for collaboration between English teachers, students and parents. Here are some typical features available on such platforms:

• registering tutors and students (creating profiles with a certain level of access and capabilities, and information about themselves and their English level);
• creating lesson schedules for different groups and students, one-to-one lessons and the teacher’s personal calendar;
• creating a study plan, adding your own theory and practice materials and creating different types of exercises;
• creating a placement test with automatic checking to determine the student’s language level;
• monitoring students’ performance and attendance and grading tests and tasks;
• progress on English textbook tasks;
• adding and checking homework;
• an electronic grade book;
• communication between English teachers, students and their parents through internal messages, email or chat to discuss lessons, tasks and other questions.

The list above is the basic functionality most online tutoring platforms offer. They may also have various extensions and add-ons for teachers and students: ready-made digital textbooks, assessment tests, the ability to create your own library, support for professional development, payment features for lessons, extra materials, and tips and articles useful for learning and teaching English.

Platforms for English teachers are a modern solution for a teacher’s online work and students’ continuous learning

The benefits of using platforms for English tutors

Online tutoring platforms differ in functionality, but all of them aim to give teachers tools for their everyday work. The benefits for English tutors:

• saving time on planning and organizing online lessons: you can manage the whole learning process centrally and handle the necessary language resources effectively. This helps you keep an organized approach to teaching and provide a structured program for students;
• convenient storage and search of materials: an online tutoring platform lets teachers create and share interactive learning materials that enrich learning and make it more interesting for students;
• managing working time and everyday tasks: control over your own schedule and simpler organizational and technical matters;
• monitoring performance and attendance: this lets English tutors analyze their students’ effectiveness and their own;
• simpler feedback during lessons and outside them: a platform for teachers may have a system of reviews and ratings that helps English teachers collect feedback from students and improve the quality of their services.

Some services for English tutors let you use your own materials and develop unique interactive textbooks and study programs.

The benefits of online tutoring platforms for students:

• everything needed for English lessons in one place: the schedule, learning materials and homework;
• the ability to track their performance and attendance;
• the ability to get comments and advice from the teacher quickly and ask questions at any time.

How to choose a tutoring platform

Choosing the right software is an important task for a language teacher, because it affects how effective and convenient distance learning is. Here are the steps.

1. Define your needs and conditions of use. Given the large number of online tutoring platforms, you need a clear idea of which LMS features you need and how it will help you achieve the results you want. It is important to understand who exactly you are going to teach (students’ age, level, technical capabilities and so on), how many students you will have and which study programs you will need.

2. Define your requirements for the system. The list of requirements should be as detailed as possible to narrow down your search for an online platform considerably. These requirements can be divided into categories:

• functional: the necessary tools for organizing English teaching, communicating with students and so on. Some online platforms offer extra features: gamification, task templates, ready-made exercises and even programs, and much more. Do not forget to consider your current number of students and your plans for growth and more groups and lessons;
• technical: choose a language platform with an intuitive interface that is easy for you. It is important that you can quickly master the main features without extra effort and explain to your students how to use the system. Make sure the tutoring platform you choose is compatible with your work device and supports different devices and browsers. Also make sure it provides proper security and protection of students’ and the tutor’s personal data and has technical support;
• budget: platforms for English tutors have different payment models and plans. Make sure your choice fits your budget.

3. Read reviews and recommendations: find out the impressions and feedback of other English tutors who already use the system you have chosen. This will give you real feedback on its advantages and disadvantages.

Overall, this choice is an individual process, and the best option will depend on your unique needs and priorities.

The variety of online tutoring platforms lets both an individual English teacher and a school find the best option

Comparing platforms for English tutors

As we noted above, platforms for teachers have their own features and differ in tools and capabilities. Let’s look at the main features and some advantages of different online services that offer a wide range of capabilities for English teachers.

Platform	Features	Advantages
Google Classroom	upload your own photos, videos and text content to the platform create English tasks group your notes, documents and textbooks monitor task completion and grading leave comments tools for communicating with students	free platform convenient and simple interface basic functionality offline access to information
TalkEn.Cloud	create lists of groups and students monitor performance and attendance add your own materials and homework a library of interactive materials create and manage the schedule working time management feedback for students teaching with the flipped classroom approach	flexible, extended platform features ready-made study plans and interactive textbooks for all levels ready-made tests with automatic checking online homework checked automatically on the platform everything students need in one place: schedule, textbook, homework, teacher’s comments and more
SkillzRun	create any number of courses microlearning and microteaching create schedules and tasks add your own materials	free for 60 days option to create a learning app practice task templates and gamification automatic student notifications and push notifications monetization
Moodle	create text, audio and video content monitor performance and attendance leave feedback create and check tasks collaborative learning	flexible platform integration with external software a pedagogical approach to teaching English customizable layout multilingual
Edmodo	create your own library and different forms of student assessment manage communication with students, colleagues and parents online grade book add your own materials create a calendar of activities and events track learning results	free platform simple registration professional development for English tutors

Features of the TalkEn.Cloud platform for English tutors

Let’s look at how such platforms work using TalkEn.Cloud for English tutors as an example. You do not need special skills, technical education, special equipment or specific programs to use it. To start, you need a convenient device and a stable internet connection.

The online tutoring platform combines an LMS, its own library of interactive language textbooks and professional development for tutors. An English teacher can use their own materials or the digital textbooks offered. Below we look at the platform’s capabilities and how they make a tutor’s life easier (video in Ukrainian).

First, a modern LMS simplifies teaching English and organizing everyday tasks, saving 20+ hours a week on routine work; second, it offers flexible functionality. You can set it up for your needs, for both remote and offline lessons. The platform’s capabilities:

• creating groups and study programs, student profiles and one-to-one lessons;
• adding your own learning materials and homework;
• creating and managing the schedule and monitoring performance and attendance;
• English testing;
• feedback for students.

With the online tutoring platform, students can follow their schedule, progress and attendance, and their progress on textbook tasks (the textbook and extra materials are also stored in the system), do homework exercises in the interactive textbook and get comments from their language teacher.

In addition to the basic features, this platform for English tutors has these special features:

• ready-made study plans (~2,000 lessons) and its own library of interactive textbooks (for English levels A1-B2, for schoolchildren, with tasks built on the flipped classroom approach);
• 180+ tests checked automatically by the system;
• online homework exercises the system checks without the teacher.

Tutors can use the full functionality of the online tutoring platform or only the LMS. Prices depend on the number of students and the features chosen. There is a free 7-day demo access to try the LMS and the English textbooks.

Tips for English tutors on using an LMS

Online learning has become a challenge not only for students but also for English tutors. They face new tasks: organizing effective online learning, keeping in touch and interacting with students, managing their own time and so on. You always need to be ready for change and flexible. To work effectively with an online tutoring platform:

• review your teaching methods and extra theory and practice materials to make sure they meet modern requirements and opportunities;
• create a convenient system for informing students and parents about changes in learning, news and so on;
• learn to give students regular feedback, and parents too when needed;
• set up communication between students during lessons and outside them.

Modern platforms for English tutors not only simplify a teacher’s everyday work but can also help with professional development

How to use platforms for English tutors effectively

To make English teaching effective and comfortable for everyone involved, before lessons start you need to:

• explore the online tutoring platform yourself: get to know all its features and capabilities in detail, test different tools, set up your profile, try adding materials, tests and so on;
• create a structured course: make a clear program, schedule and task lists so that students can easily find their way around the platform and progress consistently in learning English;
• prepare your students: run an online training or create a short, clear guide to using the platform so that from day one students can use the system correctly without harming their progress.

Do not forget to monitor students’ progress. Set up the monitoring tools the language platform provides to understand where more help is needed and in which areas a student is succeeding. Also evaluate the effectiveness of the program you created as you go. Interaction and feedback from students, both during lessons and outside them, will help with this.

Use modern interactive language learning materials. Tutoring platforms usually let you use interactive materials, videos, tests and so on. Use these opportunities to make learning interesting and varied.

Training for English tutors

Whatever their experience, English tutors should keep improving their knowledge and approaches to teaching. Topical courses, trainings and master classes help with this. For example, one of the problems of working online and using tutoring platforms can be planning. How do you plan lessons so they are comfortable and effective for students? How do you find time to prepare materials, check homework and give feedback? The answer to these questions is good planning. A special course will help you create step-by-step plans from a single lesson to a school year, master various organizational formats, learn to set goals and deal with possible problems.

You can also improve your qualifications and learn about effective teaching techniques and modern resources and tools. If needed, take an introductory course on the English tutoring platform you have chosen. Keep your finger on the pulse, grow professionally and make your work more organized and effective.

Read also

• Websites for Online Tutors: Features, Pros and Cons
• 10 Reasons a Modern Tutor Needs an English Teaching Platform
• An LMS for Tutors and Language Schools: How to Save Time