While a few kids are blessed with picking up reading quickly, most will struggle a while, especially in the early years. It is at this stage that they need the most support and encouragement.

Reading shouldn’t be a painful and serious process to learn how to read.  However, for parents making reading fun can be challenging and hiring a tutor can be expensive, especially if improvements don’t occur quickly. This is why in this article we take a look at how to make reading fun and tutoring affordable for all.

How much is a reading tutor?

Are you wondering how much a reading tutor could cost? Reading tutoring doesn’t come cheap when hiring a one-to-one tutor. The average rate is between $30 and $80 per hour. If you are trying to get in at least 3-4 hours a week, that adds up to a considerable expense quickly.

This can also become more expensive if the tutor is not honest and manipulates the situation. They could slow down progress, or provide inaccurate reports, in order to earn more and increase the amount of time they’re hired per week.

That said, a good tutor can work wonders, but comes at a price. Those that are experienced, good at their job, and apply the 7 reading strategies, will often be the highest-priced tutors (expect to pay $70 or more per hour).

What does a reading tutor do?

Those providing reading tutoring should at the very least provide the following:

• Reading level assessment
• Age and level appropriate materials
• A plan of action
• Feedback and reports
• Ongoing reassessment
• Fun activities

It is the reading tutor’s job to assess the child’s current level, and then create a plan of action to raise their reading level to the standard or above. However, it is also important that the student enjoys studying and gets constant feedback. If reading becomes a chore and mistakes aren’t corrected in non-judgemental ways, improvement will be slower.

With a wide range of websites and educational platforms dedicated to remote learning, reading tutors are in demand these days. There are lots of websites where one can seek for reading tutor jobs.

What are the 7 reading strategies?

This might vary a little by area and institution, but overall there is an agreed approach to tutoring reading with these strategies.

1. Comprehension Checking and Clarification – Being able to read words and sound out new words is the beginning of learning to read, but as reading levels progress, it is important to check that there is a real understanding of what has been read.
2. Making Connections – The book being read should be connected to already acquired knowledge, personal experience, and the world in general.
3. Visualizing – Get learners to visualize what is happening and the world described within the book.
4. Questioning – Ask questions about the book and get the learner to ask questions as well. Questions are a vital part of increasing understanding. 
5. Inferring – Help learners to understand that what is written, isn’t necessarily all that is being said. Teach them to ‘read between the line’, working out what they think is really happening or being communicated.
6. Fact-Finding – Determining what is fact and fiction is important. This applies to news and social media, and it is important that children can work out what is likely fiction or is real information (using various sources and considering who wrote the text and for what purpose).
7. Reviewing – Summarizing the book, explaining the story or events in their own words, whether written or spoken. Being able to explain something to others requires deeper thought and understanding.

The above strategies can be used by tutors and parents to not only check their understanding of a text but to make reading more interesting. Visualization is an important part of enjoying books, especially those that are fiction.

How to Get Quality Tutoring Affordably

As we mentioned at the beginning, tutors can be expensive. This is why we set up Readability, to offer parents the option of affordable reading tutoring, including a system that adapts to fit every student’s individual level.

Our AI reading tutoring system makes sure that learning is fun and appropriate for each child’s ability. Books can be read aloud first so that they can hear how sentences should be read. They can then follow the words with the AI and get feedback on their pronunciation.

Parents receive ongoing reports of reading activities completed, speed, accuracy, and improvements. This allows them to follow what is happening, assign activities or times, but monitor in a non-intrusive way.

This can be combined with a real-world tutor, or follow up activities with parents. However, by using our AI reading tutor, your child can get ongoing reading tutoring at an affordable price. Why not try it out and see the benefits for yourself?