How much should I be talking versus listening when tutoring?
Hi!
For context, I do a weekly(2 hours) volunteer position, where I give someone one-on-one tutoring in English. They're Chinese and know English pretty well. I don't know any Mandarin, and they can tell me stories in English and understand most of what I say.
They're in an ESL class at a local community college, and are self studying so they get a lot of practice in, and when they come into our tutoring, they do most of the talking. I'd say about 70% them talking, and 30% me teaching, correcting them, or showing them new vocabulary. They're very extroverted and tell me a lot of stories about coming to USA, learning English, stories from China, politics, etc.
I prepare things to practice, but we don't get to most of it, because of how talkative they are. I don't think they get much practice speaking English outside of our tutoring, so if this is good for their learning and development I don't mind. That being said this is my first time tutoring someone and I'm a little non-confrontational of a personality.
Let me know your thoughts! I would love feedback on this!
Posted Dec 7, 2025, 4:57 AM UTC