You’re trying to align with a new Cambly Pro student on their English goals and all they tell you is ‘I want to improve speaking’, ‘I want conversation’ or even just ‘I want to talk.’ In response, you use the Kickoff conversation to ask more questions and come up with a learning plan, but they’re not really offering much further detail. Now you feel concerned. As a Pro tutor how do you provide structure when the student isn’t giving you anything to work with?
At this point, we as tutors might think the student is content with something casual and in doing so may end up providing an experience that is a bit more relaxed than what a Pro student might be expecting. On the other hand, there’s a similar risk when using tactics that might be a little too rigorous for a student whose primary focus is on their speaking output.
How do you find a balance when a student wants to take it a bit more casually but you want to provide more? Let’s look at ways in which tutors can bring the Pro experience to every class, even when students don’t seem to have a clear idea of their learning priorities apart from ‘conversation’ or ‘speaking’.
Error Correction
One of the challenges in conversation-based classes is finding a balance between maintaining fluency and offering helpful correction. Pro students want to be guided and corrected, but how and when you do it matters. Here are some strategies that can help you provide value without disrupting the flow of conversation:
1. Recasting (Natural Correction)
This is one of the smoothest ways to correct errors without interrupting the conversation. Simply repeat what the student said, but with the correct form:
Student: He go to the office every day.
Tutor: Ah, he goes to the office every day, got it.
This method is gentle and often goes unnoticed, but over time helps reinforce correct structures.
2. Explicit Correction
Sometimes it’s helpful to stop and directly point out the error, especially if it’s a recurring, and/or important, mistake:
Tutor: Actually, we say “I’ve been to France,” not “I’ve went.” “Went” is the past of “go,” but “been” is used with the present perfect.
You can soften this with tone and by showing encouragement:
Tutor: That’s a super common mistake, even native speakers get it wrong sometimes!
3. Focused Review After the Error
If the conversation is flowing well, note the error and return to it later in the session:
Tutor: Earlier you said “I enjoy to swim.” Just to review: we say “I enjoy swimming.” Let’s practice that structure a bit.
This approach lets you maintain the rhythm of the conversation while still offering meaningful instruction.
4. Clarification Requests
Ask the student to explain or clarify something they said, which gives you a chance to guide them toward self-correction:
Tutor: Sorry, could you repeat that? Did you mean “he go” or “he goes” to the office?
This puts the responsibility back on the learner and encourages more active thinking about grammar and usage.
5. Elicitation
Instead of giving the correct answer right away, try prompting the student to find it themselves:
Tutor: You said “She don’t like it.” What’s the correct form of “do” for “she”?
This method fosters deeper learning by helping students become aware of their own errors.
💡Pro Tip: Using the chat box to type out corrections can be incredibly helpful, especially for visual learners. It also lets students review corrections after class. You can do this silently during the conversation or pause briefly to type and explain. We highly recommend all Pro tutors to record corrections and learning content in the chatbox.
In short, you don’t need to wait for permission to correct and guide students. Students on Cambly Pro are paying for your tutoring expertise, as well as your encouragement and support. If you offer correction with kindness and clarity, adapt your approach to each learner, and keep checking in on their goals and preferences, any “conversation”, regardless of whether materials are used or whether it is purely free talk, can be a rich learning experience!