How to run an online tutoring session: a practical 60-minute plan

A good online tutoring session is not an hour of screen sharing. The student needs to see the material, but they also need a place to write, point to a problem and attempt the work themselves. A simple session combines five parts: a goal, a short diagnostic, one worked example, student practice and a recap.

Before the session: prepare a starting point, not a finished lecture

Place the topic, one opening task and an empty recap area on the board. If you are using a worksheet, add only the pages needed for this session. Keep the completed solution out of view. Space for the student's reasoning is more valuable than a perfectly arranged presentation.

Open the invitation link in a private browser window before sending it. This lets you test the student's actual route: joining without an account, entering a name and confirming that they can write on the board.

A 60-minute online tutoring plan

Minutes 0–5: agree on the outcome

Start with one concrete result rather than a broad topic. The goal might be understanding a method, correcting a recurring error or solving one type of problem independently. Write it on the board so both people can revisit it before the session ends.

Minutes 5–15: run a short diagnostic

Show a small example or return to an error from the previous lesson. Ask the student to identify the next step, mark the relevant information or explain a concept in their own words. This is not a test. It tells you where the explanation should begin.

Minutes 15–35: solve one example together

Keep the steps beside the source task. Separate the given information, sketch, formula and calculation instead of producing one long column. In math or physics, it can be useful to leave an incorrect approach visible and explain why it fails. The board then preserves the reasoning, not only the final answer.

Minutes 35–50: let the student take over

Add a similar but not identical problem and give the student room to work. Avoid correcting every movement immediately. Mark the point where the reasoning begins to diverge and ask them to justify the next step. A shared board is most useful when it contains work from both people.

Minutes 50–57: check one thing

One control question is usually enough. Ask the student to choose the right formula, spot an error or explain a concept briefly. Keep the quiz or flashcard next to the material it refers to, instead of opening another app or sending another chat link.

Minutes 57–60: leave a useful trail

Write down three things: what the student can now do, what they should revisit and where the next session will start. This is more useful than a broad note such as “revise the chapter”. With a persistent board, the next lesson can begin exactly where the previous one ended.

Common online tutoring mistakes

• Screen sharing only: the student watches but has no natural place for their own attempt.
• Too many tools: the call, PDF, notes and quiz live in separate tabs with no shared context.
• A board completed in advance: finished material leaves too little room for diagnosis and student reasoning.
• No recap: a week later, both people have to reconstruct the important points from memory.

The minimum technical setup

Most one-to-one lessons need audio or video, a browser-based shared board and a stable way to return to the material. A tablet and stylus make handwriting easier, but they are not required for text, PDF annotation, keyboard-entered formulas or function graphs.

In Lucyboard, a student can join from a link without creating an account. See the detailed tutoring workflow or browse real views of the education tools.