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Become a better tutor · Module 2: The first lesson

The first five minutes of a first lesson

The first five minutes decide whether a student leans in or switches off. Have a plan for them.

Written by the Brainhub Editorial Team Cites published research Updated 13 Oct 2026 5 min read

The course unlocks one lesson at a time. You can read this now, but it only counts once you’ve finished Tutor, not teacher.

Key takeaways

1. Why the opening matters

A large review of studies on teacher–student relationships found that warm, positive relationships were linked to higher engagement and higher achievement, and negative ones to lower. The relationship is not a nice extra. It is part of how learning happens.[1]

A first lesson is also often the trial lesson, when the family is deciding whether the match is right. The student is asking one question: is this going to be awful? Your first five minutes answer it.

2. A five-minute plan

Minute
What you do
Why
0–1
Greet them by name, smile, check they can see and hear you
Signals warmth and competence
1–2
Ask one question about them that isn’t school
Shows you see a person, not a grade
2–3
Ask what they want from tutoring, in their words
Gives them ownership
3–4
Say how lessons will run: a quick quiz, new work, practice, a recap
Removes uncertainty
4–5
A short, winnable question on something they know
An early success lowers anxiety

3. The quick win

Rosenshine’s principles of instruction, drawn from classroom research, recommend starting lessons with a short review and aiming for a high success rate during practice. Students who succeed early keep trying.[2]

Choose the first question to be just within reach. If it turns out too easy, you have learned something. If it’s too hard, you have lost the room. Err on the side of success.

Confidence first, challenge second. Then keep raising the bar.

4. What to avoid

Long introductions about yourself. Jumping straight to their weakest topic. Asking “Do you understand?” (almost everyone says yes). Correcting every small mistake in the first ten minutes. All of these tell a nervous student this will be hard and uncomfortable.

Try this: Write your five-minute opening on a sticky note and keep it beside your screen for the next three first lessons.

Try it now

Test yourself on this page

Answer in your head first, then check.

  1. 1. What did the review of teacher–student relationships find?

  2. 2. Why should the first question be easy?

Your next steps

  • Write your own five-minute opening.
  • Prepare three “quick win” questions for each level you teach.
  • Stop asking “Do you understand?” and ask them to show you instead.

Finished this lesson?

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Sources

  1. Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., Spilt, J. L. and Oort, F. J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher–student relationships on students’ school engagement and achievement: a meta-analytic approach. Review of Educational Research, 81(4), 493–529. doi:10.3102/0034654311421793
  2. Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction: research-based strategies that all teachers should know. American Educator, 36(1), 12–19, 39. aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Rosenshine.pdf

This lesson is general professional guidance for tutors. Always follow Brainhub’s safeguarding policy and use your own professional judgement.