What is Tutoring?
I. What is tutoring?
Tutoring is the process of getting students to become independent through questioning.
Tutoring should help students develop self-confidence and improve study skills. In
addition, it should provide students with an opportunity to express and test themselves
verbally, an opportunity sometimes unavailable or missed in an regular classroom
situation.
Tutoring is a well balanced question/information exchange in which both parties
participate and, therefore, both also benefit. Tutoring provides the practice and drill in
specific course material needed by the student, while giving the tutor valuable review
opportunities and the chance to develop and sharpen educational and communication
skills. Both tutor and student learn when good tutoring is going on.
II. Tutoring is not teaching
The mentor is often asked to do something she has never done before. The most
natural response is to call to mind a successful model and imitate. The classroom
teacher is usually the closest model available. However, there are important differences
between the role of the tutor and that of the classroom teacher. Tutoring is not
teaching. Approaches, relationships, and techniques are different.
The personal relationship between the mentor and the student differs substantially from
that of the teacher and student. The mentor works in very close proximity with her
student, usually on a one-to-one basis. The student may not be used to the close
contact and interchange which occurs during a tutoring session, and the mentor may
have to consciously strive to develop a good rapport with the student within this
environment.
III. Creating the positive environment
Especially crucial in establishing rapport and maintaining a productive atmosphere is
the mentor’s use of reinforcement. Students need encouragement and verbal reward at
times. When a student has shown a good grasp of a technique or procedure, don’t
simply say, “O.K., it looks like you know that. Let’s move on to _____________.” Try to
give the student credit for what she has accomplished. “That was really well done, “ or
“You’re catching on beautifully,” doesn’t take long to say, but it makes quite a difference
to a student who has been concentrating primarily on what she didn’t know.
Reinforcement is a valuable tutoring tool and can produce surprising results when used
effectively. On the other hand, praise which is automatic, unearned, or overdone will be
counterproductive.
As the student is often accustomed to distance (both physical and psychological) in her
classes, the mentor should be conscious of the mannerisms which may tend to keep
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her apart from the student. For example, a mentor who consistently chooses to sit
across the table from her student and never sit next to the student is maintaining
distance. Occasionally this will be highlighted by the fact that materials (notebook,
worksheet, problem sets) are being passed back and forth, when both could be viewing
the material simultaneously (and probably understanding each other more easily). The
mentor should be aware of maintaining eye contact with her student(s). The mentor
must also be careful not to “close herself” to her student by turning away or positioning
herself apart from the student.
The relationship between mentor and student is often reflected in, and consequently
also affects, the techniques of the mentor. A mentor who never sits down during a
session, but rather remains standing at a blackboard is also telling the student that,
while a tutoring room may be smaller than a classroom, nothing else has changed.
Having adopted the physical posture of a teacher, the tutor will inevitably find herself
drifting more and more away from tutoring and into teaching. The student, also used to
playing a role, may likewise drift away from a responsive and productive attitude into a
passive, listening role.
IV. The do’s and don’ts of good mentoring
It is very difficult and would be misleading to try to specify exactly what a mentor should
do to help her students learn or what techniques the tutor should employ. Strategies
will vary widely depending on the tutor’s own strengths, the individual student, and the
subject being studied. It might be helpful to mention some “do’s and don’ts” connected
with tutoring.
The Don’ts
Don’t just duplicate what the teacher is doing. In most instances this means don’t
lecture. This does not mean, however, that you cannot briefly explain more thoroughly
concepts covered in class. You may also be aware that certain things covered in class
are either crucial to the student understanding later or are heavily stressed on exams.
Some extra explanation may be warranted here. Be aware that it is important not to
structure an explanation or review as a one-sided operation. Even when explaining a
procedure or problem to a student, intelligent use of questioning, requiring some logical
steps or data from the student, makes it much more effective than just telling her
something. When the student contributes to the explanation process, she feels better
about her ability and will also retain the material more effectively. Another advantage of
requiring some production from the student is that is reveals exactly where her lack of
understanding lies.
The Do’s
Tutoring should involve trying to help the student develop study skills needed to survive
and perform at a satisfactory level. This may mean the rebuilding or creation of
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studying and test taking techniques. One of the mentor’s first concerns should be the
assessment of her student’s study techniques and the improvement of them.
A crucial factor to keep in mind when tutoring is the value of balance between your
questions and the performance or effort of the student during the session. It is very
important that the student be compelled to give explanations, work problems, or practice
what she has learned. The mentor should not have a pen or pencil in hand when
tutoring. The student should be doing all the writing. Havving the student perform after
you have had a discussion about how to proceed serves several purposes:
1.
It reveals any weaknesses or misconceptions which may remain.
2.
It proves that the student has paid attention and understood your explanation.
3.
It provides the student with immediate reinforcement of the newly learned
material or provides valuable practice while procedures are fresh in his mind.
V. Goals for mentors
These are some goals that every mentor should strive to fulfill:
1.
Empower your students to be self-sufficient. Help them develop a more positive
awareness of their own ability to learn.
2.
Make students aware of different approaches to solving problems.
3.
Use the student’s own experiences and skills in the tutoring sessions so they
recognize their role in the process.
4.
Show the student how to effectively use their texts as a resource for learning.
5.
Encourage the students to work in groups with fellow students. When they see
their classmates as resources for learning, they will soon be able to view
themselves as resources for learning.
6.
Help students develop language and communication skills necessary for
learning.
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