THE TUTOR JUGGLE:
1 HOUR JUMPSTART TUTOR TRAINING
M.E. McWilliams
Academic Assistance and Resource Center Director
Stephen F. Austin State University
mmcwilliams@sfasu.edu
CHAT IT UP
What do you most want to
change about your tutor
training?
 What would perfect tutor
training look like?

KNOW WHAT YOU
DON’T WANT

2 DAYS PRESEMESTER
SERIES OF
CLASSES OR
MEETINGS
COST MONEY
(including snacks
and lunch)
COST MONEY
LOTS OF
ABSENCES
OFTEN
DECENTRALIZED
TIME INTENSIVE
DELAYS
KNOWLEDGE
COMPLETION

Conventional training
has equally negative
consequences.
Most disturbing is that
sometimes tutors begin
their work without
knowing everything
expected of them.
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
AND WHY
COMMON
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
CENTRALIZED
FOR ALL
PROGRAMS
UP-FRONT
TRAINING/
ALL POINTS
COVERED
NEW KIND OF
TRAINING
COSTEFFECTIVE
CONFERENCE
STYLE
DETERMINE WHO

Requirements in red are
talents. You cannot train
your presenter to
demonstrate these
qualities.
KNOWLEDGEABLE
DYNAMIC
PRESENTER
INTERACTIVE
SPONTANEOUS
DETERMINE WHEN
The day
before
classes
begin or
Friday if
classes
begin on a
Monday—
Every
semester.
Be ready for
these
excuses:
Still on
vacation
Required
sorority
meeting
SET A CONFERENCE-STYLE AGENDA
DETERMINE LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR
TUTORS
What should a tutor be able to do
because of your training?




The tutor will create responsive, supportive
interpersonal communication.
The tutor will motivate the student to engage in learning.
The tutor will facilitate interactive learning.
The tutor will suggest or model specific ideas for
WELCOME
MOTIVATE
INVOLVE
the client to better prepare for assignments and tests.
LEARNING
STRATEGIES
CHAT IT UP
What are some other
possible learning outcomes
for your tutors?
 Which learning outcomes are
most important to you?

WEIGHT THEM
Spend more time on the
domains that:
the tutors say are the
hardest to do
 the staff observers and
clients rate the lowest

MOTIVATE
WELCOME
INVOLVE
Examples of assessment tools to retrieve the
feedback to determine the above are
discussed at end of slideshow.
Our
lowest
scores!
The
hardest
to do!
LEARNING
STRATEGIES
“UNSEQUENCE THEM”=JUGGLE
A general sequence does
exist:
1. Welcome: Before they
can learn they must feel
comfortable and happy
2. Motivate: Before they will
engage in learning, they
have to have a good reason
to do so.
3. Involve: This is the bulk
of the tutoring session.
4. Learning Strategies: At
the end of the session, give
them a “take away”—a
learning strategy they can
employ at home.
But. . .
INVOLVE
MOTIVATE
LEARNING
STRATEGIES
WELCOME
the truth is that all
four of these
objectives are to be
deployed at any
appropriate moment
throughout the
session. The tutor is in
effect JUGGLING all
these balls throughout
the session.
RESEARCH AND WRITE SCRIPT LINES:
INTERPERSONALCOMMUNICATION
WHAT TO SAY (OR DO):
WOO HOO WELCOME
WHY SAY IT

Hello!
Smile and handshake
Use names
Feeling good tends to “enhance the
ability to think flexibly and with more
complexity, thus making it easier to find
solutions to problems” (Jensen, 1996,p.
85)
WELCOME

Maslow’s Hierarchy,1943; Hunley & Shaller, 2009, p.26
RESEARCH AND WRITE SCRIPT LINES:
INTERPERSONALCOMMUNICATION
WHY SAY IT:
WHAT TO SAY:

SELL YOUR BUCKET OF
CHICKEN
If I learned this stuff, you can too!
This is really neat stuff!
This is stuff you can use!


MOTIVATE

Unless the student believes he can do
something, the student will not engage in that
something. Be a coping model and testify to
the client that the ordinary student (like you)
can successfully the master the material.
(Schunk, Pintrich, & Meece, 2007)
Until students see the correlation between their
lives and that of the subjects they study, the
information “might as well be about Mars . . .”
(Dewey, 1916, p. 342)
“When the client sees that the information is of
personal use to him, he is likely to determine to
study hard on his own, without being forced.”
(Ryan and Deci, 2000, p. 68)
Dewey (1916) noted that one can learn all the
parts of the flower but regrettably overlook
the wonder of the flower as a whole.
RESEARCH AND WRITE SCRIPT LINES:
INTERACTIVE LEARNING
WHY SAY IT:
WHAT TO SAY:

FIND THE FALSE
LIGHT BULB
Why?
Tell me more about that.
Explain that back and I’ll
see what I’ve forgotten.
Can you give an
example?



INVOLVE

ALLOW 7 SECONDS
THINK TIME
The one doing all the work, is the one doing all
the learning! (Wong & Wong)
Only by WRESTLING with the conditions of the
problem at first hand, seeking and finding his
own way out, does he [the student] think.
(Dewey, 1916, p.159-160).
Students can often provide correct answers,
repeat definitions, and apply formulae while
yet not understanding those questions,
definitions, and formulae (Pintrich, 1995).
Identify the “illusion of comprehension”
(Druckman & Bjork in Svinicki, 2004, p. 117)
(loosely related to MacDonald’s fake light bulb,
1994)
The development of effective study skills
depends crucially on the learner being able to
assess what they know and do not know
(National Center for Education).
RESEARCH AND WRITE SCRIPT LINES:
LEARNING STRATEGIES
WHY SAY IT:
WHAT TO SAY:

GET ON YOUR
BIKE
Practice!
•Review notes in 24 hours!
•Ask your prof!
•Study mistakes!
•Pretend to teach it!
•Memorize with tricks!
•Don’t give up!


LEARNING
STRATEGIES



Don’t say, I’ll worry about it later. Worry Now!
(Pauk, 1974)
If you do nothing with new information—don’t
think about it, don’t read about it, for the first
24 hours--you will forget 50-70% of that new
information. Pashler, H. Et al. (2007).
Organizing Learning and Student to Improve
Student Learning.
INFORMATION NOT AN INSULT: Pintrich,
P.R.and Schunk, D.H. (1996). Motivation in
education.
If you can’t explain it to your grandma, you
don’t know it! Einstein
We remember 95% of what we teach to
others! Dale, E. (1960). Educational media.
Information sticks when it seems funny, pleasant,
or familiar. Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why
don't students like school?
CHAT IT UP
What else might tutors do to
implement learning
strategies into a session?
 Why might “learning
strategies” be a better term
to use than “study
strategies”?

DEFINE OVER-ARCHING THEME:
SELF-EFFICACY
The most
important goal
for tutoring—the
one that rings all
the bells—is to
go beyond
merely saying to
the client, You
can do it!
Instead, find that
moment when
you can say to
the client, You
ARE doing it!
INVOLVE
MOTIVATE
LEARNING
STRATEGIES
WELCOME
PRESENT THE BIG PICTURE:
THE TUTOR JUGGLE
SELL YOUR BUCKET OF
CHICKEN
If I learned this stuff, you can
too!
This is really neat stuff!
This is stuff you can use!
Ryan and Deci, Wigfield &
Eccles, Bandura
FIND THE FALSE LIGHT BULB
INVOLVE
MOTIVATE
Our
lowest
scores!
Why?
Tell me more about that.
Explain that back and I’ll see what I’ve
forgotten.
Can you give an example?
ALLOW 7 SECONDS THINK TIME
Druckman & Bjork in Svinicki, MacDonald
WOO HOO WELCOME
Hello!
Smile and handshake
Use name
Jensen, Maslow
sfasu.edu/aarc
The
hardest
to do!
WELCOME
LEARNING
STRATEGIES
GET ON YOUR BIKE
Practice!
•Review notes in 24 hours!
•Ask your prof!
•Study mistakes!
•Pretend to teach it!
•Memorize with tricks!
•Don’t give up!
Smilkstein, Krug, NSSE, Pintrich
BUILD
MASTER TUTOR JEOPARDY
http://library.sfasu.edu/aarc/tutor-resources/
RAMP UP THE PRESENTATION
MODEL THE DOMAINS:
WELCOME
MOTIVATE
INVOLVE
LEARNING
STRATEGIES
Door Greetings and Intros
names
applause for uncertified
Tutor testimonies
Show and Tell
Stinky Cheese
Master Tutor Jeopardy
Nametag Review
WATCH THE CLOCK:


Be selective about the research. Don’t
bore them with everything you know.
Make choices and they will remember
something. Say it all and they
remember how long you spoke.
Knowing the names of learning
theories is not important. Prepare them
to be practitioners not theorists.
CHAT IT UP
What would the presenter
most fear about taking on
this responsibility?
 What would happen if you
used multi-presenters?

REINFORCE WITH OBSERVATIONS
REINFORCE WITH SURVEYS
ASSESS TRAINING
TUTOR TALK
FIND ANSWERS TO YOUR OBSTACLES
OBSTACLES
Payroll
Refreshments
Time to prepare
Alternate training
Stellar Presenter
ANSWERS
Tight agenda
Cake and punch=$150 for
130
Summer reading
Self-studies for absentees
Presenter options beyond
director
MAKE FOLLOW-UP NOTES
FIRST TIME
Greeters not directional
PD with no follow through
Presenter talked too much
SECOND TIME
Better training for greeters
Addition of script lines
Explicit expectations of PDs
Tutor testimonies
TAKE ACTION!
RESOURCES
Interpersonal Communication
 James, S. D. (2011). College freshmen: Students are stressed and depressed.
Retrieved from: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/depressed-collegefreshmen-rise-report-concludes/story?id=12784100
 Jensen, E. (1996). Brain-based learning.
 Kassorla, I. (1985). Go for it! [Audio Recording]. New York: Time Warner
Paperbacks.
 Maslow, A. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review,
50(4), 370-96.
 Mehrabian, A.& Ferris, S. (1967). Inference of attitudes from nonverbal
communication in two channels. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 31, 248252.
 Fisher, R. & Ury, W. (1983). Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without
giving in. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
RESOURCES
MOTIVATION

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman.

Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. New York, NY:
MacMillan

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social
development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.

Smilkstein, R. (2003). We’re born to learn! Retrieved from:
http://books.google.com/books?id=6ZHELyI9XEIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=we're+born+to+learn+smilkst
ein&source=bl&ots=IpZ2t_Oy6&sig=5nNUlgYq4hDw63DF6jW6RsBrrqM&hl=en&ei=IFx2TeeTBIzogQfV07XPBQ&sa=X&oi=book_
result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Schunk, D. H., Pintrich, P. R., & Meece, J. L. (2007). Motivation in education: Theory, research, and applications.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary
Educational Psychology, 25, 68-81
RESOURCES
INTERACTIVE LEARNING
 Arum, R. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college
campuses. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
 Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education: An introduction to the
philosophy of education.
 Dzubak, C.M. The cognition gap: Sufficient skills for high school but
not sufficient for college. Synergy. Retrieved from:
http://www.myatp.org/Synergy_1/Syn_12.pdf
 MacDonald, R. (1994). The Master tutor. New York: Cambridge
Stratford Study Skills Institute.
 Pintrich, P. (1995). Understanding self-regulated learning: New
Directions for Teaching and Learning
RESOURCES
LEARNING STRATEGIES

Ames, C. (1992). Classroom: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 261-271.

Cepeda, N. (2009). Optimizing Distributed Practice. Experimental Psychology 2009; Vol. 56(4):xxx–xxx. pp. 1-11.

Dale, E. (1960). Educational media.

Krug, D. Davis, T.B. & Glover, J.A. (1990). Massed versus distributed repeated reading: A case of forgetting helping recall? Journal of educational psychology, 82
(2), 366-371.

Jaschik, S. Inside Higher Ed. Jan. 31, 2011. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/31/colleges_try_to_use_metacognition_to_improve_student_learning

Leamnson, R..(2002). Learning: Your first job. Retrieved from http://www.udel.edu/CIS/106/iaydin/07F/misc/firstJob.pdf

Nissen, T. (1970). Learning and pedagogy. Copenhagan: Munksgaard.

Pauk, W. (1974). How to study in college. Boston:, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Pashler, H. Et al. (2007). Organizing Learning and Student to Improve Student Learning. Retrieved from:
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/20072004.pdf

Pintrich, P.R.and Schunk, D.H. (1996). Motivation in education: Theory, research, and applications (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill-Prentice Hall.

Pintrich, P. (1995). Understanding self-regulated learning: New directions for teaching and learning. New York: Jossey-bass.

Smilkstein, R. (2002). We’re born to learn. New York: Corwin Publishers.

Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why don't students like school?: a cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for your classroom. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Chapter 4.
THE TUTOR JUGGLE:
1 HOUR JUMPSTART TUTOR TRAINING
THANK YOU!
M.E. McWilliams
Academic Assistance and Resource Center Director
Stephen F. Austin State University
mmcwilliams@sfasu.edu