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Tutor Training The following discussion is designed to give new and returning tutors a comprehensive overview of guidelines, concepts, strategies, and resources needed to be a tutor at the ARC. During this training session, you will review the ARC policies, approaches to setting up and conducting a tutoring session, strategies for group learning environments, a review of study skills, and suggestions for dealing with a variety of situations. When you finish reading the discussion, you should take the Tutor Training Assessment test. General Information about the ARC
Location and Hours
The Academic Resource Center is located in Charles Dana Hall, rooms 246-248. We are open 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The phone number is 203-576-4290 (x 4290 from campus). The ARC consists of the main tutoring room (247) and the computer writing lab (248). We sometimes get phone calls requesting the mailing address. For mailing purposes, the address is University of Bridgeport, Academic Resource Center, Bridgeport, CT 06604. The website link is www.bridgeport.edu/arc.
Rules/Protocols
The ARC strives to provide a supportive student environment, both for patrons and employees. Because of this, we provide flexible scheduling and always put tutoring duties before other assigned ARC duties. However, when not tutoring, you will be expected to do other ARC duties before personal items like studying for classes.
General Guidelines
Paperwork Daily Logs One important piece of paperwork used at the ARC is the Daily Log. This is a record of the students seen by each tutor each day. The log contains information including the student’s name and ID number, the student’s phone number, course information, and times. These are used to maintain statistics and need to be filled out accurately for each tutoring session. It is not a good idea to rely on memory (we forget), or the schedule (there are drop-ins and no-shows), or on the sign-in book (students forget to sign in). You will need to maintain a hard copy and an Excel spread sheet. The basic form will be emailed to you at the beginning of the semester, and it is each tutor’s responsibility to create a new entry for each week. The completed form should be placed in the mailbox, and the spreadsheet should be emailed to the statistician on the last day that you tutor for the week. Weekly schedules are kept in a three-ring binder at the front desk and are updated as needed. When taking an appointment, be sure to legibly write the student’s first and last name under the appropriate tutor’s name, provided the tutor is free. If a student requests a particular type of tutor, make sure the tutor you assign is cleared to tutor in that subject. Tutor’s subjects appear above his or her name. Appointments generally last one hour, but half-hour appointments can be made. Weekly appointments will appear in bold type and capital letters. If a student arranges to see you on a weekly basis, please not such on the sheet.
Computer Lab Feel free to make use of the computers in the writing lab for tutoring. Tutors may work with tutees on a variety of assignments, including brainstorming and drafting. All tutors may want to take advantage of the many Internet sources available. Be advised that this is NOT an open lab. Students may work in the lab only in conjunction with tutoring, or if they have permission from a tutor to work individually. There are no printing services. Furthermore, use the computer lab to help students set up an account with Etutoring. A tutor on duty should take care to make sure students do not come in randomly and use the lab. Tutors on duty at 6 pm are responsible for securing all ARC materials and are should make sure the doors are locked. Call security to have an officer close rooms 247 and 246. Take a moment to look around the main tutoring area to ascertain that no materials have been left out. Straighten the tables and chairs as well as the front desk. Make sure to shut down all computers. Wait until the officer arrives before leaving. Downtime Some days are than others, and you will not always have appointments. You are allowed to work on homework during slow times. You may also use the computers in the writing lab during slow times. However, your first duty is to the ARC and the students. You must make sure that you are aware of what’s going on. If you are the only one on duty, do not sit in the computer lab and leave the main tutoring room without a monitor. Maintaining the ARC Space We are all expected and required to maintain an appropriate physical appearance for the ARC. Part of taking pride in what we do includes taking pride in where we are. If you see things awry in the tutoring area, take a moment to straighten them. Also, do not contribute to the mess by leaving trash. Return textbooks to the book bin or to the bookcase and dispose of your trash appropriately. Food should not be brought into the computer lab, but is allowed in the main tutoring room. How To Be an Effective TutorGetting StartedExpectations
Know What is Expected of You as a Tutor
A tutor should know what your responsibilities and duties are as a tutor. Additionally, it’s important to understand what is expected of your tutee and what your tutee should expect from you. Discussing expectations at the beginning of the session can be helpful. To review expectations, tutors and tutees should know that:
YOU (Tutor)
THEM (Tutees)
Top of Page
Setting the Agenda
Setting Up Your Session
Monitoring the Session
The Final Summary
What If There's Really Not Enough Time?
Referring to Other Resources
Establishing the Right EnvironmentThe Basics
Everyone knows it is important to display good common sense when dealing with others, but you might be surprised by how easy it is to fall into some physical environmental traps when tutoring. If you keep the following topics in mind, you will overcome your first tutoring obstacle. Watch your step. Physical environmental hurdles are easily forgotten.
Where Should I Tutor?
What Should I Wear?
Choosing a Table
Personal Hygiene
What About Food and Drinks?
Greetings
Where Should I Tutor?
The main tutoring area is Room 247. If the area is full or if your tutee finds the surrounding activity too distracting, you might try the computer room—Room 246—and close the door.
If we continue to have access to Room 258, you may want to move your session in that room, especially if you are doing group tutoring where you and the tutees will have to talk loudly enough to be heard by the whole group.
Make sure to choose a table large enough to accommodate the activities you and your tutee(s) will be doing. Do you have room to spread out books, notes, and any other materials needed? Also, in an individual tutoring session, try to sit side-by-side with your tutee. This will make it easier to share materials, and it encourages interaction. If you are tutoring more than one person, be aware that you need to be accessible to all tutees. Occasionally, it will be necessary to transfer from one space to another based on the amount of room available and the number of tutees. If you anticipate a large number of tutees, you may want to schedule a separate room. Bear in mind that some tutoring sessions, especially brainstorming or research will be better performed in our computer room. Top of PageAlthough the ARC strives to provide flexible schedules that meet the demands of an average student, we ask that you plan eating times that do not interfere with when you are on duty. However, since that may not always be possible, please do not eat at the tutoring tables. Also, make sure that you clean up and dispose of trash appropriately after eating. Food and drink are not allowed at all in the computer room.
Greeting New Tutees Greeting Returning Tutees Sometimes students are resistant to tutoring either because the professor has sent them or because they feel intimidated. To get over this initial hurdle, you may need to spend some time getting the student to a point where he or she can be receptive. Allow a few brief moments to get to know each other. To do this, start out the session by telling the tutee a little about yourself-- major, hobbies, etc. After letting them know something about you, ask the tutee about him/herself. What is his/her major? Who is his/her instructor? What are his/her hobbies and likes/dislikes? This information can later be used in the session. Relate new material to material in which the student is already familiar. This will increase his/her rate of comprehension. For example, if the tutee likes horses, the tutor might relate a math problem to the furlongs on a racetrack. At this point in the tutoring process, it is very important to listen carefully to any questions and concerns your tutee may have. This will aid you in determining the focus of your tutoring session. Don’t assume you know what the tutee needs or wants. Ask. Once you’ve asked, listen to the answer. This is also a good time to take care of the paperwork part of your job. Make sure you get the student’s ID number and current phone contact at the beginning of the session. Write it legibly on the Daily Log. If the student does not know the ID number, confirm that the student is indeed a currently registered student. To do this and to get the current ID number, check with the director. Greeting Returning Tutees When a session starts, a few brief moments of general conversation should suffice to allow both the tutor and tutee to feel comfortable with each other and their expected roles. The emphasis is on the word brief. You need not discuss everything that has occurred since last you met. Setting Up Your Session
Remember the Clock Your next hurdle is remembering to keep your time limits in focus. Just as a runner steps into the blocks, runs the race, and kicks in that final sprint, so too will you need to set up your session at the beginning, continually monitor its progress, and wrap up your session with a final summary. The links below will give you some hints on how to implement these steps smoothly. Say you are scheduled to tutor in the ARC from noon to 1:30 PM. Since most sessions last around an hour, you think you have more than enough time for a walk-in student. But, since not all tutoring is appointment based, this can get a little sticky. What happens when your tutee has a couple of hours to spare and drops in the Center around 12:45 p.m.? He thinks he will be able to get a good two-hour session in. If there is no mention of time, he may be surprised, disappointed, and even frustrated when 1:30 PM rolls around and you announce that it's time for you to leave. To avoid this situation, you should always let your tutee know how much time you have remaining before you are off duty. This should be done at the start of each session. If the tutee would like to cover more than can be covered in the time allotted, the tutor should explain this up front. The tutor should then help the tutee prioritize these items so that the most important concerns are covered first. By doing this, there are no surprises, and expectations for the session are established ahead of time. Monitoring the Session
Once the schedule has been set, it is both the tutor and tutee's responsibility to keep this schedule on task and to alter it if necessary. If you feel that you are moving too fast, by all means, GO SLOWER. Your tutee should also have enough control of the session to guide its pace. Let's say you and a tutee decide to cover three concepts during your session. You find however, that the tutee needs to employ better note-taking skills in order to learn effectively. You will need to make the tutee aware of this obstacle and re-establish your schedule together, taking time to include note-taking as part of the session. Unlike an instructor who has to get through a certain amount of information, you have the liberty to cover sections based on the retention of information and the ability of the student to display comprehension. About 5-8 minutes before the end of your session, you should begin to wrap things up. Following are some guidelines to go by:
What If There's Really Not Enough Time?
You have 10 minutes before you are off duty and a tutee walks in ready and eager to get started. Should you rush ahead and try to cover as much as possible in that 10 minutes? Probably not. Doing so will only serve to get both of you excited and possibly frustrated. It is best to explain that most sessions take around 45 minutes to an hour. Give the student a schedule of your tutoring times and times for other tutors. (See Referring to other Resources below.) This is also a prime opportunity to refer tutees to other resources in the ARC. For example, if the tutee needs help with Quadratic Equations, refer him/her to the video tapes or math software. In 10 minutes, you should have more than enough time to set up the equipment or open the software and explain how it is used. Remember, you are not the only resource available to your tutees. During your first few weeks on duty, please spend your free time going through the available ARC services and materials available. The Ingredients of a Good Tutor Session
The following are some of the necessary ingredients for a good session:
Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with some strategies for setting up and conducting a tutoring session, you’ll learn about some effective techniques for dealing with various students and tutoring situations. Tutoring Techniques
The Actual Process
As well as having to overcome some logistical and physical hurdles, you and your tutee will also need some important basic information to have a successful tutoring session. In the tutoring field, this information will include an introduction to tutoring techniques, learning styles, and study strategies. The interchange between tutee and tutor plays a vital role in the dynamics of a session. Because of this, it is very important that the tutor uses appropriate and varied tutoring techniques. The following is a list of techniques that should be used. A common misconception of new tutors is that your tutee should ALWAYS feel comfortable. Sometimes, “comfortable” is not the best solution. For example--you have posed a question to your tutee. 8-10 seconds pass with no response. You start to feel awkward. Should you say something? Perhaps another question will spur a response.
Sometimes it is necessary to clarify and explain a topic if the tutor finds that a tutee has not been introduced to a key point (or piece of information) that is necessary to understand the concept. When doing this, make sure that you keep your explanations clear, minimal, and to the point. Lecture only when necessary. “What?” you say. “Why is this? My instructor lectures all the time.” Well, that's it exactly. You are not an instructor. It is important to keep in mind that you are there to provide opportunity—the opportunity for the tutee to find and use the available resources he/she has at his/her disposal. Sometimes this will mean you but, more often than not, this will mean the tutee's textbook, his/her lecture notes, his/her past tests, previous examples and so on. Make sure to provide the opportunity to use resources other than yourself.
Gauge Your Tutee's Comprehension. Along with this, it is very important to continuously gauge your tutee's level of comprehension. Don't assume knowledge. Let's say a tutor and tutee start a session. The tutee explains that he/she wants help with one question. The question asks the tutee to diagram a hyperbola. The tutor asks, “Where would you start?” Although this is a good question to evaluate whether or not the tutee knows the steps to apply in order to diagram the problem, a more appropriate question would have been, “Can you tell me what a hyperbola is?” Remember, don't assume knowledge. Start with the basics FIRST. Here are some ways to gauge your tutee's comprehension:
It is just as important (if not more important) for the tutor to guide the tutee in doing most of the explaining. This will reinforce learning for the tutee and help the tutor identify problem areas. Two of the key ingredients in guiding this successful interchange are: posing questions and active listening. Examples of questioning techniques follow:
The next key is to ACTUALLY LISTEN to your tutee's responses. This sounds easy, but it is harder than you may think. Listening is an acquired skill. In normal conversation, we don't really listen to others. We hear what they say but don't listen carefully enough to “read between the lines”. In order to be an effective tutor, you have to slow down and concentrate on what your tutee is saying. Is he/she grasping the concept? Can he/she explain it easily or does it take some effort? Is his/her body language saying anything? In order to get the answers to these and other questions, you must listen carefully and observe purposefully. For a visual learner, tactile learners, or for certain types of content fields like science, you may find that a drawing or diagram is the best way to convey information. It is much easier to understand a drawing of carbon dioxide than an explanation of carbon dioxide. Visual learners will need to see, usually on paper, what you are describing. For tactile learners, (those who learn by doing), have the tutee build the model or diagram himself/herself. The act of building the model will reinforce learning. Along with listening, it is very important to spur your tutee into giving a summary of what has been covered. If steps are involved in finding the solution, make sure that all steps are included (in the right order) by your tutee when summarizing. Try to encourage more than a parroting of the steps. Sometimes, having the tutee say the steps in his/her own words will decrease the tendency to parrot responses. If concepts are involved, have the tutee paraphrase the ideas in his/her own words. This simple summary will help you determine if you can move on to another topic or need to stay with the present one. If the summary is difficult for the tutee, stay where you are until he/she can repeat it with ease. Use the questioning technique to guide the tutee to the correct answer if he/she has gotten some of the steps out of order. Your tutees will need you to notice their successes as well as their mistakes. That's where reinforcements come in. When using reinforcements, make sure to reinforce improvement without over-exaggerating the student’s gain. The more specific you are about the gain, the better. Following are some examples of reinforcement:
Reinforcements help the tutee have a sense of accomplishment, provide a reward, and give tutees an incentive to do more. After all, you noticed!
A common misconception of new tutors is that your tutee should ALWAYS feel comfortable. Sometimes, “comfortable” is not the best solution. For example--you have posed a question to your tutee. 8-10 seconds pass with no response. You start to feel awkward. Should you say something? Perhaps another question will spur a response.
Another question or even a clarification might help, but sometimes, just being patient while waiting for a response will yield results. Because the tutor understands the information, he/she is much quicker in coming up with a response. Because of this, it is often difficult for a tutor to anticipate the amount of time a tutee needs to process the information. Take this into consideration when that uncomfortable silence sets in. Since this technique is often uncomfortable for both the tutor and tutee, it can be a difficult tool to implement. However, if used sparingly and appropriately, your tutee learns to think critically and becomes more independent.
It is false to assume that a good tutor always has many returning tutees waiting in line when the tutor comes on duty. If a tutee can only do his work with your help, what happens when you are no longer there to explain, in the classroom or taking exams? Aid the tutee in finding other resources and developing appropriate study strategies. With these tools, they can succeed academically without you. A tutor should be working his/her way out of a job. By allowing the tutee to have control of the process, you encourage independent learning and help the tutee gain confidence in their ability and an awareness of their learning styles. So how do you do this? Let the tutee have the pencil. Let the tutee look up the information in the book. Let the tutee draw the diagram. Give control back to the tutee. Let the tutee have control of the mouse/keyboard. Part of the learning process is frustrating. Part of the learning process is getting things incorrect. Part of the learning process is slow. If you are “showing” everything to your tutee, any successes you experience are yours only - not your tutees. Guide the direction of your tutees thinking. Don't do the thinking for them. The more independent they become, the better tutor you are.
Learning Styles Tell Me about Learning Styles The way a person prefers to learn is called his/her learning style. There is no right or wrong/good or bad learning style. It has nothing to do with intelligence or skills. It has everything to do with the way a person's brain works to learn and store information efficiently. Since everyone learns differently, understanding learning styles can help you become a better tutor. By examining learning styles, you will become aware of how each person's brain learns best. This awareness gives you and your tutees the chance to study effectively. There are many different types of learning styles. Sensory Learning Styles group people into three categories: Auditory (learn by hearing), Tactile (learn by doing), and Visual (learn by seeing or writing). To determine your learning style (or your tutee's learning style), take the Learning Style Inventory. The more you examine learning styles, the more you and your tutees will benefit from strategies geared toward their most proficient style. You can also use this information for modeling skills that your tutee can use independently. Learning Styles
Learning Styles are the manner in which people's brains learn and store information. Some people learn by seeing (Visual); some people learn by hearing (Auditory); some people learn by doing (Tactile/Kinesthetic). During childhood, each person advances through various stages of each style. However, each person is born with tendencies toward one main style. There is no right or wrong style. Each one has advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunately, most people have not had information presented in the style necessarily conducive to their learning. As you learn more about your preferred learning style, you can enhance your own learning and communication skills. You can also work to offset the disadvantages that your learning style may present. Once you have determined your learning style, follow the charts below or the links above for style characteristics and study tips. Characteristics of Auditory Learners
Remember what they hear. Talk while they write. Need phonics. May be a sophisticated speaker. Remember names, but forgets faces. Remember by listening, especially music. Distracted by noise. Games and pictures are annoying and distracting. Write lightly and not always legibly Often, information written down will have little meaning until it has also been heard. | ||||||||||||||
Study Tips for Auditory Learners
Explain the material you are trying to learn to a study partner. Read explanations out loud. Be sure to go over all important facts out loud. Make up songs to go along with subject matter. The crazier the better. Record lectures and review these tapes while you drive.
When learning new information, state the problem out loud. Reason through solutions out loud. Say words in syllables.
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Make up and repeat rhymes to remember facts, dates, names, etc. Find audio tapes that review the information you are trying to learn. Join or create a study group, or get a study partner. To learn a sequence of steps, write them out in sentence form, then read them out loud. Use mnemonics and word links. Use the MM Study Skills CD-ROM in the LRC to increase your study skills.
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Remember what was done, not what was seen or talked about. Don't hear things well. Touch and movement are important. Not avid readers. Attack things physically (fight, hit, pound). Learn by imitation and practice. Touches things to get a sense of them. May have had or are having difficulty learning to read. Love games. Impulsive. May appear slow if information is not presented in their style. Likes to dress comfortably. May unconsciously touch people a lot.
(actively doing)
30% of learners
Study Tips for Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners
- Learning Style Inventories
- Learning Styles from Harding University
- Learning Styles from Middle Tennessee State University
Study Strategies
Often, along with knowing little about their learning style, tutees know little about study strategies. Some students are aware that they lack skills in this area, but they are not sure how to “fix” what is wrong. Following is a compilation of various study skills that should be employed by your tutees. This page is by no means a complete study skills resource. You may find that you need more information on study strategies once tutoring is underway. If this is the case, please ask an ARC staff for alternate study strategy resources.
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Time Management
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Listening Skills
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Note-Taking
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Textbook Marking
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Test-Taking
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Memory and Concentration
Time Management
Here are some other links if your student is having time management problems:
Procrastination and Time Management
Listening Skills
The one skill you'll use most in college is the skill to listen. Yet how many of us have ever taken a “course” in listening? There are strategies to consider that can improve your ability to “hear” a lecture and interact with communicated instructional material.
Which activity involves the most amount of listening? Students spend 20 percent of all school related hours just listening. If television watching and one-half of conversations are included, students spend approximately 50 percent of their waking hours just listening. For those hours spent in the classroom, the amount of listening time can be almost 100 percent. Look at your own activities, especially those related to college. Are most of your activities focused around listening, especially in the classroom? (Source: U of Washington website)
Modern research has revealed that although we spend a large percentage of our time listening; only a small amount of what we have heard actually registers in our brain. The development of active listening skills has become an increasingly recognized part of study and communication skills. Encourage tutees to strengthen listening skills.
Triple A Listening
- Maintain a constructive Attitude
- Strive to pay Attention
- Cultivate a capacity for Adjustment
Although some speakers clearly indicate what they intend to cover in their lectures, students need to be flexible enough to follow a lecture regardless of the direction it may take. If, however, you are thoroughly lost, or if the speaker's message is not coming across and you need to ask a clarifying question, do so.
Strategies for Active Listening:
Assume a posture of involvement. Sit up straight; avoid slouching. Face the speaker, and position yourself close to the speaker. Maintain eye contact, and nod your head to show the speaker that you understand. Ask questions for clarification.
Critical Listening
- Questioning and challenging (from a position of goodwill and mutual goals)
- Recognizing differences (e.g. between facts and opinions)
- Forming opinions and supporting claims (determining what you think and why)
- Putting ideas into a broader context (avoiding tunnel vision and bias)
- Reviewing and preview as you listen
- Anticipating where the speaker is going next, how the argument will be developed and what issues have been and/or should be covered.
- Mapping as you listen: determining the thesis or purpose, identifying the main points, assessing the adequacy of the main points
Listening Skills
Note-Taking
Your tutees may give several reasons for why they don't take notes. Perhaps their instructor talks too fast or lectures directly from the book. Don't accept these excuses. The advantages of taking notes always outweigh the disadvantages.