Beane - Diagramming

This week I worked with a walk-in student on a research paper that he was trying to complete.  He didn't mind letting me know that his paper was due the next day, so he was pushed for time.  He said that he just needed help getting started. The first thing I did was tell him not to begin writing until he had planned -- that is where the diagrams come in.  We thought about what a paper required (intro, body paragraphs, conclusion) and then we reread the assignment together to make sure that his understanding was correct.

Once the prompt was clear, we began planning.  First comes the introduction where we discussed the parts of the introduction and his responsibility as the writer.  He had to make sure that his reader would know what he was going to write about (thesis) and how he was going to answer his questions (supporting details).  Once we had laid out his introduction he felt that the rest was pretty self-explanatory, yet I made him continue his planning.  We discussed what his support for his thesis would be and how he would answer his thesis completely.  Next we talked about conclusions, and what a strong conclusion consists of.  Before we finished he had his entire essay planned... he had a diagram of what he was going to write.

This isn't a diagram that you may think of when you consider diagramming, but planning an essay frequently does require a visual diagram for students.  By asking certain questions and helping them see the process of writing (breaking down the prompt, planning, writing, editing, revising) they are creating a flowchart of sorts.  There is a method to writing. Everyone may approach writing a little differently and the product may not look the same, but the process will always be there. It wouldn't hurt my tutee to have more practice with the writing process, but breaking down his writing really helped him to see where he was going.  It will also (hopefully) result in a final product that doesn't sound like it was thrown together the night before it was due.

Jaimes - Scenario 6

Scenario 6:

Tutee:   “I have never been able to write. This is hopeless.”

Oftentimes when a student comes to me and expresses these types of feelings I understand that they are frustrated. It is very easy to get frustrated when you just can’t “wrap your head” around things.  When a student becomes frustrated they frequently have a negative attitude toward the subject they are having trouble with. This is completely understandable. I can empathize with this because I have definitely “been there and done that”.  I would let the student know this, that way they wouldn’t feel alone and understand that it’s not just them that has difficulty with things. I have also always told my tutees that everyone has their weaknesses and strengths; with this being said, I would explain to them that it is the responsibility of the student to work on their weaknesses so they can reach their full potential in that subject. I would also clarify that when I say full potential, it doesn’t always mean getting the best grade. It means that the student has learned the material to the best of their abilities by dedicating their time to studying the material and putting forth the effort to learn it.

  

A great way to get the student in a better mindset is to encourage them. Not “sugar coat” coat things and fill them with false hope.  Just be honest and open.  I would let them know of my struggles and mention the things that I said above. I would empathize with them and let them know that I am here for them to help guide them. Usually, this gets the student in a better mood and they are more apt to open their minds.

Jaimes - Scenario 5

Scenario 5: 

Tutee:  “I know that you are not supposed to do my homework for me and that we are supposed to go over ideas from the chapter rather than do the specific problems, but I am really short on time tonight.  It just takes so long to go over everything we go over and then do the entire assignment afterward.  We can do it your way for all the other meetings, but can we do the actual homework problems just this once?  I would really appreciate it.”

I actually have been in this situation several times. The best way I have learned to deal with this situation is to explain to the student that no one ever said that it would be easy. With that being said, I would also explain that it doesn’t have to be hard either. I would remind the student of the expectations of both the tutor and tutee and let them know that if I did the work for them that it would not be helping them at all. I would allow the student to understand that what they put into their work is what they get out of it, in other words if they want to actually learn the material, then I cannot do it for them, they have to do it for themselves. I would remind them that they are here in college for a reason and that reason is to learn and to better themselves both as a person and intellectually. I would also ask them if they had a planner. If not, then I would let them know where they could get one or I would print one off for them so they could maybe manage their time better. These strategies have always worked for both the student and me.

Jaimes - Roles, Responsibilites, Ethics.

Adherence to these roles, responsibilities, and ethics would promote successful tutoring in many ways.  To begin with, following these simple guidelines will enable the tutor to communicate better with the student. Communication is very important when it comes to tutoring; without that, it is impossible to tutor and do a great job at it. Communication is something I find very important to be a successful tutor. Another reason that following these guidelines allows for success in both the student and tutor would be mutual respect. The tutor should never act like they are “dispenser of all truth and knowledge”. This can make the student feel belittled and/or frustrated. With that being said, a tutee should also understand and respect that a tutor doesn’t know everything, but will do everything in their power to help them.  This allows for a better tutor-student relationship. With a good tutor-student relationship, the student should have a better outcome when it comes to their learning experience.  Another item that I believe is very important that plays a role in successful tutoring would have to be being creative. Sometimes what works for one student will not work for another student, so you might have to be creative and structure another way to help the students. For example, one student just may need to hear you read them directions, whereas another student may need you to go more into detail and paraphrase the directions. Maybe the tutor could make flashcards for one student and draw a picture for another student. Everyone learns in different ways so it is essential for the tutor to be able and willing to be creative.

If I could add to my own personal code of ethics, I would have to say I would never take credit for the success of the student.  This, in my opinion, is very selfish.  I was only there to guide the student, what the student did was what the student did-it’s as simple as that. If I am tutoring the way I should be, then the student should be coming up with their own ideas, not what I told them to “think-up”.

Altherr-Take Aways Module 8

I enjoyed the presentation on listening skills since I know this is an area I need to improve on myself. I tend to be anxious and get in on the conversation before the other person has finished their thought process. This is an area I have already been trying to improve on personally.
I liked how the presentation suggested really listening to what the other person is saying and recalling what you know, in this way you can get a better understanding of the needs of the tutee.
Listening does take concentration, but it will be more beneficial to me and the tutee to listen to their needs, understand them and then be able to assist them.

Not asking open ended questions is beneficial in any type of relationship,not just with our tutees, it opens that line of communication.

Beane - Important Take-aways

The most important take-aways from this presentation are active listening, attentive listening and asking questions.  All three of these strategies I take for granted or sometimes forget to do.  It is difficult to watch a student squirm when they are wanting you to finish their sentences, but that is what we as tutees must frequently do.  We also must let them know that we are listening and want to understand what they are saying.  With active and attentive listening the tutee will realize that you are truly listening and that you do want to understand.  They too can tell that you aren't going to finish their sentences and they must do that themselves.  It is important to ask questions because, as the presentation tells us, frequently they can talk their way through the problem.  These skills of "talking out the kinks" are things that too often we don't think to do.  Tutees sometimes need someone to listen - one of the easiest ways to learn new material is to teach it to someone else. 

I think that it is often easy in our busy lives to forget to ask questions of our tutees.  Particularly during lab sessions, we are trying to help everyone and we want to rush to the next person.  Slowing down  and asking a few questions may help the tutee to avoid a problem that they may otherwise have ran into at a later time.

Beane - Tutoring Experience

This week a tutored a lady in MAT 060.  I have worked with her many times before and she has grown very comfortable with me helping her.  She is not at all confident about her math skills, yet she generally just needs confirmation that she is doing her work correctly.  As she prepared for a test with a review packet she panicked when her instructor informed her that the last page had not been covered in class.  He has said that students could figure out the work by using attached formulas.  This lady panicked.  She came to me (unannounced) and was in desperate need of explanation.  I explained to her that the area and volume formulas worked the same way with all shapes and that she only had to find the various amounts for each variable and then work out the math.  After a couple examples she was more confident, but still frustrated with the lack of guidance that she had received from her professor.  I told her not to be discouraged and that I was sure she would do well on her test the next afternoon.  I haven't heard back, but this I feel isn't an uncommon situation for our tutees.  I do think that a lot of their confusion and hesitation comes from professor expectations that they simply haven't yet gotten comfortable with.  A little practice and coaxing and she was back to work.

Altherr-Goals & Planning

I am learning alot from reading thru this manual. In the past as far as planning for the tutoring session revolved around knowing what assignments were coming up and reviewing problems the tutee might have had completing them. We would review the instructors notes and try to aid the tutee in deciding what was important to study.

I really like the idea in this section about the KWL chart and plan on utilizing that in my future sessions. It will help me to find out from the beginning what they know and what they want to learn.

Getting the tutee to actively participate has been my biggest obstacle in as much as many would not even try to complete their homework prior so it was hard for me to know how to help them. I will in the future discuss with them better time management skills and how coming to the session prepared is going to be more beneficial for them.

Beane - Goals and Planning

When preparing for a tutoring session it is important to reflect on the accomplishments/short-falls of the last session.  When tutor and tutee have discussed expectations for the future meeting it should allow you and the tutee to be aware of what to go over. If they have specific questions you can find the answers/examples before your meeting.  When your tutee is hesitant to set the prior goals it makes your job as a tutor much more difficult.  Not knowing what you are helping someone with can be hard, especially if the tutee isn't asking questions or warning you of hesitations.


When working with tutees the most difficult part of your job is often getting them to confess where their largest concerns come from.  Making them think about or show you WHERE they are confused or WHY they don't understand it hard.  Tutees will frequently expect you to recognize where they are struggling, and in reality that isn't our job.  We must ask the right questions and allow them to recognize that confusion. often making them aware can help solve some of their hesitation/discomfort with the material.

Jaimes - Another Attribute for Tutoring

If I were to suggest another attribute for tutors other than what I had mentioned in my other blogs, it would have to be passion.  I believe that it is vital for a tutor to have passion for helping others, learning, and teaching.  Without passion, it is hard for a tutor to have any of the other attributes that I mentioned earlier such as, honesty, empathy, dedication, consistency, a positive influence, etc.  When a tutor has passion it should show through their work and attitude toward their students.

Another attribute that I would like to mention is  the willingness to learn. I believe that it is important for the student to learn from the tutor, but it is just as important for the tutor to learn from the student.

Teaching Strategies for Adult Learners

I added a link in your Tutor Training Manual to an article I received today entitled: Teaching Strategies for Adult Learners.  Several of you have indicated that you made it to Module 4 and were wondering where the mini-modules were. Well, I said the Manual was a work in progress. I am still finishing up the mini-modules and hope to have them ready by tomorrow or Friday at the latest. Feel free to look at the other modules. You don't have to completed them in a linear fashion if you don't want to.

Jaimes - Easiest and Toughest Tutoring Attributes

One tutoring attribute that will be easiest for me to implement would have to be patience. I have a lot of patience when it comes to teaching other students. I have so much patience because I know what it is like to be in the student’s shoes and know how they feel.  I understand that it can be extremely frustrating when you do not understand something. I was so grateful for my teachers and friends that showed me patience when they explained something to me. It meant the world to me. There is nothing worse than someone that is supposed to be helping you making you feel belittled or like you are unintelligent. 

One tutoring attribute that will be the hardest for me would probably have to be honesty. Sometimes I’m just so eager to help the student that even if I do not know something as well as I should I still try to explain it. Then this causes confusion. Through experience I have learned not to do this because it only hurts the student’s progress. I have instead learned to tell the student that I honestly do not know the answer, but I will be happy to research it and get back to them about it.

Jaimes - Five things associated with tutoring

To be a tutor, in my personal opinion, means to help a student reach their full potential by guiding them to help themselves. A tutor is someone there for guidance and support. I do not believe doing the work for the student helps them out at all. It only hurts them in the long run. I believe that a tutor should be there to assist the student in finding out what their strengths and weaknesses are, be a positive influence on the student, understand what where the student is coming from and why they are there in the first place; a tutor should definitely be reliable. When I say reliable, I mean both the tutor showing up on time and being reliable in the sense of knowing the material. Reliability also ties in with honesty. A tutor should never pretend they know the answer to something when they do not. This will only hurt the student’s academic progress and the tutor’s reputation. Instead, a tutor should be honest and tell the student that they do not know the answer. With this being said, you should not just leave it at that. You should tell the student you do not know the answer but you will be happy to research it for them and try your best to have the answer for them at a later time. This is being reliable and honest. The student will surely respect the tutor for that. A tutor’s job takes a lot of patience and determination so it is essential for a tutor to possess these qualities as well.

So to sum it up, five things I believe that is associated with tutoring would be:

1.       Patience 
2.       Honesty and Reliability 
3.       Guidance 
4.       Support 
5.       Positive Influence

Altherr-Scenario 4

Tutee: I can't believe she gave me a C+ on my exam. I answered all the questions in detail and everything. Maybe it's not an "A" but I deserve better than this. What would you have given me?

Me: Well seeing as I am not the instructor it is irreverent what I would have given you. You did a great job but it obviously was not exactly what the instructor was looking for. Lets take a look at your paper and see what comments the instructor has made, then in the future we can focus more on those aspects to get better results that will be reflected in the grade.

Altherr-Scenario 3

Tutee: "The instructor just has it out for me. No one in class likes him, nobody understands what he wants anyway."

Me: I am sorry that you feel that way, but I am sure that is not the case. As far as understanding what the instructor wants lets take a look at your syllabus which explains his expectations. From there we can see what assignments you need to accomplish and figure out how to make that happen.

Webster - Scenario 5

Tutee:  “I know that you are not supposed to do my homework for me and that we are supposed to go over ideas from the chapter rather than do the specific problems, but I am really short on time tonight.  It just takes so long to go over everything we go over and then do the entire assignment afterward.  We can do it your way for all the other meetings, but can we do the actual homework problems just this once?  I would really appreciate it.”

While I understand sometimes it feels like there are simply not enough hours in the day, doing your tutees work for them is unacceptable regardless the circumstance. I would explain to them that when they signed up for tutoring sessions that they agreed to the guidelines along with it. I would also explain to them that tutoring may be time-consuming, but hard-work and dedication pays off in the long run. One day they will look back and be proud they stuck it out despite the obstacles and will have accomplishments to show for their effort. I would also suggest several time management/organizational tips to assist them with current and further endeavors.

Webster - Roles, Responsibilities, Ethics

Adherence to these items would promote successful tutoring because if they are followed correctly, they enable things to run under optimum performance. Out of the few, the ones I hold most important would be preparation, enthusiasm, and communication. Any key factor in any relationship is communication. And, if one's not prepared or optimistic, then things will go awry and people would not want to attend tutoring sessions. If I had to add a trait to my personal ethics would be humility. Tutors should always be modest about the help they lend their tutees and allow them to understand they accomplished what they did due to their own personal effort and dedication they put forth.

Altherr-Roles,Responsibilities & Ethics

Adherence to the roles and responsibility of a tutor is very important because it is the basis for making the tutee successful. I think developing good listening skills and positive feedback are a couple of the most important roles as a tutor you can develop. In my past experience I finally realized that listening and trying to figure out what the tutee was really having the problem comprehending was maybe not my assumption of what I thought was the problem. Communication is the key with any relationship and tutor - tutee is no differant. What a person says and what you hear are not always one in the same. Giving positive feedback on the tutees successes, even the small ones, will continue to help them grow and gain the confidence they need to become independent.
Anonymity is what I would add to the ethics, as a tutor I am in no way responsible for the success of the tutee and would not claim to be so. The tutee is ultimately responsible for that success my guidance has only assisted them in being the best that they can be.