Monday, February 27, 2012
Hurley- Module 7
I had a drop in tutee for Religion this week. This student was fond of Religion as a whole, but not of Buddhism. This student was very disheartened with their homework and was very confused. After observing the tutee work, I realized that the tutee was getting caught up in the language too much and was not focusing on what the questions where really asking for. Once the tutee began to focus on what the question really wanted, they became more comfortable with the homework. I believe that this was a good secession, but I wish I would have seen what the problem was a little faster than I did. If any other tutor is facing this situation, I would tell them to not let the tutee get frustrated with themselves and observe the tutee work for a little bit and try to discover the underlying causes to the problem.
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It is not uncommon for us as tutors to not see at first what the underlying problem is for a tutee. Sometimes it is impossible to see the problem the same way the tutee views it because we all look at things differently. In that situation I have found if I ask the student to relay to me the problem it helps to pick up on their view.
ReplyDeleteThis is common in English as well... or in any subject where words are involved. I think that too often when language that is unfamiliar to a reader is being used, the reader gets overwhelmed and gives up. That is when we should help them see key vocabulary and help them to use context clues and any marginal notes that may be available. This is another instance where it would be GREAT to know exactly what is going on in the class; with access to class notes and resources we would be able to "translate" for our students and help them to understand the larger picture.
ReplyDeleteAlso as a former religion student myself, I can understand how Buddhism is completely foreign. For many who are strong in their faith it is difficult to step out of your faith and understand the religion of someone else. I can imagine that in our rural community college this is a great deal of the problem with understanding Buddhism.