Having only had two tutoring sessions in the last week, I reckon I'll think more on the one that I feel less good about. My student came in looking for some help with the MAT 140 test she was getting ready to take. She felt like she didn't understand the material at all. She did have a really good handout which summarized the geometry rules and formulas pretty well. Mostly I just went over everything step by step. I feel like I spend a lot of time lecturing, and didn't provide much time for her to voice her understanding of the material very well. At the end of the session, she did say that she felt like she understood it much better. I advised her to work on the homework, and if she felt like she still didn't get it, come back before the test for more help.
I think that I should have let her do more talking, so that I could be sure that she was getting it. I did have her do some simple problems a couple of times, but I think in the future I should do more. I don't think it was an unsuccessful session, but I think that if I did it again today, it would have been more effective.
Communication skills are hard to do.
ReplyDeleteThis was a hard situation since you were under pressure. Ultimately it was the students responsibility to get here if they were not understanding the material prior to quiz time. That not only put pressure on themselves but pressure on you as the tutee. You were wanting to help her understand but it certainly is alot of material to cover just days before the test. I am sure you did the best with what you had to work with in this situation.
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