Hurley-Methods of tutoring.

One method that I used during a tutoring session this past week was the concept method. My tutee was having difficult understanding all of the different types of people and their relationship to each other. I think that using this method helped my tutee to understand the larger concept that was being presented. Next time, I will try the recall method because I believe that it would be a little better suited to his needs more than the concept method.

Hurley-Planning for tutoring sessions and making goals.

At each tutoring session, I look at the tutee's syllabus for the upcoming assignments and try to formulate a plan that will go along with the students next assignment. One thing that I wish I would have been told was that students do not like to read as much as I do. Reading the textbook is one of the goals that I want one of my tutees to focus on. I tried to show him that reading is not that bad. I also showed him that if he reads the homework questions before reading the chapter, it will make the reading much more easy and his homework easier also.

Wright - Active Listening

The three clusters of listening skills are an important take away for me.  I think I've read or heard about most of these before, but I like the organization of them into three separate sections. 

I also like the attentive silence idea.  I think it plays into my strengths, as I don't really feel like I hold a conversation well, but I do feel like I listen well.

The directive to not interrupt the speaker while they are getting their thoughts out jumped out at me.  During my last couple of tutoring sessions, I have felt like I should interrupt my student, but I decided to let her go on, and then ask a question once she was done speaking. 

I'm not sure if there are any that I might find hard to remember to use, I think I do a pretty good job of actively listening as it is.  I did write out the three clusters to help myself remember, I think that working to actively apply these skills will be helpful.

Wes

Knight - Scenario 1

Tutee: "I have always made "A's" in high school, so I know I should be making "A's" in college too."
I would first began be letting the tutee know that college work is a lot different the high school work. I would tell them that just because they made "A's" in high school it does not necessarily mean that they will make "A's" in college. From there I would tell them that there is ways to work towards those "A's." I would go over some planning tricks to help them keep up with their work. I would then suggest some study tips so that they don't over study and start not paying attention. Finally, I would recommend them to check in with the professors to see what there grades are like. Then, I would conclude the session with some final questions and plan for next times visit.

Knight- Scenario 2

Tutee: "I never understand what we are supposed to study for the tests. Last time I spent hours reading the textbook and notes, but I got a 'D.' I Can't do any more than I did for that test."

I would start my approach by explaining to the tutee that there is more than just studying for hours before a test. Good preparation takes time and shouldn't be rushed into one big cram session. After I have gone over this I will go over what all was on the test that the tutee took. After I have figured out what are the tutee's problem areas I will then began to help him or her on those areas. Finally, I would wrap up with a couple of questions from the tutee and then began planning for the next visit.

Knight - Roles, Resposibilities, Ethics

Adherence to these items will help promote successful tutoring because it will allow the tutee to learn instead of the tutor just giving out answers. If you let the tutee hold the pencil or pen then he or she is responsible for writing down the information. Likewise with not doing the work for the tutee; this will allow the tutee to learn from their work on their own without having an easy way to get homework done.

Prepare yourself for your students are an important item. If you are not prepared for your tutee, then you will not be able to help them like they need you too. The tutee deserves all of your focus and time. Also, my ultimate tutoring goal is my student's independence is another important item. As tutors we should strive to make our tutees more independent.

I would add "Be a role model in everything you do" because you never know when your tutee is around and they might pick up your actions as their own.

Knight - Another Attribute to Tutoring

Another attribute I would suggest would be Encouraging. This attribute will help to raise the tutee's spirits when a tutor is working with them. The more encouragement the tutee receives the better he or she feels about the work they are accomplishing. Encouragement can really help out the individual struggling with their work.This will help them to do better and to feel more confident in their course work.

Knight - Easiest and Toughest Attributes

The easiest attribute for me to implement will be Hard Working. I picked hard working because no matter what I will work hard to help the tutee out. I will help them whenever they need it and I will think of new ways for me to help them out.
The toughest attribute for me to implement will be Humor. Whenever I am around new people I am not as opened at the beginning. This will tend to cause me to be more formal in my interactions with the tutee. However, as I get to know the tutee I will begin to be more humorous.

Knight - 5 Things associated with tutoring

Personally, me definition of a tutor is someone who helps an individual struggling with a subject. The tutor could help that individual with Math, Science, English, or any other subject. Being a tutor is someone who can sit down and listen to a person struggling with a certain subject and help them with their problems.
1. Dependability
2.Helpfulness
3.Patience
4. Hard Working
5. Honesty 

Berry Goals & Planning

I plan for my tutoring sessions by reviewing the notes and homework problems before I have a tutor session. Sometimes I even redo the homework before tutoring to make sure that I remember how a problem works out and to see if there are places a tutee might be confused at. I encourage my tutees to write out any material they have a problem with so that they can bring it to my attention. I also talk to tutees about how they study and when they study,  how long they study and where they do it. We can then work on what works best for the tutee. Tutees already have homework; sometimes they feel overwhelmed when extra material is presented. Rather than give my tutees extra work, I convince them to repeat the work they have already done. This gives them a chance to review material they might have had questions about without giving them more material. The hardest thing I find with tutees is that they generally know about how much effort they are willing to put forth into a subject, and once they feel they have reached the limitations of what they are willing to give to a subject, most will not find that inner well that allows them to give even more.

REZA- Module 4- Digital Natives, Reflection Q2

The new insights that I gained from reading the information would be the idea of using technology as a supplement, not a replacement, for learning. I strongly agree with this because as a society, we depend too much on technology and a lot of younger people do not even know how to use an encyclopedia. I still think values like that are important because if you have learned anything from technology, it would be that no matter how much they try to pretend, technology is not reliable. Often times the internet goes down, computers malfunction, or it is inaccessible. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to compute math problems without a calculator, find research information without google and keep up with your check book without instant access to your account. Also, we often spend hours of time "testing" out new technological ways to do something when in reality, it would have been much easier to have just done it the old-fashioned way. This is really annoying in a classroom setting because you would have wasted valuable time trying to figure something out. I think using technology sparingly and only with planning will be goal in tutoring. I do not want to confuse the student or let them get aggravated if something isn't working properly. If I am going to show a you-tube video or something, I will have already used the time previously to find the video and watch it to make sure it buffers properly that way when the student comes in, it will be ready.

REZA- Module 4-Digital Natives, Reflection Q1

The generational differences that I have noticed is that some of the older people are having a hard time adjusting to the technology of today. Most of them are people who are just now returning to school and so it is a whole new world for them. The younger generation are now, in my opinion, too dependent on technology and the internet in particular. For example, if we want to know the answer to something, we can "google" it in matter of seconds whereas if you had to actually look for the information via encyclopedias or magazines, it would take hours. In school, it is now required to have an email address and access to a computer. Therefore, I think the older generations are not accustomed to this. I think that some of them are open to learning the new way of things and some of them are not. The younger generation is dependent on the internet and cell phones; we have online classes, we do online banking, we even shop online. Although it is technically not required, we would be lost without those luxuries because the way of the world has changed and we are a fast paced society and without the convenience of the internet and cell phones, we would not be able to keep up and function properly.

Berry Scenario's Module 3

Scenario--The student is unprepared for the session. The student does not bring the textbook and lecture notes and has not done the assigned homework problems.

Once I have greeted the student to begin our session and I notice no books, notes, I would begin asking questions about the lack of preparation. Where are your book and notes?  I would do all I could to determine the reason for the students lack of preparation. Lastly, I would then use the time left to work problems from my book to see if they understand the material.

I find that sometimes students wait until they see their tutor for problems they truly don't understand. I am okay with this if they have at least begun to attempt to work the problem. I always tell my tutees that they must do the homework, there is no other way to fully understand the material.





Scenario--Tutee: I have always made "A's" in high school, so I know I should be making "A's" in college too.

I begin by congratulating the tutee on their excellent work. I ask questions about high school: easiest course, hardest, favorite; any courses that had to be repeated or that you needed extra help, how did you get it if so? Once tutees examine what has been happening, they may recognize that they put in extra effort for some classes to obtain those A's. I explain that while college is like high school with the requirements, the work that is expected is harder and that tutees will be expected to learn more material on their own unlike in high school where most knowledge is given. I truly understand this as I never studied in high school and made really good grades. After repeating a few classes in college (due to not completing or doing homework) I learned that I had to study some material more than others if I wanted to make good grades. I would explain to tutees about having a study plan and working to create one that would be more useful to them. I would also schedule extra sessions or extra time if possible to help them begin to manage their new life.

Wright - Communication Skills

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.

Rush- Attribute easiest for me to implement

Possess Passion for Learning and Teaching because I think everyone should have the passion to learn. You learn something new every day from someone. Teaching someone something that you know. Why would I want to know how to do something and not be able show or share what I know.  It's doing me no good at all.

Rush- 5 Things Associate with Tutoring

Respect
Support
Listening
Understanding
 Knowledge 

Rush- Definition of Tutoring

    Tutor is someone that helps a teacher that need to spend one on one with a student when they don’t have time to do it. This person is someone that understands the course as much as the teacher that is teaching the class. Helping student to recognize and expand their learning approaches in the direction to help the student.

McKenzie-Module 9

I know for me Memorizing is easy for after a while. Sometimes seeing it written out on a Board or use a Diagram helps me to remember. In the CATS Lab whenever a student is having trouble with a Project I always tell them to look back in the Chapter to see how a particular step is done.

Jaimes - Digital Natives

Summary and Reflection 1

I believe that this module about digital natives is a very accurate depiction of students today. I have heard a lot of students say that they cannot see how the digital immigrants lived without the technology that we have today back when they were in school. Then I hear other students say exactly the opposite. They believe that the younger generation would learn more if they would "take their nose out of a computer". To me, I believe that it is important to know and understand both generations and their technologies. I am a digital native myself, but I still learn a lot from the older generations. Not all knowledge has to be acquired from a computer; however computers do provide an endless supply of information on about anything as long as there is the internet.

Summary and Reflection 2

In this module I really liked the statement Anya Povich provided. Although the Net Generation can learn better through internet courses, social relationships are a driving force in the learning process. I couldn't agree more with what she was saying. I also think that what Jack Seaton was saying was completely true as well. "Tinkering" with a program or working together in groups with hands-on work allows students to better grasp the concepts of the material being presented. Technology can enhance this experience; however it CANNOT replace human interaction. I was thinking the same thing as I was reading this module and then I came across his statement. It really makes a lot of sense to me.

Summary and Reflection 3

One thing I believe is very important to learn and to retain information is not to spend too much time lecturing. The student will, with no doubt, become bored and stop paying attention. I am the same way. Even if you are a person that learns better by hearing things said, you can still be lectured too much. It is very important to apply all learning styles, but focus on the one that helps you the most.

Next Steps

Most of what was in this module was stuff I already knew and agreed with. Something that I believe that I can teach my students is that they can learn from each other, whether they are a digital native or a digital immigrant. There are always different ways to learn things. For example, a digital native may help a digital immigrant with designing power point presentation and a digital immigrant may help more with obtaining information from a good old fashion tangible book.

McKenzie-Module 8

1-Students spend 20% of school time listening.
2-Keys to good listening.
3-Active listening is an acquired skill.
A lot of times students do not pay attention to what is being said at the time. Listening actively is the most important skill that a student should have. Body motion is another important skill for students to have. Eye contact, Body Motion, Nodding your Head are important listening skills.