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STEP 3 - SETTING YOUR AGENDA |
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Remember to keep your time limits in focus.
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.
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Set up
your session |
First, give your tutee the
opportunity to express himself.
- Let him/her initiate the
first move, such as, opening his textbook, pulling out his homework,
etc. This act will allow the student to feel in control of a
situation that otherwise could make him feel inferior.
Next, allow the student to
participate in setting up your agenda.
- Ask the student what he
would like to accomplish in the session.
- Ask the student what he
would like to work on first.
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Notify tutee of available time |
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Always inform your tutee of
how much time you have. Otherwise, you and your tutee cannot
adequately plan your session.
- What if 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?
- It depends. Explain that most sessions take around 45 minutes
to an hour.
- Tell the student you will be happy
to see if you can answer a quick question in 10 minutes, but that
you doubt you will have time to cover the material.
- Give the student a schedule of your tutoring times and
the times for other
tutors.
- Also, refer
the student to other TLC resources
- Let's say you are
scheduled to tutor in the TLC from noon to 1:30p.m.
- A student with a couple of hours to spare drops in the Center around
12:45p.m.
- He thinks he
will be able to get in a good two-hour session with you.
- If you do not tell
him you need to leave at 1:30p.m., he will be
surprised, disappointed, and frustrated when 1:30p.m. rolls around and you announce
that it's time for you to leave.
To avoid this situation,
always
let your tutee know how much time you have remaining before you go off
duty. You need to do so at the start of each session and as each walk-in comes into the
group.
If the tutee would like to cover more than can be covered in the time allotted, help the tutee prioritize,
then cover the most important concerns first.
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Monitor your session |
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Once the schedule has been set,
you and your tutee both have the responsibility of keeping your schedule on
task, yet altering 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. However, you find 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.
(If you do not feel qualified to tutor note-taking, you need to refer the
student to the Instructional Specialist.)
Fortunately, 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.
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Give positive feedback |
Social scientists know that
positive feedback and positive reinforcement work much better than negative
reinforcement. While we can't praise someone for doing incorrect work,
we can praise the person for trying or for improved work, etc.
- If the student is
working on a math problem but got a few lines wrong, you can say
something like, "Well, this line isn't correct, but you nailed the first
part of the problem. You're getting there."
- What if the student has difficulty
writing full sentences? The very first time the student writes a
full sentence - even with your help - say something like, "Yes!
You did it!"
Many forms of positive
reinforcement exists. A smile. A nod.
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Refer to other resources |
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Remember, you are not the
only resource available to your tutees. You have a prime opportunity to
refer tutees to other TLC resources, such as CD-ROMs, other computer
software, videotapes, books, or other tutors.
For example, let's say
you tutor a student in quadratic equations.
- After tutoring, you
might refer him or her to the video tapes or math software.
- You can also refer
him or her to Math Study Skills and Winning at Math,
by Dr. Paul Nolting. Both of these excellent books are
located on the wooden turncart.
- You might also refer
the student to the math areas on SkillsTutor. Feel free to
work with a student on the skills, if he/she prefers.
- Remember, as a
tutor, you are able to sign students up on SkillsTutor.
Encouraging students to
use TLC resources shows them how to use the Center when no tutors are
available. Therefore, during your first few weeks on duty, spend your
free time going through the available TLC materials in your subject
area.
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Give a final summary |
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About eight minutes before the end of your session, you should begin to wrap things up.
The following are some guidelines to go by:
- Remind the tutee of the time.
- Ask the tutee to summarize what he/she accomplished during the session. (If
he/she left out
any main points, re-iterate these for him/her).
- Ask the tutee to repeat any instructions/assignments you may have given
him/her.
- Ask the tutee to fill out a comment card.
- Give earned reinforcements.
- Thank the tutee for using the tutoring service.
- Encourage the tutee to practice any skills learned in the session.
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