Tutoring Techniques

After asking a question or follow up question, or beginning a problem, allow at least ten seconds for the student to respond. This may seem like a long time, but if you are patient, often the student will have time to think of a response. Don't be afraid to allow an awkward silence to occur before you jump in. This will let the student know that you are listening and expect him or her to participate.

As a tutor, try working without a pencil or pen, in order to force the tutee to write and be more active. Make sure the paper or book is in front of the tutee, not the tutor. For more on putting down the pencil, see: http://www.csupomona.edu/~lrc/tutortraining/mark693.html

Often a distortion develops between what a speaker intends to say and what a listener actually hears. To improve communication and help a student clarify what her or she is trying to say, a tutor should reflect or restate what he or she has just heard.

Examples: "I heard you say...Am I right?" "Are you saying that..." "In other words.."

Probing can be useful for helping a student understand reading assignments, prepare to write, review a concept for a test or quiz, or for conversation in a foreign language or ESL A probing response forces the tutor to listen carefully, and pushes the student to think and move beyond the first statement.

Examples: "What do you mean by that?" "Tell me more!" "Be more specific." "Anything else?" "So what's an example of that?"

Examples: "What are you assuming?" "How can that be?" "How would you do that?" "Are you sure?"

Examples: "How is that related to..." "If this were true, then what would happen if..."

Examples: "Let me put it another way..." "Here's a clue..." "So what's the first step?" "Remember when we talked about..."

Examples: "OK, now you explain back to me what we just said." "Now you teach it to me." "Summarize the steps for me."

Examples: "What did you learn in class?" How would you start this?" "Then what would you do?"

Examples: "Hmmm, what do I do now?" "I usually begin by..." "Then I figure out if..."

Examples: "Good, keep going!" "Remember what you do next..." "Do you want to write down the steps so you can remember them?"

5. Finally, fade into the background and let the student take on responsibility for the task.

Examples: "Great! Now you can do it on your own!" "Show me how you will do this when you are studying this by yourself"

To help you and the group members know and use each other’s names, conduct informal quizzes and "name games" during the first meetings. Then, once students have become somewhat familiar with each other’s names, use the "name bounce" game described below to encourage group-centered, rather than leader-centered discussions and problem solving.

At the beginning of the session, hand out index cards to each student and have them write down three questions that they from the textbook chapter, from lecture notes, or from class handouts. Then have them trade cards and answer each others’ questions as a whole group. You might breakup the material, and assign each individual or pair a specific topic. You can also make this into a game, or do it in pairs. This is a good technique to prepare for an exam.

At the beginning of each session, appoint (or ask for a volunteer) to take notes on the discussion. The notes can be informal, funny, or serious, and should include all the information the note-taker thinks is important. At the beginning of the next session, have the note-taker read his or her notes. This promotes "group memory" and helps connect current topics to previously covered material.

Divide the group into two teams and use a quiz or game show format to have team members ask and answer course-related questions posed by the opposing team. Have the teams consult for a few minutes to develop their list of questions before playing the game. Make sure everyone agrees on the rules, then keep score.

Begin a session by having students write for three minutes on a topic related to course material. Potential topics include how they applied specific learning strategies during the last week, their thoughts on a specific concept covered in lecture and readings, what questions they have for this session, or any other topic that might help focus their minds on the discussion to follow.Tell them to write as much as they can, as fast as they can, without worrying about grammar, spelling, or sentence structure. They do not have to share their writing unless they want to. The goal is to have students focus their energy and clear their minds so that they can concentrate better during the discussion.

One goal of group tutoring is to provide students with the necessary confidence and skills to eventually initiate and conduct their own study groups for their other courses. By focusing attention on group process, students can become more conscious of how to lead these groups. Though it may seem awkward to discuss these question at first, in time group members will become more comfortable taking risks within the group and taking responsibility for the group’s success.

• How and when did the group begin to discuss the material?

• Overall, was the discussion productive and fun? If so, why? If not, what can be done next time to improve it? Have someone write these suggestions down and remind everyone of them at the next group meeting.