"Happiness and cheer"? I'm not so sure about that.
(Don't get the reference? Look here.)
I'm wondering what you wise tutors out there do with your tutees by way of helping them prepare for the wonder and excitement that is final exams. Some students, maybe even most of them, will continue to honor the age-old tradition of living in denial until roughly 12 hours before the exam begins and then cramming like they've never crammed before! Others will take a more sensible approach, to be sure, but I think those others are probably in the minority. And it's hard to cast aspersions at them; after all, we've all been there. Many of you are there right now. Too much to do in too short a period of time, and many times our reaction is to head for the hills, at least for a little while.
When students sit down at your table overwhelmed by their impending final exams in subjects they are not particularly fond of, what do you tell them? What advice do you give? Is this a good time to bring up something new, like a new study strategy, or do you prefer the do-what-got-you-here approach?
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
My mentor! My tutor! My mentor! My tutor!
Hey folks! Some good participation here. I'm so happy to see that this little community is growing. If you haven't done so already, please post! We'd love to hear what you have to say.
I'm wondering today how many of you work at colleges where tutors, either officially or unofficially, double as mentors. Here at Redacted College (not the actual name; it's a joke), we don't have much in the way of an academic mentorship program, so the closest we come is probably the tutors and supplemental instruction leaders that I train and supervise. There are campus leaders who get involved with campus activities, clubs, and so on--but this isn't academically focused. The closest thing we have, really, to students working with students to achieve long-term academic success is tutoring.
Does your college have a more focused mentor program that helps students in this area? Or is it more like Redacted's, where we don't really have something like that? Tutors wear many hats, of course--is mentor one of them for you?
I'm wondering today how many of you work at colleges where tutors, either officially or unofficially, double as mentors. Here at Redacted College (not the actual name; it's a joke), we don't have much in the way of an academic mentorship program, so the closest we come is probably the tutors and supplemental instruction leaders that I train and supervise. There are campus leaders who get involved with campus activities, clubs, and so on--but this isn't academically focused. The closest thing we have, really, to students working with students to achieve long-term academic success is tutoring.
Does your college have a more focused mentor program that helps students in this area? Or is it more like Redacted's, where we don't really have something like that? Tutors wear many hats, of course--is mentor one of them for you?
Friday, November 4, 2011
Student attitudes
Hello, intrepid tutors everywhere!
Today's topic is that of the attitudes students bring to the table when they sit down for a session with you. I think what determines a tutee's level of engagement and attitude is their purpose for being there in the first place. If they are attending a session at the behest (or requirement) of their classroom instructor(s), they may present themselves differently than if they are there of their own accord. Of course there is a great deal of fluctuation at play here, and there are no sweeping generalizations that address this issue. (Stupid joke: There are never any sweeping generalizations that work--not ever!)
I wonder if you've had any tutoring experiences wherein the tutee's attitude was not what you expected. And, if the tutee's attitude isn't what you consider productive, what are your "disarming" techniques? How do you coerce someone into participating when s/he really just doesn't want to engage with you?
Today's topic is that of the attitudes students bring to the table when they sit down for a session with you. I think what determines a tutee's level of engagement and attitude is their purpose for being there in the first place. If they are attending a session at the behest (or requirement) of their classroom instructor(s), they may present themselves differently than if they are there of their own accord. Of course there is a great deal of fluctuation at play here, and there are no sweeping generalizations that address this issue. (Stupid joke: There are never any sweeping generalizations that work--not ever!)
I wonder if you've had any tutoring experiences wherein the tutee's attitude was not what you expected. And, if the tutee's attitude isn't what you consider productive, what are your "disarming" techniques? How do you coerce someone into participating when s/he really just doesn't want to engage with you?
Friday, October 28, 2011
Study Skills
Hello again.
So, if you're like me, you've discovered that many students need help with some basic study skills. Sometimes, when students say they're having trouble grasping a difficult concept or writing a tough paper, what they really mean is that they haven't taken good notes on that concept or set aside enough time to write that paper.
I find myself tutoring discrete study skills quite often: how to keep a time-management schedule and stick with it; how to take, consult/review, and use good notes; how to highlight and annotate a textbook; how to devise possible test questions. So often students struggle not because they don't "get it" but because they simply haven't set themselves up to succeed.
With that in mind, I invite you to check out this series of instructional videos that were recently posted to YouTube. Each video in the series is only a few minutes long, and each tackles a different topic that students often need to hear. Maybe you can share these ideas with your students...
Got any other wonderful resources or ideas to share? Post them here!
So, if you're like me, you've discovered that many students need help with some basic study skills. Sometimes, when students say they're having trouble grasping a difficult concept or writing a tough paper, what they really mean is that they haven't taken good notes on that concept or set aside enough time to write that paper.
I find myself tutoring discrete study skills quite often: how to keep a time-management schedule and stick with it; how to take, consult/review, and use good notes; how to highlight and annotate a textbook; how to devise possible test questions. So often students struggle not because they don't "get it" but because they simply haven't set themselves up to succeed.
With that in mind, I invite you to check out this series of instructional videos that were recently posted to YouTube. Each video in the series is only a few minutes long, and each tackles a different topic that students often need to hear. Maybe you can share these ideas with your students...
Got any other wonderful resources or ideas to share? Post them here!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Welcome!
Hello, cyberspace!
Although the primary audience of this blog is college tutors, tutors and teachers everywhere should feel welcome here. This is meant to be a space where we can discuss various topics and strategies about the art of working with students.
To the right of these words--go ahead and look; I won't go anywhere--are a bunch of links you might find interesting. Education is all about sharing resources and ideas, and you might find something you like if you start at one of those sites.
Some drop in, put your stuff down, and stay a while! If you like, go ahead and leave some ideas for future topics of discussion in the comments to this post, and I'll do my best to oblige!
Although the primary audience of this blog is college tutors, tutors and teachers everywhere should feel welcome here. This is meant to be a space where we can discuss various topics and strategies about the art of working with students.
To the right of these words--go ahead and look; I won't go anywhere--are a bunch of links you might find interesting. Education is all about sharing resources and ideas, and you might find something you like if you start at one of those sites.
Some drop in, put your stuff down, and stay a while! If you like, go ahead and leave some ideas for future topics of discussion in the comments to this post, and I'll do my best to oblige!
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