Do you ever find yourself struggling to connect with your students during sessions? Maybe you’re the one doing all the talking and you’re having difficulty determining the student’s specific needs… Some of this may just have to do with how comfortable the student is with you, which typically evolves over time. In other situations, this may just be a result of HOW you’re choosing to communicate. In this post, we have compiled various tactics that should better equip you for more engaging sessions with your students.
- Preparation for Tutoring Sessions
- Prepare and organize materials ahead of time. To speak clearly and concisely during a session and present information logically and clearly, a tutor needs to be well informed about the course.
- Outline a few essential points you intend to cover.
- Develop thoughtful questions. Be prepared to debate, address controversial questions, play devil’s advocate, admit when you don’t have an answer, and make the student think beyond the assignment.
- Consider different ways to start a session – discuss objectives for the hour, ask a question, or ask what questions a student might have.
- Consider different ways to end a session – summarize, review what the student has done well, ask a question, or review next steps.
2. Communication with Students During Sessions
- Begin the session with the objectives of the tutoring and a basic overview of the topic.
- Ask questions to indicate the student’s strengths and areas of need.
- Work collaboratively with your students – engage in conversation with them instead of talking at them.
- Ask questions and wait for responses. Remember you are leading a discussion, not a solo presentation.
- Encourage questions and anticipate a range of responses. Do not impose your own opinion.
- Stay flexible, but keep the conversation on topic. Stay organized during the discussion, yet be flexible enough to accommodate unplanned relevant topics that may come up.