The document describes several challenging scenarios that tutors may encounter when working with students including: a student who is overwhelmed and unable to identify specific issues after failing an exam; a student who expects the tutor to figure out what help they need without providing details; a disinterested student who only came to the session because their professor told them to; a student who wants to skip foundational material to focus on more advanced topics; a student who blames their professor for not teaching them effectively; and a student who wants the tutor to simply provide answers rather than guide them through problem-solving. The document asks if there are any other concerning scenarios that should be addressed.

1. Drawing the
Problem out of the
Student: What to do
when they don’t know
what to do
August 27th, 2021

2. Scenarios to
Work Through
the Issue…

3. A student logs into your tutoring session and is visibly upset.
They share with you that they recently failed a very important
exam, and when you ask them what they need assistance
with or what about the test was difficult for them, they simply
say “everything.” You cannot get them to identify specific
issues, problem types, etc. What do you do?
Overwhelmed and Unsure
(breakout room #1)

4. You can tell that the student is agitated as soon as the
session begins. When you prompt them to share with you
what they have prepared for today in terms of questions,
concerns, etc., they respond that they “just need help.”
When you push them on what this means, they reply “isn’t it
your job to figure that out?” What do you do?
Isn’t This Your Job?
(breakout room #2)

5. A new student comes into your session a few weeks into the
semester and seems disinterested. After a bit of
conversation, you discover that they have not planned
anything for your session. When you ask them what they
would like to accomplish they say, “I don’t know; I’m only
here because my professor told me I need to see a tutor.”
What do you do?
My Teacher Said I Had to Be
Here
(breakout room #3)

6. You’ve been working with a student for a few minutes when
you realize that the student is missing a foundational
understanding of the class material. They feel that they are
prepared to move onto the more difficult topics of the class,
and they want to focus on their most recent unit of the class,
but you know that they need to master the baseline content
first. What do you do?
Back to Basics
(breakout room #4)

7. A student you have never worked with before comes into
tutoring and quickly articulates that they feel that their
professor “doesn’t know what she is doing.” You attempt to
redirect to specific questions they have regarding the
content, but they respond that they need you to go over “all
of it” because they feel their teacher has not taught them
anything. What do you do?
My Professor Doesn’t Know
What She’s Doing
(breakout room #5)

8. A student comes into a session with very detailed questions
or screenshots of several questions. As you try to guide the
student through solving the first problem, you sense that the
student is rushing. Eventually, the student asks you to just
give the answer and states that they are under time
constraints. What do you do?
Can you just give me the
answer?
(breakout room #6)

9. @MCCCPA
@MCCC
MontgomeryCountyC
C
Montgomery County
Community College
What Else?
Are there any other scenarios you are
concerned about taking place that you
would like us to work through as a
group?