Tips for your tutoring session

1. How to Facilitate a
Session
August 27th, 2021

2. The 10 Steps of
Tutoring

3. • Greet the student by name
• Be warm and friendly (eye contact! smile!)
• (Once in-person) arrange seating to best facilitate
communication between you and the tutee
Many students come to tutoring a little anxious… it is
important especially in this online environment to set the
tone!
Step 1: Greeting and Climate
Setting

4. • Encourage the tutee to identify the focus of the session
• “What would you like to accomplish today?”
• “Are there specific units of the course or assignments you struggle with?
• Establish whether the student has come prepared
• Restate in your own words what the tutee would like to
work on, to ensure that you are on the same page
Step 2: Identify the Task

5. • Come up with a game plan for the session together
• Break the task into manageable pieces
• What needs to happen first? Does the tutee have the necessary foundation
to complete the assignment/master the skill/etc. effectively?
• Is the tutee skipping ahead or ignoring the process established by their
instructor/the textbook/the assignment?
This is also a good point in the session to establish the
tutee’s learning style! Are they a visual learner, for example?
If so, what can you do in session to best suit that style?
Step 3: Breaking the Task into
Parts

6. • Have the tutor clarify how they learned the problem-
solving approach in class
• This is especially important when working through math problems, which
can be taught in a number of ways. Generally, you don’t want to tutor
against the professor’s approach, as that becomes confusing. This can
extend to other subject areas, too, though!
• Help the tutee identify and utilize resources such as class
notes, the textbook(s), etc.
Step 4: Identify the Thought
Process

7. • Now that you know the tasks that need to be completed,
assign a general time frame for each task
• It is important to recognize the limitations of the session and identify what
may or may not be able to be completed in that time. This is a good point in
time to exemplify time management by identifying the priorities! You can
also use this time to remind tutees that while everything may not be
covered in one tutoring session, they can come back.
Step 5: Setting the Agenda

8. • Remember that you want the tutee to do most of the
talking and writing! (When we return to in-person:
implement practices such as keeping the pencil in the
tutee’s hand.)
• Ask leading questions and allow the tutee time to think
and respond. Don’t jump right in! Silence can be difficult
and uncomfortable, but it is important to allow that time.
• If you are doing an open session or group tutoring, this is
the time for you to prompt a tutee to work independently
Step 6: Working through the Tasks

9. • Give the tutee the opportunity to summarize what they
just learned.
• “Okay! This looks good; so, walk me through what you just did.”
• Wait for the tutee to finish their explanation before
jumping in.
• As much as possible, you want to avoid ever interrupting.
• Use the summary to determine if the tutee really does
understand
• If necessary, return to addressing the task to correct
Step 7: Tutee Summary of Content

10. • In addition to the tutee understanding the current task/the
content, you need to make sure they understand the
thought process behind it. This is essential for them to be
able to do this work independently and for them to be
able to move forward in the class with more difficult
content
Step 8: Tutee Summary of
Underlying Thought Process

11. • Confirm that the summaries of both the content and the
thought processes are correct
• Remember, though, we never sugarcoat! If the tutee does not understand
or needs to work more on the content, find a gentle way to say this. Again,
you can always encourage them to return to tutoring again.
• Offer positive reinforcement
• Even if the tutor is still struggling, it is likely that they have improved in
some way during the session. Highlight that and encourage them to keep
working!
Step 9: Confirmation and
Feedback

12. • End the session on a positive note
• After identifying next steps forward, emphasize what went well and where
the student succeeded/is succeeding. This is a good time to remind them
that tutoring can and should function as a ‘wellness visit’ in addition to
triage. Come in when you had a difficult exam, yes, but come in to maintain
a strong understanding/approach in the course as well.
• Thank the tutee for their contributions
• Remember: it is a show of dedication to attend tutoring! Reinforce that fact
and thank them for their work that day.
Step 10: Closing and Goodbye

13.  Help move the student from dependence on you and their
resources to independence!
 They won’t have you (or probably their book) in the exam
with them.
Remember the Goal!!

14.  Peer/Para/Professional Tutor
 Embedded Tutor
 Supplemental Instruction Assistant
Not All Roles Look the
Same…
Remember: your sessions will vary based on your unique
tutoring role
How might your specific role fit or not fit the session steps outlined
in this presentation? How can you adapt these steps to suit your
role?

15.  Take a minute to reflect and identify:
 With which of these steps do you feel most comfortable?
 For which do you feel you have some room for improvement?
 For which do you feel you need significant advice/assistance?
Reflect and Share

16. @MCCCPA
@MCCC
MontgomeryCountyC
C
Montgomery County
Community College
Questions?
Is there anything else
about facilitating a session
that you would like to
discuss?