At FLOC, there have been many good tutor-generated tips for successful tutoring sessions. One specifically helpful tip that tutors have discovered is letting their students occasionally become the tutors! Narissa, a tutor here at FLOC, has found it very useful.
Narissa and her student have been working on fractions for about two weeks. Although Narissa felt her student was getting the concept rather quickly, she wanted to approach the subject in a new way. She asked her student to take on the role of the tutor. Instead of Narissa explaining the information again, her student taught Narissa how to reduce fractions.
Narissa found this tip to be helpful for several reasons. Having the student become the tutor allowed her to become more invested in the session, therefore strengthening the relationship between Narissa and her student. Second, this strategy became a great tool for assessment. Narissa was truly able to tell whether or not her student understood fractions – and indeed she did!
Narissa experienced a very successful session by using this tip. She was able to create a stronger bond with her student, help her student feel more invested in the session, and assess her student’s progress on fractions all at the same time. Overall, switching student tutor “roles” was a perfect strategy for Narissa. Try this cool tip out with your student, and it may work great for you too!
(Lindsay Davis is an NTP Site Coordinator for the Thursday Night math Program.)
