We never want to give "the" answer to students. I think we (as educators) can agree on that, right? But how do we guide students to where they need to be without blurting answers?
In truth, there are several ways. But today I'm focusing on one of my favorite tutoring strategies: modeling. It's something that works for native and nonnative speakers of English. As many of you may know already, my focus is on writing, but you can probably use this tutor technique for any of the skills (or subjects) you want to tutor. By the way, I put quotation marks around the word "the" in that first sentence of this post because there isn't always a correct answer in writing. Sometimes there is, sure. (It's the donkey seems, not the donkey seem.) But most of the time, there's more than one way to accomplish a writing task, even when it comes to editing. (Remember that!) Let's say, for example, your teacher gives the prompt: write an essay about your favorite animal. Is it wrong if I write my essay on alligators and you (maybe) write yours on lions? No! We have different favorite animals, and that's okay. Or, maybe, your teacher asks you to find three scholarly articles about the dangers of smoking from the library database. Are there only three "correct" articles in the database on that topic for you to find? No! There are hundreds, probably thousands that could work. What's expected of them? As a practice, I like to first identify the task (assignment instructions) and time frame (due dates) of the writing project before giving any kind of specific help. During my early stages of tutoring, I made the mistake of assuming what the assignment is. And been wrong. There's nothing worse than realizing that you've given advice for the wrong assignment. Giving examples of good process essay topics, as a way to help a student brainstorm for their essay, isn't going to help them write a comparison essay. Oops! That's why I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about first questions and setting the agenda. So don't focus on this tutoring aspect (giving examples) so much that you forget the other stuff you need to do for a session. I'm speaking from experience here. I've done it. It's their paper, not yours Sometimes, you may work with a student who has chosen a different topic you don't like or something you would never choose for an assignment. Take the example above. Maybe you hate alligators, but that's what the student has decided to write about. Or, you might simply disagree with a student's thesis. Say, for example, that the student is writing about abortion, and they've established a thesis opposite to what you believe. Should you help them change the thesis to match your beliefs? The answer to this question may be obvious. (Or maybe not. I don't know.) But even if you know that taking-over a student's thesis (or paper) isn't the job of a writing coach, you'd be amazed at how easy it is to slip up. Actually, I find that the temptation to take-over comes when I am on the same side as the student as they draft an argumentative paper. But even when you're on the same side, it can be tricky. Let's say the student is writing about texting and driving. She's written a thesis that says, "Texting and driving is dangerous and needs to be stopped." You've decided that the thesis matches the assignment, but now the student is wanting to know how to brainstorm support to put in their body paragraphs. What do you do? Give an example You could use their chosen/given topic as an example. You could say, "Well, one reason I think texting is dangerous is because the driver's eyes are not on the road." But, in a way, this is "giving the answer." The student could be like, "yeah! That's a good one. What else you got?" And then somehow, you've managed to come up with all the ideas instead of the student. hmm... Make it silly Here's what I do instead. I give an example that isn't the same topic that they're working with. In fact, I make it silly. Me: Okay, so it looks like you've got a good thesis statement. Student: Yeah, but I don't know what to write next, like what my body paragraphs could be about. Me: Well, if I were writing about an essay about the dangers of feeding polar bears by hand, I might start by making a list. For example, it's dangerous to feed polar bears because of their sharp teeth. The trick to the silly example is making sure it matches closely enough to what the student is doing but different enough that it gets them thinking about their own topic. This, by the way, is one way to help students practice critical thinking skills. Win! Win! But not too silly Along with giving silly examples that help students understand their task, you can make up metaphors or even share personal experiences. But remember that they must help the student stay on task. Not take them away. I mentioned in a previous post that I've been training a bunch of writing tutors. This is something a few of them are still struggling to find a balance in. You can be silly/fun, but you must also be professional. Interweave techniques The art of asking questions in a tutoring session is something I'm planning to discuss in its own blog post. But it's worth mentioning here, in closing, because questions and examples go hand in hand. I had a really difficult time coming up with the example above without asking some questions first. You will, also, want to utilize active listening, too. If the example you gave just isn't working for them, you need to recognize that. Oftentimes that doesn't come from the words they're saying-- "Okay, yeah"---but in their furrowed brow. Sometimes, also, it takes more than one example to get the concept. Tap into your creativity, and see if you can not only make your tutee laugh, but also learn something at the same time.
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