This post was first published by Upswing on 10/4/2021 under the title, "Kicking off National Tutoring Week Celebrations." National Tutoring Week is October 4th–8th! We asked students to nominate the Upswing tutor who has impacted them the most so we can celebrate and honor them during Tutor Week!
Kassie Lamoreaux was nominated as one of our honorees 🎊 Kassie has been a synchronous and asynchronous writing tutor with Upswing since 2015. With over 15 years of experience in tutoring writing and over 8 years of teaching college ESL (English as a Second Language) and Freshman Composition, it’s no wonder she’s so skilled at guiding students through their writing assignments. During her time with Upswing, she has completed over 1,000 live sessions with students, and reviewed and provided feedback on over 500 student essays! Students describe Kassie as having a “cheery, optimistic attitude,” “very engaged,” “motivated,” and “the absolute best!” As an Upswing team member, Kassie is warm, kind, enthusiastic, and an asset to both the management and tutor team. Read Kassie’s thoughts on tutoring with Upswing, below. Q: Why do you choose to tutor with Upswing? A: “I love the schedule flexibility and the Upswing platform, but more than anything, I love our students! The tutor support and resources are also fantastic, and I feel appreciated for the work I do, which is always nice.” Q: What’s your favorite aspect of tutoring in general? A: "Breaking down and simplifying a task and/or helping students take ownership of their own writing process.” Q: Tell us why you think education/access to academic support is so important. A: “It’s important to have academic support like tutoring because not everyone learns the same way. Upswing makes individualized learning possible for everyone, no matter his/her learning style.” Q: What has been one of your most memorable “breakthrough moments” while tutoring? A: “Oh, I’ve had too many to count, but more recently, I worked with a student who didn’t understand the researching process. Talking her through the various stages and giving her permission to make mistakes along the way, especially while drafting, seemed to relieve a lot of her stress.” Q: What is one pro tip/best practice you can share with fellow tutors? A: “Always ask students what they’re working on and what they’d like to “get out” of the session. Too often, we’re tempted to jump in without asking questions, but it’s easy to jump the gun and confuse students by assuming you know what they need. Setting goals for a session should always be negotiated, and the best way to start is by asking good questions about the assignment (eg. purpose, audience, length, requirements, due date, etc.) before offering any kind of help.”
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This post was first published on Upswing's blog on May 20, 2020. I started peer tutoring at the Writing Center when I was a college student and thought tutoring was just something that paid the bills while I was going to school. I quickly learned, however, that tutoring was (and is) so much more for me! Even though I was getting my degree in English, I wasn’t planning on becoming a teacher. It wasn’t until I took some time away from school and tutoring that I realized how important helping other writers was to me. I switched gears and added teaching as my emphasis and specialized in English to Speakers of Other Languages. For a year or so, I taught full time as a college instructor, and I was happy. But there was something missing… Maybe I was experiencing teacher burnout, but I knew that nothing gave me greater joy than helping writers identify their own strengths and weaknesses in their writing, think critically about their ideas, organization and writing processes, and improve not only their drafts, but also themselves as writers. I had to remember what had gotten me into teaching in the first place. I decided to cut back on my teaching load and started tutoring again… but this time with Upswing! Coaching for Upswing is great because we’re contracted with a lot of schools, so the opportunities for me to reach struggling writers is far reaching. This is important to me because I had cheerleaders and mentors that helped me get through college, and I don’t know where I’d be without them. Recently, I decided to explore my own writing abilities. I wrote a book! It took me four years to write the first draft, but I did it. Now I’m rewriting, getting feedback from others in the writing community, and improving it, which is basically what students do at a smaller scale when they complete their writing assignments. It’s no wonder that through my writing journey, I’ve gained even more empathy for struggling writers. Writing is tough, y’all!
So is math, science, and learning a foreign language… or any subject in college for that matter. Everyone could use a mentor, coach, and cheerleader to get them through tough times. That’s what Upswing is all about, and I’m proud to play my small part in it. This post first appeared on Upswing's blog on July 30, 2018. What is tutoring? This is a question I don’t often think about, but probably should. Maybe it’s because I’ve been a tutor for so long. I started peer tutoring back when I was earning my Bachelor’s degree in 2004! At first, I thought tutoring was something that paid the bills while I was going to school. I quickly learned, however, that tutoring was (and is) so much more for me. Even though I was earning my degree in English, I wasn’t planning on being a teacher. It wasn’t until I took some time away from tutoring that I realized how much it had become a part of me. I switched gears and got my Master’s in teaching, and two weeks after graduating, I started teaching at a college full time. I loved it. (I still do!) But there was something missing… I blamed it on teacher burnout, but after about a year, I lessened my teaching load so I could tutor in the evenings… with Upswing! You might be wondering why I would do that. Aren't teaching and tutoring the same thing? I want to address some common themes and misconceptions because they're not exactly the same... Tutoring is coaching I love that Upswing calls their tutors coaches. Think about it for a minute. What does a coach do? Well, a coach mentors and guides and even cheers you on, right? It’s the same with a tutor. Like a soccer coach who can't play the game for you, tutors can't write your essay or take your test. It wouldn't be fair. But we can give guidance, share our experiences, and encourage students not to give up. I don’t know why, but some students feel like they should seek tutoring only after they run into problems…or the week before finals! Can you imagine getting a soccer coach the day before the championship game? Sure, some people are talented enough to play soccer without having a coach, I suppose. But truly successful players will tell you that they wouldn’t be as good if they hadn’t had some kind coaching from time to time, even from fellow teammates. As a writing coach, I cannot stress this enough. Of course I am happy to help with editing. But please remember that I’m a coach. (Not an editor.) That means that I can help at every stage of the writing process: from generating ideas to understanding how to research and/or cite sources, to formulating a solid thesis statement and building coherence and unity in paragraphs… and much more! Tutoring is one-on-one instruction Don’t get me wrong. I love teaching in front of the classroom, but tutoring is where I see the most lightbulbs go on. Just because students nod their heads in class when the teacher asks them if they understand doesn’t always mean that they do. Am I right? That one-on-one experience with a tutor is sometimes the only place students feel comfortable asking questions, things that they’d never want to ask in front of a whole class! When I teach, I often try to hold conferences with students, which is an opportunity for them to ask me questions about their projects… one-on-one. These kinds of experiences, however, are limited as an instructor. It’s not easy to set aside an entire week (for example) to meet with students like that, and as much as I beg my students to come to my office hours, they usually don’t. Tutoring reaches those students who would, otherwise, silently drown. Tutoring is a career, too Remember how I said I lessened my teaching load to make room for tutoring? Last year, I applied to be the tutor coordinator at my college. Now I tutor in the day and — guess what — I still tutor in the evenings for Upswing. Am I really that desperate for money? Not really. I just love what I do! Nothing is more rewarding to me than coaching a student from start to finish on a writing project. I’m so glad I decided to be a peer tutor back in 2004. Who knew it would change my entire career path and make me who I am today? I wrote this for Upswing on August 15, 2016 as a guest blogger.
I thought tutoring online would be really different from face-to-face. I worried (to some degree) because I've nearly perfected my tutoring techniques. I've been tutoring for various college centers since 2005. I didn't want to start all over. Although there are some things I had to get used to---mainly, the technology--- Upswing has made my tutoring online simple and as close to a face-to-face tutoring experience as possible. I have a camera, which means that tutees can always see me. Not only is this helpful for those moments when I explain a concept using my hands, but it gives that personal touch. They see my smiling face. I give them a thumbs-up when they answer my questions correctly or suggest a cool idea! The whiteboard tools make it feel like I'm tutoring face-to-face. I can point with an arrow, circle, draw, highlight with lots of different colors, etc. I didn't know what I was doing the first time I used the whiteboard, but I just played around for a bit, and the more I used them in tutoring sessions, the more comfortable I felt. In addition to these features, I've found that I can use the same (or similar) first four questions that I use in my face-to-face sessions. I tutor writing and ESL, so as you read through them, you might want to think how they can be used while tutoring in your discipline. I'm not including the obvious ones: Can you hear me okay? Can you see me? *thumbs-up* Question 1: What are you working on today? This question does two things. First, it helps me see how much they know about what they're supposed to do. Second, it subtly says that I won't do the work for them. Tutors don't do that. (Sorry!) But we do answer questions and point you in the right direction! Question 2: Do you have your assignment instructions handy? I always invite them to upload the instructions on the whiteboard or download them beforehand. This is because teachers often have special requirements (i.e MLA or APA). I often structure my hierarchy of concerns based on them. (i.e "You must have at least 4 credible sources; no Wikipedia!" etc.) Question 3: When is your assignment due? And how much have you completed? This helps me gauge how much help I can give and/or how many times I might be able to meet with the student. This is when I invite them to upload what they have. (Anything is better than nothing!) If they haven't started, and it's due tonight at midnight, I will talk to them, briefly, about time management. Question 4: What kind of help do you feel like you need from me today? I always take notes for this one (I do this in my face-to-face sessions, too!) because this is the most important question. One, it helps me see why they wanted tutoring in the first place, and I can ensure that I answer their concern before the end of the session. They'll probably get a bit of other help, too, but I'll answer questions about grammar if that's their biggest concern. Two, this instantly puts the focus on the student. This is their time, and they need to know it. Setting the agenda is super important! Whether it's online or face-to-face, it's important to have a human connection with those you're tutoring. You don't have to use these exact first four questions, but you should be thinking about the first things you say and ask the tutee. First impressions are everything, so make sure it's a good one! I wrote this for MyTownTutors on 6/13/2016 as a guest blogger. My sister, a piano teacher, told me, "just because you play the piano doesn't mean you can accompany." I never understood that until I tried it. I got pretty good at playing songs like "The Entertainer" and "Fur Elise," so I decided to learn "A whole new world," from Aladdin. I thought it would be fun to have my friends sing while I play, but once they started singing along, I lost everything. I fumbled around looking for the right keys, forgot about timing and everything else. My sister was right--- it was a lot more challenging to accompany. Tutoring can be like that. You feel like you know what you're doing, then you get a curve ball. For many of my colleagues, that curveball is tutoring ESL (English as a Second Language). My intention for this post is not to tell you everything you need to know when tutoring or teaching ESL. That would be an insanely long post! Instead, I'm going to give the 3 biggest mistakes I've seen and tell you what I think should be done instead. Keep in mind that I've only taught and tutored college students so, if you tutor in K-12, you may need to adapt the strategies I give you. In addition, I mainly tutor and teach writing, so if you are tutoring math or another subject, you'll need to adapt, too. Mistake #1 Getting Louder This might seem a little strange, but it's true. People who don't normally tutor ESL often get increasingly louder when working with ESL. (I'm guilty. I did it when I first started.) The rule of thumb here is don't get louder, just talk slower. If the student looks confused and just isn't "getting it," don't get louder. They're not deaf! Instead, take a breath and talk slower. Don't slur your words. Also, think about the vocabulary you're using. Don't use jargon or big words that you know that student couldn't possibly know, let alone pronounce. If you happen to use one, stop and ask the student if he/she knows that word you used. If not, then give a simple explanation. Use the word in a sentence. That helps a lot! Mistake #2 Taking Over The motto in the first writing center I worked at was, "we help writers, not just writing." We had a strict "hands off" approach, which meant that we always gave the student full ownership of the revision. Yes, I'm here to help you. That's what tutors do. But I'm not here to do your homework while you sleep or surf the internet on your phone. Uh-uh! Not on my watch! (Taking-over a tutoring session, by the way, is called appropriation. There's tons of literature on it!) Research (contact me via twitter for names and dates) has shown that tutors generally feel more inclined to take-over a session with ESL students. This is mostly due to the frequent grammatical errors ESL students have in their writing. It's exhaustive explaining how to fix every grammatical mistake. It's much easier to just grab a pen and mark up the paper for them. Don't get me wrong! Some ESL students really need the corrections and can benefit from you telling them, "this is right, and this is wrong." They're still sorting out the language and want hard fast rules to hold on to. In general, however, it's best to (whenever possible), give ESL students ownership of the corrections made. It's okay to correct a few mistakes--- give some examples--- but then let them try it on their own. Give options. "I see at least two ways to fix this," I might say. Then, I'd show them the two ways and let them choose which one they like best. I encourage them to look for other solutions and run them by me. This keeps them engaged and involved in the session and ultimately teaches them to work independently in the future, which is always my goal in tutoring. They won't always have access to a tutor. They need to learn to be independent thinkers. Mistake #3 Over complicating I've seen tutors attempting to correct and fix everything the student did wrong. And, of course, they don't want to do mistake #2 (taking over), so they give long, complicated explanations for everything they want corrected. These sessions usually last an hour or more. In my opinion, that's far too long for a session! I find myself giving small tasks. "Alright, you do problems 5-10 on your own, and then I'll check them." Or, "Alright. You've got a topic sentence! Awesome! Try writing some supporting sentences, and I'll come back in 10 minutes or so and see what you come up with." What to do if you find yourself long winded and giving overly complicated answers to questions, though? Prioritize. What are the most important things the student needs to know today? Don't try to teach them everything all at once. It's a good idea to invite the student to work with you multiple times a week. They need repetition and they need practice. Lots of it! It takes more than one day to do that. Most students will be fine with you saying something like, "wanting to know the difference between the, a, and an is a great question! Here's the quick answer.... I can give you some handouts to help you practice at home. For now, though, let's focus on getting a topic sentence down on paper, since that's the goal of our session today..." Bonus: Mistake #4 Belittling or under-simplifying I don't expect anyone to do this on purpose. But I find that tutors sometimes assume that because the student's English is simple, he/she must have a simple mind. Not true! I've tutored extremely smart ESL students. One student I worked with was a famous composer in Vietnam. Another was a professional lawyer in her home country. It's okay to treat them like adults; in fact, it's important that you do! Don't, for example, baby-talk. Use regular inflection in your voice and never talk down to them. Talking slowly (as discussed in mistake #1), isn't a strategy because they're slow in the head. It's because it takes time for them to translate what you're saying. And, by the way, don't assume you know exactly what it's like for them to learn a second language or live in a foreign country. Even if you have done those things, their experience is unique. Stay away from politics and religion as much as possible. If it comes up, be respectful and keep your opinions to yourself. Don't say stuff like, "Oh, you're Muslim! Does it make you mad that your women are forced to wear those veils over their faces?!" (I've heard a tutor say something like that. /face palm/) Tutoring is not the time to talk about your views of their culture, whatever your view may be. This is particularly important, especially right now with the number of refugees increasing. Be sensitive to their situation and always be encouraging! English is a crazy language. I always commend them for their courage and persistence in learning the language. In conclusion Just in closing, I'd like to suggest two books that helped me most when I first started tutoring, and I refer to them often even as a seasoned tutor: Tutoring ESL is my favorite! It's why I went back to school and earned a Master's in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MTESOL). Now I teach ESL exclusively. They're motivated, fun, and hard working!
Happy tutoring! |
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