I love teaching, but I really love tutoring. For me, one-on-one situations with students is where I feel I make the biggest and best impacts. That's probably why my get-through-college-job turned into an (almost) full-time tutoring gig! Concerns I decided I couldn't get enough of tutoring, so much so that I started tutoring online. The idea was exciting, but as I filled out the paperwork to join the Upswing tutoring team, I had a few concerns:
I give credit to Upswing's design team, of course who had coaches (tutors) in mind as they built it. But my transition was so seamless, also, because I remembered what I already knew... (More on that later.) Making the switch As I'm writing this post, we're in the midst of social distancing regulations for CORVID-19. Universities, community colleges and K-12 schools alike have had to make the switch to online. Some people are having a harder time with that request than others. Those who normally (and only) do their work in-person may feel like they've been thrown into the deep end! Well, this blog post is for you. I'm going to share with you some tricks I've learned over my four or so years of tutoring online: Technology I'm not going to talk too much on the different types of technology out there to accomplish your needs. (google hangouts, CraniumCafe, Webex, Skype, etc). You probably already know a bunch of them anyway. I'm also not going to talk about different learning platforms (Canvas, Blackboard, etc.) because most likely your supervisors or team members will suggest or require you to use a particular type of technology to connect with students. Instead, I'd like to focus on some tutoring tips when working online, which will hopefully be applicable to whichever technology you choose to go with. Tip #1 Tech-check This can come in various forms. For me on Upswing, it means I'm testing out the audio and video capabilities. "Can you hear me? Can you see me? Good. I cannot see you. Oh! I can see you and hear now. Hello!" I recommend doing this at the beginning of all of your sessions, but make it quick! Establish what is or is not working and then move on the best you can. My tech-check hardly ever goes over 5 minutes. If it does, I suggest that we stop and reschedule once we can get the tech working again. During my tech-check, I usually add something like, "If for some reason you can't hear me anymore, let me know." This is also the moment where I let them know what other features we have our our platform, specifically the chat box: "There's a chat box under the videos," I might say. "We can use that as an alternate form of communication if we need to!" This eliminates that what-do-I-do element, in case the audio and/or video stops working during the session. In Upswing, we have an inbox, so if you lose the student completely during a session, you can message them and let them know you're still in the "room/meeting" or give other directions to help them come back into the session. WebCams & other features Sometimes students don't have a webcam or they prefer not using it. That's fine! For me, it took a little getting used to, but as long as you have good audio or a functioning chat box, it's doable, I promise! Bonus trick: I always start my sessions with video and audio if I can. Of course, if you have a camera, make sure you:
Tip #2 Firefox or Chrome Let's say a student is having some tech-problems and they want to fix them. My first question is always, "What browser are you using?" Nine times out of ten, if they're using Internet Explorer or Safari, they're going to crash. I've found success in having a student sign out and come back in using a different browser. Tip #3 Screen-sharing This is a feature we have on Upswing and it works really nicely! Other programs have them, too. I've found, however, that it takes a lot of juice to run it. My suggestion, then, is to screen-share for short bursts. For example, I might share a webpage (like Purdue OWL) briefly and then turn off the screen-share while I answer questions, etc. Tip #4 Built in tool bars, etc. I've had tutors ask me, "So, can I write on a piece of paper and hold that to the WebCam?" That's one way to tutor online, but I don't recommend it. Give it a try if your adamant, of course. It might work for some students, but probably not for most. I suggest, instead, using a whiteboard, googledoc, or some sort of shared space. These are usually built into your program. It can be intimidating to use them, I know. But the more you try out those built in features (like highlighting, type-text, drawing, etc). the more familiar the tools will be to you, and the more second nature they will become. Tip #5 Collaborate Whenever possible, invite students to "jump in" and use those features we talked about in Tip #4. Collaboration is what makes in-person tutoring so valuable, and isn't great that we can utilize this same skill online? This, again, will take some practice, but I like say things like, "Why don't you give it a try?" or "How about you write me that thesis statement on the whiteboard here so we can see it together." As you get more comfortable with the features, you'll be able to guide students in using them, too. Tip #6 Remember what you already know Lastly, my final tip is to remember what you already know. This may sound intuitive, but (believe me), it's easy to get overwhelmed with technology or feel like you're starting at square one in teaching or tutoring. But if you've been tutoring for a while (like I had before I starting tutoring online), then you already know how to:
Of course, if you feel rusty on these skills or need a refresher, you can learn them from the CRLA program or by continuing to read my blog! Bonus Videos This first video was made by our Student Affairs person. She gives great general tips for working from home. Enjoy! This second video is for educators struggling to keep up with our changing times. It was written and performed by someone in my district: You will survive!
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