Tutoring Handbook

Welcome to the Southwestern Community College Tutorial Program - A CRLA (College Reading and Learning Association) Certified Tutoring Program

Tutoring is a one-on-one exchange of information and skills to help students achieve their maximum potential in the classroom. It is a service, providing extra help and information not obtained in the classroom situation. Research has substantially documented the positive effects that tutoring can have on the tutee, as a learner; and the tutor, as a promoter of learning. This handbook is designed to outline the primary processes of the Southwestern Community College (SCC) Tutoring Program; to serve as an introductory guide to the first time tutor; and to serve as a friendly reminder to the experienced tutor.

You are a member of a dedicated staff of professionals at Southwestern Community College. A healthy relationship must be developed between you, the students you will be working with and other SCC employees. We are a team! You are important to the success of our program and we appreciate your willingness to work with us. Feel free to ask questions, offer suggestions and get to know the faculty and staff of the college.

You are encouraged to interact with all college employees; however, you may find that the majority of your contacts will be through the Student Support Services Office. The following directory is provided for your convenience.

Tutoring is offered at SCC for a number of reasons: to provide supportive academic services for students; to reduce classroom failure rates; to develop basic skills; to improve SCC student retention; to serve as refresher sessions for students who are academically strong but have forgotten basic curriculum principles; to develop a positive attitude toward learning; to develop effective study habits; to develop self-confidence; and to increase the student's understanding of the subject matter. You will play a vital role in helping SCC students achieve these goals.

Remember...............

• The primary focus is to meet the needs of the student.
  
• The goal of the tutor is to help students achieve success.
  
• Those seeking tutoring assistance have shown a basic desire to succeed.
  
• There is no one method or technique which works best.
  
• Each tutor's methods of study and personal academic success will be unique.
  
• Each student can learn, but all students do not achieve at the same level.
  
• Some students are driven to excellence, others desire only to pass.
  
• Tutors are helpers, not saviors to the tutee.
  

CRLA CERTIFIED PROGRAM

The tutoring program at SCC is a nationally/internationally certified program through the College Reading and Learning Association. The purpose of this program is twofold. First, it provides recognition and positive reinforcement for tutors' successful work from an international organization, CRLA. Second, its certification process sets a standard of skills and training for tutors.

CRLA has been endorsed by the National Association for Developmental Education Associations and the National Tutoring Association.

CRLA certification allows the college to "raise the bar" and assure that all tutors receive the training and tutoring contact hours to ensure a quality program.

Southwestern Community College is certified through the CRLA program at both level I and level II.

Learning Assistance Center
Most tutoring sessions are held at the Learning Assistance Center (LAC). The LAC is located in 100E Oaks Hall. The Learning Assistance Center provides a variety of resources and is designed to assist all SCC students in their learning.

SCC offers two unique tutoring programs.

Student Support Service Tutoring: This program provides tutoring for students who are currently enrolled in the Student Support Services Program and have met the eligibility guidelines. Students enrolled in this program are tutored at the Learning Assistance Center. Tutors are paid from tutoring funds provided by the title IV grant. The goal of this tutoring program is to provide one-on-one assistance. In exceptional situations, tutoring sessions may be established where the tutor will be working with more than one tutee in any given hour. Small groups will be kept to a 1-3 tutor/tutee ratio. SSS students may receive up to 5 hours of tutoring each week.

College Eligible Tutoring: This program provides tutoring for students enrolled at Southwestern Community College. Tutoring sessions can be both individual and group sessions. For classes with a high need for tutoring services, Academic Support Groups will be formed. SCC students may receive up to 5 hours of tutoring each week.

Why would you like to be a tutor?
Why would you be an effective tutor?
What experiences have you had in working with people?
Can you answer YES to each of the following?

TOP

Now that all of the dotted lines have been signed, procedures explained and questions answered, you are ready to become a member of the tutoring team. What does this really mean? As a SCC tutor, you will be an important resource to the academics which take place everyday at SCC. To help you get started, increase your confidence as a tutor and provide you with a few tried and true tactics, you have been provided with some general guidelines. Tutoring is a learner-centered process, when students are permitted to participate in the learning process, learning is enhanced. You are a facilitator of learning and with each small success, the tutee's self-concept gets a boost.

• Know your tutee's dominant learning style (see reference section)
  
  
• There is no one RIGHT WAY in tutoring! You will find yourself developing methods that work best for you. Any method that works with your student is a RIGHT WAY to tutor. Do not be afraid to make mistakes - everyone does.
  
  
• Relate materials to the student's background whenever possible.
  
  
• Have your material organized before each tutoring session. This will help you use your time more effectively.
  
  
• Begin working with your student at or below the student's instructional level. At this level, the material is neither too easy, nor too hard. Doing this reinforces success for both the tutor and the student.
  
  
• Your attitude should be encouraging and optimistic. Praise the student's successes.
  
  
• Encourage good study habits in your student. Many students have little or no study skills. These students could improve their grades by learning how to learn. Some may need to be referred to the Study Skills Course taught on campus.
  
  
• Your job is to remember not to do the work for your student. So, do a lot of asking, questioning, and guiding through sample questions and problems. You can often be a big help just by listening and correcting or helping your student to remember.
  
  
• Try to encourage your student. Patience is a must. Be ready to explain a concept in several different ways and offer as much practice as necessary.
  
  
• Make sure your student thoroughly understands one concept before moving on to a new concept. Have the student recite the information out loud when working on it. Verbalizing helps a person to remember.
  
  
• Providing immediate feedback is especially important. Perhaps you can prepare a practice test on material covered during the tutoring session to be given at the end of the session. Be sure to discuss the test before the session ends.
  
  
• Get to know and like your student. Say his name several times during the tutoring session.
  
  
• BE YOURSELF! You can't go wrong that way!
  
  

Read Article: Characteristics of the Adult Learner (In reference section)

Any information you see about students such as test grades or scores, any conferences with his instructor, and some things that he may share with you (personal or family problems) is CONFIDENTIAL! As a tutor, you are expected to realize how important it is not to gossip about your student and to see how unfair it would be to him, his family and the school learning/teaching team. It is not recommended that you encourage highly sensitive communications regarding personal and family problems during your tutoring sessions. Please refer the tutee to other counseling resources on campus.

(Read Ingredients for a Good Tutor Session in the reference section)

You are a role model for your student. Make every effort to be punctual, display good study habits and a positive attitude toward the role of being a student. Enjoy your work—smile!

You should plan to meet with your student twice a week for hour long sessions. Meeting a couple of times each week reinforces the student's learning. Your first session with a new student will be to get acquainted and to set ground rules. Make sure that both of you have names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, meeting times and locations straight so there is no future confusion.

At the second session, you will want to begin the actual tutoring process. Begin by finding the strengths and challenges of your student. You could start by asking him, but if he can't list his problem areas then you must find them for yourself. Try to determine a starting point. Some students may be hesitant to admit something they do not understand. This problem can be solved in a number of ways: you can talk with the student's instructor, ask the student to show you prior tests; or give the student a brief exercise to work. Throughout the session, observe your student. When he exhibits non-attentive behaviors (fidgeting, looking around, rubbing eyes, sleeping, etc.) he has reached the end of his attention span. Make a mental note of the elapsed time for future reference.

A typical lesson plan includes four areas: the skill to be taught, activities to teach the skill, an evaluation of the student's performance and an evaluation of your process. Skills to be taught will depend on the subject being taught and the student's challenges. The number of activities for each skill will depend on the student's attitude, needs and attention span. Always change activities when the student begins to lose interest. And end each session on a positive note --- this is an excellent motivator for the next session.

Actively listen to your student. Often he may express needs indirectly. Students with personal problems, family problems or potential learning disabilities may need to be referred to the Student Support Services Office. If your student is diagnosed as being "learning disabled," you will be dealing with a person of average or above average intelligence who has a permanent disorder with taking in, retaining or expressing information. In such cases, extra patience and creative techniques must be required. If your student has a physical disability, you will be dealing with a person who may have any one in a number of impairments including, but not limited to, visual, hearing, or mobility. Please be respectful of these students. Talk with your student concerning his disability. The key is to treat him as you would any other student. If you have questions about dealing with different disabilities please speak with a Student Supports Services Staff member. Generally, any student with some form of disability is here because that person has an extra amount of determination. Be mindful of physical and emotional discomfort.

Be patient! It may take a few weeks before you notice any gain. Not all tutoring situations work out. A personality difference, difficulty in achieving a mutually agreeable study time, or other circumstances may bring about the need to end the sessions. This is normal and should not be construed as a personal affront to you as a tutor. Any schedule changes must be made through the peer tutor coordinator.

Active listening means hearing and understanding what a person is really saying. Sometimes, people express something different form the actual words they are stating. For example, you may ask the tutee if he understands a particular formula. The tutee says he does, but you know otherwise due to the uncertainty in his voice. This non-verbal, inconsistent clue should prompt you to go over the formula again. Remember, actions speak louder than words! Some students may find it uncomfortable to admit their failure to grasp information. Patience, tolerance and understanding are virtues of good tutors. Not all problems can be solved in one meeting. Subtle motivation and encouragement are basic tasks for you, as is understanding of the material to be studied.

Physically attending: This is much more important than it may sound. If you are concentrating and being physically attentive to the other person, you can listen better and hear what is being said and the student can respond more easily to you. Try to lean toward the person you are talking to, keep good eye contact, concentrate, and try to relax. Periodically, check with the student to be sure you are understanding and interpreting him correctly. Be tolerant of periods of silence. Do not assume you know what he is saying. Ask if your perception of what he is saying is correct.

Some common mistakes tutors make are giving incorrect responses, failing to recognize the tutee's real problem, not listening actively, giving advice, compliance with the tutee in an inappropriate way and not giving due respect to the tutee.

A tutee may have a personal problem which hinders his ability to concentrate on the material, or school in general. In some cases, the tutee will not respond to you because of differences in personality, values or attitude. Some tutees have the tendency to become overly dependent on you. When you recognize the existence of these conditions, it is imperative that you discuss the situation with the peer tutor coordinator so referrals can be made. In a close one-on-one relationship, it is normal to discover problems that are overlooked by the regular instructor. Once these problems are identified and referrals made, the student may be able to get the special help he needs to develop into a master student. This is a very rewarding experience for you.

Remember, information provided to you by the tutee is confidential. Maintain your professional integrity. If you think a problem should be addressed, contact the staff in the Student Support Services Office.

Referral: Referral means getting outside help for the student when whatever problem he has, academic or personal, goes beyond your abilities or limitations. Obviously, this means being honest with yourself and having a certain degree of self-awareness. I encourage you to do as much as you can when it comes to helping the student in various ways. Just be careful not to try to do more than you realistically can.

Read Article: When to Refer (in reference section)

Being committed to the job as a tutor is essential. Not everyone has the same degree of dedication to education, learning or career preparation. You must focus on the work to be done rather than the attitudes and value system of the tutee. The job of tutor requires time, preparation and enthusiasm. The reward is the enhancement of your personal understanding of the material and the pleasure of having helped another student. Tutors who perform well are encouraged to include the tutoring experience on job applications and related forms.

    ~Marti Hunter,  Tutor Coordinator

Reference Section

Learning Styles

Andragogy: Appreciating the Characteristics of the Adult Learner by Donna Wood, State Technical Institute at Memphis

Referral Skills by Penny Kelly, Northern Essex Community College, Haverhill, MA

Ingredients for a Good Tutor Session by Tom Gier, University of Alaska Anchorage

Techniques for Successfully Beginning and Ending a Tutoring Session by Penny Kelly

A Tutor's Guide to the Textbook Reading Process by Olga Winbush, Antelope Valley College, Lancaster, CA