Judy James, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA

Whether it is during office hours or in tutoring sessions, teachers often have the opportunity of helping students outside the classroom. It is during these precious moments that we can make a big impact on students’ lives, and we’d like to be able to do a really good job. While discussing this concept with my peers, it was mentioned that struggling students are encouraged to visit during office hours or to see a tutor. These are the perfect times to help a student catch up on something they may have missed in class or don’t understand. While working as a tutor at the local English Language Center, I would welcome students to discuss their homework and practice their English with me. I also found that this one-on-one contact doesn’t naturally yield the best results just because a person speaks English. There are skills to be learned and outlines to follow if you want to be effective in the small amount of time you may have.

Fellow teachers have been a good example when it comes to tutoring. My observations in the tutoring center have found teachers asking students questions about what they need, what their assignments included, and what they expect to achieve during their sessions. This is an important concept to understand so that the tutor does not start in on an irrelevant discourse that they think may fit any given situation. Individualizing a conversation is the first step to making an office visit or tutoring session effective.

Another important factor when meeting with ESL students is how to correct their mistakes. It can be very tempting to take the know-it-all attitude and correct every aspect of their conversation as it comes up. A good strategy is to take mental or written notes on errors as the student speaks and then discuss them after they are done talking or at the end of your meeting. This way the student doesn’t lose their train of thought while they are talking, and they’ll have a list of things to work on after other problems have been discussed (Frank, 2000).

Another concept to remember is to be creative in giving assignments. This helps keep the interest level up but also motivates students to practice English more. An idea I heard that is one of my favorites is to give students assignments to have authentic experiences that allow them to observe and take note of native speakers in everyday life, like listening at the mall or in a restaurant. Assignments are good to remember when tutoring so the student can return and report on progress and not give up on the process of learning.

Besides helping meet a student’s immediate concerns with their classwork or homework, a tutoring session plays a very important role in the attitude of the student and the tutor. Cohen (1982) analyzed 65 independent evaluations of tutoring programs and found positive effects on the students involved, academically and attitudinally. Meeting and focusing with a student in a one-on-one situation has shown an increase in understanding the topics discussed, a greater motivation to study the topic, and a better attitude toward what is being learned. This is a significant reason to have regular office hours and to tutor students. It should also be motivation to practice better tutoring skills so you can make the experience a positive one.

References

Cohen, P. A. (1982). Educational outcomes of tutoring: A meta-analysis of findings. American Educational Research Journal, 19, 237–248.

Frank, M. (2000). Guidelines for tutoring adult ESL students (ED438739). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED438739.pdf