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MODULE XVIII
PEER HELPING THROUGH TUTORING
There are many problems centered around learning today:
- Falling academic standards in schools
- Lost, lonely, and depressed students
- Children who come from a different culture and can’t understand others’ language
- Adults who need to learn new skills
- Adults who are illiterate
- Pressure to be the best
One viable help to the above problems is one-on-one tutoring. Research supports the notion that children and adults can learn when a good relationship exists between the learner and the teacher. Additional research indicates that individuals with similar values, culture, and age (peers) can be effective in teaching others.
Tutoring is a service that is designed to aid the formal teacher. The tutor is the peer who is helping another in a teaching role. The tutee is the person receiving the service of tutoring. Generally tutoring takes place in a formal learning situation such as a school. However, it also takes place informally with friends and family.
Tutoring is a very important role that a peer can perform. It is also very rewarding if the tutees learn the material being presented. The peer tutor can effectively motivate tutees and encourage learning in a systematic manner.
Many of the eight skills you learned in Peer Power, Book One are very important in establishing a tutoring relationship. The skill you learned in attending is important in that you need to focus on the tutees and they need to feel that you are physically with them. The skill of empathy is extremely important to be able to listen completely to tutees and hear their frustrations and problems in learning. The skill of questioning is important to learn about their present study habits. The skill of confrontation is important at times if they are not following through on an agreement they have made with you. The skill you have learned in problem solving will help you to understand how to approach others.
MOTIVATION
Motivating others is important because of the role you will be playing as a tutor. The tutor must understand that individuals have basic and sophisticated needs. For example, if you are working with tutees who had not had anything to eat all day, they will not have satisfied their basic needs and would not be willing to spend time on a reading assignment. The tutor who understands basic needs is better able to motivate tutees.
A well-known psychologist, Abraham Maslow, developed a theory regarding human needs and motivation that is helpful in understanding personality and behavior. This is called Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The basic needs are physiological needs, which directly relate to survival—food, water, air, warmth. Next are the safety needs, which are related to psychological safety or security and reflect a need to feel safe from outside harm. Love needs indicate a desire to belong and be loved and to love. Esteem needs include self-respect, recognition, self-esteem, stature, and attention. Finally, the higher needs are self-actualization needs, which involve self-fulfillment and self-growth. As a tutor you might try to decide at which level of needs you are working. For example, if the tutee has a lack of basic needs you can make sure tutees have had proper food and sleep before working together. When tutees appear to have the first three needs satisfied, then you can motivate them to feel better about themselves.
Motivation is typically either outside the person (extrinsic) or inside the person (intrinsic). If you are working with tutees who need a great deal of outside motivation, then you may want to use contracts and immediate rewards. It is known that inner motivation increases as persons begin to feel good about themselves. As a tutor, part of your job is to begin to help tutees feel good about themselves. One way is encouragement.
THE ART OF ENCOURAGEMENT
When encouraging individuals, keep in mind a few thoughts. First, place value on individuals as they are. This can be done through good attending and empathy skills. Next, show faith in them and sincerely believe in their ability. Next, indicate a job that is well done and give recognition for the effort. Next, assist in the development of skills in a step-by-step process. Then recognize and focus on strengths and assets, and focus on the interests of the tutees.
Step 1: Identify the positive behaviors and traits in the tutees. You will have to spend time getting to know them as individuals, and you may want to question them on their study habits and learning styles and focus on what they are doing correctly.
Step 2: Focus on the activity and not on the person. For example, as you work with tutees, rather than saying, “You’re wonderful because you got an A” it is more encouraging to say, “I really like how neat your paper is. It’s much easier to read.”
Step 3: Use the language of encouragement. Some of the phrases that help tutees believe in themselves might be:
“I like how hard you worked on that problem.”
“I like the way you finished that problem.”
“You look pleased.”
“You’ll work it out.”
“I have confidence in you.”
“I see that you’re moving along.”
“You may not have reached your final goal, but look how far you’ve come.”
“You’ve done a good job.”
As a tutor, your job will be one of a helper, encourager, and manager. Your job is not only to relate to tutees but also to find out from the teacher exactly what the tutees need to learn; therefore, you must communicate with the teacher to learn what needs to be taught. Hopefully, you have the academic skills to assist the tutees; if not, be genuine and try to find another tutor. It sounds difficult, but as a tutor you will become very aware of your own learning style; you will also begin to feel better about yourself, and you ...
