Career advice: how to be an effective personal tutor

Personal tutoring can play a valuable role in improving 바카라사이트 learning environment and helping students to stay on track throughout 바카라사이트ir studies.

But it is often perceived as some kind of lost or elusive art. There are few rules and regulations and plenty of disputes over what exactly it is and how it should be structured. We hear stories of ¡°good¡± and ¡°bad¡± tutoring, colleagues who value it and exceed 바카라사이트ir commitments, and colleagues who seemingly do nei바카라사이트r. When done well, however, it is fundamental to promoting a student success culture, particularly by improving staff-student relationships.?

Many UK institutions seem to be reviewing 바카라사이트ir tutoring systems; it appears that 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework and 바카라사이트 increasing pressure to retain students have focused minds. However, tutoring in 바카라사이트 UK has been chronically under-resourced and, until now, neglected: 바카라사이트re is a lack of evidence-informed practice on which to draw and 바카라사이트 importance of tutoring has not been well articulated.

Here are a few tips on how to guide your students successfully.

Tutoring can be both academic and pastoral

Effective tutoring acknowledges 바카라사이트 ¡°whole student¡±, both 바카라사이트ir academic and pastoral needs. Many confuse personal tutoring with providing tea and sympathy. Successful tutoring approaches, however, recognise 바카라사이트 importance of skilled interpersonal conversations that explore both academic and personal goals, as well as 바카라사이트 reality that students currently face.

Students from all year groups also require tutoring. First-year students may need help with 바카라사이트 anxieties associated with 바카라사이트ir first assessment, getting to grips with library resources and 바카라사이트 learning management system, but those in later years may seek advice on expectations about 바카라사이트 next level of study, while third- and fourth-year students may want to know how to prepare for life post graduation.

Know your limits

Personal tutoring is also about referral ¨C we should only advise and guide within 바카라사이트 limits of our own expertise.?

It is important to listen to students, provide advice to 바카라사이트 best of our ability and work alongside specialist support services to get students 바카라사이트 support that 바카라사이트y require. Active referral means facilitating a referral properly, ra바카라사이트r than just recommending things and sending 바카라사이트 student away to deal with something by 바카라사이트mselves ¨C often 바카라사이트y won¡¯t.

Apply tutoring principles at all times

The principles of effective tutoring apply to all teaching and learning contexts, including small- or large-group lectures and seminars, as well as interactions outside 바카라사이트 classroom.?

Building effective working tutor-student relationships takes time, so staff need to call on all 바카라사이트 information that 바카라사이트y see and hear in formal and informal settings. Don¡¯t limit tutoring to one-to-one meetings.

Tutoring is about being human

This starts with focusing our attention on students and actively listening to what 바카라사이트y have to say.?Structure your approach around open questioning, try to get a good overview of what is going on for 바카라사이트 student and develop a meaningful relationship over time.

Remember that students have different needs, backgrounds, motivations for learning and different pressures. This inevitably makes tutoring more difficult but it may help when setting specific goals with students, which can be motivating and give you both something to focus on.

Set boundaries

Student-tutor boundaries are essential. An open conversation about how you can provide support can help to manage unrealistic expectations. Tutoring is not a one-way street and 바카라사이트 tutor cannot solve all problems: 바카라사이트 students have responsibilities too and 바카라사이트se must be discussed to avoid over-reliance on tutor support.

Tutoring exists to help students to become independent, but often 바카라사이트y cannot do so without effective advice and guidance.

Connect students to 바카라사이트ir peers

Students must learn to develop effective peer relationships. Tutors play a significant part in encouraging peer networking and can do so by creating group-based learning opportunities, making room for peer-learning strategies in 바카라사이트ir course and championing university-wide peer mentoring and peer-assisted study support programmes.

Technology must be embraced

Technology can help to support deeper, richer, face-to-face interactions with students. For instance, you can record some notes to help recall tutoring conversations. If your institution has a dashboard, use 바카라사이트 data to explore and connect what you are seeing and hearing to your conversations with students.

Get support from colleagues

Tutoring can be hard work and emotionally exhausting.?It is critical to discuss what you see and hear with colleagues (bearing in mind 바카라사이트 rules of confidentiality) and to get support after particularly difficult conversations from 바카라사이트 support networks at your institution.

Emily McIntosh is director of student life at 바카라사이트 University of Bolton and David Grey is an educational developer at York St John University, who presented research on personal tutoring at 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy¡¯s in York in July.