Tutoring

 Tutoring

I asked about an update on how a former student finished their course last June.

"X's math course did not go well: he ended with a 70. Way below his ability. Not sure what happened but we are hoping that the return to in person learning will help him regain his footing academically. "

It's not satisfying. 

I'm definitely sorry to hear X couldn't keep that higher mark that he was getting during the course.

The course structure didn't help. Yet, my task was to at least keep him at that higher mark range. So, that's on me -at least in part and to whatever extent I can influence that.

 

From the point of view of the student, every tutoring puts a little burden on them to try to match the explanations from the teacher and the tutor relative to the same concept. 

From the point of view of the tutor, the task is in part to find the adequate strategy to deal with the usual first questions the student will raise: "I don't understand it", "I don't know how to do it" or "I don't know what I'm supposed to do". 

 

More often than not, the student knows it. The problem instead lies on making the connection between a problem's statement and their knowledge of the subject. The reason may range between two ends. 

 

On one end the student knows the mechanical steps, "the how", but doesn't quite understand, and even feels at lost with, why those steps are as they are or what they mean. This makes it hard to solve open-ended problems, where inquiry and thinking are the major skills leading to a solution. Often the latter is simple in terms of calculations required. The hard thing is to come up with the idea of calculating it that way.

 

On the other end, the student has some (a reasonable?) understanding of the general idea, but lacks in enough concrete  practice  (i.e., hasn't practiced enough, hasn't done enough exercises yet). Two examples may help: Adding fractions will always show up in math, after they see it in grade 6/7. A weak background on it will become a frustrating drugging force later on when facing Math in grades 10 and beyond. A different case that always shows up is at the beginning of a new topic. They may have worked out some examples in class, but the concepts, while making sense when explained, are still not completely clear in their minds, and even less so are the calculations involved.

 

I see Y as falling closer to the first case, while X, however, would lie not far from there, but somewhat more towards the middle between both ends.

 

I'm thinking that in cases like X special care should be taken. Finding the right balance between working on the concepts and working out cases is tricky.

Now I think for X it would be best to keep much more concrete on the task at hand, the exercise to solve. Furthermore, we should deviate as little as possible from the procedure followed in class by their teachers.

Despite all effort one may make, sometimes the differences between the teacher/tutor's approach and the needs of the student can't be brought enough in sync.  Changing the teacher/tutor may then do the trick.

 

It may well be that oils boils down to me emphasizing more problem solving that concept discussion.

Following the motto of "Be pragmatic!"...as that's the simplest, and most common measure of what one has worked on with the students. 

 

Feeling a bit frustrated. Let's see what the parents reply and if I can get more feedback on what happened...