The Tutoring Cycle

1. The Tutoring Cycle from Ross MacDonald’s The Master Tutor: A Guidebook for More Effective Tutoring

2. The Tutoring Cycle Greet client and determine purpose of visit • Step I: Beginning • Step II: Middle • Step III: Conclusion Set agenda, tutor, and check for understanding • Greeting and Climate Setting • Identification of Task • Breaking the Task into Parts • Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Make future plans and bid client farewell • Setting an Agenda for the Session • Addressing the Task • Client Summary of Content • Client Summary of Underlying Process • Confirmation • What Next? • Arranging and Planning the Next Session • Closing and Goodbye Providing Academic Support, Promoting Independent Learning

3. Step 1: Greeting and Climate Setting Step I: Beginning Step II: Middle Step III: Conclusion • Purpose: Set up the session for success • Methods: • Warm, genuine greeting • Chair and table arrangement • Eye contact • Positive body language and verbal choices • Keep your hands off the client’s work! • Greeting and Climate Setting • Identification of Task • Breaking the Task into Parts • Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Providing Academic Support, Promoting Independent Learning

4. Step 2: Identification of Task Step I: Beginning Step II: Middle Step III: Conclusion • Purpose: Determine the reason for the visit • Methods: • Ask! (kindly, indirectly if necessary: “How is your biology class coming along?”) • Follow-up questions • Narrow general statements into specific items • Determine what he/she already knows about the task • Pause, restate, empathize—prompts him/her to specify further and gives him/her a chance to agree or disagree • Greeting and Climate Setting • Identification of Task • Breaking the Task into Parts • Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Providing Academic Support, Promoting Independent Learning

5. Step 2 (continued) Step I: Beginning Step II: Middle Step III: Conclusion Don’t accept “I want you to correct my homework” • We don’t do that! You shouldn’t provide that service to anyone! That should not be any client’s task for the tutorial! • More on this later . . . • Greeting and Climate Setting • Identification of Task • Breaking the Task into Parts • Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Providing Academic Support, Promoting Independent Learning

6. Step 3: Breaking the Task into Parts Step I: Beginning Step II: Middle Step III: Conclusion • Purpose: Determine how much can be accomplished in one session and how much time to spend on each part • Methods: • Restate • “So, you’ve got to write a summary essay and do ten practice problems and study for a quiz?” • Prompt • “Do you think we can do that in the time we have?” • “Which of those three is most important to you? Where should we start in case we run out of time?” • Greeting and Climate Setting • Identification of Task • Breaking the Task into Parts • Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Providing Academic Support, Promoting Independent Learning

7. Step 4: Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Step I: Beginning Step II: Middle Step III: Conclusion • Purpose: Help the client learn how to approach this type of task next time • Methods: • Ask what he/she knows about how to do it (the studying or learning strategy or technique involved) • Make course materials (textbook, handouts, workbooks, lecture notes, etc.) the source of information rather than you! Ask client to refer to them—help him/her get information for himself/herself • Greeting and Climate Setting • Identification of Task • Breaking the Task into Parts • Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Providing Academic Support, Promoting Independent Learning

8. Step 4 (continued) Step I: Beginning Step II: Middle Step III: Conclusion Summary of this step: • What is the process for doing this type of task, and where is the process explained? • How can you apply this if the client asks merely for you to correct or do his/her work? • What can you do if the client has no course materials? • Greeting and Climate Setting • Identification of Task • Breaking the Task into Parts • Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Providing Academic Support, Promoting Independent Learning

9. Steps 1-4: Summary Step I: Beginning Step II: Middle Step III: Conclusion • What message has been in the footer of each slide? • How does it relate to • Your keeping your hands off the client’s work? • Your asking the client to identify the tasks in the agenda? • Your referring to course materials rather than simply providing information yourself? • Your refusing to serve as a correcting or homework service? • Greeting and Climate Setting • Identification of Task • Breaking the Task into Parts • Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Providing Academic Support, Promoting Independent Learning

10. Steps 1-4: Summary (continued) Step I: Beginning Step II: Middle Step III: Conclusion • To what extent have you applied these four steps in the tutorials you’ve already conducted? • How difficult will it be to implement them in future tutorials? • Keep in mind how these steps set you up for success with the next steps in the tutoring cycle . . . • Greeting and Climate Setting • Identification of Task • Breaking the Task into Parts • Identifying Thought Processes that Underlie the Task Providing Academic Support, Promoting Independent Learning