Tutor Guidelines

TeamUP! recognizes each tutor brings his or her own professional experience and personal style to tutoring sessions. The following guidelines are intended to reinforce what you already know, and possibly trigger a few new ideas to share with students.

Open the session warmly

Greet your student in a sincere, upbeat manner to establish a positive learning environment. Allow a few minutes to build rapport, and then move into the purpose of the session. Be sure chairs, tables, and books are arranged for easy interaction. Remember that for some students learning is a physical process; give them the opportunity to move around or use manipulatives as appropriate.

Plan the session together

Lead the student through a brief review to find out what the student knows or remembers about the subject. Do your best to create an atmosphere of mutual confidence and trust. Then work with the student to plan the session by creating an agenda of what needs to be accomplished in the time allotted. Encourage students to break assignments into smaller, manageable tasks.

Keep the student engaged and the session on track

Once you embark on a joint exploration of problems and concerns, make every effort to encourage and model disciplined work and study habits. During this process, it is important to remain nonjudgmental and supportive, adapting your style and the learning materials to accommodate the student's needs, concerns, interests and talents. Throughout the session, confirm learning is taking place by evaluating progress with the student.

Close the session on a positive note

Provide positive feedback about areas where the student is improving and suggest areas where he or she may wish to make an extra effort. Make recommendations for how the student can reinforce or practice what he or she has learned.