The
Last month’s Teaching Tip
offered a “Study Group Bill of Rights.” If you want to encourage your students
to participate in study groups, the
1. The right and responsibility to select study
sites and times that are convenient for all members: The
2. The right to contribute to the formation of
group goals that have measurable outcomes and deadlines: For
3. The responsibility to be an
active participant, not a passive receiver, in the group process. In addition, you have the right to expect
active participation from other group members: Many students have the misconception that a
tutor is someone who will do their homework for them. Not so in the
4. The right to have meetings begin
and end promptly and to participate in study sessions without needless
interruptions: Aside from providing a meeting
space that is convenient and conducive to group studying, the
5. The right to participate in a group that
works cooperatively and handles disagreements constructively: In Intro to Peer Tutoring, tutors learn how
to set ground rules for the group, delegate work among group members, and model
effective group decision making.
6. The right to expect that the group will stay
on task and the right to ask group members to limit socialization or discussion
of extraneous topics before and after study sessions: Tutors have a job to do, and they are held
accountable for their work. At the end
of every session, tutors complete a “tutor contact form” that summarizes what
was covered in that session. The
professor receives a copy of that summary and is able to follow-up with
students about specific topics in the next class.
7. The right to closure. This includes feelings of accomplishment (1)
at the end of each study session, by evaluating if the group has met its goals,
(2) after each exam and assignment, by debriefing with members to evaluate
performances, and (3) at the end of the class by assessing the value of the
group experience to you:
1)
2) Tutors encourage students to
look at exams and assignments as "learning opportunities." When students bring graded exams or
assignments with them to tutoring sessions, this creates an opportunity for the
tutor to work with students to assess their understanding and formulate a plan
for filling in any gaps in the students' knowledge.
3) In many cases, students'
grades at the end of the semester are the best indication of the value of the
tutoring experience. Last year, 71% of
students who attended regular sessions in the
8. The right to appeal to the teacher for
solutions to study group problems that you cannot work out for yourself: Tutoring is not intended to take the place of
students' interactions with their professors.
In fact, tutors encourage students to talk with their professors about
course-related difficulties. Tutors can
be a valuable resource in helping reticent students take
the first step in seeking out a professor's help. In many cases, the tutor has had the same
class or a similar class with the same professor; thus, if students express
concern about talking with a professor outside of class, the tutor will help
students formulate questions and articulate concerns before the meeting.
In addition to the
The University
Writing Center 227-7197
The Mathematics Tutoring
Center 227-7245
The Student Technology
Assistance Center 227-2257
The Catamount Academic
Tutoring Center 227-2274