1.tutor vista b2c training manual

TutorVista B2C Training Manual

Tutoring Handbook – Facilitating Effective Synchronous Tutorials

This handbook provides an overview of the principles that guide synchronous tutoring sessions. It includes:

TutorVista’s Synchronous Tutorials

Principles of Effective Whiteboard Sessions

• Show, Share, and See

• Be Personable, Responsible, and Flexible

• Tutoring as an Affective Process

• Encourage Students to Do Their Own Work

• Avoid Cheating and Plagiarism

Strategies for Developing Your Online Persona

• Good Communication Means Good Listening

Use Encouraging Dialogue

Additional Resources

TutorVista’s Synchronous Tutorials

TutorVista’s real-time sessions cover a variety of homework help and general tutoring topics:

• Literary Response• Grammar• Reading Comprehension• Reading Vocabulary• Writing

A general tutoring session involves exercises to help a student practice certain reading and writing skills while a homework help session guides a student through particular aspects of a reading or writing assignment.

At the end of the synchronous session, the student is left with an accessible study aid for future use, as students can access the most recent five sessions.

The following are effective tutorial practices that will help you determine and fulfill the needs of TutorVista’s clients.

Principles of Effective Whiteboard Sessions

Principles of

Effective Whiteboard Sessions

Encourage Students

to Do Their Own

Work

Avoid Cheating

and Plagiarism

Show, Share, and

See

Be Personable

, Responsibl

e, and Flexible

Use Encouragi

ng Dialogue

Show, Share, and See

The show-share-see model offers the perfect opportunity to connect with your

students’ work, incorporate real-world examples, and demonstrate reading and

writing concepts.

It allows you to

• explain and model concepts, either by an original example or by

correcting only ONE problem with a recurring issue in the student’s

writing (Show),

• give the student guided practice with those same concepts (Share), and

• watch the student apply those concepts on his own (See).

The show-share-see model can be used in both HOC and LOC writing sessions,

reading sessions, and grammar sessions.


Example of a HOC Show-Share-See Model

Student Jeremy needs help formulating a thesis sentence. Instead of writing the

thesis for him, encourage him to do it himself:

Show: Explain how a thesis functions and what it typically contains. Then

model a thesis sentence—using your own subject matter—or point out

the thesis in a sample essay. Explain why your example looks the way

that it does.

Share: Ask Jeremy what main ideas he is attempting to cover in the essay. If

he needs your assistance, help him list his major points. Prompt him

when needed by reminding him of points he makes in certain

paragraphs or of particular ideas he shared with you earlier.

See: Encourage the student to summarize these main ideas in a single

sentence, which will serve as Jeremy’s thesis. Do not write the sentence

for him!


Example of a Reading Comprehension Show-Share-See Model

Student Roger comes in for general help with reading comprehension. Don’t just give him an exercise and then correct his wrong answers; give him the tools he needs to find the correct answers on his own:

Show: Give Roger a brief reading comprehension exercise and explain its purpose. As you move through the passage, model how to read actively, underlining key words and points. Answer a question or two about the passage, explaining how those key words and ideas led you to that answer.

Share: Give Roger another passage that is followed by discussion questions. Help him arrive at the answers by encouraging him to list or underline key points and words. If he chooses a wrong answer, don’t correct him. Instead, ask why he chose that answer, and have Roger point out the elements that led him to it. Ask Roger if, by retracing these steps, he still arrives at the same answer.

See: See if Roger can answer the rest of the questions on his own. Or, if time permits, give the student another exercise to complete on his own.

Following these models will help students understand and apply the concepts you discuss—in this session and in future reading and writing contexts.

Be Personable, Responsible, and FlexibleEach student has individual needs, so being personable, responsible, and flexible is crucial to each tutorial.

Personable Responsible Flexible

Some students will be quiet and focused while others will openly share their personalities and concerns; sharing your own personality through your reactions will encourage them to connect with you during the session and implement your suggestions.

Example: How neat that you also play the flute! I’ve been playing for about five years now.

Remember to keep your connection professional.

• Protect yourself and our students by refusing to share personal information, such as full name, email address, physical location, phone number, etc.

• Refrain from suggesting your opinion of a class, instructor, assignment, etc.

• Provide information that is accurate, even if that means doing some quick research on a particular type of essay, literary term, or grammar/punctuation rule.

When one strategy doesn’t work within the session, try another. One student may need more explanation or guided practice before actually implementing a concept on his/her own. Another student may have a tough time following an example you’ve provided and may benefit from a different one. Be willing to approach the discussion in a different way when needed. Show the student your determination to reach your common goal.

Example: Instead of writing the ideas in outline form, let’s create a concept map on the board so you can visually see the ideas for this essay.

Tutoring as an Affective ProcessWhen working with students in the synchronous setting, think of your whiteboard session not as

tutoring done to the student but as a learning experience that you create with the student. As a

tutor, your role is that of a guide. To fulfill that role, make sure you

• ask the right questions,

• offer assistance and prompts only when the student needs them,

• give positive reinforcement, and

• engage with the student in a highly interactive tutorial session from which he/she

will emerge a more knowledgeable, confident writer.

Recognizing what your students are going through will help you feel more comfortable working

with them:

In some cases, your student will have an essay due in less than an hour. In other sessions,

you may work with an adult learner who has struggled with writing in “correct” English

grammar for most of his/her life.

Some students are having difficulty making sense of their assignments. Others have started

and discarded a number of topics or thesis statements.

All of them have tried, run into obstacles, and come to the whiteboard for timely,

interactive, personalized help.

Encourage Students to do Their Own Work

As a tutor, your role is to help students become successful, independent thinkers

and writers. Regardless of their assignment or subject matter, you must let your

students complete their own work and arrive at their own answers. This teaches

them to value their own ideas and to eventually trust their own judgment when it

comes to reading and writing.

By encouraging students to do their own work, you will

• teach them to value and explore their unique ideas,

• show them the importance of their own voices in the academic and

working worlds, and

• raise their confidence when they approach future reading and writing

contexts, allowing them to work through problems with more clarity and

ease.

Avoid Cheating and Plagiarism

Cheating and plagiarism violate most school systems’ and post-secondary institutions’ academic honesty codes. Plagiarism even violates the United States’ copyright law. Either offense can result in serious repercussions for students and possibly legal action against TutorVista.

Cheating includes, but is not limited to

• obtaining answers to an assignment or test from someone else,

• discussing a test’s questions or answers with another (unless the instructor authorizes the discussion), and

• allowing someone other than the enrolled student to complete an assignment or test (California Polytechnic State University, 2011).

You are helping a student cheat if you

• give the student one or more answers to an assignment or test that has not been submitted/graded,

• complete any part of an assignment or test for a student that has not been submitted/graded, or

• correct a student’s assignment or test answers.


Plagiarism includes

• submitting someone else’s ideas or words as one’s own

• using another’s ideas or words without crediting the source

• presenting another source’s idea as new and original (Plagiarism,

2011).

You and the student are guilty of plagiarism if you

• complete any part of a writing assignment for the student

• provide the student with specific ideas or words to include in his or

her writing assignment

• copy word-for-word or paraphrase someone else’s ideas, such as

those found on a website, for the student


Possible Repercussions for Cheating and Plagiarism

On the academic level

• a failing grade on the assignment

• failure of the course

• suspension or expulsion from school

On the legal level

• The author of the plagiarized text can sue the plagiarist in federal court (Standler, 2007).

• The guilty party can be fined “from $200 to $150,000 for each work infringed,” held responsible for all court costs, and even sent to jail (Purdue University, 2009).

• Because of TutorVista’s dedication to student learning, plagiarism by tutors will not be tolerated.

Developing Your Online Persona

Students need to know that someone “hears” them, and strong whiteboard tutors will show this empathy through their online personae.

For some individuals, an online persona is simply an extension of their natural communication styles, but others will have to work to develop this online presence. Try one or more of these strategies:

• Restate the student’s shared frustrations, ideas, confusions, or requests in different words.

• Ask thoughtful questions that demonstrate a true desire to understand the problem and help find solutions.

• Share your own relevant experiences (without being overly revealing or becoming the focus of the tutorial).

• Convey patience and openness as the student grapples with the issue at hand.

Good Communication Means Good Listening

At the heart of all of these strategies is the art of good listening; we must

listen carefully in order to communicate effectively.

As your student types, be patient and engage with what he/she is

communicating or working toward communicating. “Listening” on the

whiteboard will be a form of reading between the lines.

Pay attention to the pace, the pauses, the backspaces, the punctuation, and

the meaning of what your student types. This will allow you to tune into your

student’s aptitude, ability, and acquired skills and tailor your advice to each

individual.


In a completely text-based environment, every little aspect can make a big

difference in the way that the student perceives you as the tutor:

If your text is perceived as being abrasive and directive, the student will likely

become quieter and allow you to take control of the session.

If your text is positive and encourages the student to share ideas, the student

will feel more comfortable and communicative and may even make some

breakthroughs within that session.


Abrasive/Directive Dialogue:

• Don’t you think you should choose a

more interesting topic to write about?

Something that will engage your

readers?

Student Interpretation of

Dialogue:

My topic is worthless.

vs.

Positive/Encouraging Dialogue:

• What topic sounds most interesting to

you?

• Why does that topic sound interesting

to you?

• It’s clear that you’re interested in this

topic, Stephanie. How can you get

your readers to share your interest?


Dialogue:

Maybe I can get others interested in

this topic if I can figure out what

would be interesting to both of us.



• That’s easy! You should have

covered comma splices in high

school.


Dialogue:

I’m stupid and shouldn’t be in school.

vs.


• You might remember something

about comma splices or run-on

sentences. They occur when you

use a comma to connect two

sentences like this:

Weird things happen, it’s life!

Where are the two sentences

here?

Student Interpretation of Dialogue:

Oh! I remember those now . . . And

weird things do happen! But I think

now I’m seeing the problem; there’s

something wrong with connecting

sentences with a comma.

OR

OK, something’s wrong here…there

are two sentences somewhere. But

where. It sounds right to me.



• This is discussed in your

textbook. Look it up.


Dialogue:

ARGH!!!! I’ve already looked at my

book!!! I wanted real help.

I’ve read my textbook, and it makes

absolutely no sense. I needed someone

to show me how to summarize

effectively.

vs.


• Let’s talk about how to

summarize a short story. What

details stood out to you in this

piece? Once we list those, we can

use them to set up a summary.

Student Interpretation of Dialogue:

Okay, I can make a list of the details I

remember. It seems like I’m FINALLY

getting somewhere!

Final Notes for Tutoring

Serious action will be taken if tutors are found:

1. Writing text for students. It is Tutor Vista policy that tutors are not

permitted write any original text, including short answer essay responses

or full essays, for students. Tutors are welcome to state that this is Tutor

Vista’s policy within the session if students continually request sentences,

paragraphs, or essays to be written for them.

2. Helping students with answers for online tests / quizzes. Tutors must

not log into any student account to assist with the test.

3. Using Skype/ email exchanges in the session. Tutors will not conduct

sessions through Skype and will not provide email help.

Remember These Words to Get Students to Work with YouLetting students know what you will and won’t do will help students stay focused on learning within the session. Here are a few ways you can encourage students to work with you.

Example #1: HOC

Student: “I need you to write a response to this question for me.”

Tutor: “I’ll be happy to work with you to find the answer. What do you think about X?”

This will help the student begin a conversation where he/she will likely discover the answer on his/her own.

Example #2: HOC

Student: “I need you to write this essay for me.”

Tutor: "Sure, let's work on your paper together. What's the assignment?”

Tutor follow-up question: “Have you worked on your thesis/main idea yet? Let's start there."

The idea is to encourage the student into creating the primary claims of the paper. If a student says, "Can't you just write it for me?" you can respond, “It will be better for you to come up with the main idea so that if the teacher asks you about it, you'll be ready.”

Remember These Words to Get Students to Work with You

Example #3: HOC

Student: “What is the main idea of this story?”

Tutor: “Yes, let's go through the passage together. What do you see as the

main idea here?”

Tutor follow-up question: “What are the key words that stand out most to

you?”

Asking these questions will actively engage the student in analyzing the text.

Example #4: LOC

Student: “Will you answer this subject-verb agreement MCQ?”

Tutor: “I'll be happy to help you with the grammar question. Before I help you in arriving at the correct option, let us first discuss the related grammar rule.”

This allows the student to take control of the session, and you can either praise the student for not committing these errors or focus on correcting the errors he/she mentions during the first part of the session.

Thank You

Education

1.tutor vista b2c training manual