Scholarly Advice for Academic Mastery
A collection of insights and advice from some of the most successful university, graduate, and professional students and scholars.
Topic: Tutors/Tutoring
The ABSOLUTE best way to understand and memorize concepts is to find someone ignorant of the subject matter and teach it to them. Go through the material step by step with them and explain it to them so that they can also understand it. The hard part is finding a volunteer (start with parents and siblings) who will listen for any length of time. Yes, this technique is time consuming, but it is extremely effective. It also works in ANY subject matter -- from English literature to organic chemistry.
Jonathon Fields
PhD, Educational Leadership
East Tennessee State University
There are lots of ways to study, but there is one fail-proof,
infallible method of absorbing and understanding material. That is-- you
teach it. There is no better review in the world than for you to have to go
slowly through the material and explain step-by-step how it works to someone
else. It won't work for the subject you're clueless about, but if you're
reviewing for a test and just need to soak the lessons into your brain, grab
a friend who's having trouble with it and teach it to them. It is absolutely
unavoidable that you ingrain material into your head if your objective is to
teach it to someone else. You will break the knowledge into understandable
pieces. Your brain will go over it longer than it needs to. And you can
field questions that you might not have even considered before.
You might think, "I don't know
this stuff well enough to teach it. That's why I'm studying it." Still, it's
immensely helpful to approach the material as if you're presenting it to
someone else. That's what your exam will be asking of you tomorrow. So read
it and try to simplify as well as you can and then teach it to a friend--
even a friend who's on the same level as you are. Then you can go over it
together. Maybe split the material into two parts and take turns acting
teacher and student, explaining and asking questions. This method won't
magically imbibe knowledge into your brain if you never had any
comprehension of the subject at all, but it's the best possible method of
review, memorization, and assurance of understanding.
Scott E. Olmsted
Georgetown University
Curriculum Vitae:
Leverage your university career
services to help hone your resume-writing skills. Most students don't even
know that such a resource exits, but career services is enormously
invaluable. Not only to they provide resume and job-hunting tips, but they
also possess connections with job recruiters. Go early and go often. Since
most internships start accepting applications in January, start thinking
about constructing your resume in November. Once you have a rough draft,
bring it to your career services office to have someone look over it. Some
of the staff there were once recruiters and thus have a vast bank of
knowledge about how to revise resume and make them stand out. For those
students who are apprehensive about allowing a stranger critique a resume,
don't worry. First, that's a completely natural feeling to have. Second, the
staff isn't there to judge your resume accomplishments in comparison to
other students who use the service. They are there to give you advice, and
the advice they give is often extremely valuable.
Anna Peng
Economics
Princeton University
Every college or university should offer free tutoring
services available to their students. Usually there is a tutoring center for
writing or math. There are limited hours in each center and it is usually on
a first-come, first-serve basis. Throughout my undergraduate career, I took
advantage of the tutoring services available at both institutions that I
graduated from. While attending North Shore Community College (Danvers,
Massachusetts), I went to the math tutoring center several times a week.
Since mathematics was my area of difficulty, I knew that I needed help and
was not afraid to ask for it. As a result of getting tutoring, I earned
satisfactory grades in all of my math classes. If tutoring was not
available, I probably would not have done so well. While meeting with a
tutor, I learned helpful strategies and techniques that I did not think
about prior to receiving such assistance. If I was particularly having
trouble in one area, the tutor would show me a different way to get to the
same answer.
Aside from math tutoring, I also took advantage of the English tutoring. I
also went to the writing center several times per week in order to get my
papers proofread before turning them in to get graded. When another person
would read my paper, I would receive his or her point of view. I have to
admit that there were times when I had to start completely over and write a
paper that made more sense; however, I was relieved that a tutor was giving
me such a suggestion instead of a professor.
I gained the required knowledge in several academic areas upon graduating
from North Shore Community College in May of 2005, and then I transferred to
Salem State College (Salem, MA). I took upper-level mathematics classes and
wrote quite a few research papers while attending Salem State College. I
took the time to receive tutoring as needed and succeeded yet again. I
graduated with summa cum laude from Salem State College in 2007 and am now
going for my master’s degree in mental health counseling at the University
of Massachusetts-Boston.
I share with you my personal experience because I know how it is to struggle
with particular subjects. One of the best pieces of advice that I can give
you is to go for tutoring early when you begin to have difficulty; rather
than going for tutoring late in the semester. Aside from the tutoring that
may be offered for free at your college or university, your professor will
also be pleased when make a visit during his or her office hours in order to
discuss a particular problem. Your professor is there to help you at any
point during the course. If you are struggling in a particular area, chances
are that other students are facing similar difficulties.
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Sean Michael Kenney Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling University of Massachusetts-Boston
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I believe it also worked to my
advantage when I tutored students on campus. Not only did I work off campus,
but I also had a tutoring job in the learning center on campus which
required about five hours of my time each week. Most of the time, tutors
were supposed to have already taken the class prior to tutoring other
students, but sometimes no other tutors were available, and I would actually
be taking the class and tutoring the material at the same time. It became
more of a study group than an actual tutoring session, but it was really
helpful. I recommend it to any student as long as it is with a group of
people who will not be distracted from the goal of the session - learning
the information.
All students are capable of mastering academics, some just
have to work harder than others. The amount of work you put into it almost
always reflects the outcome.
| Brittani Forte Pfeiffer University |
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Tutoring in your subject of expertise is not only a great way to help out
a struggling student, but it's a great means to reinforcing your
understanding of the subject. Being able to understand an academic concept
is necessary in college; being able to make someone else understand that
same concept is quite an accomplishment. Tutoring also builds social skills
in dealing with different kinds of students of all ages and backgrounds. In
a one-on-one setting, the tutor is forced to see the subject from the
tutoree's point-of-view, relate it to his/her own, and then attempt to
adjust both accordingly.
Tutoring for a class or subject will allow a student to know if a career in
education is for him/her. Many students who hadn't planned on teaching found
that they had the "gift of teaching" while tutoring; although tutoring is
not an exact replica of a teacher's total responsibilities, it can be a
preview of working with a student. If given the chance, become a tutor for
your department. You might not get paid much or anything; there will most
likely be questions you can't answer and students you can't teach, but in
the end, you and your tutoree will be better for it.
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Jeffrey Gibson Master of Science in Electrical Engineering University of West Florida
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Most Universities or colleges have a Tutoring Department and services
available for those requesting help. Tutoring is a support service available
to all students, but most schools do not guarantee this service. The
Tutoring Department employs peer tutors to assist students with difficult
courses. Knowledgeable tutors can assist students by reviewing the course
material, answering questions, and reviewing for exams. When combined with
other support services, tutoring becomes a powerful ally in learning
difficult course material. Students may use the tutoring services at little
or no charge. Tutoring may be scheduled individually or with a group and
students may request tutoring at anytime throughout the semester. Finding a
good tutor is really about - “does your tutor meet your learning style?”
Many universities also subscribe to or provide on-line assistance to
students. One of the more reputable companies offer online tutoring services
called Smart Thinking www.SMARTHINKING.com, which provides live, online,
personalized assistance in Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Economics,
Anatomy & Physiology, Intro to Finance, all levels of Math (including
bilingual Math), Physics, Spanish, Stats, Writing Lab.
Becoming a tutor is a great way to further your understanding of a subject
and a great way to earn extra money. Tutoring Departments hire students as
peer tutors. This type of opportunity allows a flexible work environment, a
great way to meet new people, and earn extra money while on campus.
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Robert Williams Adjunct Instructor - Buena Vista University Master of Educational Leadership Viterbo University
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The lack of knowledge as the first step towards a productive dialog.
Knowledge can be acquired not only by reading but also through a productive
dialog. But what makes a dialog to be productive?
Perhaps the most important requirement towards a productive dialog is the
non-dogmatic attitude of the participants. A dialog is usually triggered by
the lack of knowledge. When the participants accept their lack of knowledge
they ask questions and then the dialog starts. The Socratic idea captured in
the following words: “I know only one thing that I know nothing” is
essentially the acceptance of the lack of knowledge and at the same time
could be the beginning of a productive dialog.
Working as a teaching assistant, I realized that one of the effective ways
of teaching is via a productive dialog. In order to analyze a complex idea
and answer a difficult question, you can pretend that you do not know the
answer first. Then, by asking several very simple questions and depending on
the students’ answers, you can lead their minds to the correct answer. In
this way, you can initiate a productive dialog and use the students’ way of
thinking, in order to help them realize the answer. It is very important to
understand that your approach towards the answer sometimes does not coincide
with their approach.
In the same way, productive dialogs can be realized among you and your
peers. With the acceptance of the lack of knowledge and with a humble,
non-dogmatic attitude, one can gain the sympathy and help of others. Secrets
and useful information could be revealed to you, which you may never obtain
by a selfish and dogmatic behavior.
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Georgios Nektarios Lilis PhD., Electrical and Computer Engineering Cornell University |
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As an educator in graduate school, it is very difficult to balance my career and school. One thing that has helped me master the concepts I am being taught in graduate school is to apply those same concepts in my own classroom. Some of the strategies that I implement with my students are better than others, but the benefits are two-fold. I am able to grasp the ideas and concepts that I am expected to learn in school and my students reap the benefits of learning information through research-based strategies.
Kathryn Wood Almond
Master of Education in Special Education
University of North Carolina