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1. Strategy: The Late Paper (Case Study)
Application: Tutor Training

Educator: Sharon Padilla-Alvarado, Coordinator, Tutoring Center, Cosumnes River College, CA
Implementation: I use “The Late Paper” to help tutors understand that an important aspect of their job is helping their tutees take responsibility for their academic success rather than make excuses when something does not go well.  After students debate who they think is most responsible for Kim’s failing grade, elicit and record Kim’s possible excuses for failing Psychology 101 (e.g., Prof. Freud was unfair, Arnold wouldn’t give her the car keys, Cindy wouldn’t take her home from the party). Then redirect the conversation to the tutoring realm by asking, “Have you ever worked with a tutee who always seemed to have excuses for his or her poor academic performance?” Record a list of “excuses” the tutors have heard (or used themselves). Going through the list of excuses, ask the tutors how they could help their tutees take greater responsibility for becoming academically successful. For example, ask, “If a student says he isn’t doing well in math because he can’t understand the teacher’s accent, how could you get that student to replace his excuse with a positive action?”  Compose a list of strategies that the tutors identify, and later provide them with a copy of the list. In future sessions, ask tutors for examples of tutees’ Victim excuses and how they (the tutors) responded to empower the student to be a Creator (instead of enabling the student to be a Victim).

2. Strategy: Forks in the Road and Wise Choice Process
Application: Tutor Orientation

Educator: Betty East, Tutoring Director, The Victoria College , TX

Implementation: In a Tutor Orientation, pass out a copy of the Fork in the Road model from the On Course I Workshop book. Ask students to identify a personal Fork in the Road (decision) that they are facing. Teach the Wise Choice Process, providing cards with the six steps printed on it. Have tutor-trainees pair up, and designate themselves as the “Listener” and the “Talker.” Using the Wise Choice Process, the Listener coaches the Talker to make a wise choice at his/her Fork in the Road. Have tutor-trainees reverse roles and repeat the process. Bring them back together in the big group, and ask debriefing questions such as, “How did the Wise Choice Process work for you?” and “What problems have tutees told you about recently?” and “How could you use the Wise Choice Process with your tutees?” and “When would it be more helpful to use the Wise Choice Process rather than to give advice?” In closing, encourage tutors to keep their Wise Choice Process card with them and look for situations in which it would be more helpful to use this empowering decision-making process with tutees rather than give advice.

3. Strategy: Inner Conversations

Application: Mathematics class before handing back scores on first test & Tutoring Math

Educator: Nancy Fees, Faculty, Mathematics, Northwest College , WY

Implementation: Do this activity with a group of students before they receive results on the first math test of the semester. On slips of paper, write test scores – 60’s, 80’s and 100’s and put them in a bowl on folded-up pieces of paper.  Ask each student to choose one piece of paper with a score on it and then to keep that score hidden. Each student in turn verbalizes an inner dialogue with him/herself about the test score they received without revealing the actual number.  Other students guess the (imaginary) score that the student got on the test. Afterwards, students talk about what they could do, as Creators, to score well on the next test.  When I introduced the strategy, it played so well! Abigail got a slip with a 60, and she started raging, “I should have studied harder!  I’m going for a retake!  I’ll make flash cards next time.  I won’t watch any TV the night before.  This is an unacceptable grade for me.  I have to get through this school with straight A’s so I can go on with my next plans!”  And poor old Mikey was immediately guessed for getting a slip with a score of 100 when he wistfully said, “I’ve never gotten a grade like this in math in my entire life!”  Sad, but poignant.  It was such a great exercise.  It didn’t even take very long.  While the best students shared their strategies for improving grades, the worst students for once got to rave on about a good or great grade.  With a large enough group, chance should guarantee that at least one good student will choose a lousy grade, while one really poor student might get a great grade just once.  After this activity, all students have strategies for improvement provided by the best students in the group.

4. Strategy: V x E = M
Application: Writing Center Tutor Training

Educator: Connie Strickland, Asst. Dir, Academic Support, Wesley College , DE

Implementation: The goal of this activity to increase the motivation of all students to seek help at the tutoring center by emphasizing the value they will get by doing so.  1) Teach tutors the V x E = M concept of self-motivation 2) Teach the difference between Extrinsic vs Intrinsic value, providing examples related to tutoring (e.g, Extrinsic value of getting tutoring—better grade on paper; Intrinsic value of getting tutoring—heightened self-esteem from increased writing confidence) 3) In pairs, have tutors list additional extrinsic and intrinsic values of students coming to the tutoring center. 4) In whole group, create a longer list naming the values of students coming to the tutoring center. 5) Assignment: Tutors create fliers to post on campus or an ad to place in the college newspaper. The fliers or ads should emphasize the value of seeking tutoring at the Writing Center .