I knew where this inquiry was headed in the first line of the email: “What did the tutor do wrong?” This parent, like so many others, was frustrated because her son had failed a science quiz yet again. She was losing hope, because she had spent a tremendous amount of money on tutors and it was a financial strain. This was a mother’s last hope; her son had to make better grades to be eligible for a college football scholarship. She was full of questions: “Did the tutor not go over the lesson well enough? He has a graduate degree in environmental science, so he should know this stuff, right? Should I change tutors again?”
As a teacher of 14 years, my response was simple, “None of the above.” Despite all the mother’s attempts to find solutions, she neglected to look at the problem first. Her son had been diagnosed with short-term memory issues, and tutoring, which promotes cramming to learn material quickly, wouldn’t be an effective learning strategy for him.
At a competitive independent school such as mine, parents often pay ridiculous hourly rates to tutors who may not be equipped with the skills or experience to help students effectively. They visit a student at home maybe only once a week, trying to cram large quantities of information into the student’s head. They depart with a wad of cash in their pocket, leaving behind a false sense of hope that the score on the next test will be higher. Surely there must be a better way. Perhaps we need to look at the research and change our approach.
Information Processing Theory
The way most students use tutors goes against some of the basic theories of learning, such as the Information Processing Theory (IPT). The Information Processing System ”is limited in how much information it can take in at one time” and “therefore, when information exceeds that amount, some is lost,” according to Introduction to Learning Theories by Robert D. Boyd.
The Atkinson-Shiffrin Model of Memory, which is used by IPT, highlights three stores of memory: sensory memory, short-term working memory, and long-term memory. Our short-term memory is the middleman between our sensory memory that receives information via the senses and our long-term memory, which will permanently store information. The short-term memory has a limited capacity of five to nine bits of new information and holds on to those for less than a minute. If not committed into the long-term memory storage within that first minute, then it is lost.
A technique called “chunking” allows us to cope with trying to master larger quantities of information, however that and other learning tricks cannot always be used to circumvent our limited short-term working memory. For example, an entire chapter of information, which easily exceeds the five to nine bits of new information, needs to be transferred to a student’s long-term memory during the session. This is not going to happen no matter how good the tutor is, and whether the student has ADHD or short-term memory-processing problems. Those who cram for exams seldom have long-term retention of material.
Different Methods of Instruction
Another aspect to consider about tutoring is the way information is disseminated. Often tutors do not have the opportunity to prepare and must explain concepts on demand. They may not have assessed the student’s weaknesses. They are probably not even aware of the specifics taught in class. They cannot plan critical thinking questions or activities to engage the student.
Studies have shown that retention rates of concepts learned through just verbal methods are as low as 10 percent and adding some visual will increase it to 25 percent. To increase retention rates, the students must be actively involved in the learning; involvement forces the working memory to be engaged enough to commit information into long-term memory. If the student does more of the talking and perhaps pretends to teach the tutor, retention rates can be increased up to 90 percent. Now that would be money well spent.
Tips for Effective Tutoring
How can educators help parents and tutors make study sessions more successful?
Student prep is key. Encourage students to review the information in small pieces in short time periods every weekday, so they do not overload their short-term working memory. If a teacher provides learning objectives, the student has a chance to master the ones addressed that day in class by making a study guide, using note cards, or taking a quizlet online. The student also can look over the class materials from the lesson that day and review the main concepts. The student should then bring these materials to the session for the tutor to assess.
Ask students what’s not clear. Have students make a specific list of concepts they aren’t getting. This will require time management on the student’s part but will result in more efficient learning than an intensive cram session. It also will require accountability at school and at home; the student cannot simply wait for the tutor to explain the material later.
Find out who’s talking more. The student should talk the most in a tutoring session, constructing the ideas and interpreting the information. The tutor should focus on asking probing questions or providing scaffolding to assist the student in constructing the concepts. For inaccurate interpretations, the tutor may need to provide clarification questions to redirect the student toward a correct understanding of the material. The student can be directed to incorporate visuals from the textbook and class notes, or even better, to use a small dry-erase white board to sketch out ideas to enhance their verbal recitation.
Have students create a study journal to discover how they learn best. Homework logs for keep track of how much time each day is spent on a subject and a brief list of the concepts mastered. Immediately after the student takes a test, have them reflect on which strategies they used to study, such as creating note cards, typing a study guide, chunking information, or memorizing a mnemonic. Have them rate how prepared they felt before the test and also how well they think they did after the test. Then when the scores are returned, assess which techniques worked and whether time was managed well to avoid cramming.
Finally, remember that tutors have often no training on how students learn. They are probably strong in their content area because they were capable students with good study skills, but they may not be able to relate to the difficulties of a student who needs a tutor. It is not fair to expect them to overload your student’s brain with tons of information the night before a test and deliver results the next day. Nor is it fair to expect this of the student.