Step 4: The hard part about this step is attempting to see what the student knows and how he/she is thinking without putting them “on the spot”. However, to identify the thought process of the student I try to engage in a informal conversation about the material, asking him/her what they have learned, what they think are the most salient themes/concepts and why.
Step 5: When setting an specific agenda, I ask what they are having the most trouble with and what they would like to focus on the most. A certain text? A concept? Understanding an assignment? Brain storming for a paper? Going over a draft of a paper?. However, I often notice that they don’t know what they don’t understand. In turn, sometimes we have to go over the basics before we can even dive into a specific assignment; for without a solid foundation/grasp of the sociological perspective, completing these assignments or studying for tests is quite hard. In addition, when deciding upon the specific agenda I often try to think about certain preferences a professor may have or a certain subject/concept that I know the professor thinks its vital to study (or address in a paper).
Step 6: When it comes time to address the task, I often ask the student to take out all of the relevant material and their class notes. Frequently I will model connecting two different themes within separate texts (a task often required in sociology) and then have them make a connection with two other themes. After they attempt to make a connection, I try to provide positive reinforcement and point out what their strengths of that particular connection were, while simultaneously providing some constructive criticism. Another task I often work on with students is establishing an solid outline, so that students can present their knowledge of the material in a systematic manner. I will usually assist with the brainstorming of possible topics to address (and in what order), providing some examples for them to go off of.
Step 7 & 8: When summarizing the content of our session I typically review the notes that have been taken on the official TJ’s tutoring form in addition to the notes that students often take within the session. We will spend around 5-7 minutes discussing the major issues addressed in the session. During this time I try to have them do the majority of the talking, explaining, and summarizing so I can be sure that they understand the material we went over.
