Attitude: I would probably give myself a 4 in the category of “attitude” because I am always love discussing sociology with other students, especially non-majors (who do not get much exposure to this academic discipline). In addition, I feel as though I am energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate when tutoring in each and every session.
Processing Time: I will give myself a 2 in the category of “processing time” as often I will tend to talk too much and do too much explaining, not letting the student have ample time to process his/her thoughts. I definitely need to improve in this area, as being able to formulate one’s own thought is critical for sociology students. For, if I am doing most of the talking the students have no opportunity to to fully develop their own ideas.
Fostering Independence: I will give myself a 3 in the category “fostering independence”. While I feel as though I create a very relaxed and informal environment where the student feels comfortable to take risks, I sometimes find my self dictating the direction of the session a bit too much. I feel as though there is a fine line between structuring and dictating a session, and that I need a little more practice on ensuring that I can provide structure without being over controlling.
Encourages/ Supports: I would give myself a two on encouragement. I remember when coming into this position, many students had complained about the previous sociology tutor who would tell the students that their work was good, but they (the students) would ultimately end up with poor grades. Being afraid of falsely leading on students like this, I think I have become a bit to hard on the students, as I want to be as honest as possible when assessing their work. However, at the same time I need to learn when to be complementary and how to make my criticisms more constructive.
