by Rebecca Mayer | Apr 23, 2015 | Math, Teaching and Learning
The Socratic Method is a form of discussion based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking. When teaching a student a new topic, it is important to make them think about what they are learning rather than just firing information at them that they may or may not absorb. If you go about teaching as more of a discussion, then not only does the student retain more knowledge, they also feel more included in their own learning.
When using the Socratic Method with tutoring or teaching, asking questions to fuel the students’ thoughts helps them explore the topic further to reach a better understanding. In addition to this, asking questions that require more than a yes or no answer will help the student create their own thinking process to figure out questions rather than you just telling them the answers. This way, when they end up in a situation where they don’t have your help, say when taking the test, they will have already established their own process for solving the question and won’t feel lost without your guidance.
Another important aspect of the Socratic Method is checking students when they get answers wrong. Rather than just telling them they’ve arrived at an incorrect answer, ask them why they think it’s incorrect and what they think they did wrong. This will help them later to be more aware about when answers are wrong so that when taking a test, they will be able to see their mistake easier and know how to fix it, or they will remember correcting their mistake during tutoring and won’t even make it. Teaching about wrong answers is just as important as right answers. If a student is just constantly told that they are getting incorrect answers, they won’t be able to understand where they make mistakes or how to get them right.
Question asking is an effective way to keep students aware of their learning and to let them be a part of it. They feel more involved, like they are even teaching themselves a topic. It is much easier to remember something if you came up with it on your own instead of someone simply telling you step-by-step how to do it.
by Rebecca Mayer | Feb 19, 2015 | Teaching and Learning
I am new to tutoring and I have learned many things during my start. I have learned that different students need different types of teaching and different ways to grasp topics fully. It is generally important, for all students, to make sure they are confident in what they are learning. Knowing your student is an important aspect of tutoring. Using differentiated instruction, you are able to learn what your student needs and adjust to provide them with tutoring specific to them.
Differentiation is giving students multiple options for absorbing information. As you teach a certain student, you should observe how they respond to your methods and start to understand differences and similarities among students in order to respond to a variety of student needs. This way, you are able to modify the content you teach and the process you teach it to offer them a chance at full understanding. Since every student is different, this process will be different every time you teach. I have learned that when tutoring different students, you have to learn how to tweak your method so it is effective for all of them, since the same method that helps one student understand something might be completely confusing to another student.
An important thing to remember when varying teaching methods is to continue to assess how the student is responding and to make sure that you are always effective in the way you teach. If you use the same method for a student every time you tutoring them, you leave no room to realize if they need an adjustment or if they stop understanding something fully. For example, if a student works really well when they can work out problems with you so they can make sure they follow all of the steps correctly, eventually they will gain a more concrete comprehension of what you’re teaching and they will need you to draw back and let them solve it on their own. It is essential that, as tutors, we are able to see when this happens and know when to let them do things by themselves instead of using you as a crutch.
Also, once the student gains a better grasp on the content, they should be pushed further to challenge their understanding and go deeper into the topic rather than sticking with what the “book” wants them to know. If they expand the range of their knowledge, they will be more confident to do the simpler things.
No two students learn the same way or have the same abilities or needs but they are all working towards the same understanding or goal. They have to reach the same place but the method or path they use to get there might be completely different. It is important that we learn how to send them down the right path by structuring a teaching style suited for each individual student’s needs.
