Professional Courtesy Jennifer Zimmerman Director Academic Resource Center Mercer University

Professional Courtesy HonorCourtesyIntegrityPerseveranceSelf-ControlCourageCommunity

Honor The role you are playing is honorable – treat yourself with honor and you will act honorably Your tutee’s honor is vulnerable – respect his or her trust in you and show that you honor the tasks before both you and your tutee

Courtesy Present yourself so as to enhance the respect your tutee feels for you Encourage a respectful relationship by demonstrating your respect for your tutee The way you treat your tutee serves as a model for how you would like your tutee to treat you – e.g. get ready for your tutoring sessions a few minutes early

Integrity Aim to bring the integrity of the material, Mercer instructors, and Mercer students front and center during every tutoring session Keep guiding your tutee toward a conceptual understanding and an intellectual appreciation of the topic as a way to inspire individual learning Discourage excuses and short-cuts that will limit your tutee’s ability to master the material Maintain appropriate confidentiality

Perseverance Many challenges that the tutee faces can only be overcome through perseverance Acknowledge the role perseverance has played in your becoming a successful student Persevere in your work with your tutee and experiment with different tutoring methods

Self-Control Focus on your mission and role as a model student during your tutoring sessions Maintain your professional demeanor at all times – avoid personal topics completely Many tutees still need to learn self-control – don’t belittle tutees who are not as disciplined as you are, but help guide them during your tutoring sessions

Courage Understand that for many tutees it has taken a lot of courage to ask for help Applaud your tutee’s courage whenever he or she takes a risk in your tutoring session Encourage your tutee to take risks outside your sessions – ask questions in class, attend SI, etc. Aim to help build up your tutee’s courage so that he or she will be able to learn on his or her own

Community Establish a collegial relationship with your tutee Take responsibility for putting your tutee at ease Convey a gentle confidence in your ability to be of assistance Take pride in your valuable contribution to the Mercer Community

Honor Your Values Apply Your Values

Learn Reception Skills Your tutee wants to know that he or she is meeting with someone who wants to be of assistance – receive your tutee warmly Say your name clearly and slowly, and let your tutee know how he or she should address you (be honest about your preferences) Confirm that you can help the tutee with the material he or she has brought along to the session

Encourage Positive Feelings Aim for consistent comport in both appearance and tone Smile and nod appreciatively Help tutee settle comfortably into the tutoring lab Respond reassuringly to non-verbal cues signaling your tutee’s distress

Cultivate Professional Interest Do not compromise your professional distance – avoid Questionable humor or jokes Inquiries of a personal nature Discussion of personal problems Acknowledge requests for help beyond your purview and be prepared to refer your tutee to other resources

Communicate Effectively Speak clearly and loudly Always look directly at your tutee turn your head toward your tutee make eye contact Restate your understanding of your tutee’s objectives as frequently as necessary Clarify all of your questions immediately Openly admit it when you are unsure and work together with your tutee to solve the problem

Enhance Your Dialog Recognize the balance of power is in your favor and you may need to initiate dialog Assess your tutee’s competencies and converse at his or her level Listen Be Patient Be Open Promise appropriate confidentiality

Develop Rapport Seek rapport on intellectual matters Convey your enthusiasm for the task at hand – no matter how shy you are, this is your responsibility Be willing to fuel your tutee’s enthusiasm with your own energy Do not confuse rapport with friendship

Manage the Session Your tutee’s time is as valuable as yours – use it wisely Arrive early and gather your thoughts Locate writing supplies and reference materials in advance Take notes so that issues do not get forgotten Keep a log of all topics discussed – this may be useful for future sessions or to clarify any miscommunications

Keep Goals Clear Understand that your success as a tutor lies wholly in your ability to support your tutee’s success Direct your tutee toward establishing self- assured: Active learning skills Independence Motivation

Get to Know Your Tutee Discuss areas of strength and weakness – academic and non-academic Review examples of notes, papers, and problem-sets Inquire about tutee’s study habits in an open-minded manner Refrain from making judgments about tutee

Help Your Tutee Succeed Understand that your tutee must find his or own way to master the material Respectfully refuse to do your tutee’s work Respectfully acknowledge that the way you understand the materials may not mirror the best manner in which your tutee can learn Remain open to exploring learning options that work for your tutee (learning styles)

Ask Leading Questions Apply a variety of techniques Probing Factual Divergent Higher Order Affective Structuring Wait at least 20 seconds before prompting Encourage the tutee to formulate a response or ask a clarifying question Provide feedback

Give Away Airtime Ask tutee to explain comfort zone topics as an introduction to challenging material Ask tutee to think out loud Experiment with hypothetical scenarios Adopt the Socratic Method Resist asking/answering yes and no questions

Mind the Time Keep discussion directed toward an agreed on session goal Identify intermediate progress points Show how session topics relate to goal Designate steps tutee can perform independently and “sit them out” Honestly reassess goals based on progress

Wrap-Up Tutoring Sessions Invite tutee to provide feedback on how the session went Invite the tutee to attend another lab session Wrap up with a comment on at least one thing that you think went well during the session Suggest areas where tutee might benefit from further tutoring