THE KEY CHALLENGES FOR A BEGINNING PEER

TUTOR

THE KEY CHALLENGES FOR A BEGINNING PEER

TUTORHOW TO SURVIVE THOSE FIRST FEW PEER TUTORING SESSIONS!!!

UNCEfRTAINTYUNCEfRTAINTY

• When you start as a Peer Tutor you are unsure of your own particular skill base and why you were picked to be a Peer Tutor.

• Who has recommended you? What skills do they think you have? Will I live up to expectations?

TERMINOLOGYTERMINOLOGY

• During training the vocabulary used maybe unfamiliar to most students.

• Talk of essay structure, formation of sentences and paragraphs and the dreaded grammar can put you off.

• Peer Tutors become familiar with these terms and find it easier to explain to other students in simpler terms.

Working With OthersWorking With Others

• New Tutors are cautious about talking to others about their essays and also about correcting other peoples work.

TRAININGTRAINING

• Whilst training is excellent, the first time a Peer Tutor reads another student’s essay, it is the grammar that they will concentrate on rather than content.

• This is because the tutor has handy 8 and 16 point grammar sheets they can easily follow. Using these helps to settle the tutor into the essay.

LecturersLecturers

• Students need to know what the lecturers want from them . To this end our Writing Centre has on file various types and grades of essays from all the subject departments throughout the College.

• We also have assigned Peer Tutors for each subject who have met with and liaise with the lecturers to understand the main styles of essay writing.

Peer PressurePeer Pressure

• Many tutors do not want to be seen as know-it-alls who are the elite students.

• Gaining the trust of the student is highly important.

• Many students will ask for a grade or for ideas for their essay. Sometimes they are confused by the essay titles or are unsure how to write an academic essay.

BeginningsBeginnings

• Once the Peer Tutor has a scheduled session under his/her belt the next step is to hold a drop-in session.

• This can be traumatic for both the student and the Peer Tutor.

• The initial fear can be relieved by finding a common bond between both student and tutor, and this is most likely to be the session itself.

My personal experienceMy personal experience

• I have been a Peer Tutor for just over a year and have enjoyed every minute.

• When I was asked to become a Peer Tutor I was unsure as to why I was there. I did not feel that my essays were particularly good but I enjoyed learning how to do the job. I had already used the service for two essays and had an idea of how the sessions were held but that did not prepare me for how I felt at my first session on my own.

My personal experienceMy personal experience

• I am currently the Peer Tutor for European Studies and have worked with incoming Erasmus students from Germany, Slovakia. Slovenia, Poland and Holland as well as students in the College.

• I have worked with visiting lecturers and have met with people from outside bodies and talked about my experiences as a Peer Tutor and how it has helped me with my own essays.

My personal experienceMy personal experience

• Due to my work as a Peer Tutor I have also completed a Teaching English as a Foreign Language course, which will help me to tutor the Erasmus students better.

• I am looking forward to working with the First Year students and continuing my work with the rest of the students and also to working with other Colleges and Universities throughout the year to promote Peer Tutoring for all.

My personal experienceMy personal experience

• I believe that a Peer Tutoring service should be installed into every University in order to help students become better writers.

• The Writing Centre at St Mary’s is a community and to that end myself, Anne Marie and Helena often work together and ask each other for help if we are unsure of something. The Centre runs drop-in sessions where up to four people can be found at any one time.

WE ALL NEED HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS!

WE ALL NEED HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS!

ANNE MARIE HUGHES AND HELENA HONEY

“CONFIDENCE DOES NOT GROW ON TREES!”

“CONFIDENCE DOES NOT GROW ON TREES!”

NUALA LAURO

THANK YOUTHANK YOU

•Thank you for your attention and goodbye!