Learning to Teach

Abstract

Tutoring math at De Anza has been a new experience for me. I had tutored younger children before, but it was not comparable to this 8 hr/week job in which I was working with students my age or older. Through the tutoring course, I’ve learned various ways to address the learning habits of my tutees and adapt more to their needs as students. There were also topics that we discussed in tutoring class that I had no idea about, for example, students with learning disabilities. At the start of tutoring, I definitely had many questions running through my head, but now that I am more experienced, I can answer those questions and even suggest advice to new tutors have similar questions. Looking back on the quarter, I’d say that tutoring was a demanding job for me: I had to be prepared to answer questions, organize myself, be patient, and learn my tutees’ strengths and weaknesses, but it was also rewarding to help students. Perhaps my reflection of my quarter tutoring can help others.