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Great Tutoring Experience Stories
By Shari Nielsen
I want to share an experience I recently had to demonstrate what a difference personal tutoring makes to young students. I was recently working with a chemistry student who was asked to memorize a bunch of information (names, formulas, charges, etc.). He was completely overwhelmed and frustrated and was ready to give up. We met and focused on this problem for a little while. The time wasn’t spent by actually explaining content to him, helping him work out problems or giving him feedback on his classwork. Instead, we spent about 15 minutes discussing ways to help his brain remember the information he needed to memorize. I explained how to chunk material and study it in unique ways. For instance, we decided that he will group all of the formulas that had a -1 charge together and study them in his bedroom. Then he would study all of the formulas that had a -2 charge in the family room, the -3s in the kitchen, and so forth. We also created color-coded flashcards that helped him organize the formulas themselves. For example, all of the formulas that contained 3 oxygen atoms were written on blue cards, the ones that had 4 oxygen atoms were written on red cards, and so forth. He thought I was nuts when I first explained these ideas but he was so desperate he was willing to try them out.
I just received an email from him a little while ago. He couldn’t wait to write to me to tell me that he aced his quiz today. Apparently the tricks worked for him and he even shared the ideas with some of his classmates. He said that at first he couldn’t remember a few of the formulas but then he simply remembered which room he studied them in or which color flash card they were written on and it instantly came to him. He is looking forward to trying this method out again when he prepares for his upcoming history test. I’m so proud of him and happy that I could help him learn how to learn. Just another of many examples of why personal tutoring is so rewarding.
Topics: Study Skills and Learning Strategies, Tutor Tips | No Comments »