Upon observing the tutors surrounding me as well as in my own experience tutoring, it is abundantly clear that, at its core, tutoring is the ability to interpret the miscommunications or misinterpretations that have occurred in the classroom. The ideas or concepts that are taught must fundamentally be understandable, otherwise they would not be taught. Hence, what matters is the relationship between communication and perception. As human beings there are bound to be miscomings and thus the role of the tutor appears. A concept that may be understood completely by one student may require a rerouting in its explanation in order for another student to feel confident with it. This may be caused by a lack of foundational knowledge or perhaps the inability to see how different ideas connect. The tutor, therefore, needs to diagnose why in this instance understanding has failed before they can continue in fixing it. This is particularly visible in content heavy writing subjects. Often students will feel confident in their knowledge of the content but will fall short of marks when it comes to the exam or assignment. What has often occurred here is not the failure to understand but the failure to apply it correctly. In recognising this “diagnosis” it is the tutors job to then explain how the student should successfully express their knowledge in a way that aligns with the marking criteria. It’s important to recognise what has caused this initial disjunction in order to help the student not fall into a habit of it. It is equally important in showing to the student that their error was not a lack of intelligence, just simply a miscommunication or a need for reframing of the idea so that the student does not become disheartened and lose the confidence they need in order to succeed. It is this interpretive dimension of tutoring that makes it both challenging and rewarding.

Lara Vennjones