Peer Tutors

The Academic Skills Centre has an extensive service that matches students who are having difficulty with their courses with students (peer tutors) who have achieved good grades in those courses in previous semesters. Contact the Peer Tutoring Coordinator in Room 6D.2 (upstairs in the Library) for more information.

Foundations of Effective Tutoring is an online tutor training course for new tutors that has been developed for cegep students.

Available departments

Please click on one of the headings below for information about the subject areas in which tutoring is provided.

How does it work?

Ask for a tutor

• Make your request at the reception desk in the Academic Skills Centre (6D.2, upstairs in the Library).
• If there is an available tutor, you will be given the name and phone number right away. You will receive a printout with your tutor’s contact information and you will receive an e-mail message containing the same information.
• Call or e-mail your tutor for an appointment. You are entitled to a maximum of 10 hours of tutoring per subject through the semester. Normally, you will meet with your tutor in one-hour sessions.
• This is a free service to Dawson students.

Tutee’s responsabilities

• To understand and complete course requirements
• To take action to solve academic problems encountered in courses
• To contact the tutor to make appointments for tutoring sessions
• To arrive prepared and on time, and remain for the duration of the tutorial
• To show respectful and appropriate behaviour during tutoring sessions
• To refrain from cheating, plagiarism and other dishonest or deceptive behaviour
• To participate in evaluations of the tutoring program when requested

Tutor’s responsabilities

• Complete a Tutor Application Form. Read the Responsibilities of Peer Tutors on the back of the form very carefully and sign it.
• Obtain your teacher’s signature.
• Dawson Student Hiring Requisition & Direct Deposit Application forms – these are completed once each semester for the Payroll system
• Before tutoring for the first time, tutors must take part in a tutor training workshop (schedule available from the Academic Skills Centre)
• Make an appointment with the Peer Tutoring Coordinator and return to the Academic Skills Centre, 6D.2 (upstairs in the Library), with all the completed forms.
• Tutors should be careful not to overwork — try not to schedule more than 6 tutoring sessions per week. You will normally be working with our tutees in one-hour sessions. Tutees are entitled to 10 hours of tutoring help.

Drop-in-tutors and group tutors are hired in consultation with the departments concerned.

• To help the student understand and apply course concepts
• To increase the probability of the student’s success
• To focus on the student’s learning needs and concerns
• To provide the student with a stress-free tutoring experience
• To increase the student’s self-confidence and motivation
• To respect the student and maintain the confidentiality of tutoring sessions
• To be prepared and on time for the student’s tutoring session
• To provide a record of each tutoring session

A tutor provides expertise, experience, and encouragement.
They do not provide “answers,” but rather assist in problem solving, in getting answers.
The challenge is to focus on assignments within the context they are assigned.

Tutors should not be expected to diagnose learning disabilities.
Diagnosis should take place outside of the tutoring process by a Learning Centre professional or a counselor. If a larger problem becomes apparent, referral is the best strategy.

Tutoring strategies:

Seek out training to be a more effective tutor:
This includes subject matter as well as the tutoring procedures.

Clearly establish expectations for your learner
What are the expectations of the learner? Of the teacher? And of those close to the learner (classmates, department, school, family, etc.).

Keep and follow a consistent set of rules
Write them down; post them; refer to them!
Rules are necessary, but must be mutually agreed upon with the learner.
They must be fair and enforced consistently.
Rules cut down on unnecessary struggles.

Have a clear idea of your own strengths and limitations,
And what skills or knowledge you can offer as a tutor.
One reward of tutoring is the opportunity to use and apply what you have learned.

Know the learner
Discover his or her strengths and challenges in learning.
Under what circumstances does he or she learn best? Poorly?
(Do not assume that everyone’s learning styles or conditions are the same,
or similar to yours)

Build a relationship and trust.

Be aware of the differences between you and the learner.

You are not trying to change the learner, but to accommodate and use their learning style(s) in order to complete the tasks.

Since you are more experienced,it is your challenge to adjust, adapt, or find a way.

Be open and honest

Sarcasm and condescension are not productive. We do not tutor to impress, but rather to help.

Do not be afraid to acknowledge that the chemistry between you and the learner isn’t right.

And that another tutor might be more effective. The goal is to help, not endure.

Make sure the learner knows it is normal to not succeed at first

Learning is a process that often involves unsuccessful attempts.
This is not failure since options are eliminated toward the correct solution.
Learning and problem solving require passing through a period of sorting through facts and options toward success.

The tutoring session:

Listen closely to work out the real problem
Check to see if the learner has prepared with some time and effort and attempted the assignments.

Assess the situation
Think in terms of realistic objectives;develop a “contract” of agreed upon learning outcomes and communications expectations (availability, one/several sessions;means of communication (face-to-face, e-mail, telephone, etc.).

Use questions to enhance problem solving

Demonstrate or model similar processes

Don’t be afraid to reveal that you don’t know something
You can refer the learner to more sources, including the teacher.
You can take the opportunity to learn/problem-solve, and bring back answers,
and demonstrate that you are in a learning process as well.

Give positive feedback, use encouraging vocabulary

Find success, and reinforce effort, in even minor accomplishment

Summarize and review

Enable follow up

Celebrate accomplishment!

Keep records for future reference

• Tutoring sessions should last no longer than one (1) hour
• Each tutee is entitled to ten (10) hours of tutoring throughout the semester. Consult the Peer Tutoring Coordinator if more tutoring is needed
• Tutoring must be done on campus during regular college hours
• There is an obligation to keep appointments. If either party does not show up, try to reschedule. A second “no-show” (tutor or tutee) should be reported to the Academic Skills Centre
• Tutors are not allowed to do homework or assignments or to give out their own class or lab notes. Let the Academic Skills Centre know if there is a problem in this area
• Tutees should keep in touch with their class teachers for extra help
• The Academic Skills Centre reserves the right to spot-check tutorials and conducts an on-going evaluation of the program