Questions to Ask your Tutor

How to Prepare for a Tutoring Session

 

What questions could you ask your tutor? 

  • Could we go over my homework together? 
  • Could you help me see where I am going wrong on this problem? 
  • Could we go over some study tips for my upcoming exam? 
  • I don't understand X topic from class, could you explain it to me slowly?
  • Could we do a final review of my essay, with a specific eye towards transitions and grammar? 

 

What can you see a tutor about?

  • Homework
    1. Tutors are generally familiar with the types of homework given in their subject, even if they don’t know the details of your specific assignment.
    2. Tutors are a great resource if you want someone to help go through your homework step-by-step.
    3. The tutor can be a partner while you go through your own assignments; they can help point out areas of concern or places where you can adjust your work to make it more effective.
    4. What to bring: Your homework assignment, along with any rubrics or guides given to you by the professor.
    5. Best ways to prepare:
      1. Think about what parts of the homework are most confusing to you. What don't you understand?
      2. Think about what parts of the homework really click for you. Tutoring is partially about things you find difficult or confusing, but it is also about what works well for you. If you can communicate to your tutor the parts of the homework that make perfect sense, they can better assist you with the parts that don’t.

 

  • Test prep
    1. Your tutor can help you study for a test by reviewing important concepts.
    2. Your tutor can help you by being a quizzing partner and testing your comprehension of the material.
    3. You can work with a tutor to create a study guide, if one wasn’t provided.
    4. You can go over previous tests to determine how to improve. 
    5. What to bring: Study guides, previous tests, or any review materials that your professor has given you, if you don’t have anything, bring your syllabus.
    6. Best ways to prepare:
      1. Try to narrow down the focus of your studying. Your tutor won't be able to help you will everything that could be on your test, so if you figure out which parts you need the most review on, that can make for a more fruitful session.
      2. How have you done on previous tests? Where there parts that you struggled with?

 

  • Writing of almost any kind
    1. You can see a writing tutor for any kind of writing. It does not need to be in their major. 
    2. Your writing tutor can help you with brainstorming, organization, clarity, grammar, and argument within your piece of writing.
    3. Writing tutors do not proofread, but they can go over grammar rules with you while you read the paper together.
    4. What to bring: The prompt and any writing that you have already done. If you haven’t started that is fine, just bring the prompt and your ideas.
    5. Best ways to prepare:
      1. Think about where you are in the writing process, and where you want assistance. Is the prompt confusing? Are you having trouble brainstorming? Do you have a paper written but you want to work on making it sound better? Do you want to work on grammar/flow? The more specific you can be with your concerns, the better.

 

  • General concept questions
    1. Though you will usually have an assignment to work on, you can also come to the tutors when you don’t have a specific assignment and you want to brush up on a topic. Perhaps you might be struggling with a big-picture concept and you want to really make sure you understand the basics.
    2. A lot of classes at Cal Maritime build on each other, so you can meet with a tutor to brush up on material from a pervious class, just be as specific as possible with the topic that you want to cover. Tutors cannot cover an entire class worth of material. 
    3. It is important to note that tutors are not professors, and they will not be prepared to give you a lecture on a highly specific topic. Tutors are not a substitute for attending class.
    4. What to bring: Bring any materials you have about the topic you want to focus on.
    5. Best ways to prepare:
      1. Think about why want to learn about this topic, that can help you focus. Do you want to learn more because it is interesting to you? Do you want to brush up on content from a previous class? 

 

What should you see a professor for? 

  • Specific details about an assignment
  • Questions about your grade
  • Extensive review of a class topic
  • Concerns about foundational knowledge (prerequisite classes)
  • Making up for class absences