Personal Reflection on Tutoring Experience: Learning Concepts

Tutoring experience essays provide valuable insights into the challenges and rewards of working with students to help them achieve their academic goals. In this essay I will share my experience of tutoring in my homework club and learning concepts and theories of understanding knowing and learning. Duting this stage of life I have come to believe that the more useful and effective way of a tutoring position was to mainly utilize Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory, and also incorporating concepts from Skinner’s behaviourism theory and a humanist approach to knowing and learning. Nonetheless, I do acknowledge that other theories such as Piaget’s cognitive constructivism or cognitive science are also relevant methods to utilize in knowing and learning.

Firstly, under the article of Schunk in Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory, Vygotsky emphasizes that an important influence on human consciousness is socially meaningful activities; which is achieved through interactions of interpersonal, cultural-historical and individual factors facilitating human development, by stimulating developmental process and fostering cognitive growth. However, he specifically stresses interpersonal as an important influence since he considered that social interactions are critical for learning and transforming learning experiences. He notes that cognition can be influenced by the social environment through “tools”, such as cultural objects, language and social institutions and asserts that a child develops cultural tools, which are nurtured in a child’s culture, representing their ways of communication and how they make sense of the world.

In Vygotsky’s concept regarding Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), it is defined as “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers”.

With ZPD, Schunk explains that cognitive change can occur through the interaction of cultural tools between the teachers and learners, resulting in mediation where learners internalize the knowledge learnt. It refers to new forms of awareness, in themselves, their language or roles in the world order, that occurs during interactions with social institutions; and it shows that learners create their own understandings through social interactions, and meanings will be constructed by linking their understandings with contextual experiences. One of the ways that was mentioned as a method for students to acquire cognitive mediators is instructional scaffolding, which is the “process of controlling task elements that are beyond the learners’ capabilities”, in order for them to focus on and master tasks that can be easily grasped. The main thing with scaffolding is to ensure that learners are maintained in the ZPD, which is also slowly raised with more capabilities developing. It is important to note as well that scaffolding was mainly developed by Jeremy Bruner, and not by Vygotsky. Through interactions in the ZPD, there will be transitions in learners from behaviours regulated by themselves rather than others, which is the concept of self-regulation. With my homework club being a one-to-one tutoring with the students, it was an easier way to find out the actual developmental level of the students and further on their ZPD because there is an active engagement centred to only one student. For example, in one of my experiences with student W in grade one, she had her maths work to do which was done on an iPad and it was questions of addition first and subtraction after. The application in the iPad facilitates learning of the students for both addition and subtraction through displays of coloured blocks representing certain numbers and displays of white blocks which includes shapes representing an amount. For every question done, the application will voice out the question done for the learners to listen, and provide animations to correlate the blocks that the learner answered with to show whether the answer they provided was correct, and every correct answer will level up their profile and update their progress. At the beginning from the first question of addition, which was adding numbers that are in two digits, I could see hesitation from student W in solving the question after the question was read out from the application. I decided to ask her to find out the way the she tackles this question and she did not really give me a clear answer, which was why I then proposed a way of answering it, using the standard algorithm. I slowly explained to her in a paper the way of using standard algorithm by covering the digits in tens to answer the ones first, and then proceeding to the tens to get the final answer, and I also used my fingers to show basic counting so that she could visually understand from her level. I demonstrated the way to do it again for the next question to ensure that she can grasp the method, and after that I asked her to attempt the next question which she agreed to do. I could see that she caught on to the method because she was able to solve the questions herself under my guidance in the step-by-step actions using the standard algorithm. When we proceeded to subtraction, I had to teach her again because her first attempt in subtraction was to still do addition in her counting, and she easily got the hang of it and could solve the questions. Through this experience, I was able to implement scaffolding using cultural tools, and to determine the ZPD of student W, which resulted in a productive learning experience for her.

Another concept by Vygotsky in his socio-cultural theory under Schunk would be private speech, which is a phenomenon with a self-regulatory function but not socially communicative. Vygotsky believed that behaviour of learners can be organized with private speech as a way of developing thoughts, as this helps them to understand situations and overcoming difficulties. Aubrey and Riley notes that he termed external monologue as children thinking aloud attempting to make sense of activities or a situation, which will then transfer into their internalization of thought; how sophisticated their thinking is depends on the language development of the child which provides as an enhancement. Vygotsky also noted that language was one of the most influential process for high mental functions because he figured that for psychological development, a critical part was mastering the process of cultural development transmission and to think through symbols that they may encounter in situations, such as language, counting and writing. The next step after mastering this process was to utilize symbols that they have gone through to influence and self-regulate their own thoughts and actions. It can be shown when I was tutoring student K, doing her addition and subtraction work using a number line. She would have to voice out the numbers in order, direction in the right or left depending on the question being addition or subtraction. Compared to the first question where I guided her, she could slowly figure the operations herself and solving the questions. Secondly, incorporating a humanist approach is to primarily focus on human needs and interests. Involving Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in my position of knowing and learning, his theory consists of five in the hierarchy of basic needs, containing physiological and safety needs; psychological needs, containing belongingness and love needs, and esteem needs; and self-fulfilment needs, containing self-actualization; with all needs from the bottom to the top respectively. As McLeod notes, Maslow believed that there is a set of motivation systems individuals possess that are unrelated to rewards or unconscious desires. There is motivation in people to achieve certain needs, and once one need is fulfilled there will be another motivation to fulfil the next one, and this continues. McLeod also explains that when basic needs are unmet, it brings out a motivation in individuals, and the need to fulfil needs such as those becomes stronger the longer in duration they are denied. In order to progress to needs in higher levels, one must first satisfy the lower level basic needs. In relation to the homework club that I tutored, in the first hierarchy of physiological needs, it is possible to be fulfilled by the children in the homework club because the tutoring area is just right beside the lounge area of the library, and some of the parents with the homework club coordinator always prepares snacks like fruits or biscuits every time for the children during their rest time after one hour of their session. For the second hierarchy of safety needs, it is also fulfilled because the mothers of the children are always present and waiting in the lounge area during the tutoring session and whenever needed the parents will be there for their child. The students have also been there for an adequate amount of time and have been seeing the same faces of regular tutors every time they arrive at the homework club, so with that they are able to gradually build a bond and have increasing trust in the tutors with their company. As for the third hierarchy of belongingness and love needs, it is fulfilled in the homework club for the reason that there is a lot of different children from different families and with the mothers associating themselves with the other mothers, they can also have each other’s children to associate together and have a close relationship. Also, for the times I have been in the homework club I would always see the children talking to each other no matter outside in the lounge or in the study room, and some of the children especially the girls, even hugging or showing intimacy for the younger ones. In the fourth hierarchy of esteem needs, it can also be fulfilled with the reinforcement and praises from tutors towards the child when they manage to finish their work or have done something productive. I would always encourage the student in their work and help them with difficulties, and when I see progress or effort, I would always give out praises or just any kind of positive reinforcement to show that what they have done is good. The children in the homework club may also feel a sense of accomplishment through being able to do casual activities such as drawing or playing board games that are provided in the library, after having their required work done. However, with casual activities it is possible that it leads to the child doing their work in a low effort manner or with low motivation to do their work because their mind is set on having fun in casual activities. This was evident in one of my experiences in tutoring with student A, where she constantly requested for page skips in her reading in order to do drawing and colouring with her friend that was sat across from her. Another student, student C had more interest in art-related activities than doing her readings or her maths work. She asked and showed her desired limit in the work that she was doing in order to quickly proceed to drawing and colouring. In the fifth hierarchy of needs which is self-actualization, Maslow refers the growth of self-actualization as “the need for personal growth that is present throughout a person’s life.” Therefore, it is not obvious to witness self-actualization presented every week that I go to the homework club since I will be assigned to different students, so I would not be able to continuously check on the progress of one student. As Maslow states as well, it is estimated that the amount of people who reaches the state of self-actualization is only two percent.

Another humanist approach under the article of Huitt, is in open education specifically Carl Roger’s facilitative teaching, which generally is teachers offering facilitative conditions in their abilities to guide students in their learning. In terms of my experience in tutoring in the homework club, I was able to incorporate some aspects of facilitative teaching because I wanted to mostly focus on the needs of the students. I would try to read the student’s feelings and respond accordingly such as the way they are tackling their work, and if I notice that they are having a hard time, I would always have a short discussion with them on the topic they are doing and try to tailor the contents of their work in their understanding. When they showed improvement or effort after my involvement in their work, I bring out praises for them to act as an encouragement in their actions. However, it can be difficult if the student has no motivation or interest to move forward in their learning on new topics or tackling new problems because for Carl Roger’s theory it is about non-directive teaching which relies a lot on the interests of the student. In one of my experiences with student N, when he was doing his maths work in multiplication, in the first part of his questions I was guiding him by explaining the displays that are shown in the book of each question, and letting him solve the question on his own which he did it through looking at the timetable guide that was provided at the homework club. When we progressed ahead and went on to multiplication questions that were a bit different than the previous questions, I tried to explain to him using the example that was shown in the book, but he gave up straight away and decided to do his readings. I could sense that he was not very interested in the work he was doing, because in the first parts of the questions, even though the answer he put in was correct since he looked at the timetable guide, he did not really do it in a correct format with what the question was asking. He was also quite distracted by another student that sat across of him which constantly tested student N’s in his multiplication, moving his focus away from the work he was doing.

Lastly, with behaviourism under Skinner’s theory, he presented this utopian vision whereby behaviour modification results in good citizens. Through his theory of operant conditioning, he proposed that with the use of reinforcements, behaviour could be changed when a desired response is given directly. He also believed that reinforced behaviour tends to be repeated, leading to the behaviour being strengthened. It is differentiated into two different reinforcements, which are positive and negative. Positive reinforcements are based on adding a pleasant stimulus to shape behaviour on practices; while negative reinforcements are the removal of an unpleasant stimulus, which could also strengthen behaviour. Skinner argues positive reinforcement over negative as a means of controlling behaviour, since it is more likely for a desired result to be produced. Reinforces can also be primary and conditioned; primary being the basic features of biological functioning of an individual for both positive and negative, and conditioned reinforcements rely on primary reinforcements for an increase in value. In my experience of tutoring, I did not frequently use any negative reinforcements and positive reinforcements specifically in ways of rewards, but I did show positive reinforcement through ways such as praises and compliments, as well as the students being able to have their relaxation time in doing drawings or playing board games after they have done their required work. However I believe that if I do use reinforcements, I would be able to control behaviours of students especially ones with low motivation in doing their work or showing no effort and interest in learning, requiring a ‘push’ since they do not have intrinsic motivation present.

In summary, my position in knowing and learning in terms of tutoring is mostly based on social interaction and meeting the needs of the students, for that reason it is appropriate that I incorporate concepts from Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory, a humanist approach in teaching, as well as Skinner’s theory in behaviourism in my tutoring experience.

Bibliography

• Aubrey, K., & Riley, A. (2019). Understanding & using educational theories (2nd ed.). London, England: SAGE.
• Huitt, W. (2009). Humanism and open education. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/affect/humed.html
• McLeod, S. A. (2007). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
• Schunk, Dale H. (2008). Constructivist Theory (Chapter 6). In Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective: 5th Edition. (pp.234-277).