How Tutoring Works: Six Steps to Grow Motivation and Accelerate Student Learning

by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher, John T. Almarode

Build students’ confidence and competence with tutoring strategies that spark meaningful, accelerated learning.  Tutoring is much more than telling students information. Effective tutoring begins with the strong and caring relationship a tutor establishes with a learner to build trust, fuel motivation, and drive critical learning.  How Tutoring Works distills the complexity of strategic moves effective tutors make to build students’ confidence and competence. Harnessing decades of Visible Learning® research, this easy to read, eye-opening guide details the six essential components of any effective tutoring intervention—establishing a relationship and credibility, addressing student confidence and challenges, setting shared goals, helping a student learn how to learn, teaching and learning content, and establishing a habit of deliberate practice. Indispensable for any educator who intervenes with students, this rich resource  

Examples of impactful tutoring conversations, including what to say and what not to say when building a relationship with a learner. Specific approaches to use when establishing credibility, addressing challenges to learning, leveraging the relevance of knowledge, setting goals, and ensuring practice.   Learning strategies, with effect size, for teaching and learning content, including specific strategies for improving reading, writing, and mathematics.  Tips and tools for helping students develop powerful cognitive, metacognitive, and affective study skills.  Resources and advice for establishing an effective and transformational tutoring program. Done well, tutoring can repair a student’s damaged relationship to learning, address unrealized potential, and alter the course of a young person’s life. A strong and nurturing relationship between tutor and learner is key. 

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2021

About the author

Nancy Frey, Ph.D., is an educator and Professor of Literacy in the Department of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University.
Shehas taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and is a teacher-leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College.

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