Highlighting strengths is always a great addition to any tutoring program. Mary suggests ways to approach doing this if it has not been done before.

First, let the student know that you are going to move forward differently. Then, interview the student to find out what is going well in each of their subject areas. They may need some probing questions to understand what you are wondering about. Suggest what could be going well - such as “Are you enjoying the content?” “Do you like the room the class is in?” “Do you enjoy the teacher?” “Is there a project you have liked?”

Mary segues into a short discussion about a time when she changed how she worked with students after learning SRSD Writing. She learned about SRSD from Pooja Patel who was working at a school in NYC called UNIS. That day, she wrote to a teacher friend and told her she would not teach writing the same way again. Mary told her students that she was changing the way she taught writing. Those students made tremendous gains.

Mary cautions to be careful about the cognitive load - and not to implement everything the tutor has learned at one time. The fun of teaching comes when you get to teach along with the student strengths. Strengths can be actions that are strong or talents, but also interests and areas that light someone up. They can change, evolve and grow.

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© 2021 Mary Miele