Reflections on Tutoring: A Zine for Tutors

Presenter: Xamantha Valentine

Faculty Sponsor: Scott Herstad

School: Greenfield Community College

Research Area: Education & Educational Research

Session: Poster Session 4, 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM, Auditorium, A14

ABSTRACT

This project’s purpose is to utilize visual and verbal storytelling to produce a zine that offers engaging, accessible and useful support to peer tutors, especially those new to tutoring. Although some scaffolding is offered at GCC’s peer tutoring program through mock tutoring, feedback during weekly meetings, trainings, and our handbook, peer tutoring entails learning how to tutor by jumping in. This project adds another resource which employs visual elements and offers personal reflections on experience and research.
This project is a qualitative synthesis of experience tutoring, takeaways from attending conferences, research, and feedback from mentors and peers. The methodology involved reviewing accumulated notes and reflections to shape the direction of the project and the use of art to complement and enrich the content.
The zine: addresses imposter syndrome and the significance of relationship-building to success in college; connects curiosity and creativity to tutors’ role in supporting students’ understanding of motivation and discovery in the learning process; explores topics of collaboration, communication, and finding alignment with students; reflects on the ways bias can impact the tutoring relationship and the role of tutoring in reaching for equity; considers outcomes for sessions, as well as for tutors both personally and professionally. 
The zine adds to a growing body of work that blends verbal and visual elements and it provides another means of supporting new tutors at GCC’s tutoring program in an alternative format.

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