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| Tutoring Techniques |
 The next step is to actually listen to your tutee's answers. It is harder to do than you may think, though this sounds easy. Listening is an acquired skill. We don't really listen to others in usual conversation. We hear what they say but don't listen attentively enough to "read between the lines". If you want to be a good tutor, you have to slow down and focus on what your tutee is telling. Did he/she comprehend the concept? Can he/she explain it easily or need some effort to do it? Observe his/her movement and try to guess if his/her body language saying something. You must listen attentively and watch purposefully in order to get the replies to these and other questions.
Tutee Summaries
Besides listening, it is very advisable to stimulate your tutee summarize what has been covered. If steps are included in finding the decision, make sure that all steps are involved (in the correct order) by your tutee when making a summary. Try to inspire him not only to parrot the steps. It can minimize the tendency to parrot responses, if the tutee repeats the steps in his/her own words. If concepts are included, make the tutee rephrase the ideas in his/her own words.
This simple summary will help you define if you can go to another topic or need to stay with the present one. If the tutee finds the summary difficult, do not move to another one until he/she can repeat it with ease. Employ the questioning technique to lead the tutee to the right answer if he/she has gotten some of the steps out of order.
Silence
A common misunderstanding of new tutors is that your tutee should always feel comfortable. Sometimes, "comfortable" is not the best decision. For instance –you have asked a question to your tutee. 8-10 seconds pass with no reply. You start to feel clumsy. Should you say something? Perhaps another question will encourage a reply.
Another question or even a clarification might help, but sometimes, just being patient while waiting for an answer will yield results. The tutor is much quicker in coming up with a response, because he/she comprehends the information. Because of this, it is often difficult for a tutor to anticipate the amount of time a tutee needs to process the information. Take this into account when that embarrassing silence sets in. The technique can be a difficult tool to implement, since it is often uncomfortable for both the tutor and tutee. Nevertheless, if used niggardly and appropriately, your tutee learns to think critically and becomes more independent.
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