What is the difference between attending office hours and going to a tutor?
finehalllibrary asked:
Other than the fact that one is free, and the other is not.
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Other than the fact that one is free, and the other is not.
That is, why do so many students opt to receive tutoring when office hours are available?
Yes, I realize that some professors just suck at explaining/teaching, thus a tutor might be better, or a student cannot find time to make it to office hours due to work or what not, but even taking these situations into account, I believe most students will not take advantage of office hours. Why?
December 1st, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Good question, I don’t know. Perhaps many student don’t realize that in fact many professors are good at explaining/teaching and are very willing to do so during their office hours or indeed to schedule appointments to meet with students outside of those hours. CanProf
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:24 am
At most US colleges going to the tutoring center is free. You can get one on one help with any subject. In general help or help with a certain assignment.
A teacher is not going to go over everything with just you all the time. Office hours and meeting with a teacher is to get help, but not to spend the amount of time a tutor can with you. Professors do not have the time to meet with each student for one on one help all the time. You can have a standing appointment with at tutor to help you every week.
Sometimes having a peer tutor helps students more than extra time with their professor drip
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Learning a new concept is like blind men trying to visualize an elephant - you have to have many different perspectives before you can form a complete picture. I tell my students that if all they wanted to hear was to have me repeat what I already told them in class - they are welcome to come and see me. Going to a tutor will give them a second perspective - but even that can be woefully inadequate. For a “full color four dimensional” view of a concept I have found that study groups are absolutely the best.
The problem at my commuter college is that my students rarely see each other outside of class - and that is a terrible loss for them.
Assuming that you are a teacher, and you are asking why more students don’t come and see you, my answer is that you need to be more humble and recognize that the door you open may not provide the best view for every student. Your way of seeing things may not be the best for everyone. Unlike a jealous boyfriend who wants to be all things that are good to the object of his love - you should rejoice when a student of yours goes to a different source to augment the visualization that you are trying to achieve. Julius N