Making the Most of Tutor Time

Helen Peter

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781351703239
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Most secondary school teachers and some support staff will be expected to take on the role of form tutor or mentor along side their other work. What is surprising is how little time, status or attention is given to training and preparation for this pastoral aspect of education, in comparison to subject teaching. This book helps to redress the balance by providing a look at the structure and organisation of pastoral support as well as being full of practical ideas for tutors to use in tutor time. The chapters include: Establishing Routines; The Self Managing Tutor Group; How to Help and Support Individuals; Engaging Parents and Carers; and, Tutoring Over a Whole Year. There is also a Resource Section and CD-ROM which includes a PowerPoint for staff training, proformas for gathering information for parent's evenings and examples of practical activities such as, Jigsaw, Diamond Nine and Hot Seating, as well as useful books and organisations. One secondary academy head wrote, 'I really like it! It is very fresh, practical and full of wisdom. I like the whole section on parental engagement and all the games suggestions, really clear and so simple to pick up and use. And the calendar of the year with tutorial themes is great! But of most use to me and my school is the opening section on routines, expectations and setting the scene, fantastically useful reminders. Thank you so much, this will be my tutorial bible.'

Chapter 1. Tutoring: The Basics

A form tutor is a teacher whose subject is the pupil herself.

(Marland and Rogers, 2004)

Usual Daily Tasks

• Take the register, twice.

• Check uniform.

• Give out some kinds of notice or information to individuals or the whole group.

• Have some kind of interaction with your students. You will probably talk to them and listen to their chat to pick up on any current issues.

• Deal with various problems, from missing PE kits, to late homework, detention disputes, lost locker keys, letters from parents or carers to Child Protection issues.

• Be aware of anyone who seems upset, especially quiet or noisy.

• Be given letters, notes, forms (even if they are supposed to be given in elsewhere).

• Lend equipment such as pens, pencils (maybe money).

• Run or be involved in some kind of activity, assembly, tutor programme or whatever it is on that day.

Less Frequent Tasks

• Check that the planners are signed.

• Hold a tutor group discussion of some kind.

• Process and record your students’ merits, awards, detentions, homework, problems, complaints.

• Deal with a student’s home in some way (letter, call, email).

• Take papers to the office for filing.

• Discuss one or several of your students in depth.

• Check, discuss or contribute to your students’ targets and assessment records.

• Help prepare an assembly.

• Take part in some kind of House event.

• Receive or give feedback to the Student Council.

• Do something for your chosen charity.

• Write some kind of report for particular students.

• Write and answer emails about your students’ progress and behaviour.

Of course, the systems and responsibilities vary considerably from school to school.

Starting Out as a Tutor

My tutor is great, she really cares about us. She comes to watch us play in the school team sometimes, even on Saturdays. If we have an exam, she wishes us luck; she remembers to ask how it went. Even my mum doesn’t do that! My parents really like her and the way she writes them notes and has got to know them over the last two years. She’s just a great tutor, I feel really lucky.

(Girl, Year 9)

Do Your Homework

Before you even meet your new tutor group, it pays to do some homework. This entails getting an accurate and up-to-date list of names from your Head of House (HOH) or Year (HOY) and finding out as much as you can about the students.

The easiest way to do this is to get hold of the HOH or HOY or their administrative assistant and ask for a quick break down of your group. If they are too busy, try asking the House or Year Deputy or Pastoral Assistant, the SENCO, mentors or other staff who are likely to know, such as those who do primary school visits to Year 6 or the attendance officer. You cannot possibly be expected to read every file, but it is worth asking for pointers on any Looked After Children (LAC), those with Additional Needs (AN) or anyone with medical or other pressing problems. The SENCO should have sent everyone a list of students who are arriving with some kind of additional need, and these will probably have a brief pen sketch or at least a few notes available for staff, from the end of the summer term. At the very least, you should have access to a list of students who will be on some kind of Special Needs register or level. Of course, some information may be confidential, but if you are to be the tutor, it seems reasonable to ask for as much information as deemed necessary to understand the student. For instance, knowing that a student has a social worker and a thick file indicates that you should be supportive from the first to ensure their smooth welcome to the school.

There are arguments to say that you should find out about everything except behaviour, since if you expect someone to misbehave, they probably will. Others argue that staff need to be aware of a student who may blow up or lose their self-control easily. Be guided by your school policy and line manager to decide how to treat these students and their information. Some students arrive mid-term and many will be transfers from other schools or be moving due to a family crisis, so it is worth gleaning as much information as you can on these students. If you become their tutor, they will probably take up a great deal of your time, so forewarned is forearmed.

If you have students who are young carers or who have a current family difficulty, it is important to be aware of anything that could make life problematic for them and become a barrier to their learning and progress. If you are taking over a new Year 7 group, then there will be plenty of information in the files from mutual visits by the Head of Year, SENCO and support staff, which should be flagged up for your attention. Obviously, understanding your students’ situations makes forming a positive bond much easier. It will help you to empathise and be sensitive to them around confidential information.

Prepare Your Tutor Base

Make sure you have visited and have keys or access to your tutor base. This probably won’t be your teaching base, so you will need to find out whose classroom it is and establish from the beginning a positive working relationship with them and any support staff involved, such as the technician or cleaner.

Establish what you are welcome to use, such as the whiteboard, paper, pens, scissor trays and what they want you to leave untouched. See if you are able to have one (lockable) drawer for tutor group use. Check to see if you have a Tutor or House Notice Board allocated to you and clear it of last year’s notices. If you are really on the ball, you may like to back the board ready for the new group or get a support colleague to help you. If you want to play music or use the equipment, do check that the teachers using the room to teach are happy to share this. It’s only basic courtesy, but is the sort of thing that gets lost in the flurry of the start of term and the race to get everything done, so do it before you start, if at all possible.

Support from Your Year or House

You should have some kind of tutor meeting on the first INSET day back, so you can collect your register, lists, information, timetables, Design Technology (DT) and PE lists, planners, letters and so on. You will probably need a small wheelbarrow to carry it, so do collect it all in good time to help you plan and be organised. Tutor time is as important as any subject lesson, and this is the first impression you will make on a group that may be with you for years, so it’s worth getting it right from the start and planning well. If you are unsure of anything, the HOH or HOY is there to help you. At the beginning of term things are often chaotic with information mislaid or inaccurate, so do be fully prepared, but expect the unexpected, just as you do in teaching generally.

Dealing with Jargon and Information

It is at this initial meeting that you will be told about the timetable for the first week, assemblies, arrangements for the school photographer, letters home and so on. It will probably seem overwhelming on top of all your preparation for your subject teaching, but it is worth clarifying exactly what you are expected to do and know at this stage. Try not to be fobbed off with ‘Oh, you’ll get used to it, play it by ear’ and so on. This is your chance to check on any information you need, so use it. Ask about abbreviations and acronyms you are unsure of. Education is full of jargon, so don’t be too embarrassed to ask, even old hands get this wrong. I recall as a rookie NQT being told that one of my students would ‘probably end up at the Pru’.

I assumed that ‘Pru’ was a kind woman who had lots of behaviourally challenged children sent to her, until I saw it written as PRU or Pupil Referral Unit. Keep a diary or notebook to jot everything down so you can remember it and use the information.

One of the most useful sessions I found was when the school nurse ran down the list of students’ medical problems and highlighted students with any medical needs, including those who should wear hearing aids or glasses. At the time you may not think that Sam’s allergy to peanuts, which means that he carries an Epi-pen, is significant, but it could save his life. If I noted it on that first meeting, it was in my register and on my list and it stayed there. If I missed it, some vital information slipped away to be lost or forgotten, sometimes with potentially dangerous consequences. I am amazed at the number of students who are issued glasses but refuse to wear them. They keep this very quiet and struggle to read the board or worksheets for years before anyone thinks to check. Adolescents image is far more important to them than accurate sight. If you as form tutor can make everyone in the school aware of any barriers to that student’s learning, you are doing your job well. Think of being in loco parentis. What would you want for your child in the same circumstances?

Checklist for Your Start

• Laptop and your log in or any codes or passwords you may need to access the system or projector.

• Register or list of your tutor group. Check it is up to date that day and as accurate as possible.

• Signal maker for silence (bell or something to make a small noise,if you use one).

• Seating plan with sticky labels and desk cards.

• Spare pens and pencils for the group if needed and your own equipment kit, scissors, glue sticks, rubbers, board pens.

• Planners, enough for your whole group and a few spare.

• Hard copy timetables for each student, two of each is helpful.

• Lists for address and parental information checking.

• Forms and letters to be completed or taken home for signature and completion.

• Lunch arrangement letters and lists.

• Locker keys and arrangements.

• Medical information to check.

• Any equipment, tuition or uniform orders or forms.

• Bulletins to be handed out.

• Induction booklets, if your school has them.

• Merit stamps, stickers or whatever the school uses.

• Any prepared things like word searches you have copied for this session.

• Box of tissues.

• Indelible pen to mark property.

• Camera.

The First Session

The establishment phase of the year is a crucial time in the development of a class group. In terms of group dynamics, there is a psychological and developmental readiness in the students for the teacher to explain how things will be this year in our class.

(Rogers, 1998)

As a new tutor you need to establish your personality and authority on the group straight away. For a new Year 7 group, this will probably entail you having to collect the students from the hall and getting them to follow you to your base. Older students may turn up at the door and try to enter without you in a random manner.

Seating Plans

It is up to you whether you want to make a seating plan or not. The useful thing is that it shows that you are in charge of the room from the start and it helps you learn their names faster than if they sit anywhere. It depends on the age of the group, your own style and whether it is an established group or a new Year 7 group. The latter is much easier than an established group, who may be used to sitting in set places with friends and resent any change. The point is not that you want to upset them, but that you want to establish your authority and learn who they are, while encouraging them to work together as a team. It is much easier to allow them to sit with friends later, than try to move them once they have established their places. One easy way to do this is by having all the names on tiny Post-it notes and placing them on your seating plan, moving around until you have the combination you want. There are electronic versions too. http://teacher.scholastic.com/ tools/class_setup/

Getting Them Into the Base

Even though your role as tutor may feel slightly different from that of a subject teacher, the fact that you are in charge is paramount. Give your signal for silence. Do not shout. Practise how you want them to do it if you need to, then praise them and make a joke if anyone is out of turn or order, but show that you mean business. Don’t forget that they are working out who you are and how it will be from the second they set eyes on you, so everything you do must be confident, planned, relaxed and prepared. Show that you are human, smile, have a sense of humour, but show very clearly that you are in charge. This is important from the moment you pick them up from the hall or when you come out of the base to get them ready to enter. What matters is establishing an orderly routine and entry to the room in the style that suits you and helps you get the job done. You can save many hours over a year by getting the entry and exit routines right. Quieten them down quickly, using the signal you want to establish. Get them to line up. Explain briefly and clearly exactly what you want them to do, that they are to take their outer wear off and put their bags under their seats with their pencil cases out on the table in front of them, or whatever you want. Then call them into the room one by one, so they can find their seats according to where you have allocated the places.

Labels

It is up to you whether you give each student a pre-written sticky label to wear. This is probably fine for Year 7, but possibly not acceptable for older students. If you do want to use labels, you need to have pre-prepared them and decide how to issue them, in the queue outside or fast onc...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction: Why do so Many Teachers Hate Being Tutors?
• Chapter 1. Tutoring: The Basics
• Chapter 2. Establishing Your Routines
• Chapter 3. Building the Tutor Team
• Chapter 4. The Self-Managing Tutor Group
• Chapter 5. How to Help and Support Individuals
• Chapter 6. Engaging Parents
• Chapter 7. Approaches to Teaching PSHE
• Chapter 8. Tutoring Over a Whole Year
• Resources
• References