Facilitation Moves: Small Group Tutoring Checklist

• Identify students who are naturally extroverted or assertive.
  • Plan how to encourage them to make space for peers and practice active listening.
• Identify students who are more introverted or passive.
  • Plan how to encourage them to take space and advocate for themselves as learners.

• Consider the age and developmental stage of each student in the group.
• Evaluate how group interactions affect maturity development in comparison to individual behavior.
  • Plan accordingly to support positive peer influence.

Students require specific guidelines to engage productively. When group norms are established, students will experience a learning environment with high standards that make them feel secure and motivated to learn. Tutors need to set two distinct norms at the start.

• Session Culture Norms: Ground rules for how the group learns together.
• Group Discussion Norms: Expectations for how students engage in academic conversations.

• Define norms that reflect values of safety, inclusivity, and productive learning.
• Introduce norms in the first one or two sessions to avoid unspoken, potentially unproductive norms taking hold.
• Draft initial norms ahead of time, then invite student feedback and additions.
• Focus on what success looks like, using examples.
• Considerations for developing norms:
  • What values will guide your group learning environment?
  • What truths should always be reflected in the space?
  • What do respectful, inclusive interactions look and sound like?
  • What rules will help uphold those values?

• Display norms prominently during each session.
• Refer to norms when redirecting behavior.
• Frame redirections using the norms and offer clear, affirmative guidance.
• Revisit and revise norms as needed—especially after challenging sessions.

Norms are only effective when consistently reinforced. Behavior re-engagement approaches enable tutors to maintain standards while promoting responsible decision-making and creating productive educational settings. The effectiveness of these strategies requires strong student-tutor relationships that rest on trust and joint learning goals.

Tactics to re-engage student behavior extend beyond immediate responses. Tutors must evaluate student behavior throughout their tutoring interactions, including before, during, and after sessions.

Group discussion norms ensure students feel safe and supported in academic conversations. Set these norms before the first discussion begins.

• Draft sample norms in advance, then co-create with students.
• Emphasize what productive discussions look like and sound like, with examples.

Considerations for discussion norms

• How should students share their thinking?
• How should students indicate they want to speak?
• How should students respond to others’ ideas respectfully?
• What should active listening look like?
• What behaviors contribute to a high-quality discussion?

• When one student is speaking, others listen silently and attentively.
• Raise your hand silently to indicate you want to speak.
• Respond to peers using phrases like:
  • “I agree with ___ because…”
  • “I disagree with ___ because…”
  • “I have a question about ___ because…”

• Review norms before and during every discussion.
• Use norms to guide redirection and frame expectations.
• Revisit and revise norms based on group needs or challenges.
• Facilitate—do not dominate—the discussion.
• Use wait time to allow all voices to emerge.
• Prioritize equitable participation.
• Chart responses to track discussion flow and return to unanswered questions.