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Why does building relationships with students matter?

We learn best from people who care about us. Students who feel a connection with their tutor are more likely to engage in learning, ask questions, build motivation, and achieve better academic outcomes. Strong tutor-student relationships built on a foundation of shared understanding and trust create the conditions for all students to take the risks necessary to make dramatic academic gains.

Implementation Checklist

• Tutors take an asset based approach and are motivating in all interactions with students.
• Tutors reinforce a growth mindset whenever students struggle or make mistakes.
• If Tutor Consistency is Consistent: Tutors are matched to students using intentional and systematic methods. 
• If Tutor Consistency is Consistent: Tutors get to know their student using specific strategies and activities. 
• If Tutor Consistency is Inconsistent: The program uses centr

What is a Virtual Tutoring Platform? 

A virtual tutoring platform is an online conferencing system that facilitates virtual tutoring.

Why does small-group facilitation matter?

If your Student-Tutor Ratio is Small Groups instead of one-to-one, your tutors will need skills to establish group norms and manage behavior during sessions. In addition to the facilitation moves listed in the Facilitation Moves Checklist, small-group facilitation requires additional planning and tools to foster a positive, productive learning environment for a group.

Why does facilitation matter?

Facilitation is what keeps a student engaged and on-task throughout a tutoring session. Effective facilitation requires thorough planning: not just around what concepts and skills to work on, but also around the routines, directions, and logistics of the tutoring session itself. Time the tutor spends thinking these things through ahead of time maximizes the time the student spends actually learning during the session, rather than getting situated or resolving confusions.

Implementation Checklist

• Tutors reinforce the academic language and procedures of the classroom and hold students accountable for doing the same.
• Tutors appropriately use open-ended questioning to ensure students are articulating their understanding of the content.
• Tutors facilitate content clearly, correctly, and at an appropriate pace.
• Students engage with content using a variety of learning tools that promote productive struggle given their unique needs.
• Students experience multi

Why establish a consistent tutoring session structure?

When students know what to expect, they can better internalize what is expected of them. If each session has a consistent rhythm, students will feel safer and more engaged, and tutors will deliver more consistent and effective sessions. Instead of spending prep time internalizing directions and pacing, they can focus on content.

Implementation Checklist

• Sessions have a consistent structure with space for relationship-building, independent practice time, and formative assessment.

Implementation Tools

(Click on the links below or visit the pages on the lefthand navigation for more information.)

Example Tutoring Session Structure

Implementation Checklist

• Sessions have curricula with high quality materials that maintain rigor.
• Session content complements classroom materials to support student mastery.
• Sessions focus on targeted learning goals informed by grade level standards, assessment data, and family and school input. 
• Sessions have a consistent structure with space for relationship-building, independent practice time, and formative assessment.
• If Delivery Mode is Blended: High-quality research-based software