Gelfand Center

Tutor Development Sessions

Each semester, we offer various free tutor/mentor development sessions for CMU students who are interesting in refining their skills and understanding of tutoring and mentoring K-12 youth. Contact Judy Hallinen to request training for a student organization. We highly encourage all CMU students who are currently working with youth, or plan to tutor/mentor in the near future to attend at least one tutor development session.

Tutor Development Handouts [.pdf]

Learn about the following areas while tutoring and mentoring K-12 students:

1. General Training & Tutor Tips

2. Active Listening & Communication

3. How to Address and Solve Conflicts

4. Boundaries & Child Safety

Articles for CMU Students

"The Value of Mentoring"

"At its most basic level, mentoring helps because it guarantees a young person that there is someone who cares about them. A child is not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges. Think back. Did you know how to study for a test or make plans for college? Do you remember wanting your first car or looking for a part-time job? Simple things that seem easy or straightforward to you now may appear to be a complete mystery to a young person.

Mentors provide their mentees with an experienced friend who is there to help in any number of situations."

"The Role of Teacher Mentoring in Educational Reform"

Professional development for teaching and mentoring is necessary in order to offer the best education to students.

"Creating a Teacher Mentoring Program"

This document provides information on the usefulness of mentoring, creating the climate for effective mentoring, selecting, training, and supporting mentors, and advancing the teaching profession.

Tutoring/Mentoring Articles in the Media

What Socrates Would Say to Undergraduate Tutors, Chronicles of Higher Education

"I explain to new tutors that their job is not to teach. It's too much responsibility for them to teach college-level material; they are not expected to be experts and professionals. Rather, their job is being a Socratic coach. Such tutoring, if done well, augments classroom instruction. What I try to do with the tutoring center is carve out space that allows for a deeper, more substantial approach to education to take place. In doing so, I hope to change bad habits and attitudes so that students can consciously and reflectively engage their own educational experience."

Intensive Small-Group Tutoring and Counseling Helps Struggling Students, New York Times

"By the time they reach eighth grade, according to federal tests, half of all African-American schoolboys have not mastered the most basic math skills that educators consider essential for their grade level. A new paper being released Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests a promising approach for helping the most challenged students, who often arrive in high school several years behind their peers."

Educational Outcomes of Tutoring: A Meta-Analysis of Findings, Dartmouth College, University of Michigan

"A meta-analysis of findings from 65 independent evaluations of school tutoring programs showed that these programs have positive effects on the academic performance and attitudes of those who receive tutoring. Tutored students outperformed control students on examinations, and they also developed positive attitudes toward the subject matter covered in the tutorial programs. The meta-analysis also showed that tutoring programs have positive effects on children who serve as tutors. Like the children they helped, the tutors gained a better understanding of and developed more positive attitudes toward the subject matter covered in the tutorial program. Participation in tutoring programs had little or no effect, however, on the self-esteem of tutors and tutees."

Tips for Tutors: 12 Teaching Strategies for Effective Learning, Tutor Hub

"In tutoring, what works is the one-to-one relationship between the student and tutor. With only one person to focus on, tutors can try a variety of teaching techniques in order to work out the most effective way of helping the student understand a topic. The purpose of this blog post is to provide some inspiration to tutors by pointing them towards alternative and sometimes complementary ways of tutoring."

How to Get Involved On-Campus

Every Spring, the Student Academic Success Center invites qualified students to apply for positions as Academic Counselors, Peer Tutors, SI Leaders, and EXCEL Group Leaders. Applicants are interviewed and then notified whether they have been accepted into an 8-9 week training course and practicum. After successfully passing the training course students are then hired and begin working in the Fall.

How to Gain a Degree in Education at CMU

Pathways to Teaching

A look at what classes are being offered this semester @ CMU

Guide to K-12 Education Majors

A guide for students seeking a K-12 education focus

Pennsylvania Education Programs

This site with help you to discover schools offering different types of teacher education programs in Pennsylvania.  If you are trying to become a teacher, and you plan on working in Pennsylvania, you should visit the Department of Education's website. The individual states make a lot of their own decisions about how teachers need to be prepared.

TED Talks on Mentoring and Education: