Peer tutor

One thing I often hear from students is that although they study for an exam, when they get in to it, they go blank. 

One piece of advice I would offer to a student heading in to exams?  Read the questions carefully, try to relax and if you can’t answer a question easily, mark it and go back to it later.  Well, thats three pieces of advice and I know there’s heaps more!

The biggest hurdle I have with exams is bridging the gap between the theory I’ve learnt and then putting it in to practice in a practical exam while being watched.  I hate being watched!  I’ve had to overcome that  a bit this year because Vet Nursing is very practically based.  In the end, it was practice and repetition doing something I didn’t like that improved my practical exam skills.  As I became more familiar with the process and had more faith in my ability and knowledge, I began to relax and find the exams easier.  I still hate being watched though!

I can’t say I was suprised by anything I read in the papers about cultural differences but I did learn a few things. 

Being a vet nurse (qualified now I hope) I was interested to read that it is taboo for Muslims to touch dogs.  I was also interested to read that in being friendly, Asians may ask you ‘what do you earn?’ or ‘ how old are you?’ as I have never been asked these questions in my travels in Asian countries.  Perhaps with a huge Western influence in these countries now, they have learnt that these questions may be offensive to some people.  This is probably the case with many traditional customs in many countries, particularly in the bigger cities where Western influence have led the younger generations away from their culture.

In regards to the Treaty of Waitangi in education today, one of the most relevant agreements is the principle of self management.  In other words, Maori have the right to organize themselves in a way which works for them within the education system and this may differ from the widely used anglo-saxon model of teaching.  I came across this when I was studying counselling.  I was intrigued by the way some maori counsellors would go to their clients house (instead of inside the four walls of an office) and take their clients out to the beach or country side and use the environment as a tool for working through issues.  For example, it may be suggested that a women who feels burdened by life pick up  a pile of rocks one by one and throw them in to the sea.  I liked the imagery of this and felt that in manifesting her issues in a physical way which she could see, this women may understand and work through her problems more quickly and easily.

I remember many years a go (1987?) helping to organise a hui at the Otakou Marae for International Year of the Youth.  It was the first time I had been on a marae and I was very nervous as I was aware that there were protocols that would be carried out here that I was ignorant about.  I was afraid of really putting my foot in it and offending someone.  As it happened , at the start of the hui, we were made aware of some of the protocols and practices that would occur.  I remember learning not to sit on tables or pillows and not to bring food in to the meeting house.  Remembering not to sit on a table when tutoring a Maori student is one simple protocol we should be aware of.

Many of the practices on the marae such as sleeping side by side with strangers in the meeting house and having to stand up and talk about my family were very different for me and somewhat uncomfortable but also an enriching experience.

What is your cultural background? Does your family celebrate certain traditions?

My cultural background is celtic and I guess many of the family traditions we follow are English as my only living grandparent is English.  This can be as simple as always having a cup of tea when we are having a chat and many expressions we use come from our English, Scottish and Irish heritage.  Our sense of humour is definitely derived from these origins.

What advantages and/or obstacles do you think might be involved in tutoring students from culturally diverse backgrounds?

I find many people I meet from other cultural backgrounds are very eager to learn about you and your country. I can see that in a tutoring situation this could become problematic as the boundries between being a tutor and being a friend could become blurred.  I would look at this on a case by case basis but would always be happy to offer help about where to find things, who to contact, what to see etc outside of my role as a tutor.

I can see a big barrier could be language and Kiwis are great with their colloquialisms!  I notice sometimes that converstation can be slow and stilted with someone from another culture and often humour between both parties is not understood.

One advantage is it could make it more interesting and challenging for me to tutor someone from another culture and I am always interested in learning about other people’s cultures too.

How might you encourage a positive tutorial environment with students from culturally diverse backgrounds?

Be patient particularly with communication difficulties and don’t assume that someone is not very bright because they don’t understand you.  Rephrase your questions and tell them to ask if they don’t understand as well as asking them yourself if they are understanding you. 

It might pay to begin with to talk about what they are studying, what their goals are, how they feel about being here, what they have seen here etc as well as giving some of your own background.  This will help to establish a rapport and build some trust and a more familiar environment for the sudent to be in.

Describe a personal experience in which differences in cultural values contributed to an interesting perspective. What did you do to encourage this interaction?

I remember many years a go when I was travelling in Turkey, I was in a small town which wasn’t as touristy as many on the West Coast.  The days were very hot and humid so I wore clothes that I would wear here if it was very hot and humid (chance would be a fine thing) such as shorts and sleeveless tops. 

I was a little taken a back when some of the locals, particularly older ones, started ‘tutting’ at me and the odd man would spit on the ground near me.  I found the response of these local people a little frightening especially since I was unaware of what was so obviously upsetting them about me. 

I was later to learn that my state of dress was considered inappropriate for  a women in this culture (except in the big cities and touristed areas).  As I  was travelling alone, had I been aware of this I would have endeavoured to cover up (but it is a hot country!!!)

I did the listening skills test twice, around 6 weeks apart and the scores were similar – 21 in the first and 24 in the second test.  One of my primary ways of learning is aurally and this is supported by the test which places my score as a good listener.

 I found after reading the information about communication I rephrased my questions more often and didn’t feel as panicked about waiting through the silence for answer – sometimes it’s really hard to bite your tongue!   I also started asking my student a lot more questions and if necessary giving hints (especially funny ones) rather than answering the question myself if saw them struggling too much. 

 I was unable to watch the video of the man speaking with sound as I don’t have internet at home and the Polytech computer suite computers don’t allow sound.