8th November 2019 14:47
By Blue Tutors
The pedagogy we ask our tutors to follow preaches not asking leading questions. It’s so important that students develop their own understanding and are able to learn when a tutor isn’t there. Tutors often don’t realise they are leading students towards a conclusion which can be due to enthusiasm to reach the end of the lesson, thinking the student will feel a sense of completion and understanding because of that.
Unfortunately students don’t feel confident when they have been led to an answer. They can feel nervous to interrupt a tutor in a hurry to get to the end of the planned lesson and will just say “yes” whenever asked “does that make sense?” It’s obviously not ideal for students to be in a situation where they’re not really learning anything but feel awkward about saying so.
In contrast, many teachers say that in the classroom they will deliberately ask leading questions as a way to engage students and boost their confidence. When students are reluctant to speak up among their peers the positive reinforcement of giving an answer, however much they are led to it, and being congratulated by the teacher might mean that they will engage more in future.
It’s a really interesting example of the difference roles and the different skills needed by tutors and teachers. A dedicated one to one tutor is able to focus on the individual and ensure that they understand fully without leading them to an answer. A teacher dealing with 20+ students cannot possibly confirm that everyone has understood the topic discussed. The teacher’s best tactic is to try and engage the whole class in the hope they will pay enough attention to get some benefit from the lesson.