Be a homework mentor

Share your strategies with your students on how you complete homework or work projects:

• How you organize your time, materials and workspace.
• How you study for exams and tests.
• How you get help when you have trouble understanding concepts or information.

Whenever you meet with your students, talk about your positive attitude towards school. Discuss and bring in the books (including textbooks!) you are currently reading. Share stories with your students on how knowledge and learning have made a difference in your life.

Challenges in helping with homework

• Teachers, students and parents may be more concerned about raising grades than about improving reading, writing and learning skills. As a tutor, you may feel pressured to focus only on improving your students’ marks. Make sure you define your role, with your students, as well as their teachers and parents.
• Your students may want to complete their assignments regardless of whether they understand the concepts or information. They may not be interested in thinking critically. To address this challenge, use your students’ learning goals to determine what to focus on during the tutoring sessions.

Some final (but important) thoughts about homework

It can be tempting to supply - or correct - the answers for your students. This does not help your students to learn! Instead of doing it for them, make sure that they have all the information and tools they need to complete the homework. Then, stand back and let your students do the work on their own.

Don’t change your students’ words as they write. If you need to spell a word for your students or explain a concept on paper, don’t write in their notebooks or binders. Instead, use a separate piece of paper for any explanations. Remember, you are a facilitator for your students’ learning. The more your students do on their own, the more they will learn.