Tutoring at the University Level 1
It’s commonly believed that tutoring is only for basic subjects, or K-12 students, and that it serves little/no purpose in college, or for more specialized subjects. Over the years however, universities have looked to implement strategies to improve student performance across several subjects, including science and technology-related classes.
The main reason students have tutors include developing the study skills that have shown better performance, especially the skills that work best for a particular student. The aim is to achieve better results both individually and as group on the subjects they decide to join.
For example, the University of Burgos in Spain has implemented this type of tutoring program with excellent results. These performance increases were seen not just in students, but in professors and researchers who volunteered as tutors. The training that these volunteer tutors underwent made them better able to understand the needs of the students, making them better at their jobs.
The Thirsty and Energy-hungry Brain 2 & 3
Last week we covered the cognitive benefits associated with Omega-3. However, it’s also important to emphasize the importance of water. Like the rest of our body, our brain is mostly comprised of H2O. And being that this organ, which only accounts for 2.5% of our body mass, consumes 20% of our body’s energy, the importance of staying hydrated is a no-brainer (yes, bad pun intended). And while we’re on the subject of percentages and the brain, it’s important to point out that the idea that we humans only use 10-15% of our brain is a myth.
1 Saiz-Manzanares, M. C.; Bol Arreba, A.; Payo Hernanz, R. J. Validation of an Evaluation Tutoring Task Scale at the University. Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology, 12(3), 835-852. ISSN: 1696-2095. 2014, no. 34
http://dx.doi.org/10.14204/ejrep.34.14027
2 Hearn, M. Water and brain function how to improve memory and focus. Copyright 2010-2013 WaterBenefitsHealth.com. 2011
http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/water-and-brain.html
3 Boyd, Robynne Do People Only Use 10 Percent of Their Brains? Copyright 2008 ScientifiAmerica.com. 2008
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/