13 Complete the Tutor Excellence and Continuous Improvement Inventory (TECII) and Debrief with a Learning Strategist

The Tutor Excellence and Continuous Improvement Inventory (TECII) is intended to assist tutors and their supporters / directors in assessing tutoring behaviours and strategies designed to encourage independent learning and reduce student dependence on tutoring. It is a structured profile that evaluates tutors’ effectiveness in understanding and using the steps in peer tutoring and helping students learn how to learn. These steps are supported by research in how people learn and proven strategies that are effective for peer tutoring.

The TECII is a generic tool for assessing tutoring that can be used before and after training or self-directed study to show tutors’ level of excellence and improvement in interacting with students in any discipline or content area. Its intended use is threefold:

1)    An educational tool to help reinforce what effective tutors should attempt to accomplish during each tutoring session.

2)    A self-assessment tool for tutors to use to critique their own tutoring sessions.

3)    An element of tutor evaluation tool to independently evaluate what happens during tutoring sessions and to compare with individual observations of tutoring sessions a to improve tutor growth and development.

The 12 Step Tutor Cycle:

1.     Welcome

2.     Tutor Agenda Request

3.     Probe to identify Scope / Plan

4.     Focus on an Achievable Objective

5.     Align (and Realign) to Meet Tutee Needs

6.     Tutor Input and Modelling

7.     Tutee Response

8.     Tutor Feedback

9.     Resources

10.  Review

11.  Closure

12.  Documentation (After the session is complete)

Finally, Document the session

System for Assessment:

Each of the 12 Steps of the Tutor Cycle is listed with that step’s strategies. The tutor and the evaluator will rate each strategy using a four level Likert scale.

·       Always – professional level of competence.

·       Usually – consistent attention to strategy, may need to be reminded.

·       Rarely – May be unfamiliar with strategy. Assistance and guidance needed.

·       Never – needs remedial development.

·       N/A – strategy was not used to be evaluated.