Step # 4 - Identification of Thought Processes Which Underlie the Task

This is one of the two most CRITICAL steps in tutoring. Identifying the underlying thought processes means that you help the tutee learn how to approach learning the type of task with which he is having problems.

Promoting Independence

Once a procedure has been articulated, say something like,

"Why don't you apply those steps to the first problem."

This way, you're encourageing the student to develop a learning strategy for doing problems of this type and to practice applying that learning strategy.

Information Sources

You don't want to become the one who processes course information and then explains it to the student. You want the student to process information in the course materials for himself. If you always explain the information to the student, then how will the student learn how to get information from course materials?

Utilizing the Text

If your tutees don't learn how to learn from their course materials, then they will always need someone else to explain it. Not much independence there. If the students are able to learn from their text and can figure out how to apply it, then they have a skill useful to them for a lifetime.