RAPPORT
Issue 5 (August 2020)
individuals concerned have developed
good relationships and, whilst the listening
did not always solve the problem, the
outcome was nevertheless improved
through their emotional connection and
appreciation.
Conversely, Stephen et al. (2008: 454)
demonstrate how a poor tutor-tutee
relationship can result in students feeling
disconnected with their university:
'… lost in an uncaring system [with]
their educational experience [being]
no more than going through the
motions until graduation'.
Personal tutoring that fails is often
(although not always) because tutors
choose not to listen or do not know how to
listen to their students. Risks to
individuals and to institutions of poor
personal tutoring are high where 'fake
listening' carried out by casual listeners
who are 'nonpresent' (Jones, 2011: 99),
miss or avoid crucial cues in the
conversation, and as a result provide little
or no support for the individual in need of
it. In any case, Yale (2019: 542) suggests
that 'poor personal tutoring is worse than
not providing personal tutoring at all',
reinforcing the view that listening needs to
be understood and practiced in a 'healthy
university'.
Active listening in personal tutoring -
defined by Lochtie et al. (2018: 42) as the
tutor:
'asking intelligent questions and
listening to / observing the responses
… [and being able to] interpret clear
verbal and non-verbal messages'
- is central to our discussion about
listening and is a central interpersonal
skill. Davis and Cooper (2001) echo the
need for tutors to be able to develop
interpersonal relations with tutees and be
able to discuss personal values, concerns
and goals. Robbins' (2012: 218)
reinforcement of the need for
interpersonal skills in the role of personal
tutor sees 'relational knowledge' of the
tutee as crucial and relies heavily on an
ability to listen. Wheeler and Birtle (1993:
33) suggest that listening needs to
become part of the repertoire of personal
tutoring skills, with an ability to:
'… hold on to the temptation to
interrupt ... [and to have] patience …
until the student has had time to
unfold their story'.
In our case studies, it is clear that
personal tutors practice and reflect on the
interpersonal nature of tutoring, in
particular appreciating that the
relationship is built on trust, and that trust
is based on active listening. Rawlins and
Rawlins (2005:18) argue that the personal
tutor relationship needs to be based
around 'civic friendship' where the tutoring
philosophy:
'… aspires to developing student
responsibility and initiative, listening
to them and encouraging them as a
friend would to follow their dreams
and take steps to make those
dreams a reality'.
Achieving a caring attitude relies on being
able to listen. Hester (2008) suggests
that tutors who are good listeners
facilitate their students' self-exploration
and problem-solving skills and in effect
act as a 'sounding board' whilst Nadler
and Simerly (2006) explore the potential
connection between listening and trust in
personal tutoring and conclude that trust
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