Bruce TS #2

TS #2

David

I had a lot of ideas. I’ve always thought using spaced-based repetition flashcards, ala digital ones like Anki, were superior ways to remember, because the science is there that supports it. Should I make my own and go over it with him, sending the file to the other tutors so they can use it more regularly?

That would make for boring tutoring sessions.

If there’s one thing David is, it’s creative. If I could tap into that…

And that train of thought led me to the realization: he’s a tactile learner.

So, we made regular paper flashcards together, using a list of vocabulary words from The Giver (which he’ll be reading with the other tutors and I). Marco told me a useful trick which I employed in gaining David’s voluntary cooperation—give them a very difficult option first (one which they are expected to protest against). After that, appear to “give in”, and then give them the “real” option you were going to use all along. When the mind compares a difficult option and a regular option together, it makes the regular option seem that much easier.

So it was a piece of cake getting David to write the front terms on the flashcards. I said I was going to make him do the whole thing by himself (!) first. Instead, I agreed to write the definition down on the other side, and as a result he was satisfied writing terms on the front facing card. After that, I had him draw a picture representative of the vocabulary term. I took the timer on my phone out on the table, and I gave him 30 seconds to draw a picture. The feeling of “suspense” seemed to resonate with his energetic disposition.

“Okay, done! 4 seconds left, too.”

“Not bad,” I would say. “So what’s going on here in your picture?”

And then he explained in a few, rather hurried sentences, what was happening in his picture. I had him use the vocabulary word each time and I reinforced it when asking questions about the picture. “Good job!” I’d say.

Sometimes, my explanation of the vocabulary term, many of them which required explanation beyond the simple definition, wasn’t enough. Because David got the chance to draw awesome and funny pictures,  he needed to know just what it was he’s supposed to be drawing. What self-respecting artist goes in without an idea of what he wants to draw?

“Hold on a second, stop the timer. Can we go over that word again?”

I smiled. “Sure, let me give you a few more examples…”

Sometimes I asked him questions, like if he’d ever felt “envious” that say, his brother got a toy and he didn’t. “Oh, so it’s like being jealous?”

“Yes, that’s right.” I said.

“Okay, okay, I got it now. Start the timer.”

Occasionally, I used google images to look up pictures that might represent the word in question. So for “distraught” I pulled up a bunch of pictures of people looking stressed out or agitated.

Actually, David was a little impatient with me. He wanted to go as much vocabulary as we possibly could. I only slowed him down. The ability to use his creativity, combined with the suspense of the timer, perfectly complemented his naturally energy and impulsiveness.

In the last ten minutes, his brother walked by and saw what we were doing.

“Can I make flashcards too?” he asked. I wasn’t technically supposed to help him, but…it was the last ten minutes, and he was asking for the chance to learn higher level vocabulary. How could I say no?

“Sure!” I said. “Maybe we’ll have a contest. Whoever uses the word in their picture/story most appropriately, wins a point. Whoever with the most points at the end wins. Is that okay?”

“Let’s start already,” one of them said.

After that, the twins were extremely attentive to my explanations. 

I felt like it was a productive and good day.