Genki Hanari
Peer Tutor is one of the most important jobs at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
This job has many duties, including teaching about math, physics, computer science, and sometimes foreign language. Professors cannot teach every student personally therefore tutors are required for students.
Tutoring is helpful for both students who have a question and the tutor who improves their skills through teaching.
Jong-young Choi has over a year tutored students in computer science, math, and physics. “Tutoring is a great experience for international students because I have to study by myself to teach. It can help me to understand more deeply what I have already studied.”
Choi went on to praise how tutoring has also helped develop his communication skills, “Tutors are not instructors or teachers so; they must help students to understand by themselves… In order to complete these duties, I need to improve my communication skill and English skill. In addition, I can learn more things through the [tutor] training program.”
Shota Kishimoto has also worked as a Peer Tutor assisting in the teaching of Japanese and mathematics. He said,” I have never taught Japanese so, I am in the process of considering my option [on] how to teach Japanese.”
Teaching Japanese has helped him to better understand English, “There are many Japanese words and idioms that are not perfectly matched in English therefore, I need to find the most similar words and idioms. It is really tough work for me because I am learning English as a second language the same as students who come to ask questions about Japanese, however, at the same time it allows me to learn English words and idioms and the way to use them. I believe that working as a tutor is the best shortcut to master something.”
