Peer Tutoring Reflection

When I chose Peer Tutoring as one of my courses for Grade 11, I knew exactly why I did. It wasn't just to help out my fellow schoolmates, but rather to observe and experience the classroom from a different perspective. I've always wondered how it was to not be in the shoes of a student going through the course; this way I could see what the teacher was thinking and how he/she taught in the manner that they did. While helping out the students in Mr.Bottiglieri's grade eight humanities class I got a chance to grow and develop, by learning new skills and applying them on a daily basis, particularly to assist Sunny (a talented young boy who has high functioning autism). Some of the various skills I have developed include adaptable communication,

Interpersonal skills are the skills we use every day when we communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups. People with strong interpersonal skills are often more successful in both their professional and personal lives, therefore developing these skills will definitely benefit me in the near future. Interpersonal skills include a wide variety of skills, however many are centered around communication, such as listening, questioning and understanding body language. These skills came into effect when I had to be an effective listener and listen to the concerns of the tutee and reflect those back. If I didn't do this then the conversational aspect of the session would have degraded into a teacher-student relationship. Interpersonal skills also include the skills and attributes associated with emotional intelligence, or being able to understand and manage your own and others' emotions (Skills You Need, 2017). While in the classroom I made sure I listened as objectively as possible from a neutral open-minded state, this way I could really concentrate and focus on what others are saying when trying to avoid emotional involvement. Without good interpersonal skills it is often more difficult to develop other important life skills, therefore I am grateful that I got time developing these interpersonal