Your learner works a lot and has very little time for learning. She says it is too noisy at home “so I can’t study or do homework.” Therefore, whatever happens in your tutoring session is the only learning that occurs.
Your learner tells you that she has lost or broken her glasses and is not able to get new ones for a variety of reasons. There’s not much learning that can be done until she finds a way to get new glasses.
Your learner reveals that he is often short of money and has a family to feed. He needs to get food somewhere. The family is Asian and they don’t like the usual kinds of foods that are in a basket from the food bank.
Your learner reveals that she is in an abusive situation and is very fearful. She misses a lot of meetings and when she comes, most of the time is taken up with listening to her story about the situation and her fears. She indicates that she does not know where to turn for a resolution to her situation.
Your learner talks about past bad treatment he has experienced because “everyone said I was stupid. But I really want to learn. I know I can learn.” But in every meeting, time is taken up as your learner repeats this story about his past.
Your learner comes to a session looking sad. After a bit of small talk, she says, “I was working on my writing. My husband saw me and said, ‘Why are you doing that? You’re wasting your time.’”
Your learner is a new immigrant who was initially very keen on the sessions. Five months later, he can hardly drag himself into the sessions. He is exhausted all the time and often feels sick.
Your learner has trouble remembering. She sometimes forgets things that you think she learned well and she has to relearn them. One of the things that she forgets is to come to sessions, even when you phone the day before.
Your learner feels that he is a long way from reaching his goal. He says, “I’m so slow.” As his tutor, you know that he has made good progress.
Your learner has accomplished all her goals, but she doesn’t seem to want to end the sessions.
Handout 4.4