INTPs and tutoring

[thelithiumcat]

A bit of background: I'm at the end of my A-levels but, due to a bit of confusion regarding choosing topics, I'm going to have to take a year out to get a couple of extra ones (maths and physics to be exact) so that I can get into astrophysics and cosmology (I suppose I'll decide which one later on, but I'm always interested in the big picture first - details later when they can be put into context).

Now, my most likely option for doing these extra A-levels so far has been tutoring. I was pointed to the idea by a fellow INTP whom I know and who took several A-levels using that method. An INTJ friend of mine also enjoyed tutoring. I myself have had three different tutors over the course of the last three years (in french and maths for GCSE and chemistry for GCSE and A-level) and I've always had much more fun when it's just one-on-one with someone who's more knowledgeable than me, genuinely interested in the subject and who can keep up - because once I for one get going I'm told I go pretty quickly. I can't really tell though because I haven't had much of a chance for real perspective on that. I come out of my shell much more when I'm not hiding in a class, lost in my own thoughts. I'm also much more focused. It rather suits my thought pattern because they're interested so they'll go on the tangents with me but they're supposed to be tutoring me so they try to keep it going in the right direction too.

I was therefore wondering this: have any of you had an opportunity for one-to-one learning and have you preferred it at all? Even if you haven't, do you think you would?

 

[Enne]

Hm. Well from the onset I think the one on one would be a bit draining. There is no buffer that is the rest of the class/ students when you are in a tutoring session, and it might not be readily apparent that you'd need time to play with and internalize concepts if your tutor was of a certain type. But I'm sure an INTJ as you mentioned would be good at presenting the information, understanding your processing style and attacking things at the pace at which you tend to absorb the information once the initial framework is in place.

My own experience with tutoring is the benefits of immediate feedback without the mess that "study" groups tends to be - focused and a concentration on your own gaps in understanding. I disliked that it does tend to become a rehash of the classroom style - ideally I would like (or would have liked?) a tutor with authority on the area or related areas, so that we could focus on how advanced material is based off of the building blocks of my current work.

In preparation for A-Levels (the only equivalent I can think of stateside is SAT II subject tests and AP exams), are you going to study in a more structured manner from some form of test-prep/cramming, or are you going for a holistic approach from a variety of sources as they relate to your end career/university topic goal?

 

[thelithiumcat]

Spoiler

Hm. Well from the onset I think the one on one would be a bit draining. There is no buffer that is the rest of the class/ students when you are in a tutoring session, and it might not be readily apparent that you'd need time to play with and internalize concepts if your tutor was of a certain type. But I'm sure an INTJ as you mentioned would be good at presenting the information, understanding your processing style and attacking things at the pace at which you tend to absorb the information once the initial framework is in place.

My own experience with tutoring is the benefits of immediate feedback without the mess that "study" groups tends to be - focused and a concentration on your own gaps in understanding. I disliked that it does tend to become a rehash of the classroom style - ideally I would like (or would have liked?) a tutor with authority on the area or related areas, so that we could focus on how advanced material is based off of the building blocks of my current work.

That correlates fairly well with my own experience. On the one hand, I get tired out much more quickly but (particularly with my chemistry tutor) the time was much more well-spent with regards to actually getting some work done. I do like to listen, so I myself prefer someone who will talk until I find something to comment on.

Indeed, that's the main thing which supports faster learning: one can pretty much use them as an instant and fairly reliable search engine in order to fill in the gaps in one's understanding as one reaches them. I agree, study groups do tend to be a bit of a mess. The way in which I tend to ask a lot of questions once I get going just doesn't work there because it takes up so much time that shouldn't really be spent on just one person. I also need tutors with more advanced knowledge because when I don't have a handle on a concept I need to see the deeper connections and understand just how far it goes - even if I don't understand it. I like to find how to structure it in my mind (that's the big picture thing again).

Spoiler

In preparation for A-Levels (the only equivalent I can think of stateside is SAT II subject tests and AP exams), are you going to study in a more structured manner from some form of test-prep/cramming, or are you going for a holistic approach from a variety of sources as they relate to your end career/university topic goal?

Well the idea is that one goes through the course with the tutor and then takes the exam(s) at a centre of education (one's previous secondary school, perhaps). I just need A-level qualifications in those subjects because I don't have them and need to in order to access the subject area I want at university. I don't have experience with this sort of tutoring but from what I hear it still involves homework and tests. Luckily I'm a person of integrity so I would never cheat if I did a test at home. In fact once I gave myself several different scores depending on the level of help I received.