Tutoring International Students in the U.S.A.

Students from all over the world aspire to study in the U.S. The video below was a training program given at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to student tutors on best practices when tutoring international students.

A brief outline of the discussion points include:

1. International Students Need to Learn US Academic and College Culture 
   International students could be transitioning from a foreign high school to an American university or from a overseas undergraduate college to an American college (to earn a master's degree). 
2. Class Participation Differences
   Many international students are not encouraged to interact with the teacher in their home countries.
3. Keeping in touch with the teacher/professor. 
4. International students may not keep their teachers up to date with what they are doing, if they are absent or if they need help.
5. Citations & Academic Integrity
   In some countries, students are required to regurgitate what the teacher says from class or from the book on the test. It’s not accepted to use citations or speak from their own experience or in their own words.
6. Language Barriers
   Many students are learning in the US in their second, third, fourth or fifth language.
7. Tips for tutoring international students
   Build a relationship by starting from scratch – asking where they are from, etc.
   Adapt your English to be understood easier (See more tips here.)
   Define words for them they may not know
   Avoid idioms and be careful with humor Use concrete examples, use pictures 

Learn more about the Virginia Commonwealth University's Global Education Office.

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