Who were my tutors? Who can tutor me?

Abstract

The author deals with tutorship as one of the most effective forms of one-to-one learning. The relationship between a tutor and a student is studied in detail and it is established that the quality of such a relationship can be considerably better than the one, where a tutor and a student arc engaged in a more formal one. The article, which is based on the data gathered from a research, speaks about conditions, which are necessary for an informal tutor-student re lationship to evolve. The author also answers the question of the characteristics the students expect from their tutors. What should, therefore, a personal profile of an informal tutor be? This also partly answers the question of a good leader and the characteristics a good leader possesses, since leaders are also good tutors. Informal tutors, who offered skills, knowledge and useful insight, were mostly people's male and female friends (80 % ), individual teachers if they've become close (65 %), a spouse (50%) and a co-worker (42 %). When considering the development of a tutor-student relationship, the basis was knowledge and expertise of the other person (29 % of replies), moreover personal characteristics of a tutor were underlined (71 %). The research also revealed that only certain people can assume a role of a tutor. As a single, most important characteristic the following were selected: has the ability to listen, is emphatic and tolerant to the other person. Everybody,without exception selected these characteristics. The second characteristic (53 %), but of a much lesser importance than the first one was: friendly, likeable, amicable, warm, nice, humane. It is of equal importance for a tutor to be open, honest and broad-minded. Everybody believes they could successfully develop (or have successfully developed) if being (having been) engaged in a relationship with such a tutor.