Friday, June 19, 2020

Compass Provides Continuing Professional Development at Tutor Conference

One of our favorite events in the San Francisco office is our Semiannual Tutor Conference. Â  We recently hosted our sixth conference, and it was a big success! Tutors from Petaluma to San Jose came together to share ideas about tutoring best practices and to learn more about some of the newer test prep resources Compass has for tutors and families. Â  The energy was high and the good ideas were flowing! Each conference covers topics that respond to both tutor feedback from the previous season and any recent developments in the college admission testing space. Â  We aim to address tutors’ needs for support with different types of students and programs, as well as to give tutors a fun opportunity to get together for some social time. Since our tutors are working one-on-one with students in students’ homes and online, they are always looking for more ways to engage with each other in person. Â  Our interactive workshops cover both work and fun. There are always great discussions during lunch, too! We love to give our tutors the chance to learn from each other and to see that they are truly part of a team of extraordinary individuals. We also like the amazing, palpable energy that comes with having so many awesome educators in our office at the same time! Â   At this latest conference, our attendees included some veteran tutors who have been with Compass for 8+ years and others who are navigating their first season with the company. Â  Each workshop group included a mix of Math and Verbal tutors with a variety of tutoring experiences—the perfect mix for thoughtful questions and lively discussion! Sessions this time around included an informative presentation about learning differences and testing accommodations, an in-depth look at utilizing our interactive score reports with students at different starting scores, a challenging workshop about when to adjust your strategy or approach with a student, and an energetic role play exercise about overcoming challenges with program management and lesson scheduling. Â   Each dynamic workshop provided information, question and answer time, an activity, and tips to use in future lessons, and each group’s journey through the different topics brought up new and thoughtful ideas. Â  Our training team put a lot of effort into preparing and leading their sessions, and our tutors exceeded our expectations with their insights and energy, as usual! We are already looking forward to our next conference in June!