Part 2: What Makes an Effective Tutor?

Yesterday, Dr. Silver facilitated a morning round discussion in which we went over thyroidoxicosis in an elderly patient with atypical presentations. I found his session highly engaging, entertaining, and educational. In Schmidt and Moust’s essay on What makes a Tutor Effective? they conclude that effective tutoring is a product of three distinct, yet symbiotic qualities: the possession of suitable knowledge base under the topic of study (expertise), a willingness to engage students in an authentic way (social congruence), and a skill to communicate and express oneself in a language that is understandable by students (cognitive congruence). Dr. Silver exhibited all three of these qualities with near symphonic execution. Without a doubt, he possessed the expert knowledge required to facililate a discussion that included the attendance of both medical students and recent Royal College fellows. Indeed, AS and I reflected after the session, that the reason why he was so effective in leading was because he knew absolutely everything there was to know about hyperthyroidism and was often way ahead of his learners – predicting questions well before being asked. As such, he was able to nagivate the discussion in a way that was appealing and kept the learners engaged. He was also sensitive to the different levels of learners in his audience. For medical students, he would serve up slow pitch meatballs in order to build confidence and for the more senior resident, he would adjust his questions accordingly – always with a disarming and welcoming approach. 

Dr. Silver, I maintain, is an ideal example of an effective tutor – one that I hope to emulate in my future career. - AC