Why review sessions?
Reviewing sessions at Schoolhouse helps us do a few really important things:
Keep sessions safe and high-quality – If there’s anything that needs extra attention, like a tutoring issue or a safety concern, our mentor or safety team can step in to help. Help other tutors improve – Your feedback can make a real difference! By sharing what worked well and offering helpful tips, you’re helping fellow tutors create better experiences for learners. Plus, peer reviewing isn’t just about helping others—it’s also a great way to pick up new ideas for your own tutoring sessions. Seeing how others teach can give you fresh strategies to make your own sessions even better! And, you can earn volunteer hours while you’re at it!
Reviewing sessions based on the LEAD Rubric
See the LEAD tutoring rubric here: Lay the Foundation
A well-prepared tutor sets the stage for an engaging and effective session.
Why is this important?
A well-prepared tutor arrives on time, has their technology set up, and is familiar with the content they are teaching. A lack of preparation can lead to a session that feels disorganized and difficult for learners to follow. Tutors who anticipate challenges—such as tricky concepts or common learner misconceptions—can provide stronger explanations and adapt more easily. A structured session helps learners stay engaged and prevents wasted time. When tutors follow a clear plan, it creates a smoother, more effective learning experience. Signs of strong preparation:
✅ The tutor starts the session on time and has minimal to no tech issues.
✅ Content is well-organized, and the tutor demonstrates confidence in the material.
✅ The session follows a logical flow, with clear transitions between topics.
✅ The tutor anticipates common misconceptions and proactively addresses them.
✅ The tutor introduces concepts in a way that builds on prior knowledge rather than jumping straight into complex material.
Example of effective tutoring:
Instead of jumping straight into solving problems, a well-prepared tutor might say: “Today, we’re going to focus on linear equations. First, we’ll go over the key concepts, then we’ll work through examples together, and at the end, you’ll try solving some on your own.” Setting clear expectations at the start of a session helps learners understand what to expect, reducing uncertainty, keeping the lesson on track, and ensuring they know when they’ll have opportunities to practice.
Engage Actively
Great tutoring isn’t just about explaining—it’s about getting learners involved!
Why is this important?
Active learning encourages deeper understanding and retention of information. When learners participate in discussions and problem-solving, they are more likely to internalize concepts rather than just memorizing steps. A good tutor creates multiple opportunities for learners to engage, whether through verbal responses, chat messages, screen annotations, or collaborative problem-solving. Sessions should not feel like one-sided lectures. Instead, learners should be encouraged to explain their reasoning and build upon their ideas & their peers ideas. Encouraging participation from all learners, not just the most vocal ones, ensures a more inclusive and effective learning experience. 💡 When evaluating active learning in a session, you'll often notice that the tutor seems to be talking to themselves—this may indicate that they're using public DMs or private DMs to communicate! You can view the public DMs on the right of the recording, but there's no way for you to view the private DMs. You'll need to pick this up from context. What matters is that the learners are engaging and making clear progress: it doesn't matter if it's through voice, chat, drawing on the screen, or taking a quiz. Signs of strong engagement:
✅ The tutor uses the I Do, We Do, You Do method (demonstrates, practices together, then lets learners try on their own).
✅ Learners are encouraged to explain their thinking rather than just giving answers.
✅ The tutor calls on quieter learners to ensure everyone gets a chance to participate.
✅ If learners seem disengaged, the tutor adapts (e.g., using interactive elements or breaking up long explanations with a question).
Example of effective tutoring:
Instead of asking “Does that make sense?” (which often results in silence), a tutor might say: “Give me a thumbs-up or thumbs-down—how comfortable do you feel with this concept?” This makes it easier for learners to participate and gives the tutor feedback on whether to move forward or review the material.
Adjust as Needed
Great tutors recognize that every learner is different and adjust their approach accordingly.
Why is this important?
Not all learners grasp concepts at the same pace. Tutors who notice when a learner is struggling and adjust their explanations help create a more effective learning experience. A flexible tutor modifies their pacing based on the needs of the group. If learners pick up a concept quickly, the tutor can move forward. If learners struggle, the tutor should slow down and reinforce key points. Engaging learners at different levels keeps the session balanced. Tutors should provide extra challenges for advanced learners while ensuring struggling learners receive the support they need. Building the learner's confidence after they get a problem wrong can be really tricky. By encouraging learners to discover mistakes rather than just pointing them out strengthens their problem-solving skills and builds confidence. Signs of strong adaption:
✅ The tutor checks for understanding frequently and adjusts explanations accordingly.
✅ Quieter learners are encouraged to participate in a way that feels comfortable for them (e.g., chat instead of speaking).
✅ The tutor acknowledges different skill levels and tailors explanations accordingly.
✅ If a learner gives an incorrect answer, the tutor helps them discover their mistake rather than just correcting them.
Example of effective tutoring:
Instead of saying, “No, that’s wrong,” a tutor might say: “"Could you walk me through how you did this one? Looks like I got a different answer, so let's take a look... Ah ok. You added first and then multiplied. We actually want to multiply before we add. Have you heard of 'PEMDAS' before?” This keeps learners engaged and builds their confidence instead of discouraging them.
Develop Connections
The best learning happens when there is trust & rapport.
Why is this important?
Learning is most effective when learners feel comfortable and respected. A tutor who acknowledges learners by name and fosters a friendly atmosphere helps create a space where everyone feels valued. Tutors should encourage questions and normalize making mistakes. If learners fear being wrong, they may hesitate to participate, which can slow their progress. A tutor who corrects mistakes in a constructive way keeps learners engaged and motivated instead of making them feel embarrassed. Safety is the top priority. Tutors should follow Schoolhouse community guidelines and ensure a respectful, professional environment. Signs of a strong, respectful session:
✅ The tutor acknowledges and encourages every learner, not just the most vocal ones.
✅ Mistakes are treated as learning opportunities, not failures.
✅ The tutor frames feedback in a way that builds confidence (e.g., "You're really close! Let’s go over this one part again.").
✅ There are no violations of Schoolhouse safety rules (e.g., inappropriate behavior, personal contact sharing).
Example of effective tutoring:
Instead of saying, "That’s wrong—let’s move on," a great tutor might say: "You were so close! I think there's just one small mistake. Let’s go over it together and figure it out." This keeps learners engaged and motivated rather than making them feel embarrassed.
What are the qualities of a great peer review?
You can see how peer reviews are evaluated here: Thoroughness
You should take 20-30 minutes on each review that you complete, which will involve carefully reviewing different parts of the session recording, taking notes, and writing feedback. It's important to be as thorough as you can in 20 minutes, so that you don't miss important details or context. Descriptiveness
It's important to write out the concrete details about what went well and what didn't go well, for two reasons: The tutor fully understands your feedback Schoolhouse has quality documentation of a tutor's work Actionability
Our primary goal in giving feedback is to help the tutor improve—not to pat them on the back! Instead of making vague comments, recommend specific actions that they can incorporate in their session. For example: "You were covering a lot of content, so I noticed it was hard to have time to explain everything while also engaging learners. I suggest asking learners what they know at the beginning of the session, so that you can move more quickly over concepts they already know. It will also allow you to engage the learners who are ahead by having them explain the concepts to the rest of the group!" Encouragement
We're not here as experts, telling tutors what to do; we're here as fellow tutors, sharing our experience and trying to help others grow! Be sure to use kindness, understanding and encouragement, to make sure that your feedback is digestible to the tutor. Share specific notes on what you liked about their session, and empathize when they were faced with a tough situation. For example: "It looks like the learner was pretty distracted during this session; this can be really tough. I like how you asked her a lot of questions to try to keep her attention. In future situations like this, you could also try having her lead the problem (tell you what to write on the whiteboard), so it's even harder for her to get distracted." Clarity & Readability
Be sure to use proper punctuation, spelling and grammar to make your feedback as easy to understand as possible! Appropriate Ratings
The session feedback form that you'll use will allow you to select a rating for each of the components of the tutoring rubric. If you're not sure what rating is appropriate, just click the "i" symbol next to the component description to get a reminder of the tutoring rubric details! Important: if you're struggling to decide between two ratings (e.g., beginner and intermediate), level down. It's important that we reserve "Intermediate" and "Advanced" ratings for sessions that truly meet all the criteria described in the rubric, which we would be proud to use as examples for other tutors. The rubric shows a very high standard, so even if you have been tutoring for a while you may still get "Beginner" ratings in some components. This is totally okay: it just reminds us of what we should keep working on. As humans, we're all biased! When you review a session, be sure to consider whether your judgement could be biased by: Your friendship with the tutor If you think there is something that could be causing bias, take a moment to consider how you would rate the session if that factor was gone. This can help make it clear if you need to update the rating you chose. Confidentiality
For the privacy of our learners, session recordings must be kept confidential, and used only for peer reviewing purposes. Apart from discussing recordings with experienced peer reviewers to improve your own work, downloading, sharing, or discussing recordings may result in the permanent suspension of your Schoolhouse account. Your support system
Sharing feedback is not easy—in person, or virtually. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to point out specific areas of improvement, while also being encouraging. But don't worry...you have a support system! As you start to review sessions, you'll start out as a "Novice" peer reviewer. Over time, you'll get feedback from more experienced peer reviewers, so you can keep building your skills. Eventually, you may even reach the "Advanced" peer reviewer level, and give other peer reviewers feedback. You can also talk with other peer reviewers in #peer-reviewers, or reach out to the broader community in #tutoring-support. If you want 1:1 feedback, you can always . In this way, we can work together to our skills as a team.
Training Recap
