Maybe I'm thinking too much.

I did it without thinking yesterday. I don't know if I meant to or not, but I handed the paper back to the student when he was pushing it in front of me. I guess that counts as minimalist tutoring, eh? But I didn't have an intermission where I stepped back and thought "Ooo... He is pushing his paper in front of me; I bet that he is attempting to make me do his own work.... If I react in this way, then I bet that he will react back in this way... And then I will demonstrate minimalist tutoring which will be effective in this case because... " No; no; I didn't do that...instead, I just reacted and passed it back. I did it impulsively.

So what do you think? Was it right that I demonstrated this technique even though I didn't think about it ahead of time? If it means anything, he smiled when I pushed the paper to be between the two of us. And he was engaged, practically, the entire session. So, I guess in this case it worked.

I wouldn't be thinking about it even now except that we're discussing whether or not this techinique is effective or not and if it is, when tutors should use it. But what do you think? Should I trust my instinct? What else would I have done in this situation? Left the paper there where he can't see it as well as I can? Golly, that would be uncomfortable and I would feel like I was taking- over. And if I left it there, would the student get board? Would he have figured that I could take it from here and, heaven forbid, "slouch"? And then in that case, would it be wrong for me to slouch along with him? But-- oops--- I didn't think. I just reacted....

So... what I'm trying to ask is: Is this whole minimalist-tutoring-thing thought completley out or is it something that is instictive? Is it something that tutors do on a whim?--- Yeah, it depends, I know--- but what does it depend on?--- yeah, the student--- But I don't know the student. I don't know him enough to know what he is going to say or how is going to react. How can I decide if this is the right way to act in this session? Do tutors ever know?

I guess with experience I will know when or if it is appropriate or not. I think that it is always easier looking back to see if I acted in the right way or not. I think that maybe it has to do with comfort; when I am a more experienced tutor I will be able to practice this techinique with a little more confidence and then I will be a little more clear of whether it works or not. I don't know--- it depends.