Difficult subjects

I find that tutoring subjects that I agree with are very hard. It is hard for me to be subjective with heated subjects that I agree with. When I get assignments like this it is good practice for me to question what I believe to be the right side. To become objective I will try to play the devils advocate( or was that the devils devil or advocates advocate?)

I have found it valuable, when tutoring difficult subjects, to make it clear to the student that you are going to 'play' the devils advocate. I tell them, "I'm going to think like your oposition would. Basically I'm going to play the devils advocate. What would you say to someone who asked you...." I have found that using this technique allows the student to feel comfortable with the tutors questioning because questioning in this manner is impersonal. It is impersonal because you make it clear that it is the opposition that is making these questions and it is not the tutor who is making them. While doing this I like to explain how addressing the oppositions argument strengthens their paper. Hopefully, they will take your questioning as help.

Steering students thesis away from cleche topics such as gay marriage is bad, president clinton is a saint, etc... requires me to become interested in the topic. What I mean with this is that the tutor's job is to not agree or disagree with the student; rather the job is to make the student more curios in the subject. Making them interested will provoke them to ask harder questions than, "Topic A is good or bad."