How to make tutorials more interesting

I think that it is a mistake and a waste to approach a tutorial like a lecture.

In my own experience both in leading tutorials (in a more STEM environment, but still one with some open-ended discussions) and in being a student in them (both STEM and liberal arts), the instructor needs to actively cultivate an culture of participation by the class. Once such a culture is established, you can much better use the uniquely interactive format of a tutorial to really follow the students interests and needs in exploring the material.

Some tactics that can help in doing this:

• Begin each tutorial by asking the students to set an agenda of things they would like to discuss. Bring a few of your own that you can use to seed the list.
• Along the same lines: be confident enough in your knowledge and the material to let the students see your process as you work through your thoughts on their harder questions. They will generally get more out of understanding how to engage with the material than out of the specific answer to a specific question.
• Giving enough quiet space for students to feel comfortable to speak takes longer than you may think. You will often need to silence stretch long enough to be uncomfortable.
• Avoid conversation being dominated by a couple of active students by occasionally saying things like, "I'd like to hear from somebody who hasn't spoken much today." This asks the active students to step back while avoiding the down-sides of calling on individuals to speak.
• Set clear expectations about culture at the beginning of the class, and explicitly revisit your commitment to them from to time as necessary.