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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
On The Right Note, Carolyn Baird
On The Right Note, Carolyn Baird
Tutor's Column
This is a cross-disciplinary comparison of violin playing and tutoring writing. As a violinist and a tutor, I have found that my mindset and way of tutoring is greatly influenced by my experience as a violinist. There are many valuable parallels from the violin world that can be used as tutors in how we approach students, how we critique their writing, and how we think about tutoring in general. I hope to pull out those similarities to provide some insights on how to improve giving feedback in a tutoring situation.
We Found Language In A Lonely Place: A Rumination Into Quieting The Fears Of El Students And Quieting Our Own Fears About Effectively Tutoring Them, Zoe Baldwin
Tutor's Column
This text shares the concern that many tutors face in effectively tutoring EL students by helping their confidence as writers, addressing their concerns, and helping them build long-term writing skills. The text will address what tutors can do in their tutoring sessions to help EL students with their writing concerns. There is discussion about some of the most common EL concerns such as grammar, or cohesion. These concerns are met with suggestions such as addressing grammar, talking about the ideas that the writer wants to convey, brainstorming ideas and getting them to write them down, and being mindful of how …
140%: Helping Students With Reading Disabilities, Emily Joy Powell
140%: Helping Students With Reading Disabilities, Emily Joy Powell
Tutor's Column
Tutoring students with reading disabilities will take more than a simple knowledge of reading disabilities in general; it takes knowing how to ask specific questions and fighting against popular stereotypes to create a successful tutoring session. Studies show that one in five students have some type of reading disability. There are ways for tutors to make these students feel more comfortable and confident in their ability to write, however, these techniques must be practiced. While mastering these techniques can be profoundly beneficial for students with reading disabilities, they are valuable to apply in all tutoring sessions.
“All Right Stop, Collaborate, And Listen”: A Writing Center’S Role In Community Collaboration, Riley Anderton
“All Right Stop, Collaborate, And Listen”: A Writing Center’S Role In Community Collaboration, Riley Anderton
Tutor's Column
Writing centers become inextricable parts of the community that surrounds them. Community ties allow writing centers the chance to nurture a love for writing outside of the confines of a university classroom. This column aims to explore the ways in which writing center tutors have the ability to cultivate practices of writing through engaging in community collaboration. The Utah State Writing Center has created a community collaboration known as Helicon West. Helicon West is an event in which members from the University and community have a chance to listen to writing as well as share their own during open mic …
Professionalism In The Writing Center: Combining Compassion And Composition, Carrigan Price
Professionalism In The Writing Center: Combining Compassion And Composition, Carrigan Price
Tutor's Column
Much is demanded from peer tutors if they are to be perceived as professionals; they must be a listening ear, a helping hand, and an expert writer in order to effectively help students. However, tutors’ behavior must adapt to each individual student, paper, and session. Truly professional tutors ignore traditional definitions of professionalism in favor of providing students the help and advice they most need. Tutors need to pay attention to students’ initial behavior, students’ body language throughout the session, and their own feelings of comfort or discomfort in order to appropriately react to the private and personal content of …
Making Sandcastles With The Sands Of Time, Sophia Thimmes
Making Sandcastles With The Sands Of Time, Sophia Thimmes
Tutor's Column
Rushing through a tutoring session can seem alluringly efficient, but this theorized efficiency is a faulty conception. In a tutoring session, moving through content too quickly can lead to discussion based only on surface level observations. By being fully present and taking the time to explore ideas in depth, a tutor is able to supply a Writing Center visitor with much more helpful and in-depth insights.
Balancing Give-And-Take In Tutoring, Stephanie Fielding
Balancing Give-And-Take In Tutoring, Stephanie Fielding
Tutor's Column
Satisfaction in a session increases for both sides when a tutor uses active listening as the mediator between student participation and tutor guidance. Part of the session needs to be devoted to hearing the student’s concerns, which makes the student feel validated. However, at appropriate times, the tutor also needs to provide the student with feedback, and active listening contributes to the tutor’s knowledge of what to say to the student. Active listening can also help diffuse tense tutoring situations.