Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
English Language and Literature Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 9 of 9
Full-Text Articles in English Language and Literature
Independence And Interdependence In The Writing Center, Candace Heki
Independence And Interdependence In The Writing Center, Candace Heki
Tutor's Column
The writing center should be a space where we, as tutors, promote both independence and interdependence. We should strive to help students improve their skills, so they have the confidence to move forward with their paper and future papers on their own. We should also encourage interdependence through collaboration with the writing center. Students can benefit from their tutor offering unique perspectives and a place where the writer can talk through their ideas. Tutors need to be available to meet students’ individual needs by offering a balance between our focuses on self-sufficiency and collaboration.
Constructive Criticism: Analyzing And Implementing Student Feedback As A Tutor, Gracie Jo Averett
Constructive Criticism: Analyzing And Implementing Student Feedback As A Tutor, Gracie Jo Averett
Tutor's Column
Writing centers are subject to student feedback as they operate, collecting both negative and positive comments through exit surveys after appointments. This essay analyzes these types of feedback and how tutors and writing centers can use both types of feedback to their advantage when serving their students. Being able to analyze the feedback that they receive can allow a tutor to make adjustments, when needed, to their tutoring process.
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 …
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 …
Confidence Is Key: The Importance Of Building A Student’S Confidence In Writing, Tyler Monson
Confidence Is Key: The Importance Of Building A Student’S Confidence In Writing, Tyler Monson
Tutor's Column
It’s Friday afternoon and there’s barely any wiggle room between tutoring sessions. Every English 2010 student has been rushing to the Writing Center to get their papers edited before they have to turn it in at midnight. Some papers are contemplative, well-structured and only need light tweaks, while others are “more of a thought piece at the moment.”
Tutors: “Theses” The Problem: Students And Thesis Statements, Jackson Bylund
Tutors: “Theses” The Problem: Students And Thesis Statements, Jackson Bylund
Tutor's Column
Although it is a common element of academic writing, the thesis statement is woefully misunderstood and misused by many new college students. The Writing Center staff spends too much time reexplaining this principle and helping visiting students construct a solid thesis; time that could be better spent on other key aspects of their essays, like content and organization. This essay strives to explain what a thesis statement is, how it is crafted, how and why students have such a poor understanding of the concept, and what can be done to fix this obnoxious issue.
Wearing The Collaborator Hat, Jessica Hahn
Wearing The Collaborator Hat, Jessica Hahn
Tutor's Column
Writing tutors take on several roles when working with students, which range from coaches to counselors. However, one of the most important roles of writing tutors is the collaborator. Collaboration encourages both the tutor and the student to draw on each of their strengths, rather than only relying on the knowledge of the tutor alone. Some roles that restrict tutors as collaborators are roles such as editors and experts. Tutors avoid being editors of papers because they are only able to address surface level issues in writing rather than global issues. Being an expert is too much of a burden …
Stop, Think, And Question, Andrea Carlquist
Stop, Think, And Question, Andrea Carlquist
Tutor's Column
The purpose of this paper is to encourage peer tutors to attempt utilizing different questioning methods during tutoring sessions. Instead of asking closed off questions with definite answers, tutors should ask open-ended questions that challenge the student. This method of questioning will also help the tutor as it will alleviate pressure from them and make the student and tutor equally accountable for the session. The Socratic method of questioning is also suggested as it allows sessions to develop more organically based on topics that are useful and interesting to both the student and the tutor.
Tutors—Writing Myth Busters, Stephanie Pointer
Tutors—Writing Myth Busters, Stephanie Pointer
Tutor's Column
The purpose of this essay is to help tutors understand that myths about the writing process are hurting students and their writing. Peer tutors are in a unique position to teach students the truth about the writing process. Many students feel incapable of writing well because they struggle with the writing process. Helping students recognize false beliefs about writing and understand the truth will do more to improve student writing and confidence than teaching writing mechanics. When students have a deeper understanding of the importance of having a focused audience, writing bad drafts, and allowing for their limited time frame, …