Common Writing Problems: Focus, Organization, Development, Style, and Correctness

Ch 4 of What the Writing Tutor Needs to Know

My goal is to create a more thoughtful writer. Their goal is to make an A.

They need a clear thesis and to develop meaningful arguments. Short paragraphs are signs of a weak argument and undeveloped ideas.

Setting the Agenda for the Next 30 Minutes

by Macauley

The tutor and student should create a road map of what they want to accomplish. This is an agenda that the student can take with them should the tutor not be able to get to all the points in 50 minutes.

Tutoring in Unfamiliar Subjects

by Alexis Greiner

First ask what the assignment is. Then ask for the main points. Read it with a focus, paying attention to the situation--why is she writing it? Test out ideas: "I got this from this paragraph. Is that what you meant?" Ask thought-provoking questions and build on the client's response.

Working with ESL Writers

ch 9

NNS don't just come to get their grammar checked, they don't need more basics, you should work on higher-order concerns below later-level concerns, you should have a rulebook handy, and you can teach anything.

What Tutoring Writing Isn't

from Tutoring Writing: A Practical Guide for Conferences, by Donald A. McAndrew and Thomas J. Reigstad. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook, 2001. 160 pages.

The editor-journalist relationship is abusive. Don't model this relationship.
Don't be a therapist. It can be tough if students write about their feelings.
Don't tutor about a "dead" paper, one that the writer is no longer working on.

The Tutoring Process

Ch 3

ALLYN BACON GUIDE TO PEER TUTORING

Don't edit as you would a friend's paper. First break the ice, then ask some questions, then have them read aloud. End with asking them what they will do next.