WR 220: Methods of Tutoring

Study Guide #3: Preparing for Tutoring

Readings:

Clark ,Chap. 3 “Preparing for Tutoring”
St. Martin's, Brooks, "Minimalist Tutoring"

St. Martin's, Sherwood, "Censoring Students, Censoring Ourselves"

St. Martin's, Freed, "Subjectivity in the Tutorial Session: How Far Can We Go?"

 1) Reflecting on Your Writing Process:  Answer the questions on p. 50, trying to focus on a particular paper you’ve recently written. Be sure to let me know what class and professor the paper was for.

2)  Write a response to #s 1, 2, and 9 on pp. 51-2.  Explain your position thoroughly.

3)  Read the 2 dialogues on pp. 56-57.   Apply the concepts below to the 2 dialogues. Which concepts apply to which dialogue and why?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of each tutor's responses?

Directive vs. Non-Directive Tutoring (p. 54)

Issues of Power and Authority (p.54)

Legitimate vs. Non-Legitimate Tutoring (p 54)

4)  After reading pp. 57-59 on “Anticipating Tutoring by Remembering How It Feels to Be a Student,” recall what has made writing stressful for you, and what teacher techniques you would not want to repeat as a tutor.  Be specific.

5)  Read the student essay on pp. 71-73.  Then create a Map for Tutoring (p. 70) for working with this student.   In other words, in a half-hour face-to-face session or in the hour we might take for an online response, we could not cover everything, what would be the key issues when working on this paper?  Use the map to explain.

6)  Memorize Brook's essay on "Minimalist Tutoring."  Just kidding!

Summarize Brooks’ main point in his essay “Minimalist Tutoring."  How does this essay change your view of tutoring from when you began the course?

7) What would Sherwood and Freed tell us about working with Alison and her essay on p. 22?

Discussion Board #3