Tutoring IELP WritingTutoring IELP WritingAn overview

In the beginning …In the beginning …What kinds of writing do the

students bring in to the Learning Center?

What is the best way to tutor students with their writing?

4 different scenarios

Scenario #1 – The Scenario #1 – The paragraphparagraphAbdul, a low-level student, needs

help with a paragraph he has written for class

The paragraph is about his hometown

It is about half a page long, double-spaced with a heading

Questions to askQuestions to askYou ask, “What specifically can I

help you with?”

Abdul – “I want to check grammar, spelling – umm – all of it.” (Note the unspecific answer)

So, what do we do now?

Questions to askQuestions to ask“Do you have your assignment

sheet?”◦Often, they don’t – but try to get as

much information as possible

“What class is this for? What level?”◦Since we know the IELP curriculum

guidelines, we can better focus the session on level-specific problems

Narrowing the fieldNarrowing the fieldIn a half hour session, discussing

every mistake will not help the student

Options◦Have the student read the paragraph

out loud and you make mental or written notes of common mistakes

◦You read the paragraph aloud and make marks as you go

◦Ask the student to identify what he/she believes to be the biggest problem before reading

How do we decide what’s How do we decide what’s important?important?

Studies about error gravity vs. error production◦Show that articles & prepositions are the

most commonly marked, yet not considered the most serious

Word order, tense, relative clauses, word choice, and subject/verb agreement were considered the most serious mistakes

It’s up to you …◦What is the element that affects your

understanding the most?

DiscussionDiscussionCheck how much time is left –

how many points can you cover?◦Maximize the tutoring session

Discuss the most important mistakes using your (finely-honed) tutoring techniques

Scenario #2 – The EssayScenario #2 – The EssaySatomi comes in with a

cause/effect essay for her G/W 3 class

It is a little over 2 pages long and discusses the effects of different kinds of tobacco usage

She says she doesn’t know if the paper is good or not, and she wants to check grammar

Questions to askQuestions to ask“Do you understand what a

cause/effect essay is?”◦ It is important to clarify assignments

prior to tutoring“What kind of language is

appropriate for this kind of essay?”

◦ Recognizing how genre affects word choice is important for tutor and student to know

Language UseLanguage UseFocusing on language use as it relates

to content is ideal for the learner◦Highlights form/function relationship

Variations of cause/effect language and expected rhetorical strategies◦Example: “Because X, Y” / “Y because X” /

“X causes Y” / “X. As a result, Y” etc.◦Tutors should be familiar with different

rhetorical structures and language

DiscussionDiscussionThe grammar looks pretty good –

full sentences, good vocabulary, nice spelling

However, you notice that the paper mostly describes different lung diseases (i.e., it does not show strong cause/effect)

◦What do you do?

DiscussionDiscussionOptions for tutors to get students

to see the mismatch:◦Ask if the student wrote an outline◦Ask what the topics of each

paragraph are◦Find the thesis statement and

explore it◦Have the student summarize the

main body paragraphs in relation to the assignment

Rhetorical strategiesRhetorical strategiesUnderstanding rhetorical strategies can

make all the difference in helping our students

The IELP requires students to be familiar with many different kinds of essay writing: narrative, descriptive (E), process, compare/contrast, classification (2), cause/effect, argumentation (3), summary-responses, a short research paper (4), and a multi-page research paper (5)

Different organization for Different organization for different kinds of writingdifferent kinds of writingRhetorical strategies will vary with

the kind of writing assignmentParagraph organization,

transitions, and content of the paragraphs will depend mostly on the type of assignment◦Example: “Compare/contrast Portland

and your hometown. Be sure to have at least 3 subtopics.” What kind of organization should be used?

Scenario #3 – Reading Scenario #3 – Reading responseresponseShemsa has written a response

to a reading assignment from her Reading 4 class, but she doesn’t feel confident about it

“I don’t know if this is what the teacher wants.”

Questions to askQuestions to ask

“Do you have your assignment sheet?”

“Did you understand the reading?”◦Clearly, it would be hard to write a

response without understanding the reading

“Do you understand what you should do?”◦Even if they have the assignment sheet,

it might be difficult to understand what to do

DiscussionDiscussionShemsa’s assignment sheet asks

for a one paragraph summary and a one paragraph response

She has written a one paragraph summary, but her response is very similar to her summary and does not give her opinion

What do we do?

DiscussionDiscussionClarify the assignment as much as

possible◦Read over the assignment sheet

thoroughly with the student and compare with what she has written

◦If she has no assignment sheet, discuss what she remembers from class

Brainstorm with the studentDiscuss what possible responses

the student could write

Topic developmentTopic developmentContent is a major factor in how

students’ writing is evaluatedHow topics are developed varies

between cultures◦Try to focus on American Academic

culture and its expectations of topic development

Topic sentences, details, examples, and no off-topic information

Scenario #4 – The Scenario #4 – The wandererwandererCarlos has a research paper

assignment that he has not started yet

He has decided that he wants to talk about assisted suicide, but doesn’t know how to start his paper

“I just need some help getting started.”

Questions to askQuestions to ask“Do you have your assignment

sheet?”◦Are we getting it yet? :)

“Why did you choose assisted suicide as a topic?”◦Often the topic will get in the way of

a good research paper◦It should be something the student is

interested in and something with plenty of information out there

DiscussionDiscussionCubing exercise (see handout)

◦Try to think around the topicOther pre-writing techniques

◦Brainstorming◦Outlining◦Free-writing◦Discuss with a friend◦Google / Wikipedia

DiscussionDiscussionArrange a follow-up meeting to

discuss what has been doneEmphasize that good research

papers start with research, not with pre-conceived ideas

Encourage research, research, research

Be familiar with APA guidelines (or good APA resources)

ConclusionConclusionThree key areas to focus on:

◦Language◦Organization◦Topic development

All of these can affect any kind of writing

All may be dealt with in turn

PracticePracticeWork with a partnerChoose what you would work on:

◦Language (word choice, tense, syntax, etc.)

◦Organization (coherence, rhetoric, etc.)

◦Or Topic Development (content, assignment completion, etc.)

Explain your choice

PracticePracticeKeep working with a

partner Choose what language problem(s) you

would work on based on three criteria:◦Most frequent mistakes◦The student’s level◦Does it affect meaning?

Explain your choice