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The Penn State
Undergraduate Writing
Center Handbook
for
in Writing
Second Edition
Written by the
Peer Tutors of
The
Undergraduate Writing Center
The Pennsylvania State University
219 Boucke
Building
University Park,
PA 16802
Supervised by Julie
A. Story,
Undergraduate
Writing Center
Associate
Director
2001, University Learning Centers and
Center for Excellence in Writing
Acknowledgments
I.
The Penn State Writing Center at University Park
A. Who We Are: Recruitment and
Initial Training
B. What We Do: Our Advertised
Tutoring Method
II.
Tutoring
A. Tutor-Writer Responsibilities
B. Starting a Tutorial
C. Tutoring During the Planning
Stage
D. Tutoring a Rough Draft
E. Tutoring a Final Draft
F. Tutoring an Unfamiliar
Subject
G. To Sum Up…
III.
Tutor-Staff Responsibilities
A. Staff Regulations
B. Staff Meetings
C. Observations
D. Other Tutoring Possibilities
E. Class Visits
F. Workshops
G. Extra Activities
1. Tutoring Conferences
with Other Schools
2. Open Houses
3. Student Fairs
4. Internships
5. The Writing Circle
6. Mid-State Literacy
Council Spelling Bee
7. Other Possibilities
IV.
Appendix
A. Writing Center Resources
1. Reference Books
2. Handouts and Guidelines
3. Tutors
4. Listserv
B. Descriptions of Forms We Use
1. The Contact Report
2. The Exit Evaluation
3. Peer Tutor Application
and Peer Tutor Profile Forms
4. Peer Tutor
Co-Coordinator Application
5. Cover Page for Tutor’s
Exit Evaluation
6. Semester End Evaluation
C. Sample Forms We Use
1. Guidelines
for Peer Observation
2. Class
Visit Outline
3. Contact
Report
4. Exit
Evaluation
5. Semester-End
Evaluation
This handbook is the culmination of over a decade's worth of research and work. The Penn State Writing Center at University Park began its peer tutoring program in the mid-80's, following Professor Ron Maxwell's visit to the Brooklyn College Institute on Peer Tutoring and Collaborative Learning in the summer of 1983. Inspired by Kenneth Bruffee's ideas on collaborative learning, Professor Maxwell introduced his first training course for peer tutors at Penn State that fall. The next spring, Diane Greenfield, then-director of the University Park Writing Center, initiated peer tutor drop-in hours at the Center, hours which up until then had been the domain of graduate assistants. In 2000, “Undergraduate” was added to “Writing Center” in order to distinguish our Center from the Graduate Writing Center established in 1999.
That first semester in 1983, peer tutors conducted 176 tutorials. Since then, the number has increased to over 1,400 tutorials per semester. Drop-in and appointment services continue to grow as each semester thirty-plus peer tutors staff over 100 hours of tutoring per week. In addition to our main center, we also staff several satellite locations around campus and provide writing tutors for other programs in order to better serve the University Park campus’s student body of over 40,000.
Ever committed to a collaborative learning pedagogy, the Undergraduate Writing Center directors entrust peer tutors with the day-to-day functions of the center, as well as with the design and implementation of our own programs, with minimal guidance from "higher authority." That peer tutors are worthy of this trust can be seen in the many creative and original presentations that our tutors have presented in the years of attending the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing. Penn State peer tutors take pride in being among the founding members of this conference, having presented at the first assembly at Brown University in 1983 and at each of the annual meetings thereafter.
Contacts at these and other conferences have helped Penn State's tutors to realize the vital importance of sharing our knowledge and experiences with fellow tutors. This handbook was originally meant to be a simple guidebook, handed from one year to the next within our own staff, but conversations at various conferences indicate that such a handbook's potential audience is much wider. The first version was written and compiled over the four-year period 1990-1994 and was later put online. The online version of the handbook can be found at http://www.psu.edu/dept/cew/writingcenter/handbook.htm.
The Undergraduate Writing Center continues to evolve, so the handbook was revised in 2001 to reflect both the growth of the Center itself and the new strategies and ideas that have been implemented. Still, this handbook is hardly the sum of all the wisdom in our program; it is merely a brief guidebook that describes our program of peer tutoring in writing. This information is not intended as a manual or textbook, nor is it original with Penn State. The handbook is a simple reminder, from current tutors to their successors, of the priorities the Penn State Undergraduate Writing Center has set for itself at University Park. As we use this handbook, tutors’ comments and tips will improve the product.
The following co-authors were instrumental in producing the
first version of the handbook: Nikki Gipson for her work on "Recruitment
and Training”; Tammy Hudson and Jamie Peck for "Tutor-Writer Responsibilities”;
Angela Kumorek for "Tutoring a Final Draft”; Dianne Ferry for
"Tutoring a Graded Paper”; Marnie Neyhart for compiling “Forms We Use”;
Kary Latham for “Resources in the Center”; Jill Shockey, Amy Cunningham, Shelby
McClintock, and Michelle Szpara for their early research and work on the
handbook.
Credit and gratitude for compiling and editing the research go to Brian MacDonald, who kept the original project alive and moving despite the ongoing transitions of the Writing Center. Dave Lambert compiled and edited the final drafts and first made the handbook a unified product. Josh Conn provided further editing and supervised the first version’s completion, with much appreciated help and insight from Jill, Shelley, Kary, Marnie, and Ron. Lisa Kaminsky completed the page layout and technical design, and they prepared the original version for publication. Many thanks to Lisa Guiser for typing the original version and to former Writing Center director Ron Maxwell for his continued friendship and mentoring.
Credit for initiating the handbook revision goes to Center for Excellence in Writing director Jon Olson. Kevin Hulburt did the initial editing and provided suggestions for revision. Maggie Herb and Kate Pilhuj took over the revision process and were responsible for editing, updating and rewriting sections of the handbook, as well as preparing its online version. Jon did some final editing. Thanks to Kate for writing “Other Tutoring Possibilities” and “Closing a Tutorial” and to Maggie for writing “Tutoring During the Planning Stage.” Bottomless gratitude goes to Undergraduate Writing Center assistant director Julie Story for her wisdom and patience throughout the revision process. Finally, many thanks once again to Lisa for seeing the revision through the final stages of formatting and production.
Who We Are: Recruitment and Initial Training
Potential tutors must complete a three-credit training course
called English 250: Peer Tutoring in Writing, taught by our current directors.
We qualify for admission to the class by
· securing a
recommendation from an English professor (usually from a first- or second-level
composition course)
· completing an
interview with the directors, and
· showing enthusiasm about being a tutor.
In English 250, students write about their own learning experiences, then exchange those papers with one another for in-depth peer reviews. These reviews are the first introduction to collaborative learning and one-to-one tutoring. They are also a great way for us to get to know one another, as each class merges into the Undergraduate Writing Center staff. Students are introduced to tutoring when they observe a veteran tutor at work and take notes on what they observe during the session.
In addition to in-class practice, collaboration with classmates on assigned writing, and peer observation, tutors-in-training must complete a ten-hour practicum. For one hour each week, a potential tutor works a shift with veteran tutors. Toward the end of the semester, as they get more experience and confidence in the art of peer tutoring, potential tutors who have completed these practicum sessions are observed by the professor who will then discuss the potential tutor's progress with him or her.
The active peer tutors, meanwhile, are invited and encouraged to visit the 250 class from time to time to present portions of their work and to answer questions. Tutors also make themselves available to peer-tutors-in-training through a phone list of all the staff and 250 class members. In addition, each peer-tutor-in-training is added to a listserv for English 250 and another one for the Undergraduate Writing Center in general. Here, questions can be posed and answered by staff and trainees.
What We Do: Our Advertised Tutoring Method
Collaborative learning and tutoring methods are the keys to the class and practicum. Penn State's tutors work primarily on a one-to-one basis. We call our visitors "writers," and we encourage them to set the agenda for each session. We like to ask writers to read their work aloud or share their ideas first, before we offer our own observations. Then we work to make positive comments and extol a writer's strengths before diving into discussing the concerns of the writer. Our emphasis is on collaboration. Rather than answering questions as omniscient experts, tutors work with the writer to address concerns. Tutors do this by drawing the writer into an active role in the session by asking questions and offering examples. These habits are not always easy to learn, but they develop with practice. English 250 students rehearse these methods in the classroom and in the Undergraduate Writing Center until they become second nature.
Tutor-Writer Responsibilities
When writers come to drop-in hours, they almost always have a
reason for being there. They have questions about their work or about ways to
approach the writing process, they want to be able to set their own agenda for
writing help, or they just want an audience for their work. However, writers
sometimes come because a teacher said they "had to," or because they
want us to magically fix their papers. In any case, we hope our guidance will
get even the most reluctant writers to take an active role in the tutoring
session. It's our responsibility to see that the half hour isn't wasted.
Ideally, writers come prepared for the session, coming with at least
· Questions
· A current draft, outline, notes, etc.
If
relevant to their writing task, writers will also bring
· A copy of the assignment sheet
· A verbal summary of reading material for the assignment
· Their teacher's comments or past graded work
Again,
if the writer is not "prepared," we can still help, whether it be
clarifying goals, finding out what the writer wants, or helping to brainstorm
thesis topics.
The Tutor's Responsibilities to the Writer
Our primary responsibility is not to merely improve a writer's grade (though that's nice, too!) but to leave each writer with something that will remain useful long after the end of the tutoring session. The more successful we are in this attempt, the less we will have to worry about problems such as plagiarism and a writer's dependency on us. We try to help writers
· Enjoy the writing process
· Appreciate the usefulness and art of writing
· Learn processes, such
as
-brainstorming and prewriting to generate ideas for a paper
and details
-developing and organizing ideas
-writing drafts
-developing methods and ideas for revision
-editing and proofreading
· Realize that immediate attention to certain areas will improve their writing
· Address questions that
can’t be answered in large classes
· Complement class
discussion
· See how they can answer specific questions for themselves
· Gain confidence that, with work, they can improve their writing
· Help the student to
feel part of a writing community
· Participate fully in
the revision process
· Feel comfortable
within a writing community
To achieve these goals with the writer, certain tutor
characteristics are also necessary:
· Friendliness
· Attentiveness and good listening skills
· Patience
· Appreciation of the writer's efforts and achievements
· Acceptance of new ideas and perspectives
· Ability to tactfully express their own views
By these means we build positive tutor-writer relationships.
It's easy to forget to praise a writer's strong points in our rush to get the
job done. We must also remember at all times that the writer is ultimately the
one responsible for the work, and we want to help that writer to the best of
our ability. The following sections in this handbook will examine further why
these goals and characteristics are important and provide tips on how to tutor
effectively while maintaining a collaborative, rather than authoritarian,
relationship with the writer.
Starting a Tutorial
At the outset of a tutorial, it is important to establish that feeling of collaboration right away by instigating a peer relationship. We want the writer to feel that we are also students, constantly learning and willing to share our ideas and perspectives with the writer. Many students who come to the Writing Center do not have this view of tutors; they may see us as expert editors. Whatever the writer's attitudes, we use these guidelines to help get tutorials off to a good start.
1. Smile, make eye contact, and speak clearly. We shouldn't mumble or talk while chewing on a pen. We want to make the writer feel welcome and at home, and to maintain that feeling throughout the tutorial.
2. Take time to get acquainted. We always exchange first names or nicknames. Talking about teachers and courses in common, or about any extra-curricular activities of common interest, can be a good way for us to "break the ice." We want writers to know that we're PEER tutors.
3. Explain the role of the tutor while getting to know the writer. It's important that we let the writer know the difference between a peer tutor and a teacher: tutors don't judge or give out grades. This allows "peership" to overcome possible feelings of inferiority on the part of the writer. It also makes it easier for us tutors to admit we don't know all the answers, but we consult other resources when we need a little help.
4.
The next step is to review the
task at hand. Here is where we ask about the assignment and find out what
stage in the writing process the writer has reached. This is an important
matter because some teachers have very strict guidelines and agendas they
expect the writer to follow. When uncertainties arise, it's sometimes a good
idea to direct the writer back to the teacher for a fuller description of the
assignment. As we mention areas that we can work on, such as audience or
purpose, we can give a definition of those concepts to help writers identify
areas they want to work on.
5. Once we know what's expected and what the writer has accomplished so far, we let the writer set the agenda for the tutoring session. He or she may want to review some aspect of what's already written. On the other hand, he or she may be looking for a way to begin or end the paper. To help the writer set goals for the session, we may ask the following questions:
· “What questions do you have about the assignment so far?”
·
“Which part would you like to work on today?”
·
“Are there any specific problems you’d like to address?”
Starting a tutorial can be scary. We have to meet a new student, a complete stranger, and we have no idea what he or she will expect of us. It's important to remember that these are students, just like us. All they want are answers and an attentive listener, things which we can provide, thanks to our training in English 250 and our own experiences as writers and tutors.
Tutoring
During the Planning Stage
Although many writers arrive with a rough draft, others come in during earlier stages of the writing process. A writer may have collected the research but is unsure of how to organize it, or the writer may have trouble coming up with a thesis or even a topic. Whatever the situation, we can help these writers develop their own ideas and move forward to the next stage in the writing process.
As in any session, it is important to ask questions. This can be highly effective when working with a writer looking for a topic or direction for the paper. To help the writer narrow a broad subject, we might ask questions like “What interests you most about this topic?” or “What kind of research has been done in this area?” Such questions help writers determine the best topic according to their interests and the assignment.
For writers who have a topic, but are having trouble arranging their ideas and examples, we can suggest or demonstrate methods of development. Every writer is different, so we may suggest they try several approaches and think about which is most helpful.
Listing: Writers can first jot down all possible ideas or examples that come to mind. Then the writer may read through the list and eliminate some concepts and group the others in appropriate categories.
Clustering: Writers can make a diagram of their ideas by writing down main ideas and then connecting them to supporting points by drawing lines or “branches.” This strategy is particularly helpful for visual learners; seeing a “picture” of the paper can help writers to see relationships between ideas, which may make it easier to organize a paper.
Freewriting:
While this strategy doesn’t work for everyone, some writers find it helpful to
simply let ideas flow onto paper, particularly when they feel overwhelmed by
the task at hand. After freewriting for a short time, focusing only on the
topic, not punctuation or proper structure, writers can look through what they
wrote for important concepts and key words and phrases to use in the paper.
It is important that as we suggest and demonstrate strategies, our own ideas take a backseat to those of the writers. We don’t want to come up with ideas for them; we want to help writers develop their own topic and direction based on the assignment and their individual interests and ideas.
Tutoring a Rough Draft
Most writers come in to work on a rough draft, most likely a paper with an introduction and body paragraphs. We like to give writers the option of reading their work to us, rather than asking them to sit while we read on our own. This is by no means the only way to approach the task at hand, but it gets the writer involved, and it gives us two pairs of eyes and two pairs of ears reviewing the paper together. This method alone often allows the writer to catch errant grammar, punctuation, or usage.
It seems best to read the paper—or designated section—clear through without stopping before we discuss it. This allows us to get a sense of the whole in order to see patterns and prioritize concerns. However, we agree upon a method for stopping the reading if needed to discuss certain points, such as pointing at concerns with a pen or pencil or pausing after every paragraph.
As the writer reads, we encourage the writer and compliment any strengths. Positive feedback is important in developing an enjoyment of writing. We always want to let the writer know that he or she is writing on an engaging topic, or, for example, has excellent transitions and solid organization.
We try to listen to and discuss the paper as a whole before working with individual parts of the paper. Talking about what the whole paper says reaffirms that writing can be a valuable and effective form of communication. We start by giving detailed impressions and reactions, so that the writer can hear what listeners or readers may understand from what he or she has written. Discussing papers as a whole is helpful for longer papers, or ones we do not have time to read through entirely with the writer.
After addressing the writer's main concerns, or once the writer has asked for an opinion on what to work on next, it's time to prioritize areas that would benefit from attention. An effective and logical guideline is one that proceeds from the "global" to the particular. There's no point in revising sentence structure if the organization needs work and sentences may wind up being dropped anyway. For global concerns, we can examine whether the paper fits the criteria for the assignment or is written effectively to the intended audience. We can also discuss how well the content of the paper is developed and if the ideas exhibit unity. We might also look at how those ideas are organized and presented and what type of tone or style the paper uses. After those concerns have been addressed, the mechanics of the paper, such as punctuation and grammar, can be looked at.
When we encounter problems, we try to determine the reason the writer has trouble with a certain area. For example, maybe the thesis statement is missing because the writer thinks of it as a stupid part of some teacher's mechanical formula for writing a paper. We might then explain that a good thesis statement will tell the reader what the paper will be about, and will help the reader develop an interest in reading the paper to see how the thesis is supported. In addition, having a clear thesis statement makes writing a well-organized paper much easier. Suggestions like these make sense and are easier to remember than abstract rules; clear, logical, one-to-one discussion of the cause of an individual's troubles is one of the main benefits a writer can receive from peer tutoring.
As for methodology, here is a central tenet of peer tutoring: "Always ask." Asking questions ensures that the writer is thinking along with us and increases the probability that he or she will remember what we have discussed. Once writers get used to answering questions, they will also start to ask the questions themselves, so the questioning technique helps avoid the problem of writers becoming over-dependent on tutors.
Along similar lines, we try to model finding answers to questions. As we go through reference books together to look up formats for bibliographies, comma rules, or alternative meanings of a word, the writer realizes that he or she could probably do the same thing at home the next time a similar question arises.
It's important to note at this point that our goal is not to assign or anticipate grades. Our tutorials are based on the writing process as a whole. While some self-evaluation from a writer may prove to be beneficial in helping to determine the strengths and weaknesses of a particular piece, tutors should not allow themselves to be tempted into predicting what grade a paper will receive. Let instructors worry about grades.
Tutoring
a Final Draft
Sometimes we tutor writers and their papers at later stages of development. Perhaps the most challenging, owing to an approaching deadline, is the final stage. We must remember, though, that even if a writer brings us an assignment due the next day and tells us it's the "final draft," we do not always have to treat it as such.
In these instances, as in any tutoring session, by allowing the writer to set the agenda, we are able to determine just how detailed or general our advice needs to be. When a writer has at least one evening before the paper is due, tutors are allowed some flexibility in the amount and type of advice they can give. However, if a writer says, "My paper is due this afternoon," we can safely assume we'll be working with what we will call a "final draft."
We begin the tutoring session involving a final draft as we would any other: by establishing a peer relationship, by reviewing the assignment, by identifying the writer's audience, by asking the writer to read the paper aloud, and by asking what the writer would like to accomplish in the session. Most writers will probably ask us to discuss their spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Because these areas are more specific than analyzing the content and overall organization of the paper, we ought to be able to handle these requests efficiently at the end of a final-draft tutoring session.
If, however, we feel unable to sufficiently fulfill the writer's needs because of time restrictions, both tutor and writer would benefit from the simple explanation that the deadline doesn't allow for such a thorough session. It is important, however, that we at least mention any areas where we might have made suggestions had there been more time. Feedback from the writer will then direct us whether to explain a suggestion more thoroughly or continue with something else.
When we have determined we're working with a final draft—especially one due in an hour—we may then take the opportunity to introduce or review proofreading skills. Most last-minute writers do not understand the importance of proofreading, and when they do proofread, they tend to read too quickly and unsystematically. We try to explain that proofreading is crucial because it is the writer's opportunity to find small errors that might interfere with the reader's understanding or impression of the writing.
Here are some helpful proofreading tools we like to share with writers:
1. Read slowly. Don't read for understanding. At this point you will not be changing the ideas you are trying to express. You are simply trying to find small errors. If you read too fast and get wrapped up in your ideas, you will probably overlook some mistakes. In order to slow yourself down, try using a blank piece of paper to cover up everything except the line you are reading.
2. Try reading your paper aloud. Sometimes you will hear errors you may not see. This is a method peer tutors use, and it works just as well for writers in private. Readers typically read aloud at a rate at least 50% slower then when reading silently.
3. Read for one type of error at a time. Keep a list of your usual errors, and proofread for each of these separately: for example, subject/verb agreement, sexist pronoun usage, forgotten commas, run-on sentences, etc.
4. Try reading each line backwards when you are proofreading for spelling or typographical errors. This way you cannot become distracted by what the paper is saying.
5. Break up your work into short periods of time when you proofread at home. Proofread for a while; then do something else. It is difficult to proofread efficiently over long periods because, after a while, you will lose your ability to concentrate.
When tutoring the final draft, we remind ourselves to follow the tutoring guidelines we would follow with any draft:
· Praise the writer's strengths.
· Ask what the writer finds difficult in any aspect of the writing process.
· Use questioning to help identify any other problem areas.
· Encourage the writer to make a written list of his or her common problems.
· Ask the writer to identify examples of each of these areas in the paper.
· Have the writer proofread a sentence or a paragraph with you for practice.
Finally, we may reassure the writer that a few last-minute, hand-written corrections can be made on the final draft as long as they are neat and legible. This is better than leaving an error. We might also mention that the writer may want to consider returning with a subsequent paper at an earlier stage and that such a session might produce more beneficial in-depth results. And remember: we can never guarantee a writer will leave with a perfect paper, and tutoring a final draft is certainly no exception.
Working
with Graded Papers
Why would anyone want to talk about a paper that has already been graded? It's over, finished. The grade has been recorded, and there's no reason to bother with revisions, right? Wrong. Many writers revise their "completed" work, for a variety of reasons.
Perhaps the paper was submitted to a kind-hearted instructor who is willing to let students make improvements; the writer may be using the instructor's ideas on an earlier paper to write a new paper. A graded paper may even be used by writers who are trying to learn from their mistakes. Whatever the reason, we should follow the writer's lead and let the tutorial flow from there. That is, if the writer only wants to change the problems the instructor mentioned, then we make that our focus. Likewise, if a non-native speaker of English wants to discuss a recurring problem with prepositions, we'll use the paper and the Center's resources to tackle that particular difficulty. Devising a strategic plan for a tutorial can be much easier when using a graded paper since the writer will have particular questions already in mind.
Here are a few of the ways we organize tutorials when discussing graded papers:
· Read and discuss the paper before looking at the instructor's comments. This approach is important because reading someone else's comments may cloud our own judgment. We treat this as we would any other one-to-one peer tutorial; we don't want the teacher to join in. Instructors don't always point out the merits of the essay. The writer may feel the paper is horrible, particularly if the instructor's comments were especially stinging. So, as always, we must be open and honest while remaining tactful and sensitive to the writer's feelings.
· Discuss the instructor's comments next. This is the part on which writers usually want to concentrate. Again, we let them set the agenda. Some writers may only want to talk about certain comments while ignoring the rest.
Some teachers’ comments can seem vague to the writer. Often teachers will simply write questions, and the writer will bring the paper to a tutor in hopes of being told the answer. Frankly, we don't always know those answers, and it's not our job to just hand out absolute answers. Sometimes, the best we can offer is an interpretation of those questions and a few hypothetical answers for the writer to chew on.
Also, we try to keep a sharp eye out for comments about recurring problems. Does the instructor point out constant errors in mechanics? This could lead into a targeted tutorial on grammar, in which we don't just tell the writer where to put commas, but rather try to show how commas work so that he or she gets it right from then on.
· Look for underlying problems that the instructor may not have addressed. Sometimes one major problem may be the reason behind a lot of little problems. Does the paper lack a clear thesis? Do the writer's thoughts flow in a logical manner? We must try not to be blinded by the instructor's comments. Instead, we can use them as a tool for finding and discussing these larger problems.
A final note: some tutors believe working with graded papers is professionally constricting, or even ethically wrong. The tutor may fear that the writer's feelings are being ignored, or else that the writer expects the tutor to deliver a much higher grade. There are no clear-cut solutions to these concerns. The answers are as individual as tutors themselves, and we should consider them on our own. It's important for us to always bear in mind that our first obligation is to the writer, and that working with graded papers is an important and necessary part of our work.
Tutoring
an Unfamiliar Subject
We see quite a few assignments—the rhetorical analysis, the proposal, the narrative—with some regularity. After a while we begin to feel we can tutor these freshman-composition drafts in our sleep, which may lead us to the mistaken belief that we can handle all forms of writing easily and successfully. However, with the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program at Penn State, which requires all students to take a writing-intensive course within their respective majors, we can expect to be working with more papers on subjects with which we are simply not familiar. Even a "standard" paper for a basic composition course can present trouble if we don't understand what the writer is talking about. Still, this situation is not unworkable; on the contrary, many of us look forward to the challenge, and in case of doubt, we have many tactics at our disposal.
The standard rules of writing apply to all subjects. If all the writer wants is help with grammar, a tutor doesn't need a complete understanding of the subject matter in order to help. Often we can even work with the writer's structure and organization without a working knowledge of the subject. Even if the essay is about quantum physics, a paper without a thesis statement will not be effective.
Immediately explain your situation to the writer. This frankness about being unfamiliar with the subject can help the peer relationship, and the writer will generally be more understanding if and when the tutor becomes confused. If the writer insists on having a tutor who knows the subject well, someone else on the staff might be a better match for that writer.
Read the assignment sheet. Sometimes the instructor will require a different format or style than the standard one, especially in science or business courses. If nothing else, the assignment sheet provides an idea of the instructor's expectations. For example, if the assignment calls for a formal rhetorical analysis, and the writer is using an informal narrative form, then the tutor would want to address that.
Use available prior knowledge. Prior knowledge has two facets:
1. Prior knowledge within the subject. Bill, an English major, comes into the Writing Center with a paper on Italo Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler. The tutor may not have read that particular text, but may have read Calvino's Invisible Cities, and so is familiar with Calvino's style. Alternately, the tutor might be familiar with other postmodern writers, and might be able to apply the ideas of other writers to help Bill with his paper.
2. Prior knowledge in similar subjects. Sharon, a journalism major, approaches a tutor with a paper proposing a payment system for NCAA football players. The tutor might not care about football, but might be a big fan of NCAA basketball. The tutor might be able to draw analogies between the two systems and check the validity of the analogies with Sharon.
Use the writer as a resource. Most of the time, the writer knows a good bit about the topic of the paper and is only too happy to explain it to someone else. In this case, our ignorance is beneficial: it can lead the writer to a clearer understanding of where problems might be occurring. For example, if Arvin the tutor is working with Sukhi's paper on xenopsychology, he can use her knowledge of the topic to help them both out:
Arvin: You use the term "xeno-biological-sociological factors" here. What does that mean?
Sukhi: Oh, well, that's the effect that an alien's different physical makeup and raising habits will have on its behavior, of course.
Arvin: I see. Do you feel you might need to define this term for your readers?
Sukhi: Well, maybe. It's kind of a new term; not everyone's using it yet. Maybe I could just put in another sentence and define it better.
Arvin: A good idea. Why don't you write down what you just told me it was?
Even
if asking the writer doesn't help the tutor's own understanding of the subject,
it might make the writer consider the issue in terms of the audience:
Arvin: You used the term "xenoparallelism" here.
I'm not quite sure what that means.
Sukhi: Well, it's a little complex. It might take a while to
explain.
Arvin: Well, do you think your audience would understand the
term?
Sukhi: Oh, sure, anyone in the field knows that.
Arvin: Are you writing just for people in your field?
Sukhi: Oh, yes; this is an abstract of an article in a
professional journal. Only people in my field would be reading this.
Arvin: All right then, shall we move on . . . ?
This
method can even work if the writer is looking to improve the arguments in a
paper. For example, take Andrew's paper on feminism in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, as discussed with
Maria the tutor:
Maria: Well, you've got a strong paper here, with lots of
evidence proving Hester Prynne is a feminist prototype, but let me ask you
something: if you wanted to reject this argument, how would you do it? I
haven't read the book myself, so I don't really know.
Andrew:
Oh, that's simple. I'd probably talk about the way the male characters dominate
Hester and control her life. That's not very feminist, the way she lets them do
that.
Maria: Well, what might be a good way to respond to that?
Andrew: Hmmmm. I could point out that considering the time period Hester was living in, and even the period Hawthorne was writing in, she was pretty strong- willed. I mean, no one would reasonably expect a Puritan woman to stand up to a male authority figure, if they think about it. It just wasn't done.
Maria: But that's not an obvious counter-argument?
Andrew: No, not really obvious, not to everybody.
Maria: Then why don't you consider adding a paragraph in
which you can make that argument clear?
Even the most capable tutors will eventually run into a topic they simply have never encountered before. However, with a few well-placed questions and a little work on the part of both tutor and writer, the knowledge barrier can usually be bridged, and the peer relationship strengthened.
Closing
a Tutorial
When we
reach the end of our time or the writer can think of no more questions, we
bring the session to a close. The tutor should mention at the beginning of the
session our policy on time limits. We usually tutor for at most a half hour if
the Center is busy, but we will tutor for up to one hour if no one is waiting.
We explain that anything longer than that can be overwhelming and tiring for
both writer and tutor. When the time limit draws near, we find a good point to
tell the student that the session should be wrapped up. We make sure the writer
really has no more questions about the paper or concerns about what was
discussed in the session by asking questions such as these:
· “Did we cover everything you’re concerned about?”
· “Is there anything else you’d like to look at before we finish?”
· “Do you have any questions on what we went over?”
· “Do you want to make a plan for your revision?”
Such questions help the tutor check that the writer has had all pressing concerns addressed and that the student understood the information covered in the session. We also recommend that the tutor go over what was covered in the session with the writer and help him or her come up with a plan for writing or revision. Once all that is done, we end on the same note with which we began: the peer relationship. We thank the writer for coming in, or we wish him or her luck on the paper.
To
Sum Up
We see all sorts of papers during a typical day at the Undergraduate Writing Center. We have a choice when it comes to dealing with the work: we can cringe and curse and grumble under our breath, or we can look forward to these fresh works of art and literature, and to the wealth of new information and entertainment they will bring into our lives.
Our primary job as a peer tutor is to tutor. However, peer tutors have several other important responsibilities to the rest of the staff.
Staff
Regulations
First, some basic rules and regulations: If we sign up for a shift, we're expected to show up. Given our varying schedules, the Center is flexible in the number of shifts we can work. We work somewhere between one and five shifts (two to ten hours) each week. We are expected to be professional, responsibly arriving on time and staying for the duration of the shift. Shifts typically last two hours, but we sometimes stay an extra half-hour if people are still waiting when the shift is over. This will happen from time to time, but we are paid for all the extra hours we tutor.
If, due to some crisis of epic proportions, we can't make it to a shift, we're asked to please find a substitute! Lists of the tutoring staff, email addresses, and phone numbers are available, so it isn't too difficult. The easiest and most common way to request a sub is to place a notice on the listserv. It's our responsibility to cover our shifts. If things get really desperate, we may call the Center and ask the receptionist to help us find a sub. However, we must give at least 24 hours notice when we do this and inform the directors. Again, missing shifts will lead to a re-evaluation of our performance by the directors.
Staff
Meetings
We strongly encourage tutors-in-training to attend staff meetings to become familiar with another important part of being a writing tutor at Penn State.
After becoming a staff member, each tutor is required to attend a weekly hour-long staff meeting, for which we are paid. Staff meetings are extensions of tutor training in which tutors discuss relevant new issues, as well as review and re-evaluate older tutoring practices. Peer tutor co-coordinators work with the directors to create a staff meeting agenda for the year. The co-coordinators try to keep each staff meeting fresh by introducing and explaining these tutoring issues and concepts through workshops, role-playing, and guest speakers. We also sometimes take time to remind ourselves why we love writing by sharing our own work or listening to guest speakers share theirs at meetings. Staff meetings provide a time for us to share our experiences and anecdotes from various tutorials, to exchange advice, and to help us form a cohesive unit.
The meetings are organized and run by our tutor co-coordinators, with the directors providing occasional guiding comments or questions. We use a round-table format, and everybody's ideas are useful. This is our only time to get everyone together to discuss questions, air concerns or complaints, and plan all the other fun activities we do aside from tutoring. Not only are we encouraged to participate actively, but we are expected to show up on time. We do keep track of who shows up and who doesn't. Each tutor is allowed excused absences, because we do understand that other commitments such as classes and other jobs are unavoidable. "Excused" means that the absent tutor cleared it with the directors or one of the tutor co-coordinators beforehand, usually over the listserv. Excessive absence can lead to loss of scheduling priority or possibly a re-evaluation of the tutor's usefulness to the Center.
Observations
Another type of tutor training that occurs during each semester comes in the form of peer observations. This is not a time to critique colleagues; rather, each tutor watches a fellow tutor conduct a drop-in tutorial and descriptively records exactly what happened—the progression of the tutorial, the topics covered, the strategies utilized, etc.
The purpose of the observations is to learn what tutoring strategies work for others, to share what strategies work for ourselves, and to discuss those ideas in staff meetings. During some semesters, tutors observe one another both at the beginning and end of the semester, with the hope of using any tips they received throughout the semester and sharing them with others. Please find in Appendix C a sample of this form, "Guidelines for Peer Observation," which each tutor receives before observations begin.
Other
Tutoring Possibilities
The peer tutors at the Undergraduate Writing Center can also find work through other campus programs. The Morgan Academic Support Center for Student Athletes, the Comprehensive Studies Program, and the College Assistance Migrant Program sometimes need tutors to help the students in their programs with writing. These programs not only provide tutors with additional work opportunities but also a wider range of writers to enhance a tutor’s experience.
Tutors can also act as a writing consultant for a particular course. They become familiar with the professor and the writing assignments of the class. Such consultation gives tutors the opportunity to work with the same writers on a long-term basis as they move from one assignment to the next. These tutors are usually paid wages by the home department of the course or program to which the tutors are attached.
Each of these tutoring possibilities beyond the Undergraduate Writing Center walls can give the tutor broader experience with students, faculty, courses, and programs that form the extended writing community at Penn State.
Class
Visits
Advertising our services can be difficult for a place as diverse and active as a writing center; we also run into the problem of being a relatively small group within a large university. Therefore, we take it upon ourselves to visit writing classes to spread the word in a personal way. We mainly visit freshman composition courses, but any and all classes involving writing are invited to sign up to receive a visit.
A tutor will arrive before class and meet the instructor (ideally the two have communicated by phone or e-mail beforehand). We like to know what assignments each class is working on, so we can tailor our presentation specifically to meet the writers' needs.
The presentation itself is brief; it takes about five minutes at the beginning of a class. First we introduce ourselves and the people in the Center to let the writers know that we're peers—students just like themselves with a wide variety of interests and majors. Then we talk about tutoring and the fact that we can work with all sorts of papers, at any stage in the writing process. Here it is helpful to mention their own current assignment and encourage them to come talk about it at the Center.
Finally, we review times and locations and answer any questions or misconceptions the class might have. In the past, our talk centered on dispelling any myths that may exist about the Center, but we decided that this was a bit too negative. Now we just let the writers know that they're always welcome, and we're willing to lend a hand. It's good advertising with effective results. Plus for every three we complete, we get paid for one hour of work. A copy of our class visit outline appears in Appendix C.
Workshops
Penn State's Writing Across the Curriculum Program has greatly increased the need for our services, and has challenged us to come up with new ways of meeting those needs. One solution is the extended class visit.
During extended class visits, several tutors might go to a writing-intensive class and spend the entire period assisting students with their writing. This can be a straight question-and-answer session; it can take the form of a workshop, in which the tutors lead the class in an interactive activity; or it can be small workshops, in which the tutors join small groups of writers to help them discuss one another's work. The workshops are tailored to the course’s writing assignments and can deal with various aspects of writing, such as peer reviewing, sentence skills, and documentation. Often instructors will remain quiet but available to answer questions during our visits, but sometimes they leave the class in our (capable) hands.
Visits to English 250, the tutor-training course, are sometimes also question-and-answer sessions, but here we discuss the Undergraduate Writing Center itself with future staff members. These visits are a great way to meet our new co-workers and to provide them with information that the professor may have missed. Recently, peer tutors have been planning and executing entire sessions of the class, presenting workshops, dress rehearsals of talks in preparation for conferences, or even sharing the ideas and information we've brought back from other schools and writing centers.
Extra
Activities
Becoming a peer tutor is more than just a job. We consider ourselves part of a truly diverse and energetic staff. We're encouraged to interact with our fellow staff members as much as possible, both in and out of the Writing Center.
Here are some examples of the activities we're
involved in outside of our home base in 219 Boucke Building:
Tutoring Conferences with Other Schools
Conferences allow us to meet other tutors while strengthening our own "team spirit." The annual National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing occurs in the fall. In the spring, we attend the Mid-Atlantic Writing Centers Association Conference, as well as the biennial Pennsylvania Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing. Before each conference, we work closely in small groups to see the entire process through: choosing a topic, writing a proposal, writing drafts and scripts, creating visual aids, planning and rehearsing, and revising our presentations.
Collaboration is the driving force behind our conference work. The group that winds up presenting is almost never the same group that wrote the original proposal. We rely on one another’s input and strengths. The entire Undergraduate Writing Center is committed to a complete set of presentations, even if only a handful of tutors actually attend. The directors review our work and give the final O.K., but their main role through the process is to act as mentors, audience, and coaches rather than as chief spokespeople.
Of course, once we reach the conference with our own presentations, we take great pleasure in attending the presentations of other writing centers, listening to what they have to say, and gaining new insights into the wide world of the peer tutor in writing. We return home and discuss these new ideas for weeks after the conference in the never-ending quest to improve Penn State's Undergraduate Writing Center.
Open Houses
Peer tutors can also sign up to host an Undergraduate Writing Center open house in Boucke or one of the satellites. We use these open houses at the beginning of a semester to allow students the opportunity to learn about our tutoring services without having a paper to work on hanging over their heads. We provide a casual atmosphere indicative of the Undergraduate Writing Center where we can talk with students and explain what it is we do when we tutor.
Student Fairs
Several times during the year, peer tutors are invited by student organizations to demonstrate our services and provide educational information to help students with their current and future educational and career-oriented goals, such as how to successfully write a resume and cover letter.
Internships
Tutors can earn credit by participating in an
internship through the Undergraduate Writing Center. Tutors can work on the
staff of The Dangling Modifier, a
newsletter by and for peer tutors nation-wide that is produced in association
with the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing. Through this
internship, tutors can get an introduction to many facets of publishing,
including layout, editing, public relations, writing, and general management,
while at the same time corresponding with peer tutors across the country and
learning the various tutoring styles they employ. For more information about The Dangling Modifier, visit http://www.ulc.psu.edu/Dangling_Modifier/index.htm
Other internship opportunities include conference internships. Students in this position would help plan events, design programs, view proposals, and in general help with the structuring and staging of the conference. Tutors can also work on various research or resource projects for the Undergraduate Writing Center. With these opportunities available, the tutor's academic and practical experiences at the Center do not have to end with tutoring.
The Writing Circle
This group is a small writing workshop run by peer tutors who volunteer their time to facilitate meetings where any student may come in and share their fiction, poetry, or any other kind of individual writing. The Writing Circle is one of the ways we can remind ourselves of the fun and sometimes personally introspective forms of writing.
Mid-State Literacy Council Spelling
Bee
Recently, peer tutors have gotten involved in the yearly campaign against illiteracy and managed to have fun as well. Tutors can volunteer to be on a team to test their spelling skills in the competition and raise money that serves the adult literacy needs of Central Pennsylvania by providing one-to-one instruction.
Other Possibilities
The Undergraduate Writing Center has also been involved in other campus-wide activities. For Homecoming weekend, peer tutors sometimes participate by advertising our services in the Homecoming Parade. During the Penn State Dance Marathon, the Center sometimes sponsors a pair of dancers for the 48-hour affair to raise money for young cancer patients and cancer research.
These are some of the ways peer tutors in the Undergraduate Writing Center participate in university-wide activities, thereby making their faces and their jobs known at such a large school and having fun at the same time.
The following is a brief overview of the in-house resources available to tutors working in the Undergraduate Writing Center and, in some cases, to patrons of the Center.
Reference Books
Dictionaries
We keep at least two volumes on hand. They're useful for spelling and for
clarifying meaning, especially when the tutor isn't sure of the right answer.
Journals and
Newsletters
We have collections of a few composition journals, such as The Writing Center Journal, The
Writing Lab Newsletter, College
Composition and Communication, as well as College English and several other periodicals dealing with writing.
These keep us up-to-date on the latest research in peer tutoring and the
writing center environment.
Style
Manuals
We have several of the well-known style manuals: The Chicago Manual of Style, The
Modern Language Association Style Manual, and Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
Textbooks
We maintain a small library of rhetorics and readers used in composition
courses at the University, as well as general texts and handbooks on basic
writing, grammar, research, business writing, and technical writing.
Thesaurus
This invaluable resource helps especially when writers ask "Do I use the
same word too often?"
Workbooks
There are a few of these exercise-geared volumes on our shelves. Also, many
of the textbooks follow their lessons with exercises. We like to lend these out
to writers who are interested in self-help, and, if need be, we can go through
the exercises together during a session to cover a tricky point.
Handouts and Guidelines
Exercise
Files
Over the years, the Undergraduate Writing Center has accumulated handouts
and worksheets on many elements of grammar, mechanics and style—everything from
appositives to wordiness. Writers can go over these handouts with tutors during
the session, or take the handouts home for extra practice.
Help Files
These files, created by peer tutors, contain information on common writing
assignments, such as rhetorical analyses and essay exams. We also have
summaries of conferences; staff development topics; English 250 class projects,
an “open letter” from one class relaying some of its wisdom to the next class;
and our ESL Handbook, the product of a Penn State writing tutor's research,
which is a help for tutors seeking suggestions for working with non-native writers
in English.
Tutors
The tutors themselves are the Center's greatest resource. They can be helpful in facilitating the use of many other resources, but more importantly, they bring to each tutoring session and staff meeting the unique perspective of their own cumulative experiences in writing.
Listserv
Our local listserv is used by tutors, directors and
tutors-in-training to share stories, ask questions, give suggestions, and make
sub requests and announcements. This is a particularly helpful resource for the
tutors-in-training, who can ask questions of veteran tutors or share their own
tutoring experiences. Most importantly, the exchange of ideas on the listserv
is another way to promote a community in which tutors feel comfortable asking
questions and having discussions.
Appendix B: Descriptions of Forms We Use
From years of practice, we've found that paperwork is the extra chore that keeps the Undergraduate Writing Center organized and running smoothly. It also serves as proof of our tutoring sessions. Perhaps most importantly, the tracking and filing of forms serves as documentation for the University of what we do and how well we do it.
As is evident in the examples included in this handbook, we do use many forms—some more frequently than others—from application forms to tutor evaluations.
Communication with
Clientele—Teachers and Writers
The Contact Report
Functions:
This is one of the most important forms we use, for
several reasons. When the contact
report is properly filled out, it serves as a useful account of a tutor's
session with a writer. In addition,
when writers request that the form be sent to an instructor, the report not
only acts as a form of communication between the tutor and the instructor, but
also becomes one of our best forms of publicity. Instructors often notice improvement in writers who visit the
Center and remark that they will recommend our services to all of their
students.
Other important purposes of the report are record-keeping and monitoring of shifts. The contact reports serve as proof of service rendered. Maintaining these records consistently and accurately helps us to account for the wage money we receive from the University.
How to use:
The contact report is rather self-explanatory. When writers arrive, the receptionist gives them a contact report form and the writer fills out the upper identification portion before meeting with the tutor. However, it is important that the tutor and writer discuss the time, instructor, and class information together at the beginning of the session. Even if writers do not want the contact report sent to their instructors, we still would like the name of the instructor for documentation purposes.
In the class space, the course name and number can
be written, or else the specific kind of personal work (business letter,
resume, thesis, etc.). In cases where
writers would like the contact report sent to their instructor, the tutor
writes a brief description of the session on the bottom half of the report.
Tutors are careful to write a descriptive account of the session, rather than
an evaluative one. The purpose of these notes is to inform instructors that
their students visited the Center and tell them what was discussed during the
session, not to pass judgment on the writers or their work.
These forms are processed by a contact report coordinator, a veteran tutor who works to ensure all our paperwork is filled out properly and accurately. For more information on contact reports and details concerning the descriptive format of the letter portion, see the sample contact report (found in Appendix C).
The Exit Evaluation
Functions:
Like the contact report, the exit evaluation is used to help us find out more about our clientele and tutors. This form solicits information on the writer's assignment, the questions they had at the beginning of the tutorial and the ones they have at the end, and their thoughts on the quality of the tutorial.
These forms are completed anonymously and are then collected by the receptionist and later looked over by the contact report coordinator. If the coordinator notices a negative evaluation, he or she will bring it to the attention of the directors, who will then determine an appropriate course of action. As the forms accumulate, they are shown to the tutors in the hope that they will continue to improve their work by using the comments of writers they have helped. When the forms have been read and discussed (if the tutor chooses to remark on a particular comment he or she has received), tutors place them in their file, where they are kept for use as evaluative tools or as quotable materials when the directors write recommendations for current and former peer tutors. (Examples of these evaluations can also be found in Appendix C).
How to use:
The form is routinely used at our main location in Boucke, as well as at our satellite locations. The receptionists give the writers the form and collect them after the session. It is polite for tutors to step away when writers fill out evaluations; we want writers to feel comfortable giving their honest impressions.
The evaluation has two parts: half to be filled out before the session and half after. The first section asks for information such as class and major, as well as the writer’s goals for the session. The second set of questions is completed after the session and asks for more detailed comments about the tutor and the session itself. The limited number of questions and the fact that the form is printed on a small, friendly, yellow piece of paper, rather than a big, intimidating, white one, has increased the number of in-depth responses we receive.
Files on Peer Tutors
Peer Tutor Application & Peer
Tutor Profile Forms
The application form is used in the hiring process for new tutors, providing the director, assistant director, and coordinators with information on the prospective tutor's interests, abilities, and outside responsibilities. After submitting an application, new tutors attend an interview with the directors prior to the start of the semester. The hired tutors are then scheduled for shifts with respect to their availability as listed on their applications.
All returning tutors fill out the Peer Tutor Profile form prior to the start of the semester. The coordinators use this form to schedule returning tutors for shifts. Tutors who have been with the Undergraduate Writing Center longest and who remain in good standing have priority for scheduling. These tutors usually get their choice of times and locations.
Peer Tutor Co-Coordinator Application
This application is filled out by peer tutors wishing to serve as co-coordinators and is then given to the directors and current co-coordinators, who choose the future co-coordinators each semester. The application asks the candidates to reflect on what they would contribute to the Center as a co-coordinator. The applicants are also invited to share ideas for possible projects they would undertake, such as finding new ways to reach students, expanding the Center’s library, or developing new programs. Additionally, applicants must evaluate their schedules and determine how much time they are able to spend on the co-coordinator position.
Cover Page for Tutor's Exit
Evaluation
The directors of the Center consult the cover page when they write letters of recommendation. This completed form contains contact information, such as the tutor's home address and phone numbers; the central feature, however, is a list of ways in which the tutor has participated with the Center's work outside of scheduled shifts and meetings. Involvement in a special campus activity, attendance or presentation at a conference, and work as a treasurer or minutes-taker are a few examples of what could be included.
End-of-Semester Self Evaluation
This evaluation form provides the director and coordinators with the most concentrated, organized input from the staff. Staff members are asked to comment on a number of aspects related to the Center—from working environment and staff meetings to rewarding experiences and goals accomplished. Co-coordinators and the directors review returned evaluations in preparation for the next semester. When relevant, certain issues brought up in evaluations are discussed during staff meetings, sometimes in an effort to democratically resolve a recurrent problem such as noise level in the Center or to explore new aspects of tutoring in the form of staff development activities.
Appendix C:
Sample Forms We Use
Guidelines for Peer Observation*
Pair up with someone you will be comfortable working with, someone with whom you’ll enjoy exchanging insights.
Schedule time for each observation. Besides the observation itself, that schedule should also include
· 5 or 10 minutes of prep-time before each observation during which the tutor being observed can direct the observer's attention to matters of greatest interest on which he or she particularly wants comment.
· At least 15 minutes after the observation to reflect on what has been observed.
The tutor should secure the writer's permission to conduct the observation. Set writers at ease by telling them that it is the tutor, not the writer, who is being observed.
When the session starts, tutors should focus on the writer, not the observer. Although the presence of the observer might seem strange at first, tutors should try to conduct the session as they would any other.
When conducting an observation, try to be as unobtrusive as possible. Do not comment or ask questions during the session. Take careful, descriptive notes. Make sure to pay special attention to the areas about which the tutor had the most concern.
During the follow-up discussion, assume that the tutor who has been observed will lead the discussion. Observers should respond to what they have been asked to pay attention to, going beyond those matters only when requested to do so.
In your report, register what you have learned as both the observed and the observer, and be prepared to contribute to a staff meeting discussion of these experiences. This discussion is not a time for observers to criticize their colleagues, but it is rather a time for observers to identify what they have learned (or re-learned) and for the observed to describe how being observed affected them and their practice as tutors.
*Adapted from John Whithall and Fred Wood, "Taking the Threat Out of Classroom Observation and Feedback," Journal of Teacher Education 30.1 (1979): 55-58.
Outline for Class Visit
Sign up
· Sign your name beside the class visit you choose from the list.
· Take the instructor’s contact information.