Face-to-Face Tutoring

Making an Appointment Preparing for Tutoring
Into the Session

Welcome

Online Writing Lab (OWL)

English as a Second Language

The Writer's Library

Faculty
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

   Face to Face Tutoring
The Writing Center's tutors are ready to help you, one to one, with any writing assignment you bring to the Center. The face-to-face writing consultation gives you time to ask questions, request clarification, practice a new skill with instant, sympathetic feedback, and discuss any and all writing skills you want to polish or acquire. Each individual appointment lasts for forty-five minutes, during which you and the tutor work intensively on your assignment.

All tutors are practicing writers, who understand the problems of deadlines, the 'too many papers and too little time' syndrome and other hazards of the college writer's life. Tutors will not write or revise your paper for you. But they will help you to develop all the writing skills you need to complete your assignment and succeed as a college writer. These skills include:

Developing and clarifying ideas
Organizing and constructing arguments
Defining your audience
Writing a thesis statement
Creating transitions
Writing introductions and conclusions
Understanding and correcting grammar and punctuation
Revising and editing
Finding sources
Documenting sources
If you are undertaking a long or complex assignment, you may want to book a block of three sessions with the same tutor. The tutor knows your writing and your assignment, and thus delivers more detailed and informed feedback on your work. As you research new information and construct stronger arguments, you have time to draft, develop and revise your work for a familiar audience, your tutor.

Writing Center tutors hold drop-in sessions in the Dorms. You do not need an appointment, but you should bring as much information about the assignment as possible to the tutor.

Follow the links below to find out more about your Writing Center consultation.
How do I Book An Appointment?
When Should I Book an Appointment?


How Do I Book an Appointment?

The Writing Center is open from x to x, Monday - Friday. Drop by the office in Robinson A116 between those hours and make an appointment in person. Alternatively, telephone 703-993-1200 or e-mail (link). If you need an immediate appointment, a personal visit is best. If you are booking an appointment in advance, then telephone or e-mail should work well. Remember that tutors are often very busy, especially towards the end of the semester, and may not have an immediate appointment available. Think ahead and plan when a one-to-one consultation might most benefit your writing and your assignment.
When Should I Book an Appointment?

 


When Should I Book an Appointment?

You may book an appointment at any stage in your writing process. If you have problems beginning to write, then an appointment in the early stages of an assignment might help you most. If you find revision difficult, then schedule an appointment when you have written at least one draft. Many writers find consultations most productive when they and their tutors are working from a tangible document, whether it be a brainstormed list of ideas, or an almost-final draft. Try to leave enough time after your session to integrate its results into your final draft of the assignment.
How do I Book An Appointment?


What Do I Need to Bring?

You should bring a copy of the assignment (if your professor issues written assignments) or detailed notes on the assignment. If the assignment is not clear to you, ask your professor. The more information the tutor knows, the more accurately s/he will be able to help you fulfill your assignment. Bring also all the writing you have completed relating to the assignment (free-writing, journal entries, notes from class or group discussions). If the assignment involves work from a textbook or handout, bring that to your session, too.

You should also think about, and perhaps jot down on a piece of paper, what you as a writer need from the consultation. What problems are you having? Has your professor suggested, in writing or in conversation, writing skills you should sharpen? You have probably been writing for years and know exactly where your personal pitfalls lie. Explain them to the tutor. The more the tutor knows about your thinking and writing process, the more precisely s/he will be able to focus your session.
How do I Book An Appointment?
When Should I Book an Appointment?


What Happens in a Consultation?

You and your tutor define the goals you have for the assignment and for your writing, and work throughout the forty-five minutes to achieve them. Sessions are interactive. Don't expect the tutor to 'correct' your paper for you. But s/he will teach you ways to think about the writing process, organize your thoughts, and correct errors until you can 'correct' (and much more) the paper for yourself.

The session will move as slowly or as quickly as you require. Don't be afraid to ask for explanations or time to talk through and idea or concept. You have an expert writer at your disposal for forty-five minutes. Exploit that expertise!
How do I Book An Appointment?
When Should I Book an Appointment?

(Welcome)

(Face-to-Face Tutoring) (Online Writing Lab) (English as a Second Language)

(The Writer's Library)