(The Tutoring Session)
Every tutor, at every session, must raise, and answer, the question Where should I begin? And the answer, of course, is ‘It depends.’
It depends on the student’s preparation.
Some students will have a complete draft of a paper; others a partial or very rough draft. Some may appear very confident in the quality of their writing and ask for help only with, say, punctuation or citations; others may think that they are hopelessly illiterate. Some (often quite good) writers will want your thoughts about organization and how their argument “flows”; others are sure they know what they want to say, but do not know how to say it.
It depends on the student.
Some will want you to be “thorough” in your criticism and will be motivated to make extensive revisions—even if that means several tutoring sessions. Others will want you to “just proofread.”
It depends on the time.
The paper may be due in a week; the paper may be due in an hour or two.
To determine where to begin you will need to ask the student some questions:
- What is the assignment (and for what class and instructor)?
- When is the paper due?
- Is this a first or second draft?
- What sorts of issues would you like to discuss?
Determine with the student a reasonable and limited objective (for a one hour session), based primarily on what the student would like to accomplish. Don't try to tackle everything at once and overwhelm yourself (or the student)!
In response to a question about the objective, the student will often say something open-ended, like “whatever you think” or “just check it over for mistakes.”
You may need to see for yourself:
Read through the first page.
Determine, if you can, the overall point of the paper—and the thesis statement.
Try to articulate to the student the point or thesis.
Ask the student if you have the right idea—and ask the student to articulate the point as well (or to “correct” your interpretation).
You have by this time begun your session—and established the objective of reviewing the rhetorical structure: the thesis, arguments, organization, and conclusion. With enough time, most sessions—or most first sessions—should be about what the writer wants to say and how she says it. You should note along the way stylistic and grammatical concerns and encourage the student to return to deal with those after making revisions.
