It's a Blog Takeover! Getting the Most Out of a Tutorial Session - Part 1

To my dear Roxy Readers, it's good to be back! The SWC folks and I are still working remotely, and we've been crazy busy helping students with their writing. An amazing team has assembled here at the Stone Writing Center, and I have invited a few of my colleagues for a Surfing the Waves of Writing blog takeover.  Starting off our guest series is Rylie, and she's got some great info to share. Thanks for being so loyal, Roxy Readers! 

I look forward to seeing you next time the sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the waves roll into view.

Roxy

*Rylie*

Hi, everyone!

Thanks, Roxy, for letting me share some thoughts with your readers! I hope you’re enjoying some clear skies and perfect waves.

Alright, everyone, I’m going to let you in on a few trade secrets, but you have to keep it quiet, okay? If the other consultants find out I told you, they might throw a party. What? You thought they’d be mad? No way! We’ve been looking for a way to fill you guys in for a while now. So, what do I mean by “trade secrets?” I’m going to tell you how to get the most out of a tutorial session!

Let me ask you this: Have you ever gone to the doctor with several questions or concerns in mind? In the past, I didn’t write down my questions for the doctor ahead of time because I was sure I’d remember. Despite my confidence, I’d always forget one or two of my concerns (and of course, they had to be the most important ones). In the same way, you might forget some important questions you had over your paper when you’re talking to the consultant. Try writing your questions down, and then use them as a checklist to be sure that all of your concerns were addressed.

Speaking of questions, I often hesitate to ask for clarification when learning something new. Sometimes I’m afraid it’s a dumb question, and sometimes I’m worried my queries will be annoying to the other person. In case you’re the same way, let me assure you that your questions are not dumb or annoying. In fact, I love it when those I’m working with ask for clarification because I can be sure they understand everything I’m saying and I get to talk to them about their paper.

Signing up for multiple sessions can feel a lot like a follow-up question, so it’s understandable if you’re hesitant. Still, I highly suggest pushing past that anxiety and signing up for another session after revising (if your schedule allows). That way, you can be sure that your revisions are improving the paper and that lower-level concerns, such as grammatical errors, are also tackled (consultants like to focus first on higher-level concerns, such as the content of your essay and whether you’re meeting assignment requirements).

However, resist the urge to sign up for another session the moment you finish one. It might feel like you’re getting more done because you’ve been through more than one session, but the opposite is actually true. Because each consultant will focus first on higher-level concerns, if you haven’t revised what the first consultant pointed out, you might spend multiple sessions discussing the same thing. As a result, your lower-level concerns never get addressed. You might also struggle to remember everything each tutor said. In either case, your paper won’t improve as much as it would if you spent time revising in between sessions.

With multiple sessions often come multiple tutors, and students occasionally try to request a consultant because they’ve worked together before. I understand the reasoning—we’re awesome, after all… wait, what do you mean that isn’t what you were thinking? 😀 In truth, it’s only natural to want to continue working with someone you mesh well with and who understands your strengths and challenges. However, we’re unable to take requests for a specific consultant, which is good because each one has a unique way of thinking and a different area of expertise. Therefore, we may focus on something slightly different when it comes to offering you feedback. It makes sense, then, that getting a different tutor for each session is actually good.

One last tip for now: In most essays, you’ll need to write so that everyone (including those unfamiliar with your topic) can understand and follow your thinking. For example, if I wanted to discuss a specific scene in a book with a friend that hadn’t read it, I would need to give a brief summary of the book first, and they’d ask questions when they don’t understand something. Your audience can’t stop you to ask questions while reading your essay, so having a consultant who’s unfamiliar with the topic read your paper means that they’ll address those areas that don’t make sense to the ordinary person.

That’s all I have to say about tutorial sessions for now, but expect another blog discussing how to implement the feedback from these sessions. Thanks again, Roxy, for letting me chat with your lovely readers! Happy writing!