Tutor Insights
What's the most interesting writing assignment that a student has brought to a tutoring session? How did you assist them?
"I've worked on so many interesting writing assignments with my tutees, but my favorites are typically the ones that require students to write about their own lives. I worked on an assignment where a student had to connect their childhood experience as an immigrant to a teaching pedagogy they would implement as a future teacher, and it was fascinating to help the student shape that assignment!
I helped them to understand what the assignment was asking for, come up with clear examples for each piece, and explain the connections between their experiences and the teaching concepts they were learning thoroughly. In addition to content, I also helped them with organization and grammar where those things impacted clarity. The student later had to create a presentation based on their writing assignment, so we worked on chunking the information from the essay into slides as well; I also helped the student refine their speaker notes to ensure they were within the required time limit."
- Alyssa G.
"My favorite appointments are usually the ones where I'm working with students on their personal narratives. The storytelling format of a personal narrative is fairly close to my skillset as a creative writer, but I also love just hearing from students about their lives and what got them to the field they're applying to. I had one particular student who came in a few times looking for support on their nursing application. It was super fun learning about their experience and the different ways they connected with patients.
The main thing I worked on with this student was specificity. Several times, I noticed that they'd tell me a lot of interesting stories about their experience being in the hospital, but they would struggle to put those details on the page. I supported them by noting the different points where they could be more specific and asked them questions to get them to think deeper about how certain experiences impacted them. I had a few sessions with this student and I noticed their writing improve each time, which was very encouraging!"
- Denise C.
"One of the most interesting writing assignments I have worked on was a personal statement for a student applying to a graduate program. It was more than just checking grammar or sentence structure. It was about helping them tell their story in a way that reflected their experiences, challenges, and goals. I enjoyed seeing how a rough draft gradually turned into a meaningful and authentic essay that represented who they were.
I started by listening to the student's ideas and understanding what they wanted the admissions committee to learn about them. Then, we worked together to improve the organization, clarity, and flow of the essay while making sure their own voice stayed at the center of the writing. I also pointed out places where they could add more specific examples instead of general statements. By the end of the session, the essay was much stronger, and the student felt more confident in both their writing and their message."
- Kiarash H.
"The most interesting writing assignment that I’ve come across while working here at SJSU was a graduate research paper on the effect of specialized instruction within classrooms, especially in the presence of students with learning disabilities. The paper brought a lot of insight on how impactful specialized instructors can be in addition to a normal classroom setting, providing assistance to those who may need it while maintaining a healthy classroom environment.
For this session, I mainly assisted the student by analyzing the paper with her to make sure all of the language and vocabulary within it was easy to understand. Assuming that the reader wasn’t familiar with this concept, we were able to revise some areas to add clarity and specificity to her writing, making it understandable even if the reader knew nothing about child development."
- Zac L.
