TUTORING STRATEGIESFollow along or view supplemental materials at:

ProfessorNAnderson.com/tutoring-strategies

OVERVIEW

• Introductions

• Vocabulary checklist

• Thesis development

• Major essays – 1101 and 1102

• Tutor/student/professor interactions

INTRODUCTIONS

• What is your name?

• What is your major?

• What experiences have you had teaching/tutoring writing?

• What are the most common types of essays you have helped students with in the past?

• What do you hope to get out of this presentation?

VOCABULARY FOR WRITING/TUTORING

• Prose continuum

• Open/closed form prose

• Rhetorical context• Purpose• Audience

Genre

• Rhetorical Appeals• Ethos• Pathos• Logos

• Global revisions

• Local revisions

THESIS DEVELOPMENT

• What are the main things you look for in a thesis?

• What sorts of problems do you often find with student theses?

THESIS DEVELOPMENT

• Which of the following claims would be easier to defend and why?

• Watching violent TV cartoons increases aggressive play behavior in boys

• Watching violent TV cartoons can increase aggressive play behavior in some boys

THESIS DEVELOPMENT

Qualifying your claim

• Strong claim: watching violent TV cartoons increases aggressive play behavior in boys

• Qualified claim: watching violent TV cartoons can increase aggressive play behavior in some boys

• Qualifying a claim: limits the scope of your argument to make it more specific and less vulnerable to attack or being refuted

• Qualifying your claim is easily done with the use of certain adverbials and auxiliary verbs, such as: • Perhaps, tentatively, can, should, often, probably, may, might, maybe, generally,

sometimes, usually, likely

EXAMPLE STUDENT THESES

A. “Despite all the claims that a number of individuals might state, colleges must increase tuition rates out of necessity for survival”

B. “I say hybrid classes are an efficient strategy in working to benefit teachers ability to engage students and promote student’s learning overall”

C. “Although evident drawbacks do exist with the legalization of firearms, the advantages outweigh the negative ramifications. However, that does not mean that these weapons should be allowed among civilians without strict iron-fisted regulations”

D. “I believe the blend of traditional and virtual learning in hybrid courses will have a positive academic effect on students”

E. “Due to the expectations and demands of university and college athletic programs, like the NCAA, student-athletes have a higher stress level than the average post-secondary student.”

THESIS DEVELOPMENT

What makes a good thesis?

• Clear• How long is your thesis? How many clauses does it have? The best theses will be concise and direct. They will often only

have one clause (the exception being theses that directly incorporate their supporting reasons, such as those with a ‘because’ clause)

• What pronouns or determiners do you use in your thesis? You should avoid almost pronouns or stand alone determiners. Any people, places, or things should be named explicitly to avoid ambiguity and vague referents.

• Original• Consider how your thesis relates to the theses of the secondary research articles you have acquired. If it aligns too

closely with one of these other ideas, you may need to revise. Being as specific as possible or offering up suggestions to solve a problem or dilemma are often the easiest methods to make your thesis arguable

• Credible• Carefully consider the wording of your thesis. Basing your thesis on opinions or beliefs in an essay like this, rather than

facts, reasons, appeals, or data, will make your thesis seem less objective and more like a statement of your own beliefs Avoid first person here!

• Arguable• Consider what would happened if you asked a random sample of ten people if they agreed with your thesis without

hearing any evidence. If there is an overwhelming agreement you may need to revise to a different, more contentious stance

THESIS DEVELOPMENT

• 2 powerful words that can be used for forming and supporting arguments:

• “should”: when used as part of a thesis or argument, this proposes a best possible solution while at the same time acknowledging the information within is not necessarily a universal fact or the only solution.

• “because”: adding a ‘because’ subordinate clause to your thesis allows you to support it with the best reasons or evidence you have found. This can also be used as the basis of your forecasting in closed form prose. Incorporating specific evidence like this can also make a thesis more original.

EXAMPLE STUDENT THESES

A. “Despite all the claims that a number of individuals might state, colleges must increase tuition rates out of necessity for survival”

B. “I say hybrid classes are an efficient strategy in working to benefit teachers ability to engage students and promote student’s learning overall”

C. “Although evident drawbacks do exist with the legalization of firearms, the advantages outweigh the negative ramifications. However, that does not mean that these weapons should be allowed among civilians without strict iron-fisted regulations”

D. “I believe the blend of traditional and virtual learning in hybrid courses will have a positive academic effect on students”

E. “Due to the expectations and demands of university and college athletic programs, like the NCAA, student-athletes have a higher stress level than the average post-secondary student.”

THESIS STRATEGIES REVIEW

7 Powerful thesis strategies we have discussed thus far

• Qualify your thesis with adverbials and auxiliary verbs such as “likely” or “can” to make your thesis less vulnerable to refutation

• Eliminate unnecessary/ambiguous words, clauses, and sentences to increase the Clarity of your thesis

• Make sure your thesis is Original and does not restate the same ideas of your secondary sources

• Increase the Credibility of your thesis by eliminating first person or references to your own opinions or beliefs

• Check to make sure your thesis is Arguable and contentious and not something everyone would agree on before seeing evidence

• Use “should” to propose solutions rather than state absolute facts

• Use “because” to add forecasting elements or supporting evidence to your thesis

MAJOR ESSAYS-1101 AND 1102

• 1101• Literacy narrative/visual analysis• Rhetorical analysis/strong response• Analyzing and synthesizing ideas/synthesis essay

• 1102• Research proposal• Exploratory narrative/annotated bibliography• Classical argument/proposing a solution

MAJOR ESSAYS –1101 AND 1102

• Before offering any feedback on an essay, get as much information as possible about the expectations for that assignment

• Although there are standard major essays for 1101 and 1102, the expectations for these can vary greatly between different professors and class sections

• Reviewing the relevant assignment sheet (and sample essays), if possible, is usually the best option. Discussing what the student has recently covered in class may be helpful as well

MAJOR ESSAYS –1101

• Literacy narrative• Open form prose• Autobiographical narrative• Theme/problem: focuses on a personal event that

is important to the student’s literary/academic past

• Often taught with lessons about concrete/descriptive language and plot development

• Common student issues: • Not enough descriptive language to bring

scenes/characters to life• Storyline covers too long of a timeline or

unimportant events making the plot difficult to follow

• Visual analysis• Closed form prose• Presents detailed analysis of a specific item

selected by the professor. Most commonly this will be an advertisement or specific location

• Clear, strong, argumentative thesis is key here• Needs to analyze and describe with concrete

words as well as provide examples of how the rhetorical appeals are used (especially for ads)

• Often taught with lessons about rhetorical appeals, visual rhetoric, and/or concrete language

• Common student issues• Weak/unclear thesis• Insufficient evidence for rhetorical appeals• Not enough descriptive language to highlight

the important visual elements

MAJOR ESSAYS –1101

• Rhetorical analysis• Closed form prose• Thesis should respond to overall rhetoric in the

source analyzed• Text will usually be assigned by instructor• First person writing avoided• Summary not included• Often taught with lessons about rhetorical

appeals

• Common student issues• Unclear/weak thesis• Too much personal writing – remain objective!• Insufficient evidence of rhetorical appeals

(should at minimum have textual evidence of each)

• Strong response (and summary)• Closed form prose• Thesis should respond to overall rhetoric as well

as personal response• Will include a rhetorical analysis, ideas critique,

and reflection • Text will usually be assigned by instructor• First person writing is essential for reflection

section• Summary may or may not be included (depends

on professor)

• Common student issues• Thesis does not address all sections of essay• Does not have first person/personal writing

(which is necessary here)• Transitions/organization can be difficult with

different sections of essay

MAJOR ESSAYS –1101

• Analyzing and synthesizing ideas/ Synthesis essay• Closed form prose• Extreme importance of thesis• Ideas must take place in an academic conversation with source articles without

losing original voice• Should briefly analyze/summarize 3-4 sources

• Common student issues: • Thesis is weak or unoriginal (more about this in thesis workshop)• Focuses too much on summary • Insufficient evidence in body paragraphs• Incorrect/missing citations for sources• Reliance on personal experiences/first person (remain objective!)

MAJOR ESSAYS –1102

• Research proposal• Thesis seeking prose• Focuses on thesis question/seeks approval for further research• Taught in ENC1102 but used in many majors/classes• Mechanics, formatting, and citations are of central importance here

• Common student issues• Writing lacks formality/objectivity• Different disciplines will have slightly different expectations for research

proposals • Students unfamiliar with APA formatting/citations

MAJOR ESSAYS –1102

• Exploratory narrative• Thesis seeking prose• Research question is of central

importance• Tells a story of student’s research

experiences and their summary/reflection on sources

• Often taught with lessons about reflective writing or critical reading

• Common student issues• Too much summary • Not enough reflection• Transitions between sources become

canned/awkward

• Annotated bibliography• Provides a detailed list and summary of

sources about a particular topic• Introduction is of central importance; it

must relate sources and describe their importance

• Often taught with lessons about critical reading

• Common student issues• Introduction is short, insufficient, or done

at the last minute• Personal writing or reflection detracts

from objectivity

MAJOR ESSAYS –1102

• Classical argument• Closed form prose• Extreme importance of thesis• Takes place in academic conversation

with other sources• Summarizes and responds to

opposing views/counterarguments

• Common student issues• Weak or unoriginal thesis• Insufficient response to

counterarguments

• Proposing a solution• Closed form prose• Extreme importance of thesis• Suggests solution to longstanding

problem• Must adequately explain problem and

provide evidence to support solution

• Common student issues• Thesis too strong or unoriginal• Essay provides too much explanation

of problem and not enough support for solution

TUTOR/STUDENT/PROFESSORINTERACTIONS

• What is your role as a writing tutor?

• How does your interaction as a student affect the student’s interaction with their professor?

• What kind of feedback do you focus on?

• If you only have one meeting with a student, what do you try to accomplish?

TUTOR/STUDENT/PROFESSORINTERACTIONS

• Don’t be too directive – let the student guide the content of the essay

• Make sure the student is prepared to discuss the essay with their professor

• Always have some discussion of the thesis, theme, or thesis question

• Focus more on global issues, such as organization, communication of information,

• Remember the serial position effect! The introduction and conclusion are always important and have a significant impact on the student’s grade

Q & A

• Are there any topics you wanted to know about that have gone unaddressed?

• What was the most useful part of this presentation to you?

• Is there anything that should be included for future presentations?