Providing a complex representation of a beginning writing tutor's role, this monograph, written as a journal, was drawn from a tutor's own perceptions and those of her students. While refinement of composition skills frames the entire narrative, the day-by-day record of the tutor's first quarter also emphasizes such skills as goal setting,…

Writing labs should utilize the knowledge gained from a variety of fields to enhance further their programs, particularly with regard to the study of nonverbal communication. Regardless of the sincerity and importance of the tutor's suggestions, nonverbal messages often are sent to the student which undermine the session. Various channels of…

Freshman and sophomore composition students who are required to write in response to literature frequently find that they are not yet secure enough in their basic writing skills to discuss a literary work. In order to help these students, writing center tutors must be familiar with the assigned writing tasks and what instructors expect from an…

This document presents 13 keynote addresses and major papers presented at the 1997 and 1998 conferences of the Pennsylvania Association of Developmental Educators. The papers are: (1) "Developmental Education: History of Implications" (Hunter Boylan, 1997 keynote speaker); (2) "Learning and Teaching in the 21st Century: Seven Habits of Highly…

When students do not write well in stressful situations, traditional instruction such as grammar exercises, sentence combining, and imitation of sentences will not be especially useful. Students are not often aware of their linguistic insecurity or of how insecurity affects language usage. The writing lab, however, creates an ideal setting for…

Designed for teachers and tutors, the handbook discusses setting up a cross-age tutoring program. Topics include tutor responsibilities; the role of resource teachers; tutor contracts; specific relationship-building and tutoring techniques; ideas for tutoring in handwriting; and techniques for tutoring in reading, spelling, and arithmetic. The…

This guide is designed to help home tutors in New Zealand who are working with adult learners of English as a Second Language in need of basic literacy training. This audience includes preliterate and semi-literate individuals, as well as individuals literate in a non-Latin alphabet language. After an introductory section, the second section…

This research-based review discusses effective computer applications for students with mental disabilities. Most computer-based instruction currently in use is of a drill-and-practice variety, which is needed to develop fluency in basic academic skills. Studies conducted on math fluency indicate that when students are using counting strategies to…

This article presents a summary and analysis of a year-long project to develop an English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) tutoring lab at California State Dominguez Hills. The project had as its main goal the establishment of a lab specifically targeting the rapidly growing population of non-native speakers of English on campus, and was developed with…