Resources

This page has links describing the various services the Writing Center can provide in our one-on-one tutorials.

Our Tutors and their Specialties (Fall 2008)

TUTOR SPECIALTY HOURS--Spring, 2008
Mary Alice Birdwhistell (Senior) English, Music       Tues 12:30-3pm, Thurs 12:30-2:30 pm
Krista Chelf (Junior) English (Creative Writing), History Sun 7-9pm, Mon 2-4:30pm, Wed 9-11pm
Stacy Durham (Sophomore)      English, History Tues & Thurs 7-9pm
Erika Foreman (Senior)    Computer Science, Math, Physics Tues & Thurs 12:30-2pm, Wed 2-4pm
Tyler Frailie (Junior)     English, Biology, Latin Tues & Thurs 9:30-11am, Thurs 7-9pm
Whitney Lanway (Senior)    English, Music, Education Sun & Wed 7-9pm, Tues & Thurs 2-4:30pm
Anita Smith (Sophomore)  Accounting Tues 7-9pm, Thurs 2-4:30pm
Stephanie Warden (Senior)        History, American Studies    Mon & Wed 12:30pm-4:30pm
Katie Wylie (Senior) English, Biology Mon 12:30-2pm & 7-9pm, Wed 12:30-2pm.

 

Topical List of Sources

The Georgetown College Writing Center houses an ever-expanding resource library focused on topics related to composition, rhetoric, grammar instruction, and research.

  • Rhetorics/Readers
  • Handbooks/Grammar
  • Workbooks
  • Style Manuals and Online Style Manuals
  • Dictionaries
  • ESL Books
  • Vocabulary Building
  • Spelling
  • Sentence Combining and Improving Writing Style
  • Books on How to Tutor/Teach Writing and Grammar
  • Writing Assistants in Various College Disciplines and Career Areas
    • Business/Technical
    • History/Social Sciences
    • Math/Science
    • Humanities
    • Writing/Journal Writing Assistants in all the college disciplines
  • How to Do Other Specialized Types of Writing
    • Legal Writing
    • Writing Research Proposals
    • Grant Writing
    • Writing Using Computers, Internet, and Software
    • Writing for the Computer Industry
    • Writing Resumes, Personal Statements, and Letters of Application to Graduate and Professional Schools
    • Writing Books/Novels
    • Writing Book Reviews
    • Writing Fiction/Creative Writing
    • Writing Nonfiction
    • Writing Poetry
    • Writing Autobiography/Family History
    • Writing News Stories
    • Writing Government Documents
    • Writing/Publishing Research Papers and Reports
    • Writing for Film and Television
    • Writing for Nurses
    • Writing to Be a Better Reader
    • Writing Argumentatively
    • Writing as Problem-Solving
    • Prewriting/Exploratory Essays/Writing for Discovery
  • Marketing, Publishing, and Selling Your Writing
  • Other Writing Centers/Annotated Bibliographies

Tutoring Guidelines

I. General Guidelines to follow when first working with a student

  • Determine if a student has been referred (required to attend) and by whom, and look at his referral sheet. If student has been referred but doesn't have a form, get him to bring one as soon as possible (preferably immediately). File the form for possible future reference in his instructor's folder. Students who come in voluntarily don't need this form, if not formally referred.
  • Write in student's name and phone number on master schedule for a regular weekly (or more often) time (required of referred students). Comp II students needing paraphrasing help may need more than a half hour at a time, since the exercises were designed for one-hour sessions.
  • Discuss during the first five minutes or so the student's needs. Get student to agree to come in at least weekly (or more often), even if he does not have an essay to show you, if he has been referred. In the process, motivate the student and discuss in detail how you might help him weekly with writing or exercises to improve his grade. Above all, get the student to talk; it is important to know what he thinks he needs.
  • Spend 1/2 hour or more going over student's rewrite or draft, getting him to understand and write in his own corrections or revisions. Make sure you understand his assignment exactly. Tell him not to leave until you have seen his corrections (initial what you have looked over). If necessary get him to stay and write or return if task isn't completed.
    • If no essay or rewrite is brought in (your first priority for working with him), follow instructions for doing exercises based on referral form (paraphrasing, fragments, etc.).
    • When no essay or referral sheet is immediately available, you might give him the grammar pretest or posttest (especially if in Comp I) and make plans to go over it with him to plan future help sessions.
  • Congratulate student on his effort, remind him of his next session and tell him to bring in essays he is working on, and fill out briefly a conference report (carbon copy). (At the end of the week, one copy of the report goes to the student's instructor and one copy goes in the filing cabinet in his instructor's folder for future reference.) Do reports for referred students and drop ins.

II. For subsequent sessions, your first priority is to go over students' writing when possible; your second priority is to go over recommended exercises (when there is time) or the grammar pretest or posttest. However, do not put unnecessary pressure on the student to do too much at once; chances are that his class assignments keep him busy enough.

III. Contact students tactfully but immediately when they miss a scheduled session. Tactfully find out why they miss to show that you care. Have something planned for the student in the event that he says he has nothing to work on, but make sure it is constructive and doesn't make him hostile.

IV. When a problem arises, don't hesitate to call me (8133 or 863-3214) or an English faculty member, especially if a student repeatedly doesn't attend. Try to make students care about their progress. Finally, make full use of the assigned time.