Thoughts on the Perl Guidelines

For me, Sondra Perl's article "Understanding Composition" was a fascinating read and it reinforced some of my own personal beliefs and strategies for writing. A lot of the concepts introduced by Perl such as "felt sense" are the type of things I have always tried to do in my own work. Having a set of guidelines such as Perl’s creates a virtual checklist for a writer, aloowing them to be creative while still keeping their focus and staying on topic. Much like Perl suggests, in my own writing process I tend to do a lot of pausing and revision as I go along, reading my work over and over, in an effort to make my writing sound like my inner voice. I constantly ask myself "How does this line sound or feel to me?", "Where is this leading?", or "Am I getting my message across?”. Adapting the Perl guidelines to my writing process is definitely something I will do because for me writing is an art, individualistic and expressive, and from a creative standpoint, it is all about baring your innermost thoughts and ideas on any subject for the world to see. By always questioning myself ala the Perl guidelines and checking in on the direction and flow of my writing, it will allow me to write clearer, more focused pieces without losing my creative voice as a writer.

Tutoring Do's and Don'ts

The following is a list of some simple do's and don'ts for tutoring in general, with some specifics relating to tutoring writing:

Don't:
-Discuss personal matters.
-Check the time or your cellphone.
-Make corrections to the writing, without explaining them first.
-Use poor body language eg. yawning, rubbing your eyes, stretching.
-Waste time with pleasantries and catching up on what's new in the tutee's life.
-Confuse student with too many questions. Take it slow and focus on one issue at a time.

Do:
-Ask if there is anything specific the tutee is having trouble with.
-Let the student read their writing aloud to see if it sounds right to them.
-Go over the criteria for the assignment to make sure you focus on the task.
-Let the student explain in their own words what the main point or thesis of their piece is.
-Be patient and understand you may have to go over the same issue a few times before the student is comfortable with it.
-Ask open-ended questions, not just yes or no questions.

If we follow these tips and more, then we can became better tutors and also make the most of the tutoring session. This will not only help the student improve, but will instill confidence in their abilities and make it so they are more likely to return in the future if they need our help again.