Re: tutor training

["Dr. Deborah Martinson" <dmartin@oxy.edu>]

Meg,
        Tom Burkdall and I teach (together) the tutor training coarse at
Occidental. Sometimes we are both there, sometimes one of us is at a
meeting. We do plan the class together and try to both attend. The college
does not count this class as one of our "real" classes, so in essence we do
it for free. Part of both of our jobs, however, is running the writing
center, so...
        We have approximately 10 peer advisors for each semester. With a few
exceptions, students take the class for one year, and work in the writing
center for that year. The entire year course gives them the 4 units they
need for a full class. The catalogue says of this course, "Eng. Writing 395:
An exploration of the theory and practice of writing instruction,
emphasizing rhetorical strategies, audience expectations, and forms of
academic discourse. Collaborative techniques and interpersonal dynamics will
also be discussed." (We have a WAC program, and a frosh colloquia taught by
faculty from across the curriculum --this, plus spring semester research
seminars, is the FWP. The advisors work with Frosh- Sr students from all
disciplines.) We meet once a week for an hour, sometimes discussing
theoretical readings, sometimes investigating pedagogical issues within
teaching and  advising, sometimes requiring them to write and respond to
theoretical and pedagogical concerns. Sometimes we just discuss the issues
that arise. Often we follow that discussion with articles and research that
respond to earlier discussion. We use essays from Writing Lab, Writing
Center books, CCC articles, writing program manuals--in short, anything
appropriate that we can find. For the past 3 weeks for example, we have been
discussing ESL issues.This concern surfaced from advisor worries. To address
it, we used this months writing lab as a point of departure, John Edlund's
materials (with his permission) and tomorrow we are sending writing advisors
to the WEB, with Eric Crump's latest posts,to do their own research. Because
we are small, and because Tom and I work well together,  this flexible
approach to the class works. We also require they see each other, document
their own session as writer, write a retrospective about each semester, and
see and talk to Tom or I about all of this. 
        Sorry so long, Debby