Supporting English 101 Students
The English Department encourages faculty to
support English 101 students in a variety of ways: by conferring
with students one-on-one, by recommending the tutors at the Rhetoric
Center to all students, and by directing students to on-line resources.
- Conferring with students: A conference can
be one of the most useful tools for teaching written rhetoric,
and all instructors should confer with their students. Many instructors
meet with individual students several times during a semester,
and the English 101 Committee encourages instructors to allot
time for these conferences and to encourage students, especially
those who seem unlikely to seek out the instructor, to make an
appointment for a conference. Often, the weakest students benefit
most from personalized attention, yet these students are often
reticent to ask for extra help from the instructor. Student writers
and English 101 instructors benefit from these conferences. In
conferences, students feel free to ask questions that they might
not ask at in a class meeting. Students and their instructors
discuss strategies for maximizing writing strengths and minimizing
writing weaknesses. If conferences occur while students are working
on essays, students apply their new-found understanding about
writing immediately. Instructors benefit from student conferences
as well. Conferences provide excellent opportunities for instructors
to gain valuable student feedback on writing assignments and class
discussion. In these conferences, instructors assess what pedagogical
strategies succeeded or failed in the classroom, and they gain
insight about their teaching from a student's perspective.
- Recommending the Rhetoric Center: The Rhetoric
Center is located on the third floor of the Commons across from the Upper Crust dining room. The Rhetoric Center is coordinated
by the co-Directors of the Academic Writing Program, Dr. Karen Saupe and Dr. Kathi Groenendyk. Instructors
should encourage all students to use the Rhetoric Center, which
is set up to help students from all classes and of all levels
of ability. Even if not sent by an instructor, students may make
appointments with tutors (students may call x7088 or stop by the
Center to set up an appointment). These services are free to Calvin
students. Tutors are available to visit classes for five to ten
minutes to describe the functions of the Rhetoric Center and to
invite students to use the Rhetoric Center. Tutors especially
appreciate working closely with professors on students' writing
problems, particularly when they have sufficient time to address
those problems. With effective communication between instructor
and tutor, the tutor often is able to provide significant help
to the student.
The Rhetoric Center is staffed by students-with
majors from across the disciplines. Each of these tutors is hired
by the director on the basis of recommendations from his or her
teachers, experience in writing in a variety of disciplines, an
interview conducted by the director and one or more current Rhetoric
Center tutors, and performance on screening tests. Each tutor
works approximately ten hours per week with one of those hours
in a weekly staff meeting. The main function of the tutors is
to assist students with the writing that they do for their courses.
Although tutors may not serve as proofreaders for other students,
they can help students with papers in progress by working on inventing,
composing, revising, and editing. Additionally, tutors can help
English 101 students prepare for the grammar exam. Tutors provide
grammar review sessions throughout the semester.
Directing Students to On-line Resources: Encourage
students to visit some of the sites listed under student
resources on this web site.
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