The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

10-4, Little Buddy: Two Way Convos
Casual conversation is probably the easiest—and one of the most effective—tools you have for helping
your tutee brainstorm. Like with the other exercises, start with the prompt. Read it and make sure all of
the words and concepts make sense to your tutee. Then start asking questions. Ask your tutee what she
thinks about the prompt, the topic, or the idea she’s supposed to be writing on. Ask what sort of ideas
she’s already got kicking around in her head about the topic. Ask “why?,” “how?,” and “so what?”
questions. The goal is to get your tutee talking and thinking out loud. Your job is mostly, as with the
other techniques, as a facilitator. You’re keeping the conversation focused and moving. Since talking
usually comes naturally for most of us (at least more naturally than writing), you might find this the best
way to work with a tutor who is unsure of her blossoming skills as a writer. And because of time
constraints, since most tutees only have about 30-60 minutes, conversation is a great way to generate
some relatively quick results. Have a piece of paper and a pen handy so that you can take notes of what
you and your tutee discuss (or have your tutee jot down ideas as you talk about them). When you and
your tutee feel that you’ve exhausted the conversation, take a look at your notes. Can you and your tutee
see a natural outline or thesis emerging from your conversation? Oftentimes, it’s there: related ideas,
repeated phrases, and natural progressions of thought can easily wind up being a helpful working thesis
for your tutee.
Slow Down to Hurry Up
Prewriting is a critical stage in the writing process. And unfortunately, many uncertain and unpracticed
writers skip it. Sometimes, you might hear a tutee say she just sits down and starts typing. Generally
(though not always), that’s a recipe for disaster. A paper crafted in such a way can lose focus, wander
away from the prompt, and create logistical nightmares as the student later tries to revise. Though
brainstorming takes time up front in the writing process, it’s an investment that usually pays off later.
Brainstorming allows your tutee to take a step back and grapple with the assignment in a productive, but
non-threatening manner. She can break down difficult, esoteric concepts into manageable pieces that lead
naturally into other strong organizing and content-controlling tools: outlines and theses. As you can see
from the examples above, there are many ways to approach a brainstorming session. Some of these
techniques are more helpful than others, depending on the tutee and the situation. It might take a little
trial-and-error to find the best brainstorming exercise for you and your tutee. If you have a shy, retiring
sort of tutee, maybe the quiet free-writing exercise would suit her best. Conversely, if you have a tutee
who is extroverted and excited about her topic, the conversation route might be your best bet. And
sometimes, you just won’t have time to try one of the more time-consuming exercises, like cubing, with
your tutee. That strategy might work best if you see that tutee on a regularly scheduled basis. Some
techniques might work great one time and not so great another—but don’t give up! Remember,
brainstorming pays off! So try one or more of these strategies when your tutee comes in scratching her
head over her latest essay; you both just might surprise yourselves with the bones of a really great paper.
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