The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

the instructor is saying, but she quickly forgets what she thinks she has heard in lecture. What this leads
to is “understanding and memory fades” shortly after class ends, and later she struggles understanding the
requirements of an assignment (Learning Disabilities Handbook 13). When Mari and I work together, we
read over her assignments several times, and she takes notes on how she understands the assignment
should be answered. Taking “good notes helps [Mari] later on take information from short-term memory
and assists in rehearsing information until it is in long-term memory” (LDH 13); she needs to be able to
turn to her notes or assignment in order to reflect on what her writing approach and answers will be.
With Mari, reading aloud is not helpful even if the Writing Center staff encourages it. Within
minutes of reading the prompt or her own writing to her, Mari will ask to have it read again because she
has not been able to process what she heard; in fact, Mari will only remember the first few ideas that she
heard. Also, since, Mari needs time to develop long-term memory, she benefits from explicit instructions
on how to approach writing and visual aids that she can use to organize and assimilate information: she
requires tips on how to write a thesis statement, when and how to insert quotes or textual information, and
even what assignment formats should look like. Mari took the time to teach me about her LDs, and the
result was that I was able to teach her different ways to use pre-writing for her essays and writing
assignments, and she was able to repeat these instructions back to me successfully and apply them to her
writing assignments.
Most writers that come to the Writing Center for help know what they need to work on. The
students, like Mari, who have learning disabilities who come in have lived with their LDs for a long time,
yet they want and need the help to succeed in the academic setting. Most LD students are aware what
techniques work for them; they know their strengths and weaknesses and know how they process
information when they learn. Although they are aware of their learning processes, we, the tutors, may not
be. Learning disability or no learning disability, writers face many common challenges when it comes to
writing; learning techniques that may successfully turn writers with learning disabilities into assertive and
competent writers may very useful to writers at all stages of learning. Here are some tips that may be
useful when working with an LD student or a student who might need a new approach after a few
sessions:
Auditory processing problems: Visual aids such as handouts, charts, Power Point presentations,
overheads and for some computers work. They need the instructions or ideas explicitly written, not
spoken for them, because they require time to commit information to memory.
Visual processing problems: Students here do not do well with visual aids alone. They work well
with audio such as cassettes, videos, reading aloud to them, more discussion in the tutoring session, and a
quiet space where the student can concentrate on what is being said during the tutoring session.
Short term memory problems: Students need to take thorough and accurate notes. Tutor should
ask open-ended questions that are clear; the students then should write down the answers to these
questions to be able to take another look at them later. The tutor should ask the writer to repeat back
important information or points pertaining to the writing assignment, the comments on assignments, etc.
Making flashcards also works well for these students. Tutors can suggest that students keep calendars or
daily planners in which they write down important dates and information.
Dyslexia: Students with dyslexia benefit from structured lessons. Visual and hands on
assignments work well for these students. Pre-writing exercises that are structured or visual such as
clustering, webbing, cubing, or outlining help students stay focused. Flashcards also work well to write
down important points. Worksheets with grammar formulas, for example how to correct subject-verb
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