A typical day in the Tutoring CenterThe Tutoring Center, providing one-on-one or small group instruction, remains a popular place for ELI students to get help.
"Sometimes it's hard to ask [a question] in class," said student Chie Kitakami, "so we can ask our tutors." Students usually have clear ideas of what they would like to work on each hour, frequently dividing the time between different tasks in order to take advantage of the individual time with a trained instructor. But just what kinds of questions do students typically ask in the Tutoring Center? To find out, tutors were asked to document the kind of assistance students requested during one day last summer. Of the 47 students who visited the Tutoring Center that day, four were beginning level (I and II), 24 were intermediate (Levels III and IV) and 21 were advanced students (Levels V and VI). The four beginning level students all needed help with homework, primarily with grammar. The most common questions from the intermediate-level students also concerned grammar (9), with smaller numbers of students asking for help with writing revisions (4), oral presentations (5), reading and vocabulary (4) and cultural questions (4). Advanced students were most likely to spend time revising an essay they had written (7), with the second most frequent activity speaking and pronunciation practice (5). Other questions concerned grammar (4) and preparation for presentations or debates (3), and a few wanted some personal counseling (3). "I'm always impressed by how hard the students work," said tutor Isabel Whitaker. |