1. Minimalist Tutoring: Making the Students Do All the Work By, Jeff Brooks

2. A tutor is a commentator and guide rather than a proofreader and editor Brooks believes that “fixing flawed papers is easy, but showing the students how to fix their papers is complex and difficult” Tutors should take a hands-off approach –Avoid editing the tutee’s paper –Emphasize structural, organizational, logical reasoning and stylistic changes and control Brooks emphasizes the importance of tutors maintaining their role and not shifting into an editor The Tutor must be the secondary role in the session and refuse to edit, which Brooks argues makes the tutor more active as an educator The role of a tutor that practices minimalist tutoring

3. The most common difficulty for student writers is paying attention to their writing and the direction they are taking their paper in. As tutors we must consider the atmosphere the tutee may have written in, which Brooks believes is, for the most part, noisy and distracting Tutors should treat the students writing as a text Our message should be “the process is far more important than the product.” Sit beside the student not across a desk, make sure you are not in a position that might make you or the tutee feel you are in charge. Take note if the student is left or right handed and sit on that side so you cannot write notes on the draft Brooks suggests that we should have the tutee read the paper allowed so as we are hearing it for the first time the student can do some editing. The Session

4. Don’t forget.. It is critical that a tutor makes a point to concentrate on an aspect of success It is also important to get the student to talk and share their thoughts with you. One of the best ways to do this is by asking leading questions, which can get the to generate more ideas about their writing Tutors must act like active agents and realize that the less they do to change the paper the better.