English as a Second Language > Tutoring

WEEKLY TUTORING APPOINTMENTS AND DROP-IN HOURS:

Working individually with a tutor gives students the opportunity to get personalized feedback, and to focus on specific linguistic skills and language functions. Many students find that it is particularly helpful to discuss cultural issues in language use during their tutoring appointments. A student may participate in the tutoring program only, or may use the tutoring services in addition to an ESL class.

Students are assigned to meet with a tutor once a week for an entire academic quarter. Each session lasts 30 minutes. At the first session, you will work with the tutor to develop a plan of study for the quarter. You will need to come prepared to discuss your strengths and weakness. Students direct their own learning, choosing the activities they would like to pursue. Activities might include TSE/SPEAK preparation, mock interviews, reviewing written work to find patterns of errors, cultural discussion, or practice in conversation, pronunciation, listening, and giving presentations. All appointments are conducted in the tutoring rooms on the second floor of the Department of Linguistics.

To sign up for a weekly slot, you will need to appear in person at the Sign-up Session, held at the beginning of the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. Information on the next sign-up session and a list of current weekly appointments can be found by visiting our tutoring appointment page. If a student misses more than one tutoring appointment without notice, or misses more than three appointments total, his or her appointment will be given to another student.

If you don't have time to meet with a tutor every week, drop-in hours are a good choice. Drop-in hours work like office hours for classes: our tutors are available during certain hours of the week to work with any student who decides to "drop in". No appointment is needed to meet with the tutor during drop-in hours, and students can meet with the tutor for up to 30 minutes at one time. If more than one student is waiting to see the tutor, the tutor may offer to do a group lesson, or meet with students on-on-one for a shorter amount of time. Drop-in hours are great for getting occasional help with a paper, assessing your skills on the TSE, or working on a presentation. Current times for drop-in hours are posted each quarter on our Drop-in Hours page.

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