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Peer Tutors

Peer tutors may best be understood as a friendly second set of eyes.  They notice things that need noticing and help students re-visit answers and choices that merit revision.
Peer tutors are students who have completed at least one year at Bard and have been nominated by faculty in a particular field. They have been trained to work with peers and to support their learning. 
What Tutors Do

What Tutors Do

It might be easiest to see what a tutor does by considering what tutors don’t do:

  • peer tutors don’t do students’ homework for them
  • peer tutors don’t proofread students’ papers
  • peer tutors don’t make sure students’ assignments get an A
Rather, a tutor works with students to make sure that they understand the content of the course or, in the case of a writing tutor, they help writers figure out what the next step is for the current draft and how they might get there. In each and every case, the role of the tutor is to support students doing their work.  

What Tutors Do

A writing tutor may help a student brainstorm a list of possible thesis statements, decide which is most promising, and then help the student develop the argument.
A German tutor might go over rules for word order in German and then help a student apply those rules to a paper he or she has drafted.

Resources for Tutors

Tutor Session Summary Forms

  • English Language One-on-One Tutoring 
  • World Languages One-on-One Tutoring
  • Math One-on-One Tutoring 
  • Math Study Room
  • Physics One-on-One Tutoring
  • Sciences One-on-One Tutoring
  • Sciences Drop-In Hours
  • Social Sciences Drop-In Hours
  • Social Sciences and Arts One-on-One Tutoring
  • Writing Fellows Session Summary Form
  • Writing Consultants Session Summary Form
  • Writing Consultants L&T Session Summary Form
  • Skills Tutoring Session Summary Form 

Readings for Writing Tutors

  • Engaging in Dialogue (Meyer & Newkirk)
  • The Tutoring Process (Gillespie & Lerner)
  • The First Five Minutes (Newkirk)

Readings and Handouts for English Language Tutors

  • Rethinking Conferencing Strategies for the ESL Writer
  • Editing Line by Line
  • Guilt-free Tutoring
  • Re-assessing the 'Proofreading Trap'

Readings for Biology Writing Fellows

  • Tree Frogs Lab
  • Does the Rhetoric of Science Matter?
  • The Science of Scientific Writing

Journals and Blogs

  • The Writing Lab Newsletter
  • Writing Center Journal
  • Praxis: A Writing Center Journal
  • The Dangling Modifier
  • PeerCentered

TESOL Certification

TESOL Certification in the form of a tutorial (includes in-class component and practicum ESL peer tutoring) provides training and 40-hour certification in ESL/L@ pedagogy and the mechanics of the English language.  This certification is often required or beneficial for applications for Fulbrights, Peace Corps, internships, fellowships and scholarships abroad and in the US.  This is a one semester (2 credit) tutorial.  Apply to Denise Minin, English Language Coordinator ([email protected]).  This certification only happens in the fall semester, so apply in spring or summer.

English Language Program Handouts

  • Workshop 1: Tips for ESL Tutors
  • Workshop 2: Punctuation and Joining Clauses in Long Sentences
  • Workshop 3 (Part 1): ESL Writers and the Academic Essay
  • Workshop 3 (Part 2): ESL Writers and the Academic Essay
  • Workshop 3 (Part 3): ESL Writers and the Academic Essay
  • Workshop 3 (Part 4): ESL Writers and the Academic Essay
  • Workshop 3 (Part 5): ESL Writers and the Academic Essay
  • Workshop 3 (Part 6): ESL Writers and the Academic Essay
  • Workshop 4: Prepositions
  • Tips on "A", "An", and "The"
  • Tips for Teaching Texts
Contact Us
Bard Learning Commons
Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson
New York 12504
845-758-7812
E-mail: [email protected]
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