TUTORING AT THE LAC
SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT
INTAKE
To get ready to see a tutor, please come to the LAC during open hours. You will fill out a brief intake form and discuss tutoring options at the LAC or through other campus services. To save time, you can download the LAC Intake form from the link in the margin and fill them out before you come in. (Use the sample intake instructions to make sure you fill out the form correctly.) A staff member will sit down with you and complete the intake interview. This process takes about 10 minutes.
WEEKLY
Weekly appointments are 50-minute sessions scheduled in advance which take place every week at the same time with the same tutor. We are not able to offer weekly appointments to all students who want them. This type of tutoring is best if you
- are worried about failing
- are taking a remedial class
- want to develop your reading, writing, time management, test-taking or problem-solving skills
- can commit to spending an hour a week for tutoring
Scheduled weekly appointments may be one-on-one or in small groups of students with the same teacher. You may have up to two scheduled appointments each week, one with a reading/ writing/ study skills tutor and one with a math/sciences/study skills tutor. In addition to your weekly appointments, you may come for same-day tutoring.
To make weekly tutoring sessions productive:
- Come to all your tutoring sessions.
- Bring your notes, textbooks, readers, course materials.
- Come prepared: Try to do your homework before you meet with your tutor and prepare questions for him or her.
- Be sure to always bring your essay assignment because the first thing your tutor will do is help you check whether your paper responds to the topic or not.
Groups
Groups give you a chance to work collaboratively on solving problems and learning with other students in your class. By working together, you solidify what you already know and learn new strategies to tackle what you need to work on.
The LAC Writing Workshop is a special program for freshmen enrolled in English 201/202 or English 104/105. Students meet twice a week for ten weeks with 3-5 students from their English class and a tutor to work on grammar and on their English essays. You need to be referred by your English teacher to participate in a LAC Writing Workshop.
ONE-TIME APPOINTMENT
We sometimes have one-time appointments on our weekly schedule that you can reserve. To reserve a one-time appointment, please call or drop by the LAC and ask about openings for the current week.
To make one-time tutoring sessions productive:
- Come to your scheduled session on time.
- Bring your notes, textbooks, readers, course materials.
- Come prepared: Do as much of your homework as you can before you meet with your tutor and prepare questions for him or her.
- Be sure to always bring your essay assignment because the first thing your tutor will do is help you check whether your paper responds to the topic or not.
SAME-DAY APPOINTMENTS
Same-Day appointments can only be scheduled on the day of the appointment. There are 50 minute and 25 minute appointments that start on the hour and half-hour.
Some Reading and Writing tutors and some Math and Sciences tutors have Same-Day appointments everyday. Check the Same-Day schedule to see if the tutors who are working can help with the course you want help in.
This type of tutoring is best if you
- are doing well in general but get stuck on a specific problem or concept
- have done well in previous classes
- have a specific question to ask
Tutors are available throughout the day. Pick up a schedule of tutor availabilities and specialties outside HSS 348.
To make same-day tutoring productive:
- Avoid coming for help at the last minute, especially when you want help on a paper or have a question that you need answered before a test.
- Come prepared with specific questions.
- You can come when you receive an assignment and work with a tutor to brainstorm; you can come with a draft to get feedback on organization and development; you can come when you feel confused by a lecture.
- If you want a tutor to read an essay, it's best to type it up.
Tutors don't give answers or do the proofreading for you. Rather, they help you solve problems or learn to edit on your own.
LATE POLICY
Please don't be late for your weekly, one-time or same-day tutoring sessions. If there are students waiting, we may give your appointment to another student if you are more than five minutes late.
SKILLS DEVELOPED IN TUTORING
The LAC provides skills-based tutoring. This means that tutors help you develop specific skills and strategies during each tutoring session. They do this by asking you questions, helping you figure out what you know and what you need to work on. They teach you specific strategies to get your work done effectively, give you opportunities to practice the skills and strategies during tutoring sessions, and help you find ways to use them independently.
Writing
- Understanding assignments
- Planning and getting started
- Citing sources
- Making revisions
- Editing and proofreading
Reading
- Planning reading schedules
- Reading textbooks effectively
- Locating main ideas
- Summarizing and retaining information
- Thinking critically
Research
- Planning for a research project
- Effectively using electronic databases
- Compiling bibliographic citations
Math and Sciences
- Identifying, comprehending, and learning to talk about concepts
- Discovering patterns and making connections in materials
- Problem-solving
Study Skills
- Time management
- Lecture note-taking
- Organizing information
- Annotating and marking texts
- Test-taking strategies
- Asking questions
IF YOU WANT HELP WITH GRAMMAR
Tutors are not allowed to correct your essays. Too much help is considered plagiarism.
If you're at the proofreading stage of the writing process(meaning you've written and revised several drafts), you can expect to
- Learn to recognize errors in your writing,
- Learn steps to correct your own errors, and
- Focus on one or two writing problems during the session.
On your own, before you see a tutor
- Do as much editing as possible,
- Write down questions you want to discuss, and
- Bring the draft with your notes and corrections to the session.
After the session,
- Practice the steps you learned during the session to finish editing your paper on your own.
SUBJECTS AND COURSES TUTORED
The following is a sample of courses for which students have received tutoring at the LAC. If you need tutoring for a course that is not listed, contact the LAC to talk with a staff member.
Reading/Writing
Composition: 104, 105, 106, 114, 214, 414
Composition for Multilingual Students (CMS): 201, 202, 204, 208, 209, 212, 310, 410, 411
Classes fulfilling the Critical Thinking Requirement (for example, AAS 110, ENG 200, PSY 111).
Classes fulfilling GE Requirements in any of the SF State colleges:
- Behavioral & Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, etc.)
- Creative Arts (Cinema, BECA, etc.)
- Ethnic Studies (Raza, Africana Studies, etc.)
- Humanities (Creative Writing, Philosophy, etc.)
Classes fulfilling the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement (for example, GEOG 203, PSY 171).
Classes involving written communication and/or research (for example, BUS 360, CFS 312, HED 330, KIN 355, GEOG 412, etc.)
Math/Sciences
Math: 59, 60, 70, 109, 110, 124, 226, 227, 228 (up to 325)
Business Analysis/ Decision Sciences: 110, 124, 212
Education: ISED 160; Math 165, 565
Economics: 100, 101
Biology: 100, 150, 210, 230, 330, 610
Chemistry: 100, 101, 115, 215 (up to Organic)
Physics: 101, 111, 121
Click here for a complete listing of all SF State tutoring services available for each subject or contact the LAC at 338-1993 or lac@sfsu.edu
