Tutoring Do's and Don'ts

DO's
Be well-groomed and keep a professional appearance.3
Do establish a friendly atmosphere.. Introduce yourself to the student and tell them a little about yourself and ask them something about themselves.
Do ask to see some of the student's work to see where they are at before beginning.
Do help the student to choose a topic to write about if he has not already done so. Ask him to do some freewriting and make a list of subjects he is interested in, has written about in the past, or is interested in writing about now. Allow him 10 minutes to do so.
Do ask them if there is anything in particular that they feel they need help with.
Do look interested and maintain good posture.
Do have your tutoring be mostly student-centered. Have the student do the majority of talking and work. Find ways to "nudge" the student into realizing things for himself.
Do concentrate on HOCs (Higher Level Concerns) first.
Do be honest with the student. Don't mislead him about the level of his writing.

DON'Ts
Don't be overly-friendly or too personal. Remember that this is a professional relationship.
Don't the work for the students. Like the old story, "Don't give a man a fish. Teach him to fish for himself."
Don't be teacher-centered in your tutoring. There are times when you do want to give advice, but be sure that you are not lecturing, but tutoring.
Don't allow distractions such as a ringing phone or other things to interfere with the flow of the lesson.
Don't just correct errors or concentrate on LOCs (Lower Order Concerns) before the (Higher Order Concerns) HOCs.
Don't flatter of praise unwarrented work. However, do mention the positive things so he knows he's on the right track