Valued Practices in Thesis Tutoring

The purpose of these practices and the following suggested methods is not to demonstrate a practicable
model for solving sessions with a thesis student, but instead, to arm the tutor with awareness which will
help them identify and project a productive session plan.
1 The valued practice of finding a rhetorical common ground is never more important than when
there are barriers to entry in the material which the tutor cannot overcome (which, in a thesis,
there are). The tutor has to assert an agreeable plan or the tutee will run the session.
2 Every thesis is an argument with identifiable steps in its logic. Even the most florid humanities
dissertation is not a narrative.
3 The tutors distance from the material also means a reversal of the sessions pace: the tutee will
probably be the first to know if learning happens.
4 The duration of this papers development does not make it an exception to valued practices. The
steps we can take to help a student better understand their own argument could help in any stage
of the writing process.
5 The one session model is probably untenable: suggest as early as possible to set up a
recurring appointment.

Possible Methods for Organizing a Session

Process/ Position/ Perception
(i) Process: identifying relations within the material
Identifiers include:
-Argument examples
-Main points within a section
-Does evidence suggest the papers thesis or skirt around it?
(ii) Position: the global learning process
-How was the paper made?
-Through questioning, the student may find their understanding to require further
explication.
-Was the paper conceived with its object in full view or does that object still
require debate?
-Where does this paper fit into the disciplines pre-existing discourse?
(iii) Perception: how the student views their own learning
-How does the student perceive the object of the project?
-How does the student perceive themselves as a learner?
-Is a language barrier affecting their confidence in stating an argumentative
position?

-Is it clear what this paper is designed to accomplish?

How it works:
Thesis writing is a complex, high-level writing situation. Based on Vermunts RHQL model, or
regulation of high-quality learning, understanding and addressing the four proposed factors can arm the
tutor with an understanding of the mental faculties at work in the thesis writing process, ideally to project
a long-term session plan.
Awareness of specific processes in metacognitive writing practice can reveal patterns in how the learners
identity affects their paper over time.
Process
Is the writer able to identify examples of evidence for their argument? Are the main sections of the
argument clear? If Process seems to be a trouble spot, Intro, Conclusion, Intro could provide
understanding and feedback on the nuts and bolts of their argument.

ICI: Intro, Conclusion, Intro

Often broken into chapters, a thesis paper should have a cogent argument across its parts. To grasp and
address the global content of the papersomething which is valuable even without knowledge of the
materialthe session could examine how each section leads into the next. Viewing the paper globally
may reveal gaps in its logic, something which should be identifiable across disciplines. Is the purpose
clearly stated, or even understood? For every section which makes a claim, do they match up? You dont
have to understand the paper: you have to measure how well the student does.
Position
If Position is the issue, it means that the student struggles to identify the object or aim of the paper. Not
knowing why things are where they are could be disrupting the argument. If after reading a section and
asking questions, the student cannot reduce their argument to its fundamentals or point them out in the
paper, they may benefit from a Reverse Outline.
Reverse Outline
Is the planning stage over? If ICI or a little reading reveals the papers inconsistency within itself on a
global level, creating an outline of the paper in reverse could help reveal the areas which need to be
fleshed out. Where and how sections of the paper interconnect could be debated in a visual way, standing
back from the paper and viewing the arguments skeleton as a rhetorical priority.
Perception

Finally, what if Perception is the problem? Of course, its up to tutor discretion if grammar has
obscured the argument to the point of becoming a global concern, however, it is more common for

grammar issues or an unconfident writerly identity to be the problem causing a global concern: an unclear
or unconfident argument. Any of the proposed methods could be useful in reconciling this concern.
Solutions, especially for this last factor, may be difficult to discover, which is why this handout aims to
better prepare the tutor cognitively for this type of session. In a situation where the tutor is in a rare
position of disadvantage, a reasonable session plan has never been more important.