Well, today I'll show you guys how do we put Collaborative Learning into practice.

What makes us a multidisciplinary writing center? At the Centro de Lectura y Redaccin (C.L.R.), we have a big diversity when it comes to tutors and the disciplines they specialize in. Many writing centers in the United States employ English majors as peer tutors. Obvious choice, anyone can infer. Whats interesting at CLR is that the 8 peer tutors who work there major in very distinct areas. Alexander-Education Anas- Biology Ana Mara- Nutrition and Dietetics Carlos- Film (Communications) Mara- Social Work Patricia- Sign Language Raily- Accounting Luis (THATS ME) Graphic Design As you can see that we are very diverse but, is it too much? How do we balance this out? First, our director, Sylvia Casillas, gave us the basics; what I call peer tutoring 101. During a 20-hour training period, we learn some of the skills needed, and get on the same page when it comes to writing techniques, grammar, format, etc. After that, the learning process for the tutors at the CLR takes a drastic turn. As time flew by, and believe me that it seems like yesterday when I stepped on the CLR for the first time, we noticed there were certain things happening. Unexpected things. Situations that, maybe, another tutor could have managed better, for example: the student needs to write a screenplay for a film class, and Im the graphic designer. WHERES CARLOS? Thats when we all decided that it would be great to have a little background of what everyone does. VOILA, tutors 4 tutors was born, or at least, the abstract idea of it. How do we use our different skills to train ourselves and new tutors? Day by day, with each tutoring session, we acquire more and more experience. For every tutor, this experience is different. The way we approach a difficult session, or the techniques we use to help the students with their papers, is clearly influenced by the discipline of the tutor. Sharing this information is crucial for the growth of the fellow tutors. This is why we have developed a system that has worked for us until today. Training Sessions The first step in this growth process is the training sessions we have every month. At the beginning of every semester, we think about what topics are the most important, the ones that trouble our mind, or simply, the things we consider a MUST KNOW for other tutors. Sometimes, 2 co-workers can share the same session, considering the extension of the topic. Mentors talk about difficult sessions or doubts about writing in a certain format or discipline. This uncovers the possibilities that we have to solve a problem from the different points of view of our peers. Its good to know how the

Social Worker or the Accountant will look for a solution to the problem. Bb Some of our training sessions were: Special needs? We are on your team!: Patricia Zambrana. Direct Learning Activities & use of technologies in the writing center: Carlos Acevedo Writing on the disciplines: Design meets Accounting: Raily Daz y Luis Gonzlez How to make APA style interesting!: Ana Loreanne y Carlos Acevedo. Prezi Bootcamp: Carlos Acevedo. Introduction to Sign Language: Patricia Zambrana Prejudice on a students paper. What to do? : Carlos Acevedo Theres a certain discourse a student must use to communicate better within his/her discipline. Talking to your fellow tutors can broaden your vocabulary and, later on, as you comment on a students paper thats specifically for a PEDAGOGY course, it becomes an easier and more effective session even if you are a FILM student. We have dedicated a lot of time learning about the other tutors disciplines and the way they write. We provide services for a lot of different courses and we firmly believe that a student should write like the professional he will become. Actually, the second biggest group of students receiving services at the CLR, come for classes other than English, Spanish, Social Sciences and Humanities. That being said, the training of tutors, by tutors, is key for the growth of our center. Informal discussions Another useful tool, and my personal favorite, is our informal discussions. In between training sessions, there are a lot of things happening in our writing center. Talking to the other tutors can be exceptionally good to make every session very effective. This happens randomly, when we have a little free time at the LAB. If a tutor notices that there is a student from a specific course in his discipline, and he will not be at the CLR at the time, he will talk to his coworker about the possible considerations to be taken when commenting on that paper. Just a few days ago, a student whos about to graduate brought her thesis. She was an interior design major and was really worried about her paper. She made an appointment a few days in advance, so it gave me time to talk with some of the professors at my school. I tried to gather the information needed to make the most out of her 1 hour session. Then, I made some guidelines that any tutor can use for reference to help a student with similar needs. Talking to professors This leads me to my next point: communication with professors. Last year at the conference in Baltimore, we were surprised because, in many of the panels, the speakers mentioned that they did not have the full support of their college administration, or the faculty. In the two years that the CLR has

been running, most of the professors cooperate with our director and with us tutors. They give us their rubrics and the specifications of their writing assignments. What do we do? We get together and discuss the requirements, get on the same page and brainstorm to come up with creative ways to help students with their papers. This makes the tutoring session more gratifying for the student and the tutor as well. How does this affect our experience while tutoring? Training tutors is one thing, but putting all that knowledge into practice is another story. In the two years we have been offering our services, we have seen some situations that were properly managed thanks to our training. I will leave you with Raily & Carlos so they can share some experiences where the tutors 4 tutors method was key to help the students who seek help at our center.