On a Tutoring Session with an SCS Student and the Bedford Guide's Suggestions

Today at my Writing Center observation my consultant and I worked with a Continuing Studies student. She arrived several minutes late and seemed somewhat flustered however happy to be at the appointment. From the beginning I noticed that my consultant employed a few of the "strategies for working with adult learners" in The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors (72).
One of the points the guide makes is "Be sensitive to the writer's anxiety and supportive of his or her efforts to return to school despite the obstacles. Maintain an encouraging and empathetic tone" (72). My consultant used this strategy even more than I expected. From the moment the student came in my consultant was assuring her that it was okay that she was late and urging her to relax. The student had not actually written any of her paper yet although she had thought about it and done some research. She seemed like she felt disorganized and did not know where to start. Despite this I think the consultant really helped the student calm down and begin to tackle the significant amount of work the student needed to do.
The Bedford Guide also states that "Adult learners are often very goal oriented, so setting the agenda and successfully wrapping up and summarizing the session are particularly important. Make sure the writer has concrete revision plans in place at the end of the session" (72). One of the writer's main concerns was trying to organize her thoughts and get some kind of structure in place so that she could begin working. I thought the consultant did a good job of addressing the student's more specific concerns and also outlining the basic form that the paper might take. We spent a considerable amount of time working on the basic argument (in this case a hypothesis and problem statement for a scientific paper) but also talked about the paper as a whole. At the end of the appointment we had not accomplished that much but the student seemed more relaxed and organized and had a plan for what steps to take next.
Another strategy the Bedford Guide recommends is "Do not allow the adult learner to become too dependent on your help...At the close of the session the writer may resist leaving and might ask for another session with another tutor immediately" (72). Throughout the session the consultant did a good job of facilitating the writer's ideas and not doing much of the work herself. She prompted the student to share her thoughts about the paper and helped her along without becoming too involved. The student also admitted that she had tried to book two appointments in a row but that the consultant had another student coming in so she could not. However, she had booked an appointment at a later time. I think this is the best outcome because it will give the writer some time to do some more work on her own but she will also get more help in other stages of her writing process.