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Coaching can be adapted to the many different writing needs and situations of high school students.
Fixing problems. Students who
need help with writing weaknesses identified by teachers or parents can be coached in basic writing skills at the sentence, paragraph and essay levels. The coaching can be tailored to focus on specific problems and then |
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Two approaches. Coaching is effective for individuals or small groups of students who have similar needs. Some students prefer personal attention and privacy, while others are more comfortable sharing sessions.
Individual coaching. An effective approach to start with would be three one-to-one coaching sessions at the individual’s pace in a set period, |
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be adjusted until improvements are made. Coaching is also available for grammar and spelling and to follow the performance-based writing model of ideas, organization, voice, word choice, fluency, convention and presentation.
Getting better. Students wanting to strengthen and polish their writing can be coached in expressing themselves simply, clearly and effectively, while desired writing skills are reinforced and sharpened. Often the coaching involves writing related to a school project, publication or extracurricular activity. One-to-one coaching can be especially effective in this.
Getting ready. English composition coaching is offered for college-bound high school students. Most college freshmen must clear an English comp hurdle, either by demonstrating on placement tests that they are already adequately prepared or by taking specific comp courses once they get to college. Less-prepared students usually have to take more of these courses for a longer time. (More than half of students now take English comp while in high school, and their scores on the new SAT writing test show they are better prepared -- with average scores of 521 compared to 494 for students without English comp in high school. See more info.) English comp coaching can be a review or it can provide grounding for students who haven't had an opportunity to take an English comp class.
Additional college prep. Students who are preparing to take the SAT or ACT can be coached on maximizing their scores on the writing portions of the tests. (See more info.) Students who are preparing to write college application essays and scholarship essays can be coached on increasing their effectiveness. (See more info.)
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| usually a month, spaced by independent work or study of materials selected for the student’s needs. If desired, an assessment of the student’s writing is done in advance and discussed at the first session. Add-on coaching sessions can be arranged.
Getting started. One-to-one coaching can be arranged in just a few days. Just call or e-mail. Here’s how it typically works:
• An introductory conversation, often by phone, determines what needs to be done – fix a basic writing problem and get your student up to speed, “tune up” your student’s writing, get your student ready to take a placement test, or help your student tackle college application essays.
• An informal meeting with your student, usually with a parent sitting in, results a few days later in an assessment written by the coach, along with a suggested approach.
• Your student sets a date, time and location approved by you for the first coaching session.
• After the first session, your student works on the between-sessions material.
Fees. Individual coaching is $200 and includes an hour of assessment and three one-hour coaching sessions. Add-on sessions are $50 per hour.
Private and confidential. As a writing coach, I can work with teachers and others to help meet students' needs, but often parents and students prefer that the coaching remains confidential. Privacy can be important to a student’s motivation and success. When requested, nothing ever goes beyond parents, student and coach.
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