Sci-tech writing guidance - A tutoring session

Lecture series for the launch of the Institute for Liberal Arts

In line with Tokyo Tech's ongoing education reform, the implementation of the new education system in April 2016 will bring with it the establishment of the Institute for Liberal Arts.

In preparation for this, the working group of the Institute for Liberal Arts is holding a total of seven lectures to examine the Institute's global-oriented approach on liberal arts from various perspectives.

These lectures are for Tokyo Tech graduate students, faculty, and staff, but the fourth lecture of the series was open to the public.

• Speaker :
  Saori Sadoshima
  Professor and Director of the Writing Center, Waseda University
• Date :
  March 12, 2015

Professor Sadoshima at the lecture

Although Tokyo Tech has been offering a variety of advanced academic writing courses for some time, many students writing in Japanese may have felt unprepared for the high quality of writing required at the Institute. Recently, a growing number of Japanese higher education institutions have realized the need to provide more guidance on writing, with Waseda University's Writing Center blazing the trail for others to follow. Unsurprisingly, the lecture given by Professor Saori Sadoshima, the director of the Writing Center, attracted more than 50 participants including members of the media, and students and faculty from Tokyo Tech and other universities.

In the first half of her lecture, Sadoshima elaborated on the goal, implementation, and operation of the Writing Center, and explained how writing tutors are trained. As the center aims to develop independent writers, rather than just correct texts, tutors use dialogue to encourage writers to analyze and add depth to their own writing. Sadoshima also introduced the philosophy of the center and techniques used at tutoring sessions, emphasizing that tutors can effectively help writers themselves identify and solve problems in their writing.

The latter half of the lecture was a hands-on tutoring session. First, each participant was asked to write a short essay. Next, writers were paired up to evaluate each other's work with the help of a quality check list. The lecture concluded with group discussion on the tutoring experience and its significance in improving the level of writing.

Hands-on tutoring session during the lecture

Four-member groups having discussions

The Institute for Liberal Arts lecture series is supported by the Top Global University Project funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

• Tokyo Tech Lecturer Patrick Harlan highlights the importance of storytelling
• Discussion on foreign language education in a Global Age
• Reflections - Increased awareness through the liberal arts