Blogs

See our website for previously published tutor/LLA blog posts: that will help give you ideas on what to write about and what the finished product will look like.

General Blog Post Guidelines:

• Length: about 250-500 words – longer than the caption of an Instagram post, but short enough to keep a reader's attention.

• Include a descriptive title and at least one relevant image.

• Talk about what interests you! 

• Don’t name any other students.

• Draft your blog post as a Google Doc in the Blogs subfolder of the Tutor/LLA Materials Google Drive.

  • Please give your draft document a clear, descriptive name & title! Include your name, the current semester, and the topic. For example: "[Your Name] Spring 2025 My Experience Learning Spanish"

  • Please also use a pageless layout for the document: click file in the top-left corner, then page setup near the bottom of that menu, and click pageless.

• When you finish your first draft, email LCLC Staff (lclc@uic.edu) Dr. Weber (edweber@uic.edu) to proofread and suggest additions or changes.

• After you receive comments, revise your draft and email LCLC and Dr. Weber again.

• After all rounds of revision are complete, LCLC Staff will publish your blog and email you a link to the live post.

Potential Blog Topics

1.  A positive experience you had with a student (don’t mention the name). What made it positive for you? How did you help the student?

2. Why you decided to become a tutor. What experiences (positive or negative) encouraged you to want to help other students?

3. Your own language learning background. Are you a native speaker of English? If so, what other languages have you learned, and why? If you are bilingual or not a native speaker of English, what are your experiences learning another language and/or English?

4. Your experiences studying abroad. What did you do and where/how did you live during the study abroad trip? How did the experience enrich your language skills and cultural knowledge? What are some highlights?

5. Write about an aspect of the culture of the language you are tutoring: fashion, music, art, films, entertainment, food, sports, education... whatever interests you. (NOTE: This is an opportunity to explore and discuss a topic more thoroughly than you would in an Instagram post!)

6. What are some advantages of learning the language you are tutoring? What do you use the language you’re tutoring for? For fun? For work? To communicate with family and friends? To make new connections? For example, do you watch TV cooking shows online/on Netflix (or other places)? Do you write comments on youtube or other videos? Do you communicate or connect with people with your language skills? Have you already used your language skills at work? Have you traveled to places this language is spoken? Does it get you better food at restaurants in Chicago?

7. How do you think you will be able to use the language you’re tutoring to help you do well in job interviews and in the career you want?

8. Making connections: attend an event centered around the language you tutor (a film, a concert, a lecture: lots here on campus and in the Chicago area). Then write a post about your experiences.

9. Other ideas? Let us know! We encourage you to use your creativity and explore your interests.