Since 2004, Richard Burns has developed the teaching of writing and study skills in response to a heightened demand and awareness of need, especially among Senior Tutors and Directors of Studies (DOS's) at Cambridge colleges.
He specialises in working with students to enhance their skills in academic writing and methods of study, by delivering regular individual supervisions, as well as regular seminar courses and occasional small group sessions and talks. Supervisions are usually arranged for a pre-set number of one-to-one meetings, with the option of continuing weekly or fortnightly for a longer period. Arrangements are made through a College's DOS and Senior Tutor. Tuition also focuses on: the relative roles of non-linear and linear thinking in composition and planning essays; revision skills; writing and time-management during examinations; and oral presentation skills
While demand is especially high in the period leading up to end-of-year exams, a more effective approach is to identify students' needs earlier in the year and to begin their supersions in writing skills as soon as possible after that.
At Cambridge, Richard works extensively with undergraduates and graduate students, and with both EL1 and EL2 speakers (native and non-native English speakers), both as Bye-Fellow at Downing College (since 2007) and Preceptor at Corpus Christi College (since 2005), and as Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Newnham College (2003-5). He regularly supervises students and delivers seminars in Writing and Study Skills at Emmanuel and Pembroke Colleges, and at Peterhouse.
As Project Fellow for the Royal Literary Fund (2005-6), Richard Burns compiled and wrote an extensive intranet resource for RLF Fellows working with EL2 students to improve their writing skills.
One downloadable handout on punctuation (commas, colons and semi-colons) is now available on this website. More handouts for both EL1 and EL2 students will later be offered on this website.