Blog 14-Tutoring Sessions on 10/27-"First 5 Minutes"

In the session that I observed on Monday the first five minutes were different from the ones Newkirk suggested. The introduction of student and tutor went very quickly. Then they went straight into the paper. Unlike the examples Newkirk used, the student led this session. I suppose the agenda was set by the student. However, I was unsure about what the goal of the session was because the student was very confident about her paper and did not want to change anything. I don't know if this makes the session contradictory to Newkirk's examples.

Newkirk's ideas can be realistic in certain situations. Not all students will be as willing and open to talk about their writing. Especially if they dont even want to be there. His ideas could work if the tutor has become familiar with the student's work in a session and the student openly tells the tutor what he/she thinks can be changed. Using skill, the tutor can then concentrate on adressing the student's concerns. Then that becomes the agenda. As far as this happening in the first five minutes, that can be a little idealistic. Comfort levels for interaction will vary. Some students take a bit longer to grow comfortable with a tutor they are meeting for the first time. In the examples Newkirk uses, they are meeting with their professor who they have had classes with and one teacher-student conference already.

Blog 13- Critique of "The First Five MInutes: Setting the Agenda in Writing Conferences" by Thomas Newkirk

In Thomas Newkirk’s essay “The First Five Minutes: Setting the Agenda in a Writing Conference,” he discusses the importance of having an agenda understood by both the teacher and the student in writing conferences. He uses a dialogue from three writing conferences between students and their composition teachers to illustrate how each conference either fails or accomplishes this goal. Then he explains each outcome using specific examples from the conference

Each conference is given a title and an introductory paragraph giving background information on the student’s paper. This is followed by a dialogue of the conference and then a thorough explanation by Newkirk about why the conference works or does not work. Newkirk uses specific parts of the dialogue to show where the teacher attempted to set up an agenda. In two of the conferences, the students are unaware or confused about the teacher’s intent for the conference and as a result have an unsuccessful conference. Newkirk uses specific things said by the student and then draws on it by giving insight about why the student might have said those things

The form that Newkirk uses to explain these conferences creates a model for successful conferences. His detailed explanations of each conference work as an example to tutors or teachers who strive to have meaningful meetings with their students. Using the conferences (both successful and unsuccessful) as examples becomes beneficial for the reader of the essay.

Blog 12

During our first tutoring session down in the CAS, I was the tutor, Angela was the student and Nick was the observer. Before our session began, Nick explained thoroughly what his objectives were for observing our session. He gave examples on how our identity would be protected and gave us the permission forms to sign. He was very friendly.

During our session, Nick observed quietly and did not interrupt or disrupt our session in any way. I felt comfortable and wasn't really bothered by him being there. Angela and I have known each other since high school, so we are very comfortable with each other. From knowing Nick from class, I was familiar with him. Perhaps this is why we were comfortable during the session.

Nick took a lot of notes on our body language. When I asked him about his notes, he mentioned that in his notes he wrote down that I would lead the session sometimes. I was a little frustrated about this because I am trying not to do it as much, but I'm glad he noted it because it made me aware that I still have to work on that.

For my observations, I plan on using my laptop for notetaking. I want to observe body language, tome of voice, gestures by the student and the tutor.(Later adding head notes).

BLOG 11-Possible Research Topics

Ok, truthfully, I'm still not sure what I want to do my research project on or what my research question is. These are possible ideas, though I'm not sure if I'm going to use any of them yet.

1.For students coming to the writing center, how important is it to become a better writer vs. just getting a good grade? In an ideal world, the answer to this would be all students want to become better writers, but that is not the case. I would be interesting to see what other
motives students have for coming to the writing center.

2. I took a look at Nick's blog stating writing center assumptions and noticed one said something about everyone sharing the same world view. Students coming to the writing center come from diverse backgrounds and cultures, and they're not all going to share the same views. How do these cultural differences affect tutoring different students and their writing?

3. On Nick's list, there was also a point stating that an assumption was that guys are more likely to get annoyed and leave and women are more likely to stay and be more active in finishing the session. What role does gender difference play in tutroring students?

Again these are just possible topic ideas. Hopefully as we talk about the research project more I will able to focus on one research topic and form my question.

BLOG 10

(sorry this is being posted late)

I think I would like to learn more about tutoring students with learning disabilities or handicaps. Since I plan on teaching young children, tutoring children with those qualities is especially interesting. However, tutoring peer to peer with a student who also has these qualities makes for an equally edifying experience. Also in tutoring these students, which tutoring approach would be most beneficial?

If I could invent a project and money was not an issue, I would establish a center that offered different approaches to tutoring.Using highly trained tutors, I would give students the option to choose whether they would like to receive minimalist tutoring or collaborative tutoring. The facility would also offer different tutoring environments, like one-on-one tutoring cublicles, or open rooms with tables where multiple sessions are taking place at the same time. Using a survey at the end of tutoring sessions, we would be able to see what the students think. I think it would be interesting to see which approach becomes more favored and what the students learn when they leave the center.

MINIMALIST TUTORING

Oh man...I must say, honestly I am not a huge fan of minimalist tutoring.
However, I'm all for student centered tutoring, but I sometimes feel as if minimalist tutoring would make the student feel isolated, though this is not the case with all students.

In my tutoring session with nick, when I was the student being tutored I felt lost. We later figured out that this was because minimalist tutoring works best when the student understands the assignment completely (which I did not). However, he did a great job keeping me in charge of the tutoring session by asking me questions trying to figure out where I wanted to go with my paper. When it was my turn to tutor Nick, I found it challenging to let the student do most of the talking (I like to talk!), but it was helpful because it forces the student to really take a look at the work theyve done and they are able to point out what/where needs work themselves.

This fits in with my style of tutoring because I like to keep my sessions student centered. Though it is a bit challenging, I think with a bit of practice I should be able to use minimalist tutoring effectively.

Using minimalisat tutoring will change based on how the student understands the assignment. Some students may not know exactly what to write. In this situation the student may need helpful hints from the tutor to be able to begin the assignment. (hints like taking a look at the syllabus, suggesting OWL Purdue to understand different essays, etc.)

Although I definitely need to practice minimalist tutoring more, I do understand how beneficial and effective it is for the student to receive this type of tutoring.

Blog 8-Tutoring Checklist

My Tutoring Checklist

-Greet students/ be friendly to build rapport with student
-Try to get them to relax, if they are nervous
-Observe student's body language, as well as staying aware of my own
-Address student's paper and ask what they would like to accomplish in the session
-Have the student take notes on the changes they will make to the paper- don't leave without doing writing!
-Be aware that sutdents learn differently
-Be aware of the student's uncertainties and help them overcome them
-Be helpful and encouraging, but don't do all the work for the student
-Ask questions to keep student motivated and keep the session on track (Also a good way to see if you and the student are on the same page)
-Give helpful resources, if needed (OWL Purdue,etc.)
-Have student tell me what they feel they have accomplished during the session.
-Suggest scheduling another appointment
-Understand that I will do the best I can with every student, that's all I can do.
-Dont' be discouraged and be so hard on myself if a session doesn't go perfectly

How to make the session work:

1. Building rapport with the student and helping them feel comfortable during the session is very important. They must feel comfortable and view you as a peer helping them. Because, thats what it is peer tutoring! I want to stay away from being the "authoritative figure" in my sessions.

2. Keep the session student-centered. Different students will have different learning styles. I believe letting the student take charge of the session will help address how they learn most effectively.

3.Listen to questions and concerns of the student. Give helpful feedback on how they can solve their own problem. It is important that the student understand that THEY are the ones improving their paper. This will help empower them to look at themselves as becoming better writers and create a positive atmosphere for the session.

4. Wrap up at the end of the session to make sure the student feels as if they accomplished something during the session. Schedule another appointment if necessary.

I'm sure these guidelines will change depending on how the student is. Tutoring sessions are unpredictable. There are no set plans, we just have to be prepared for anything. :)

Blog 7-Effective tutoring

Effective features of tutoring?

There are so many aspects that can be looked at as effective features of tutoring. To me, communication between the student and the tutor is one of the most important. It is imperative that the writer and student speak to each other frequently and that each person listens. The tutor must be a good listener in order to address what the student thinks are issues in their paper, and vice versa, the student must listen to suggestions given by the tutor (or at least consider them) in order to improve the paper.

It is also important that the tutor build rapport with the student, in order to break through that uncomfortable wall between tutor and student. Most of the time, student will look at you as if you are the authoritative figure who leads the session (in one aspect, sometimes you are...inevitably you have to begin the sessions for less motivated students). So, it is important that the student feel comfortable with you, so that they may interact openly and share their ideas with you.

While it is important that the student somewhat control the session in order to accomplish what the student intends to, I believe it is also important to encourage the student to want to accomplish more. However, if they are content with what they do in the session, then you must be supportive and encourage them to come back for another session to look at the end product.

Looking back on my tutoring session, I would say that I need take more notes during the session so that I do not get lost while exchanging ideas with my student. I would like to spend more time building rapport with my student to ensure open communication. Also, I would like to remember to be less teacher like,also without becoming an "editor" (as per Jeff Brook's essay). I want my sessions to remain student centered, but not to the extent that Brooks dicusses. I almost feel like he kind of isolates the student.

Most importantly, for effective tutoring it is important that we somewhat "expect the unexpected". There are no set rules and outlines to follow when it comes to tutoring sessions. Each student is different, so tutors must not be discouraged easily, instead be patient and do our best as tutors to make sure the student feels they accomplished something in the writing center. Be it becoming a better writer (what we hope for most!), or just improving the paper this time...