Blog Post #1: Please post two questions or concerns, one about how our writing center operates and the other about how writing centers in general function? Thanks! You can post them as comments.
I’m very interested in Chapter 2’s discussion of space during the tutoring session. I’m thinking back towards the best music composition lessons I’ve attended, and the worst. The best experiences offered many ways for me to record or actively write out the ideas we talked about or drafting new ones. I like having access to dry erase boards because they offer space to write on, and that space really allows for the collaboration from Chapter 1.
So my second question, or response, would be: how could I incorporate dry erase boards-- or at least a more fluid space that invites movement-- in our writing center? Could I bring a large board and use it on the table? Would inviting students to take a picture of their board at the end of a session provide enough of an artifact for them to retain some of our work together?
Mark--Feel free to use the dry erase board at the front of the Writing Center, or to bring one from home you can use on the table. Just drag ours over to where you're tutoring. That's a great idea to have them take a picture of the board when you're done. You could also just use a notebook. Both of you could brainstorm separately in your notebooks and then compare notes. You could also use large sheets of paper and magic markers.
Per Bedford's section on tutor as counselor, my first question is very simple. Are we, as tutors, considered mandatory reporters? Do we go through the same channels laid out for rhetoric instructors, if a student comes in with a concern of this nature?
My second question, in the interest of consistency: are there particular ways that you (or any of us) have to try to maintain a level of professionalism that reinforces the line between tutor and counselor, or between tutor and friend? Obviously, in a classroom setting, that is an easier line to bear in mind, but in one-on-one settings, it can be easy to slip into a role that becomes too much of an emotional support rather than an academic one.
Students may sometimes become dependent on our feedback and want to meet with us outside of tutoring appointments and outside the writing center. We would discourage that although every once in a while, a project you've been working on is due before your next appointment, and if you have time, they could email it to you for feedback.
It's fine to be friendly and talk about other topics besides writing for a few minutes as a kind of warm up at the beginning of a session. It's also fine to talk about classroom, family, and social problems that students bring up that may be impacting their writing and their other academic work (especially conflicts with teachers, not understanding assignments or the teachers' explanations; roommate and other relationship problems), and give advice. However, you don't want those problems to take over the tutoring session. You'd want to steer the conversation back to working on the draft.
Tutors are not mandatory reporters because they don't have an administrator's role. But if you feel that what you learned from a student means they are a danger to themselves or others, please tell Deirdre or me and we can report it to the University Threat Assessment team.
My first question is in regards to the "Using A Handbook" section in Chapter 2. What handbook does the Writing Center prefer? And is that handbook available in the WC, or is it something we need to bring with us to our tutoring sessions?
My second question pertains to privacy. Since there will be several of us working with students at the same time, have students ever complained that the WC is not a private enough space to comfortably discuss their writing?
There's no one handbook our writing center recommends, but we have a small pile of all different kinds of handbooks on the bookshelf in the back.
Yes, sometimes students complain, not necessarily about privacy, but about the noise level. My impression is that most students acknowledge that everyone has problems writing; after all, cognitive scientists describe writing as a problem-solving process--from rhetorical problems to word choice to mechanics--it's a series of problems that have to be solved and decisions that have to be made. Every once in a while, there's a problem, say, that a student has with a grade or an instructor, which is so emotionally fraught that they may want to talk about it outside the writing center, say, at a table in the hallway, or my office could be used for that purpose.
I am particularly interested in the ethics of tutoring, namely, how much help is too much when it comes to assisting on an assignment. I realize that the University of Iowa Writing Center has a looser approach than some in its approach to this, allowing tutors to make suggestions about word and phrase choice in student work. However, the line here seems fine and I would imagine that over the course of working with a particular student for a semester, gray areas can arise regarding plagiarism and outside assistance.
My other question falls along the lines of the fishing pole vs. fish saying. Are there other ways we can help our students outside of traditional tutoring that, although they may not coincide with the assignment, can help student's develop lasting abilities? Reading is often the best tool one has when it comes to becoming a better writer. Is it common or possible for tutors to suggest readings? Does this kind of thing, which could appear to students as just additional homework, fall under our purview?
Those are great questions. You always want to give students the chance to rephrase a passage first. if they can't, you can provide and discuss a couple of options for rewording rather than just one. You'll know if you are doing too much in the tutorial if the student, rather than contributing or making suggestions, is always holding out and waiting for you to fix the phrasing. Have the student use bilingual and monolingual dictionaries or even google for word choice or collocation issues (which words go together). Don't feel like you have to find and solve all the draft's problems. Students themselves have a sense of what is wrong, but maybe don't know how to address it. Ask them what aspects of the paper they are having problems with, especially in responding to the assignment prompt.
We, along with the Speaking Center, are also a de facto or default Reading Center since we don't have one anymore. So we often work on reading in the Writing Center, especially since most writing assignments are about readings--analyzing them, synthesizing, responding to the ideas in them. Once you get to know students, feel free to recommend books, articles, and web sites you think will interest them. Introduce them and take turns reading aloud from them in the tutorial and the student can continue at home.
My first question falls under the purview of Chapter 1's "Counselor" role, related to an above query--to what degree should we be doing this? If for example, a student comes into the writing center with an essay about an ongoing disturbing situation, what should we do in the moment? What kind of "Counselor" support should we be providing, as opposed to notifying someone or recommending the student to Counseling services
My second question is about how the Writing Center works during Midnight Madness--I have never attended or worked the evening, and I was wondering how differently it functions from a usual day?
Kathleen--In a situation of a draft about an ongoing disturbing situation, I'd probably be more inclined intuitively to troubleshoot the situation itself with the student rather than discussing the writing about the situation. But I'd also refer the student to the Resident Hall Adviser, to University Counseling, and tell Deirdre or me about the situation.
Midnight Madness is the one night that we have Walk-Ins who sign up rather than appointments made in advance. We see between 75 and 100 students in one night--the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break-- right before major papers in many courses are usually due.
After reading both chapters, my question is mainly about the tutor's role in relation to the student. What happens if the writer/student arrives with an already negative mindset? For example, a student who does not particularly like the course and is doing the course mainly to fulfill a requirement. This would cause thee student to have a negative mindset regarding the work they have to do. How can we, as tutors, help them?
Regarding the writing center, I understand that we have to do a short report after each session. What is expected in these reports?
We encounter students with negative mindsets all the time, as Rhetoric and Gen Ed Lit students--two of our frequent clients--are taking required courses. Sometimes confusing prompts and brusque or confusing feedback contributes to their students' dissatisfaction. We should acknowledge their feelings, but also with a prompt, try to help students make it their own by choosing an approach that they will learn from. With brusque or even mean feedback, you can acknowledge that it could have been phrased more positively or diplomatically, but also show the student how they could use it to improve the present paper or the next paper. [With mean feedback, tell Fernando though, and EPB tutors should tell Deirdre or me and we can talk to the instructors' mentors or the DEO.]
For the reports, you include the writing issues you worked on. e.g. "We worked on adding detail to a descriptive essay and on gender agreement issues." Add any other notes that would be useful to the next tutor who works with this student. e.g. "Student prefers that the tutorial be conducted completely in Spanish, although sometimes he is difficult to understand." Or "Student asked me to estimate her grade, but I told her that was against our policy."
My first question has to do with the specifics of tutoring individual students. Is there a best practice for identifying the needs of an individual student, and for working with these specific needs? How much help is too much help? What do you do if a student has a problem that you are not sure how to address?
My second question relates to our writing center: several of my rhetoric students have expressed interest in attending. Will there ever be a situation in which I will be tutoring one of my own students? What would I do in this situation?
I would say that with enrollment tutoring, diagnosis is ongoing because you're always learning about students' strengths and weaknesses. Certainly, our diagnostic assignments like Self-as-Writer and An Argument to My Parent(s) help, as do any drafts you see or reading texts you work with. If students have problems you don't know how to address, let Deirdre or me know. It happens a lot. Sometimes students have learning disabilities and don't construct actual sentences or misspell simple words.
Please tell your students about our programs, but you'd never tutor your own classroom students. If you ever got assigned one by accident, we'd fix it and give your student to another tutor. The idea is to get different feedback and explanations, and as tutors we are never the graders.
I’m very interested in Chapter 2’s discussion of space during the tutoring session. I’m thinking back towards the best music composition lessons I’ve attended, and the worst. The best experiences offered many ways for me to record or actively write out the ideas we talked about or drafting new ones. I like having access to dry erase boards because they offer space to write on, and that space really allows for the collaboration from Chapter 1.
ReplyDeleteSo my second question, or response, would be: how could I incorporate dry erase boards-- or at least a more fluid space that invites movement-- in our writing center? Could I bring a large board and use it on the table? Would inviting students to take a picture of their board at the end of a session provide enough of an artifact for them to retain some of our work together?
Mark--Feel free to use the dry erase board at the front of the Writing Center, or to bring one from home you can use on the table. Just drag ours over to where you're tutoring. That's a great idea to have them take a picture of the board when you're done. You could also just use a notebook. Both of you could brainstorm separately in your notebooks and then compare notes. You could also use large sheets of paper and magic markers.
DeletePer Bedford's section on tutor as counselor, my first question is very simple. Are we, as tutors, considered mandatory reporters? Do we go through the same channels laid out for rhetoric instructors, if a student comes in with a concern of this nature?
ReplyDeleteMy second question, in the interest of consistency: are there particular ways that you (or any of us) have to try to maintain a level of professionalism that reinforces the line between tutor and counselor, or between tutor and friend? Obviously, in a classroom setting, that is an easier line to bear in mind, but in one-on-one settings, it can be easy to slip into a role that becomes too much of an emotional support rather than an academic one.
Students may sometimes become dependent on our feedback and want to meet with us outside of tutoring appointments and outside the writing center. We would discourage that although every once in a while, a project you've been working on is due before your next appointment, and if you have time, they could email it to you for feedback.
DeleteIt's fine to be friendly and talk about other topics besides writing for a few minutes as a kind of warm up at the beginning of a session. It's also fine to talk about classroom, family, and social problems that students bring up that may be impacting their writing and their other academic work (especially conflicts with teachers, not understanding assignments or the teachers' explanations; roommate and other relationship problems), and give advice. However, you don't want those problems to take over the tutoring session. You'd want to steer the conversation back to working on the draft.
Tutors are not mandatory reporters because they don't have an administrator's role. But if you feel that what you learned from a student means they are a danger to themselves or others, please tell Deirdre or me and we can report it to the University Threat Assessment team.
DeleteMy first question is in regards to the "Using A Handbook" section in Chapter 2. What handbook does the Writing Center prefer? And is that handbook available in the WC, or is it something we need to bring with us to our tutoring sessions?
ReplyDeleteMy second question pertains to privacy. Since there will be several of us working with students at the same time, have students ever complained that the WC is not a private enough space to comfortably discuss their writing?
There's no one handbook our writing center recommends, but we have a small pile of all different kinds of handbooks on the bookshelf in the back.
DeleteYes, sometimes students complain, not necessarily about privacy, but about the noise level. My impression is that most students acknowledge that everyone has problems writing; after all, cognitive scientists describe writing as a problem-solving process--from rhetorical problems to word choice to mechanics--it's a series of problems that have to be solved and decisions that have to be made. Every once in a while, there's a problem, say, that a student has with a grade or an instructor, which is so emotionally fraught that they may want to talk about it outside the writing center, say, at a table in the hallway, or my office could be used for that purpose.
I am particularly interested in the ethics of tutoring, namely, how much help is too much when it comes to assisting on an assignment. I realize that the University of Iowa Writing Center has a looser approach than some in its approach to this, allowing tutors to make suggestions about word and phrase choice in student work. However, the line here seems fine and I would imagine that over the course of working with a particular student for a semester, gray areas can arise regarding plagiarism and outside assistance.
ReplyDeleteMy other question falls along the lines of the fishing pole vs. fish saying. Are there other ways we can help our students outside of traditional tutoring that, although they may not coincide with the assignment, can help student's develop lasting abilities? Reading is often the best tool one has when it comes to becoming a better writer. Is it common or possible for tutors to suggest readings? Does this kind of thing, which could appear to students as just additional homework, fall under our purview?
Those are great questions. You always want to give students the chance to rephrase a passage first. if they can't, you can provide and discuss a couple of options for rewording rather than just one. You'll know if you are doing too much in the tutorial if the student, rather than contributing or making suggestions, is always holding out and waiting for you to fix the phrasing. Have the student use bilingual and monolingual dictionaries or even google for word choice or collocation issues (which words go together). Don't feel like you have to find and solve all the draft's problems. Students themselves have a sense of what is wrong, but maybe don't know how to address it. Ask them what aspects of the paper they are having problems with, especially in responding to the assignment prompt.
DeleteWe, along with the Speaking Center, are also a de facto or default Reading Center since we don't have one anymore. So we often work on reading in the Writing Center, especially since most writing assignments are about readings--analyzing them, synthesizing, responding to the ideas in them. Once you get to know students, feel free to recommend books, articles, and web sites you think will interest them. Introduce them and take turns reading aloud from them in the tutorial and the student can continue at home.
My first question falls under the purview of Chapter 1's "Counselor" role, related to an above query--to what degree should we be doing this? If for example, a student comes into the writing center with an essay about an ongoing disturbing situation, what should we do in the moment? What kind of "Counselor" support should we be providing, as opposed to notifying someone or recommending the student to Counseling services
ReplyDeleteMy second question is about how the Writing Center works during Midnight Madness--I have never attended or worked the evening, and I was wondering how differently it functions from a usual day?
Kathleen--In a situation of a draft about an ongoing disturbing situation, I'd probably be more inclined intuitively to troubleshoot the situation itself with the student rather than discussing the writing about the situation. But I'd also refer the student to the Resident Hall Adviser, to University Counseling, and tell Deirdre or me about the situation.
DeleteMidnight Madness is the one night that we have Walk-Ins who sign up rather than appointments made in advance. We see between 75 and 100 students in one night--the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break-- right before major papers in many courses are usually due.
After reading both chapters, my question is mainly about the tutor's role in relation to the student. What happens if the writer/student arrives with an already negative mindset? For example, a student who does not particularly like the course and is doing the course mainly to fulfill a requirement. This would cause thee student to have a negative mindset regarding the work they have to do. How can we, as tutors, help them?
ReplyDeleteRegarding the writing center, I understand that we have to do a short report after each session. What is expected in these reports?
We encounter students with negative mindsets all the time, as Rhetoric and Gen Ed Lit students--two of our frequent clients--are taking required courses. Sometimes confusing prompts and brusque or confusing feedback contributes to their students' dissatisfaction. We should acknowledge their feelings, but also with a prompt, try to help students make it their own by choosing an approach that they will learn from. With brusque or even mean feedback, you can acknowledge that it could have been phrased more positively or diplomatically, but also show the student how they could use it to improve the present paper or the next paper. [With mean feedback, tell Fernando though, and EPB tutors should tell Deirdre or me and we can talk to the instructors' mentors or the DEO.]
DeleteFor the reports, you include the writing issues you worked on. e.g. "We worked on adding detail to a descriptive essay and on gender agreement issues." Add any other notes that would be useful to the next tutor who works with this student. e.g. "Student prefers that the tutorial be conducted completely in Spanish, although sometimes he is difficult to understand." Or "Student asked me to estimate her grade, but I told her that was against our policy."
My first question has to do with the specifics of tutoring individual students. Is there a best practice for identifying the needs of an individual student, and for working with these specific needs? How much help is too much help? What do you do if a student has a problem that you are not sure how to address?
ReplyDeleteMy second question relates to our writing center: several of my rhetoric students have expressed interest in attending. Will there ever be a situation in which I will be tutoring one of my own students? What would I do in this situation?
I would say that with enrollment tutoring, diagnosis is ongoing because you're always learning about students' strengths and weaknesses. Certainly, our diagnostic assignments like Self-as-Writer and An Argument to My Parent(s) help, as do any drafts you see or reading texts you work with. If students have problems you don't know how to address, let Deirdre or me know. It happens a lot. Sometimes students have learning disabilities and don't construct actual sentences or misspell simple words.
DeletePlease tell your students about our programs, but you'd never tutor your own classroom students. If you ever got assigned one by accident, we'd fix it and give your student to another tutor. The idea is to get different feedback and explanations, and as tutors we are never the graders.