Blog Post #7 -- Bri


One challenging aspect of asynchronous tutoring is not being able to use body language or tone to enhance communication with the student while commenting on their paper.  Chapter six warns, “use humor and sarcasm carefully” to avoid offending the student, because often these communication styles need body language in order to succeed.  Similarly, asynchronous tutoring does not allow for the tutor to properly assess the student’s understanding of the assignment.  I have yet to do any online tutoring, so I can’t say for sure, but I imagine asynchronous tutoring also inhibits our ability to relate to our students on what they’re struggling with because we’re less likely to know how they are struggling.  Earlier this semester we talked about the practice of sharing with students our own struggles/tendencies with writing to assure them that they’re not alone in their experiences.  It seems asynchronous tutoring may limit this possibility as well. 

However, a benefit to asynchronous tutoring is modeling the behavior we are encouraging the student to use in their paper.  Modeling happens in our comments or by editing a “small portion of text” as an example of how to fix the rest of their paper, helping the student develop as a writer and not just make the paper more effective.  Another advantage to this tutoring style is anonymity, which may take care of some of the nervousness or embarrassment I sometimes experience with my Enrollment students if they hand me an assignment they’re not particularly proud of.     

Comments

  1. Mark RheaumeMarch 10, 2020 at 5:22 AM

    Hi Bri! I think you're keen to point out the need for levity in a tutoring situation in-person, and I find myself trying to keep it a part of my online tutoring. I often ache to write a smiley face every once in a while, in the same way that I would try to smile at my writer while she struggles through a paragraph.

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