Week 11 Posting--Kathleen
Volume 44, Number 7-8, March/April 2020, pgs. 26-29
Tutor’s Column: “‘I’m A Terrible Writer’: Helping Students
Who Lack Confidence”
Ash Thoms, University of Nevada-Reno
The title of this article reminded me of a consistent issue
I find in tutoring; I hear this phrase from a student, and assure them that they
aren’t a bad writer, but then have trouble figuring out how to change the
student’s attitude. Thoms’ article recognizes that we ourselves as tutors have
this problem and offers her own tools in a focused engagement to open
communication and establish trust: active listening, engaged interest, positive
rapport, and positive feedback. These steps value each aspect as equally important.
Thoms uses the personal narrative of coming to consider herself a writer as a
framework for the reader to understand ways to help students shift their
self-concept.
This article models a useful set of tools that we already use
intuitively to some degree in tutoring, but I was prompted to reexamine how I
handle such moments after reading her work. My first day of online tutoring is tomorrow,
and I have been thinking about the different kinds of rapport that I have with
my four enrollment students. Thoms closes her article by emphasizing the need
to understand why it is the student believes they are a bad writer; I usually
get a non-answer if I ask, and I like that Thoms suggests different and
non-immediate methods to encourage the student to open up about their writing
concerns.
I wonder if when we get non-answers to the question "Why do you think you're a bad writer?" we could guess some possible reasons based on previous experiences with students with negative perceptions of their writing. We could say to the student, "Sometimes people think they're bad writers because what they want to say doesn't come out on the screen or page like they want it to the first time. But that's what a rough draft is--rough. That's the first step. Then we can revise our rough drafts and make them more precisely reflect our thoughts and ideas. Is that why you've been thinking you're not a good writer?"
ReplyDeleteAnother reason students say they are bad writers is that a former teacher once made a negative comment (or a series of them) and gave them a bad grade. So I guess we could ask, "Did a teacher ever give you too much critical feedback on your work?" to find out if that's why they feel that way.
Others think that since they are STEM-oriented and more interested in math and science than writing, they can't be good writers. But then we can point out how every scientist has to be able to write up their methods and findings clearly so others can understand them.
We can also point out that although talking is natural, few of us are born writers; writing is a skill developed through practice just like playing basketball or learning to play an instrument. And that's what the writing center, especially the enrollment program, is for--practice.
I also face this issue and am similarly frustrated and disheartened by it. I agree that spending time on positive reinforcement is helpful, and something I sometimes forget to do when in the mind-frame of trying to "correct" someone's writing. As an instructor, I find that offering a wide variety of assignment-types helps students identify where they feel comfortable as a writer. Of course, as tutors we do not get to decide their assignments, but maybe there is room for this in the kind of prompts we introduce to them during periods when they are not actively working through a paper for class.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I do when I come across a student with low self-confidence about their writing skills is remind them of what Carol wrote above -- that few people are naturally gifted writers and writing well takes practice. Another thing I share with my students is the importance of engaged reading. I encourage them to notice what stands out to them as intriguing and identify why the writing is so engaging. One of the best tools for learning how to improve one's own skills is to copy an expert.
ReplyDeleteA thing I use (mostly in my gymnastics coaching experience, but also a few times with students (it only works with particular kinds of students)) is sometimes, rather than trying to reassure a student who thinks that they're a bad writer that they're not actually a bad writer, I will instead say something to the effect of "so what?" I'll point out something I think I'm bad at, say tying my shoes. I try to pick something that we all actually have to do in this life so they can't use the excuse that I can just avoid the thing I'm bad at, like playing volleyball. I say, even if tying my shoes doesn't come naturally to me, or make sense to me (fun fact: I actually am not great at tying shoes), I still have to do it, and I get better at it with practice, or I find my own ways of doing it that better suits me and still accomplishes the task (also a thing I've done regarding shoe tying). I ask them if they have any examples of something like that, that they've gotten better with over time or that they've adapted to suit their own skillsets. Then I explain that not everyone is a natural writer, and that that's okay. Being a "good writer," whatever that even means, isn't the end-all-be-all of education. And if they only ever practiced things they're already good at (whether that be math, or building cars, or swimming), then they're not necessarily improving themselves overall. So, take the things they maybe struggle with, in this case writing, and work on those to become better at them by making them their own.
ReplyDeleteThis was incredibly incoherently-written (meta-response?), but hopefully it gets the point across. Sometimes, writing isn't someone's strong suit, and they know that (or at least believe it to be true), and to try to prove otherwise will just make them ignore your reassurances as being insincere (even if they're not). So, meet them where they're at, in terms of mindset, and work from there.
I also like to point out that we can still enjoy things we're not particularly gifted at sometimes. For that, I use the example that I am a terrible bowler, but I still find ways to enjoy bowling when I do it. Similarly, I'm not great at putting laundry away, and I dread having to do it, but I play music, and I barrel through, and I sing and enjoy the music part, and by the end, I have a finished product (usually, an ability to walk across my floor) that I can be proud of.
I really like Ashlyn's response to the "I'm bad at [X]" position. Everyone's bad at stuff because being a human being is multifaceted and complicated and convoluted and difficult and strange; when the application of a skill doesn't turn out in a way we'd deem ideal, it's nothing to be ashamed of or to internalize.
ReplyDeleteMy heart aches every time a student says they are a bad writer. I like all of your strategies in the comments above. I'll say, for my own part, I always try to find something to celebrate.
ReplyDelete