Online Tutoring Simulation

I thought the online tutoring simulation we did in class on Wednesday was really beneficial to the class because it gave us all the opportunity to practice our online tutoring. It also took off a lot of stress knowing there really wasn't someone on the other end of the computer. I feel that it got me prepared to point out the important things, rather than just focusing on grammar and punctuation. It was more about the bigger picture, and you couldn't list all of the small details that needed work because there just wasn't enough room, and I wanted to make sure I didn't bombard the client. I felt it was just really good practice and it prepared me for online tutoring better than anything else could've. I was worried that I left out some things that I needed to focus on, but at the same time, I had already written so much and tried to give the writer insight by just drawing attention to the major things, that I don't really know if the small things are that noticeable once you fix the entire work. Either way, I hope I chose to talk about the more serious issues in the paper, and I hope I did the assignment like I was suppose to.

Online Tutoring

After reading The Anxieties of Distance: Online Tutors Reflect by David A. Carlson and Eileen Apperson-Williams, I thought that online tutoring didn't sound like a bad idea, but I definitely don't think it's something that I would be interested in doing. I agree with some of the tutors in the piece that it's a lot less personal, and it'd be easy to misinterpret and misunderstand what someone is trying to say. I really like the face-to-face interaction I have when tutoring someone, because their facial expressions convey what they feel about a certain issue and if they're confused about something. The rules that are involved with online tutoring seem like they'd be really difficult to follow because I want the freedom of saying what I want to say (not bashing their work or personally attacking them) but having an actual personal conversation with them so I can get to know more about them. I just think that by speaking with a person face-to-face, it builds a relationship with that person and both people can interact and explore ideas better than just talking through e-mail and assuming the tutor is getting the correct content of the piece. It says that through online tutoring students should be put at ease and feel comfortable, but it doesn't exactly say how to do that and I'm not sure if that's even possible. Yes, students aren't embarressed by the fact they need help because no one is going to see them sitting in the writing center and the tutor isn't going to know what they look like, but the boundary that's put between two people on computers is too extreme. It doesn't give either one the opportunity to explore ideas, get information about the client's background, etc. It seems to me as though it's more of a grammar "fix it shop" and a place someone can send their paper when they are tired of trying to write because they want someone else to do their paper for them. That's just my opinion though. I've had the opportunity to talk to teachers about a paper I've done for one of their classes over the internet and face-to-face. The face-to-face interaction allowed me to know what it was I was doing wrong, what I needed to include, what was unclear, etc. You don't get that from just sending your paper via e-mail and getting a short message back that says what you did wrong, and you usually don't know how to correct your mistakes because you still don't understand it exactly and you feel as though you've already bothered them enough and don't want to waste someone's time. I just feel online tutoring is too impersonal for me, but it may work with other tutors. I enjoy meeting students and working collaboratively on their paper to help relieve some of the stress they have from writing, and work on making them better writers.

Chooseing your approach based on the writer's needs

I think most all students are mainly concerned about getting a good grade rather than becoming a better writer. I know from my personal experience that I am definitely worried about getting a good grade on a paper rather than actually learning the content I'm writing about. Last class period, when we talked about this issue, I decided that from now on I'm not going to worry as much about my grades, and pay more attention to just learning the material in general. I think students get caught up in worrying about their GPA's and disregard why they're actually in college... TO LEARN! I could relate to this article because I am insecure about working with students who have a science or engineering major because I do not know much in either field, and it worries me that I'm going to tell them wrong. I don't really know those areas and I honestly think it'd be better at some times to have people in the writing room who have similar majors, so all students can benefit from the center equally. The part in the essay about Maria reminded me of the topic we talked about in class last week. Maria wanted her paper perfected so she could get into graduate school, and I think the tutor did the right thing by focusing on her text, because it's obvious she was smart enough; she had letters of recommendation from the president of the university and the scholar that ran the center for peace studies, so I think she definitely had what it took to get in. I liked how he just gave her really specific instructions and told her to clarify certain parts rather than having her rewrite certain things altogether and writing her paper for her. I think as long as the student and tutor work collaboratively and both are able to understand the strengths and weaknesses in a text, then it's fine to correct certain phrasing and grammar errors in a paper.
Our main focus as tutors is to be flexible and be able to transform your style of tutoring so it best suits the student's needs. Usually, we should try to create better writers and work on the writers more than the text, but I think Maria's case is different and the tutor made the right decision by helping her with the text.

Learning Disabilities and the Writing Center

After reading this article, I feel that this is information that we as individuals should already know. A student with a learning disability needs more time to accomplish their goals, and we as tutors need to be patient with them. I feel that working with ESL students and students with learning disablities are very similar. If you can't quite understand what he/she is trying to say through their paper, then you need to ask them specific questions. It's not out of line to ask about his/her thesis statement and what their main point of their paper is. We should all know that students with learning disabilities are not stupid, they just need more time and practice to achieve their goal. When I read the part about Barb forgetting to take the plastic off the roast, I was a little upset. Just because she forgot to take off the plastic wrap, or didn't know to take it off doesn't mean her learning disability was a contribution. All students need step by step instructions. I don't think that Barb knew much about cooking and her mother leaving out the crucial detail to remove the plastic was not her fault. One time I actually cooked a frozen pizza with the cardboard under it because I didn't realize it was still attached. Several students (not just students with learning disabilities) find an interest in art, music, writing, etc. rather than math or science. That's just how kids are, and I think we need to embrace their enjoyment of any subject they choose, and support them. Just because you like a particular subject over another subject does not mean a student's learning disability has any contribution to their likes/dislikes. Again, when Barb drove the car for the first time and didn't understand all of the rules of the road, her mother should have explained it to her clearly before ever letting her get behind the wheel. I don't know if her mother just didn't explain it, or she had to experience making mistakes while driving before she could learn the correct way to do so, but I think Barb sounds like any other high school student who is nervous about driving and isn't really paying attention to what she's doing. Some students just need more instructions and I really feel that her family should have gone over the rules with her and given her more directions before letting her take over. Students who have trouble with their thesis statement and organizing their papers come into the writing center all the time. I think we need to take our time and be patient with all students. Sometimes you have to be more specific and ask the student more specific questions about their paper, so they understand how to construct their it. All students fall into this category whether their just regular students, ESL students, or students with learning disabilities. I think writing centers can support all students and use a similar method no matter what the case is with each individual student. Tutors can notice when a student is having a trouble grasping the concept, and they can be there to walk them through it step by step, so they correct their mistakes in the future.

Discussion Questions

1) What kinds of cultural preferences do you think you have as a writer? Where did those preferences come from?

As an American writer, my cultural preference is to read and write in Standard English. I haven't had much experience with many other cultures because I have lived here my whole life, and the grade schools I attended did not have much diversity in them. I would love to explore other cultures because the video we watched demonstrated how other places read and write, and I think it'd be interesting to experience these writing styles and cultures firsthand. I feel that it's my duty as a Secondary English teacher to have knowledge about different cultures and their ways of writing. I think it would also be very beneficial for me to actually travel to these places so I could witness their uniqueness in the way they present their ideas and organize their thoughts on paper. I feel like I am missing out on learning about other place's stylist forms by only writing the way an American would write. I'd really enjoy seeing the different ways people express their ideas.


2) What do you do when you think you notice a cultural difference in how a studentis writing or responding to an assignment? What things do you need to be aware of?(If you have examples from writing center experience, great! If not, cast forward tohow you might/could handle such a situation.)

Well, I haven't had much experience with tutoring ESL students, but I did tutor a female ESL student, and I had a difficult time understanding what it was she was trying to express through her writing. She used phrases and wording that I was unfamiliar with, and that made me really nervous. I tried not to be to pushy and allow her to express her ideas the way she wanted to, so we mainly worked on grammatical errors. I asked her a few times what it was she was trying to say and after she explained it clearly to me, then we worked on making her statement more clear to the reader. I also noticed that she started her sentences off with a word that needed the word "the" in front of it to make it sound correct. An example of this would be "Cat went to the barn." She was missing the word "the" that went in front of the beginning of her sentence, but reading it aloud helped her notice her error. I only had to correct her once or twice on this though, then she caught on right away.

I think that all tutors should be aware of the ESL student's background. I was lucky enough to read this student's beliefs in her paper and realize how different her lifestyle was when she lived in Jerusalem. I learned a lot about the cultural that I didn't know before and I found a lot of it very interesting. One thing that I remember from the paper was that people in Jerusalem cannot go into a shopping mall if they are not married and have children. The mall there is very different from here because it's not a teen hangout and single people cannot go there to try and meet other single individuals. Other than rewording some of her writing and grammar, the session went pretty well in my opinion and I think I didn't make her change anything that would distort her culture/beliefs.

Breaking Ice and Setting Goals and Reading an ESL Writer's Text

I think that all students (not just ESL) feel intimidated by the writing room. Sami, an ESL student from Saudi Arabia, and Tika, an ESL student from Indonesia both share the same qualities of American students when it comes to getting help in the writing center. At first, everyone feels a shot to their pride because going to the writing center is actually admiting the fact that he/she needs help with something. Both students were interesting in getting help because they never had access to a place like this before to get help with their writing, but they were just scared because they did not know what to expact once they got inside. I think the section on Making a Plan is extremely important to all tutors. You can't just sit down with someone and know exactly what they need help with. If a student wants help with grammar, then the consultant must offer suggestions that focus on grammar issues and trust that the student is willing to learn about grammar and not be afraid that to address certain issues like this. Setting goals with the student collaboratively and writing questions about his/her work and expectations for the session will give the student a feeling of relief and will give them a better understanding of what the session is going to be like by including them in your plan. I don't have a problem at all with asking the student direct questions about what the assingment is and the main point of their argument. I think by asking myself questions such as these helps me to notice if I actually got my argument across and if it's clear.

I could really relate to the chapter titled Reading an ESL Writer's Text because I just finished working with an ESL student and I could see exactly what the author was talking about. I really enjoyed working with the student and I thought her paper was very fascinating. She is from Jerusalem and she talked about her religion and the different roles that men and women have in her country. I had difficulty understanding what she was trying to say at times, but I'd ask her what she meant and she'd explain it in a way I could understand, then we would work on it to make sure she got her message across to the reader. Her spelling/grammar errors didn't bother me too much because I explained to her how to correct it the first time and she noticed her mistakes as we read through her paper together. Her word choice was a little different, but all in all I enjoyed her paper and I really feel that anyone who reads this will have a better understanding of her country and her beliefs.

Tutoring Observation Analysis

I thought the tutoring observation anaylsis was really helpful. I learned a lot by observing a consultant with a client, and the session I viewed really helped me understand how working collaboratively is the key aspect of being an effective and successful tutor. There have been so many times when I've seen a tutor reading over a student's paper while the student is texting away on their cell phone or just gazing around the room. There's no way a session like this can be helpful for either person. I learned that you can't just do something for someone else. When a tutor just corrects grammar errors or just does their paper for them, then they're not truly learning how to fix their mistakes and when the next assignment rolls around, then they're going to be in the same boat they were in at the beginning. I learned this the hard way with my math homework when I was in high school. I copied off my friends homework a couple times, but when it came time for the test, or when I waited until the last minute and had to do my math homework by myself, then I was screwed. It wasn't until my first year in college that I had the best math teacher I ever had. She explained it to me in a way that I could understand and I felt much more confident after I knew how to do the problems by myself. I left her class with a good understanding of how to do math, and a good grade. I was so proud of myself. I think we need to explain writing in a way that's easy for everyone to understand. Just like my problem with math, it wasn't until I actually had someone explain it clearly to me and in a way I could comprehend that I could actually do it for myself. I even gained an enjoyment for doing math (something I never thought I'd say). Anyway, everything is easier to do once you understand it and it's not until then that you can appreciate it for what it's worth and be successful in it. The session I observed demonstrated this and helped me come to this realization. I thought the tutor explained the student's mistakes very clearly and you could just tell that the student understood what they did wrong. They even read the paper aloud and corrected the mistakes that now stood out to them. The student left eager to work on her paper and had a page full of new ideas and experiences she wanted to include in her paper. She even made sure to ask the tutor her scheduled hours in the writing room because she wanted to come back when she got her next assignment.