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.