Writing Center assumptions

Students want to be there.

They are looking for help because they need it.

Students are open to suggestions.

They won't be difficult, but rather interested in what you have to say.

They will want to punch me if I use minimalist tutoring.

They will be full-time college students with part time jobs with a certain amount of time to dedicate to the class/assignment.

Guys will be more likely to get annoyed and walk out, whereas women will strive to fix it.

They will have the book, paper, notes, assignment sheet, etc.

They don't all share my world veiw - students will all be very different.

Everyone has my economic/social/geographic background.

BLOG 10

I would probably want to look into the usage of an hour, which sounds weird, I know.

I feel that if you spend the whole hour just working on the paper, you're not getting to know the student. I would want to see how a student improves related to how much personal time you spend getting to know them, how if you spend 15 minutes personal/45 minutes personal, 20 personal/40 paper, 30/30, 59/01, etc. There's my question.

-Nick

BLOG 9

Minimalist tutoring is a tricky deal. It's hard to know if it's really a good thing, or just an annoying thing. In some cases, it's the right thing - it helps the student find the answer in themself - but there are instances where people don't have the material needed to begin with - if the person has to do an analysis and doesn't know what an analysis is, just questioning them won't help them finish their paper, it'll just help you get punched in the face. However, if it seems like the student is on the right path, just don't seem to have it focused yet, minimalist tutoring could very well be the necessary approach.

I think minimalist tutoring will be a weapon in my learning arsenal, but I don't believe it's gonna be my go-to. There are a lot of ways to help students get to the answers they need, so I don't believe there is a hardcore need to limit myself to one. I know Dr. Chandler indicated that we will use minimalist tutoring a lot, but I feel like I'll either come to find that to be true on my own, or I'll develop my own style.

-Nick

BLOG 8

My checklist:

Check my stereotypes at the door - if they happen to fall into them, that's fine, but don't go into it thinking that.
Remember that each person went to a different school, had a different set of teachers, and has a different brain - which all affect their learning.
See the student in action before judging their ability - no skin color, age, or personality type determines intelligence - only their ability does - and even then, ability does not go as far as to say what you'll get from them - drive is majorly important.

I'm sorry this is a short blog. I wish I had more to say on the topic than I do. :( I'll think more on it and add it to a later post. Sometimes I find it hard to write on a topic because it just, I don't know, it doesn't flow. As I think on it over the weekened, hopefully, it'll come together. That'll be an aspect of my tutoring I'll have to work on. There'll be times I don't feel like writing, or maybe understand the material particularly well (which is particularly unmotivating for me), but I'll still have to - I'll have to push myself as hard as I can. I won't have a choice in my career of TV/comic writer - it's not a luxury I'll have - so best I learn how now....and just skimp on a blog that I will catch up on later. Really sorry if this is letting anyone down. I know how many million read my blogs and how much they look forward to it. That's the problem with being a world famous bloggerist. You begin to have a fanbase, one that is so damanding, who just attack you over it. When I got started with my first blog, for Creative Non-Fiction, little did I know the celebrity I would become.

Before I knew it, it'd be a whirlwind of a semester - parties, concerts, benefits for babies born with (insert limb here), the White Party on Fire Island - and from then I knew I was changed. I won Best Blog by a Leading Blogist at the Bloggy Awards (I know, I know, I promsed I wasn't going to bring it up, but I couldn't help it - it means a lot to me). As my blogs progressed (last semester's award winning piece on Queen Shaxis of the Neurpton Galaxy), I just fell further and further into it. That was nothing compared to when Blogbra Walters and I sat down for our blogterview, which was truly the highlight of my blogeerer, and I knew I'd made it.

So I'm sure my fans look forward to reading my blog as much as I look forward to writing it. Final words of wisdom? Always wear clean underwear and never be racist in a tutoring center.
-Nick

BLOG 7

The most important feature of effective tutoring definitely has to be adaptability.

You need to be able to conform and adapt to the assignment, the student, etc. It's unbelievable the differences in the students in this class alone. We all have different experiences, frames of reference, etc, and we all excel at different things. Well, except me and Kevin. We're the same person.

The ability to figure out what a student needs and to adjust your tutoring style is so essential to the ability to give them the information they need. In order to get that kind of adaptability, one must be well versed in different areas and forms of writing. One thing I'd like to work on is my knowledge of the different types of assignments students may come in with, which is turning out to be a major part of this class (a good thing for my tutoring experience, a bad thing for my sanity). I hope to continue to grow as a tutor and learn more, that will allow me to help any student who comes into the center looking for guidance.

-Nick

10/01/08 Class notes. CRAZY intense. Wow. READ THESE FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT. Hell, these verge on taking minutes.

Name author, title of article in quotations
All subsequent references using last names
First sentnece, make a general statement of the over-all focus of the article
Summarize the basic information in the paper shortly, but then go into one specific area

ANALYZE ESSAY
Example using structure

Identify essays, author in the first sentence
Analyze style
State conclusion in the opening paragraph
(For North, show that while North's essays come to different conclusions and seem very different, in fact, when you
analyze the style, they have the same structure.)
In the body, identify parts and relationships (one then the other).
Final paragraph restates the conclusions

BREAK INTO PARTS
EXAMINE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PARTS
STATE HOW THE ESSAY WORKS
---------------------------------------
Critical analysis = examines assumptions
Literary analysis = examine plot, theme, etc

You can analyze anything in an essay, really.
EXAMPLES:
(1)
tutor/student relationship
writing centers/administration
tutors/teachers
(2)
how writing centers are misunderstood
ways they are misunderstood

BICYCLE EXAMPLE:
The parts of the bike: Handle bars, the chains, the gears, the wheels, the seat
The relationship: The handlebars connect to the body of the bike, allowing you to steer the wheels, which connects to the chain, which makes the bike move.
How the bike works:
You pedal the bike to make it go forward and steer.

IMPORTANT:
Must remember an analysis must be relevant to overall focus of essay

COMMON PROBLEMS:
Didn't know the definition of analysis
Which type of analysis
Trying to narrow down to one focus (applying definition of analysis to essay ((what are parts in an essay? relationships? what do they do?)))
Encouraging students to trust themselves (go with your hunches)
Finding evidence to support your theory

COMMON ISSUES WITH GENERAL TUTORINGS:
Second language issues
Reading issues/strategies
Genre/convention issues (the teacher is looking for information in specific areas)
(common essays: summarizing, responding, analyzing, arguments/persuation, research essay)

NOTE TAKING DURING SESSIONS - NOTES
You are not responsible for their progression - they are. Your job is to be a sounding board. Your responsibility is to explain how writing works. There are some conventions that you just have to outright tell them.
First thing: must make sure the student is okay with you taking notes (as the observer), also do not write down their names due to the NIH training
Things to notice to analyze:
Student reaction (body language, what they say, what they apply) - what counts as evidence of these reactions - head nodding, moves closer, frowns, etc
What the tutor does, says, etc.
Note how often the tutor speaks, etc. What methods brought out more effective responses.
Notice comfortability - enviornement, prescence/affect of other people, etc.
How much off-topic conversation came up (some is necessary, too much can wreck a session)
Their gestures, tone of voice (pitch, speed, roughness, volume)
Your notes will be all physical and audible observations, the kind of things you can count - you're just putting down facts, what has ACTUALLY happened.
Happy/sad/good session/frustration - that kind of stuff goes in your impressions/interpretation at the end.

ASSIGNMENTS DUE FOR MONDAY:
Blog 7 - Although you didn't have an experience, write about the most important features are of effective tutoring - domain knowledge, personal manner, etc, and what would you like to work on improving in your session - also, what more do you want from Dr. Chandler?

Revise North (and for some of us, revise Lunsford summary/response).

Tutoring Different People - gay purple book
Minimalist Tutoring pg 219 - big annoying book