My paper

Nicholas J Vasilo
Research Paper
Peer Tutoring
HOT TOPIC: OFF TOPIC
INTRODUCTION
Tutoring sessions can be rough. We’ve all needed help and had to be tutored in something at some point or another – it’s an unavoidable truth of learning. Tutoring, by nature, is different from teaching, as it does (or at least should) not be the same type of learning experience you receive in a classroom. Tutoring is a one on one style session where the tutor takes on the role of advisory, rather than teacher, attempting to help assist the student in finding a way to strengthen their work. This style is important to a writing center, more than most disciplines, as writing centers have no strict right or wrong, but rather the varying differences inherent to writing, such as style, content, assignment, audience, etc. There is no formula to writing, like there is to finding the length of the third side of a triangle. Since the structure of a tutoring session in a writing center must be different than a math tutoring session by the nature of the subject, it follows then, that it requires a large amount of talking. But what to talk about?
While classes, even at the college level, often involve a large amount of conversation including input from the students, it is still mainly a one sided conversation, bound to a specific topic of discussion. But, even at the college level, these classes are usually filled with no less than ten students. This experience is different from a tutoring session by its very nature. Given an hour and a subject, students and tutors need to share a dialogue, (hopefully) a majority pertaining to the assignment at hand. But all work and no play makes Jack a dull tutor. An hour of one assignment becomes boring and draining. Oftentimes, the tutor-student relationship can be difficult to establish and to get communication going. A necessary element of tutor sessions, then, to alleviate the monotony of a single topic stretched far longer than it can go, is off topic conversation. A simple “Hello” or “Where are you from?” can make all the difference between feeling tension and being at ease with a tutor. A strong dialogue back and forth can often aide a tutor in conveying necessary information to a student, allow them to bond, easing the session, or even help them to establish an ongoing relationship for comfortable sessions down the road. Jerome Rabow, in his book “Tutoring Matters,” states that in situations where there is a race, gender, class, or background difference, some off topic conversation or small talk can help get the dialogue going and make the communications between the two people more efficient. At a university like Kean University, located in central New Jersey, a student is likely to see a great deal of diversity, especially with the tutoring staff looking like something akin to the Rainbow Coalition. In situations like this, the use of off topic conversation could be the life saver the tutor needs to break down the door and reach the student. Of course, there can be too much of a good thing.
Like any remedy to a situation, there is such a thing as too much off topic conversation. It can begin to detract from the session, cause a loss of focus, or worse – cause a transformation from a tutoring session to a jovial hangout where nothing gets accomplished and a student walks out of the writing center, maybe even with a friend, but with nothing to show for their class. Bridgeport University even goes as far as to recommend as little discussion to be off topic as possible, if there is any at all. It is important then, to strike the right balance between the two. In this study, I examine the amount of time spent on off-topic conversation, in relation to how it affects the student’s outcome, in terms of how much they feel they’ve learned and are taking away with them.
Sadly, such an important topic has not received nearly the attention it should have, except, it seems as a side note in other studies. Emily Plummer talks about how important small talk is, though she does so with respect to ESL learners. Robert Newkirk establishes that off topic conversation is a necessary component, though his is in reference to be more in reference to “the first five minute” of a session, in regards to setting up a model of a tutoring session. Jerome Rabow establishes, once again, that some amount of off topic conversation is necessary, however his is in the context of diversity. For such a necessary component, there seems to be so little to go on, yet Bridgeport University has enough information to say there that should be little to no discussion not germane to the assignment in the course of a session. Without a wealth of research done on the topic, it is important to search the answers to this major question we face in the writing center.
METHODS
In order to gather the information to answer the questions, I took detailed notes on my laptop, sitting beside the students, trying to affect the session as little as possible. Since I was looking for reaction, I paid very close attention to the physical giveaways that indicate response on both the student and tutor’s part, such as eye contact, body language, and of course their amount of off topic conversation. Post session, I gave out questionnaires to each student and tutor, asking questions like “Did you find the session helpful?” “How much time do you think you spent on off topic conversation?” “Did you feel comfortable with the tutor?” etc.* The sessions themselves took place in either the writing center at the Center for Academic Success at Kean or in a classroom in the same building, lasting between 30-60 minutes.
Also important to note is we cannot find out ultimately how well the tutoring session worked out, whether or not the student actually incorporated the things they learned in their session. We can only judge by what they say at the end of the sessions, and go by the information we are able to determine from the session itself. It is important to remember, then, that we are not judging the success of the session in terms of how much their grade improves or how much new material they feel they’ve learned, but what they are taking from their session, gauged along with how much conversation was on topic verses off topic during the course of the session.
DATA
Since Rose and Unity had been best friends for years, they had an established relationship. Their dialogue was fluid and easy. Oftentimes, in Rose’s paper (which was about life experiences), Unity checked to see if the paper was referring to someone or something she already knew about. It made it difficult to read their actions as a reflection on their level of comfort in terms of how much time was spent discussing on topic verses off topic because they knew each other so well. When Rose would read something, even if Unity’s reaction was negative, as it came from a friend, it never seemed to bother Rose that much. She occasionally closed off her body language in response to a negative criticism, but Rose never really lost her composure of became upset. Unity suggested cutting large parts from the paper, none of which Rose took poorly, as she agreed. Due to their close relationship, they had a good connection, and tended to think similarly. This simpatico made their session a poor example of how to judge the way students in a tutoring session respond to, well, anything. Afterwards, upon speaking to both of them on how well they felt the session went, they both responded very positively, and laughed about how well they get along. While a large part of the time was spent reading the paper and deciding on edits, many times their conversation went very off topic. This included Rose asking Unity to go with her to the gym or to go into New York City that night to go out. Their off topic conversations weren’t lengthy, but they tended to be so off topic, there was no correlation between the paper and where the conversation wound up. Rose and Unity would then have trouble getting back to the topic at hand for a moment, trailing off in small talk, before saying something like “We need to discuss this,” in reference to the paper.
Upon the conclusion of the session, I asked them how much time they felt they spent on topic vs. off topic, or if they would change the ratios, they replied they weren’t really aware of how much time they’d spent between the two conversations, and that to them, they were just talking. Their amount of time spent on off topic conversation didn’t color their session as much as their pre-established relationship did, though the conversation did detract from how much of the paper they got through and how in depth they covered it. The paper seemed secondary to their friendly conversation, based on their responses to the session in the post-session questionaire, I was led to believe Rose had already made a lot of decisions on her paper, and where it was going, before coming to the session, to which Unity only seemed to make minor adjustments that Rose didn’t already agree with.
In great contrast to Rose and Unity’s session was a session between two complete strangers, Lyta and Daniel. Lyta was a Costa Rican immigrant, who was an ELL student, and needed help with a paper. Lyta was very behind for where most college students are, and as such, had difficulty grasping a lot of the concepts used in writing. Daniel, the tutor, did his best to explain the basic fundamentals of writing, and used a website to aid him, though Lyta had great difficulty still. Daniel asked questions in reference to the assignment itself, in an attempt help Lyta shape her paper. She shared a deeply personal memory of her abusive, alcoholic father but said that she wasn’t sure she was prepared to share that information in the paper. Throughout the session, Daniel shared none of his own experiences, and Lyta was not forthcoming either, with Lyta’s three children not coming up in conversation until towards the end of the session, despite the fact that the paper was about how she was raised and how she raises her children.
A major issue for this session was the lack of small talk, or even simple getting-to-know-you conversation. Plummer stated that small talk is necessary to make a session work, because it eases the session, where they can often be stressful and upsetting. Newkirk also states that small talk is a necessary component of a session as it gives the student an idea of what a session is, as well as gives the student confidence in the session. In a situation in like this one, where the student has issues with the language itself, and isn’t clear on what the point of a session is, not breaking down that initial wall causes difficulty in communicating. Daniel often wound up editing the paper himself, and suggesting lines to Lyta to put in, but Lyta couldn’t even understand why she was including them. In this situation, things began to take a turn for the worse with Lyta winding up in tears because she could not understand the information she was being presented with. The tutor had to make a large number of suggestions and edits to Lyta’s paper, leaving her feeling useless and confused, possibly partially due to the fact that Daniel had not established the proper environment for their tutoring session. Plummer makes this point:
“Moreover, in the case of ESL students, small talk can be utilized as a means of assessing language proficiency, adjusting to accent and usage differences, and perhaps even learning something new about another culture.”
The paper goes on to further say:
“The best way to make ESL learners feel more comfortable is to talk to them… Within minutes, both you and the learner will be more relaxed….Idle talk will also give you an idea of how well the learner can speak English, and it will give you time to adjust to his or her accent while he or she adjusts to yours.”
This lack of small talk could explain the issues Lyta and Daniel faced. Daniel did not take the time to attempt to make Lyta more comfortable, establish a human connection, or worse, attempt to figure out what she expected from tutoring, starting them at a disadvantage five minutes of talking about the weather could have avoided.
Fittingly enough, a third session struck a balance between the previous two sessions. Nuala and Hob sat down to a session that again, requires a little background, like Rose and Unity did. Nuala and Hob know each other from a class they have together, though despite the fact the class was nearing the completion of its third month, the two had never actually had a conversation. The session began, as many do, by Nuala explaining the assignment to Hob, who asked for more explicit details, including the actual assignment sheet from the professor. The two started the conversation very straight forwardly, and did not veer off topic. Hob asked standard questions about the teacher’s feedback and what Nuala hopes to get out of it. They started their session closed off, sitting apart from each other, Nuala reading the paper, Hob listening attentively. But in the course of discussing the paper (which dealt with Nuala’ mom), Hob offered that her mom reminded him of his own. At this point, Hob seemed to loosen up, though Nuala did not. Nuala continued to read her paper and make any changes that Hob suggested. However, there came a moment where the situation changed.
During the course of reading the paper, Nuala recalled a painful story from her childhood, which Hob further inquired about. Nuala answered Hob’s questions, but at this point, loosened up, saying she didn’t mind sharing it with him. But from here, Nuala stayed relaxed, and her body language opened up. For the rest of the paper, Nuala and Hob kept an open dialogue, straying off course to discuss wrestling, holidays, and other anecdotes. Thanks to the openness Nuala displayed, the rest of the session flowed well. Hob showed an interest in what Nuala had to say, in regards to both on topic and off topic discussion, encouraging her to keep talking. In my post session questioning to Nuala, she told me she felt like the session had been a huge success, giving her a strong sense of what to do on her paper. She also told me that she felt as though they’d spent exactly enough time both on and off topic to ensure a terrific session. She felt encouraged by Hob and the fact that he showed interest in her life and the stories behind the paper. This session fully reinforces Newkirk’s theory on the need for a dialogue between students and tutors (teachers): “When we push students to speak…when we don’t rush in to fill silences, we may be able to transform the rules of studenthood.”
An additional session with Nuala revealed, though, that she does not require off topic conversation to get a lot out of her tutoring session. Nuala was tutored by Thessaly, a professor of hers, who was volunteering her time down at the writing center. The session lasted the same length of time Nuala’s session with Hob did, had as complex an assignment, but for whatever reason (possibly due to the pre-existing relationship the student shared with the tutor), they did not veer off topic for more than just a few moments. They remained on course the entire session, trading points about the paper. Nuala relayed what the professor was looking for and Thessaly did her best to respond appropriately. While this drive to stay on topic may come from the fact that Thessaly is used to keeping on one topic in her classroom setting, the fact remains that they covered the paper almost exclusively. Upon the completion of the session, when Nuala was asked, she responded that she felt that she got a lot out of the session and that she had a stronger grasp on the paper.
CONCLUSION
So, where is the line? It’s hard to make a definite statement about all cases, even at Kean University. For some students, such as Rose and Unity, they seemed to thrive on not discussing the work, but rather oscillating back and forth between topics, though this may have worked for them because Rose had a strong sense of what to do in the first place. Daniel and Lyta had no dialogue outside of their paper, and their session ended by Lyta leaving upset, with no clue what to do on her paper. Nuala and Hob found a balance, and both feel as though the session was a success, but the question remains how much more they could have accomplished if they had not changed topics so readily and frequently. For Nuala and Thessaly, though they did not veer off topic more than a few moments (if that), despite having a similar relationship (in terms of how much personal interaction they’d had prior to their session), they were able to conduct a successful session with much less off topic conversation.
It can then be concluded that not only is there no fixed ratio between on topic and off topic conversation, but that the amount of time spent on each is not determined by a single factor like the student. It’s a bigger picture, fitting in tutor, student, assignment, and any other number of variables. What if the student and the tutor were to discover they went to the same summer camp? While normally, that student and that tutor may not spend much time engaging in off topic discussion, upon finding a mutually shared experience, they may indulge themselves. The only certain conclusions we can draw from this is that while no off topic conversation hurts some, helps others, and too much can even do damage, the amount of off topic conversation, for better or worse, unavoidably affects the session.
*A special thanks to Kevin A Risse and Camille TooCoolForALastName for their help.