After shadowing a writing consulting today, I was very impressed seeing the tutoring methods we have discussed in class put into action and the success of this process. The student who came to the writing center was struggling with her essay. The consultant asked many direct questions throughout the session to help the student learn about her writing. The consultant also took a direct tutoring approach (when necessary) by defining certain aspects such as focus, arrangement, and thesis to the student (who is an international student from Turkey).
To start off the session the consultant asked her if the student understood the assignment, what the students main points were, and if the student had any questions. The student was struggling most with her arrangement. To help the student re-arrange her paper, the consultant continuously asked her questions: What is your main focus of this paragraph? Do you think there is anything else you could add to support this idea? The consultant also drew out a small diagram of how the paper was being arranged based on the student's contributions.
The consultant was very friendly and always commented on her ideas positively. I think this is very important. She gave a very friendly impression to the student and always told her "I like that idea" and "Do you feel good with this?". She constantly encouraged the student which I thought was very important. The student also seemed very pleased with her paper when she left.
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