BCC Observations

Earlier this week I completed my second satellite observation at the BCC. I had never been to that location before, so it took me a minute to find it. When I entered the Lear Center, I was struck by all the people wearing suits. Obviously, as business students, looking professional is part of the deal. It was just such a contrast compared to the regular visitors to the Bessey center. The contrast was even greater between their professional attire and the casual atmosphere. The lighting was soft, there were armchairs everywhere, and there was an enormous TV on one wall. This last element proved distracting, as the whole time various politicians were yelling at one another.

The consultant I observed had obviously been working at the BCC for a while, because she had perfected the art of the half-hour session. The student originally just wanted someone to edit his paper, and she politely explained that this wasn’t what we normally do at the Writing Center, though she did tell him about the ESL Center. The client also asked the consultant to help interpret the instructions he had been given. She did the best she could, but advised him to check with his professor before submitting the assignment. After that, she dove right into the paper, asking the student probing questions to help him further develop his ideas. She tried to stay away from grammar, though she did address recurring problems. Rather than focusing on specific issues, she explained general rules of grammar and asked the student how to apply them in a given situation. Rather than being directive (ex. “It’s ‘worked,’ not ‘working.’”), she asked guiding questions (ex. “Instead of ‘-ing,’ what ending would you use here?”). After she pointed out a few examples, he was able to identify and correct subsequent errors.

Throughout the session, the consultant kept up a brisk, energetic pace. The client responded well to this and kept up with her. Periodically, she rephrased the student’s ideas in her own words, to make sure she had understood his meaning. At first he hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to respond to her questions. Eventually it got easier, and by the end the two were going back and forth constantly. Beyond that, the consultant suggested making changes to the organization of the argument, to improve the flow of ideas. She also briefly touched upon the issue of citation- both how to do it and why it’s important. Finally, she explained how to pull together all the elements from the paper and combine them into a conclusion. Then she asked the student what questions or concerns he had.

In all, the session ran like an ideal session at either the main Writing Center or the Library satellite. The biggest difference was the atmosphere itself, not the interaction between client and consultant. I confess, I had difficulty focusing on my observation with the TV going in the background. It’s not that it was interesting, but people yelling in the background tends to be distracting. The client was already soft-spoken, and I sometimes strained to hear him. Though the consultant seemed to have adapted well to the half-hour sessions, I still prefer the hour-long sessions I’m used to. Otherwise, it feels like both the client and consultant are rushed.