My second co-consultation (technically my first, because I ran solo on my other), taking place on Thursday, Sept. 18, was with an ESL student working on his dissertation. The consultant overseeing me silently took notes as I had him read each paragraph, after which we spent time going over HOCs/LOCs. His priority was to ensure that the content made sense to English speakers and fit traditional descriptive grammar.
I had a lot of fun with this writer. He was always open to suggestions but readily defended his word choices and sentence structure. We were both so thoroughly engaged in the session that the overseeing consultant had to stop us from time restriction. I told her I could stay longer, and so could he, so she left us alone and we spent more time covering similar issues, as well as inanimate objects assuming animate actions and such.
Before leaving, the consultant went through the issues she noticed throughout and knew an incredible amount about the topic he was addressing. They were mostly sentence revisions and a few questionable diction choices that she outlined through a cluster diagram, demonstrating that his parallel structure in one area of his dissertation referred to something entirely different from what he was trying to convey.
After my first session and officially observing six or seven sessions, I feel confident that I've mastered WC protocol. There are finer details to work out, but I am confident I will build on them as I continue to learn and grow with other consultants and writers.
***
My third co-consultation (Monday, Sept. 22) was with a Tier I writer working on a persuasive essay. The overseeing consultant was a classmate who was supposed to be co-consulting, as well, but she and I teamed up and got things done. We had the writer read through each paragraph at first but quickly realized she was just half way done and hadn't developed many of her ideas.
Note to self and all: Always check when a paper is due and what the professor wants in the syllabus. Evidently the paper had been due at 5 p.m. that day, and it was...3 p.m. Or maybe 1? I didn't know this, so I started spending at least 10 minutes describing to her what she could do, and my co-consultant said "Well...what can we do for you to turn this in on time and have time to revise?" So there's that.
The client seemed to zone out at times, and I wasn't sure if it was because we were telling her to change too much, or if we were giving her too much advice...or too many revision directions...either way, the client said at the end that we had helped her tremendously, but I had no way of knowing this for sure. I guess a consultant never does. You do what you can with what you have given the time constraints and the standards and intentions of the client. It was a very interesting topic, one the consultant and I knew a lot about, but yeah. Maybe I shouldn't be as directive next time. I did ask her plenty of developmental questions, but she was in a very early stage in the writing process, which is something I need to take into account in the future.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Exercise 3B - Videos
All 3 of these videos depicted very different tutoring sessions. The first one was confusing; I wasn't sure what was going on exactly, whether the older man was tutoring everyone or if they were in groups, etc. But once I established what was going on, there wasn't much to see as far as body language. I could tell that some of the students seemed disinterested, not wanting to really do any work. The setup didn't help, since tutors were across the table from the students and they were close together, not giving much privacy and possibly making students uneasy as a result. It was difficult to tell whether anyone in the room was really engaged with what was going on.
In the second video, it was pretty obvious that the student didn't have respect for the tutor or his time, and he likely didn't even want to be there in the first place. He was disrespectful by walking in with a mouth full of food, answering his phone, and trying to ditance himself physically from the work. He didn't seem to be prepared either. The age difference between the student and tutor probably didn't help matters, as the tutor seemed to have a difficult time with the student, although he appeared to handle it well. I could tell the tutor was frustrated, but he kept calm, not moving away from the student or making him feel unwelcome. He was still polite and tried to engage the student. Eventually he seemed to get through a little bit, as the student began to look just a little bit interested. The tutor refused to do the work for the student, and instead tried to engage him in what he was there for, working on an assignment.
The third video seemed to be the ideal writing center scenario. The tutor at the beginning was very welcoming to the student, and I liked that they had cubicles to provide some privacy and keep the students from feelig self-conscious. Tutors were sitting next to students instead of across from them, and seemed to be actively engaged with the student without taking over completely. The positive body language of the tutors seemed to be reflected in the students, as everyone looked relaxed and comfortable. It was also noteworthy that the tutor walked the student to the door at the end of the session, smiling and appearing to ask the student to come back to the center. I would guess that this video is probably used as an ideal model for how tutoring sessions should look.
In the second video, it was pretty obvious that the student didn't have respect for the tutor or his time, and he likely didn't even want to be there in the first place. He was disrespectful by walking in with a mouth full of food, answering his phone, and trying to ditance himself physically from the work. He didn't seem to be prepared either. The age difference between the student and tutor probably didn't help matters, as the tutor seemed to have a difficult time with the student, although he appeared to handle it well. I could tell the tutor was frustrated, but he kept calm, not moving away from the student or making him feel unwelcome. He was still polite and tried to engage the student. Eventually he seemed to get through a little bit, as the student began to look just a little bit interested. The tutor refused to do the work for the student, and instead tried to engage him in what he was there for, working on an assignment.
The third video seemed to be the ideal writing center scenario. The tutor at the beginning was very welcoming to the student, and I liked that they had cubicles to provide some privacy and keep the students from feelig self-conscious. Tutors were sitting next to students instead of across from them, and seemed to be actively engaged with the student without taking over completely. The positive body language of the tutors seemed to be reflected in the students, as everyone looked relaxed and comfortable. It was also noteworthy that the tutor walked the student to the door at the end of the session, smiling and appearing to ask the student to come back to the center. I would guess that this video is probably used as an ideal model for how tutoring sessions should look.
Third Party Observations Three and Four
Session #3
I observed my third session at the main library sattelite.
The client was named "sharon" and she was upper level undergraduate international student of Asain descent. The work that she brought in was a paper for her Journalism class. When she sat down and was asked what she wanted to work on, I believe her quote was: "I would like you to edit my grammar."
Immediatly the consultant did not focus on the paper's grammar, but rather incouraged Sharon to discuss with us her argument and where she went with the paper. After a little coaxing she convinced Sharon to read her paper aloud. After each paragraph the consultant would stop her and reveal the strong aspects of her argument and would discuss the grammar issues that she noticed. Sharon did have a few issues of grammar that surfaced several times throughout her paper. These issues seemed to be consistent with other international students from Asain discent that I have already observed. Sharon had some difficulty with pluralizing and adding possesion to proper nouns. She was also struggleing with appropriate placement of articles.
I felt that the consultant handled this session very well. Although it was obvious that the client only really wanted help with grammar the consultant was able to focus on more substance issues like structure and argument layout, while still adressing the grammar. The consultant would find a sentence that did not sound correct, and would simply ask: "Something seems a little wrong here...what do you think it could be?" By doing this she allowd the consultant to find her own mistakes. When the consultant did reveal grammar issues on her own she was sure to explain why something worked the way it did. This way the writer could learn from her mistakes so that she does not coninue to make the same grammar errors over and over. All in all I thought the consultant approached the session in an extremely unathoritative manner and made the best out of a session that in the consultant's mind seemed to start off in an innapropriate direction.
Session #4
I observed my fourth and final third party observation in the student athletic academic center sattelite. This session provided a very different atmosphere than sessions in Bessey or the library, and I would imaging the BCC as well.
Once I entered the center I learned that all student athletes are required to attend study hall in the same building for at least eight hours a week. It is also required that some students (all freshman athletes maybe) are required to do an additional two hours a week of writing center instruction.
I observed a sort of collaborative session where two clients were working on the same WRA assingment so discussed their papers together with two consultants and myself. I allowed myself during this session to add my thoughts when they seemed appropriate, up until now I have said little to nothing. The two clients had a very vague idea of what their assignment was and had done little to no work on it at all.
I was shocked at how unmotivated the two clients were academically. They both seemed very unenthused to be there and it was obvious that this was something they were required to do. Only one of the clients brought the actual assignment sheet and neither of them brought any form of paper or notebook to write in. They did free-writing and outlining on the half sheets of paper that are available in the center. I felt more like I was in a 9th grade language arts class room than a college writing center.
Eventually the session broke into two, because one of the clients realized he had another piece of writing to work on that he thought was more important, and I continued to observe the client that seemed a little more strong-willed and motivated. He was working on creating an outline for his paper and seemed to feel satisfied at the end of the session with the brainstorming and pre-writing that he had completed.
This session did not focus on grammar which was a relief, but still lacked a sense of engagment because of the clients negative attitude towards writing and the assingment in general.
I observed my third session at the main library sattelite.
The client was named "sharon" and she was upper level undergraduate international student of Asain descent. The work that she brought in was a paper for her Journalism class. When she sat down and was asked what she wanted to work on, I believe her quote was: "I would like you to edit my grammar."
Immediatly the consultant did not focus on the paper's grammar, but rather incouraged Sharon to discuss with us her argument and where she went with the paper. After a little coaxing she convinced Sharon to read her paper aloud. After each paragraph the consultant would stop her and reveal the strong aspects of her argument and would discuss the grammar issues that she noticed. Sharon did have a few issues of grammar that surfaced several times throughout her paper. These issues seemed to be consistent with other international students from Asain discent that I have already observed. Sharon had some difficulty with pluralizing and adding possesion to proper nouns. She was also struggleing with appropriate placement of articles.
I felt that the consultant handled this session very well. Although it was obvious that the client only really wanted help with grammar the consultant was able to focus on more substance issues like structure and argument layout, while still adressing the grammar. The consultant would find a sentence that did not sound correct, and would simply ask: "Something seems a little wrong here...what do you think it could be?" By doing this she allowd the consultant to find her own mistakes. When the consultant did reveal grammar issues on her own she was sure to explain why something worked the way it did. This way the writer could learn from her mistakes so that she does not coninue to make the same grammar errors over and over. All in all I thought the consultant approached the session in an extremely unathoritative manner and made the best out of a session that in the consultant's mind seemed to start off in an innapropriate direction.
Session #4
I observed my fourth and final third party observation in the student athletic academic center sattelite. This session provided a very different atmosphere than sessions in Bessey or the library, and I would imaging the BCC as well.
Once I entered the center I learned that all student athletes are required to attend study hall in the same building for at least eight hours a week. It is also required that some students (all freshman athletes maybe) are required to do an additional two hours a week of writing center instruction.
I observed a sort of collaborative session where two clients were working on the same WRA assingment so discussed their papers together with two consultants and myself. I allowed myself during this session to add my thoughts when they seemed appropriate, up until now I have said little to nothing. The two clients had a very vague idea of what their assignment was and had done little to no work on it at all.
I was shocked at how unmotivated the two clients were academically. They both seemed very unenthused to be there and it was obvious that this was something they were required to do. Only one of the clients brought the actual assignment sheet and neither of them brought any form of paper or notebook to write in. They did free-writing and outlining on the half sheets of paper that are available in the center. I felt more like I was in a 9th grade language arts class room than a college writing center.
Eventually the session broke into two, because one of the clients realized he had another piece of writing to work on that he thought was more important, and I continued to observe the client that seemed a little more strong-willed and motivated. He was working on creating an outline for his paper and seemed to feel satisfied at the end of the session with the brainstorming and pre-writing that he had completed.
This session did not focus on grammar which was a relief, but still lacked a sense of engagment because of the clients negative attitude towards writing and the assingment in general.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Co- Consultant #1
When I sat down to co-consultant for the first time I was really nervous...
The first we did was the normal, copy the paper, read the assignment sheet, and then have the client read the paper out loud. The person was an ESL student working on a paper for her science class. The assignment was to summarize chapters of a book. The assignment was completed and the professor had commented that the summaries need to be more complete.
The way that the consultant and I worked together was that we both took turns asking leading questions. The questions we asked were mainly, "What do you think the purpose of this chapter was?", or "can you give an example?" By asking these questions the client seemed to answer the assignment much more clearly. So we had her write some of what she said down as an example of how the summary should look.
Overall me and the consultant worked well together and seemed to play off each others comments, making for what I thought a good overall session.
The first we did was the normal, copy the paper, read the assignment sheet, and then have the client read the paper out loud. The person was an ESL student working on a paper for her science class. The assignment was to summarize chapters of a book. The assignment was completed and the professor had commented that the summaries need to be more complete.
The way that the consultant and I worked together was that we both took turns asking leading questions. The questions we asked were mainly, "What do you think the purpose of this chapter was?", or "can you give an example?" By asking these questions the client seemed to answer the assignment much more clearly. So we had her write some of what she said down as an example of how the summary should look.
Overall me and the consultant worked well together and seemed to play off each others comments, making for what I thought a good overall session.
Exercise 3B, focusing on video #2
I thought Video #2 best demonstrated body language for a tutoring session. I could find messages in the session, which I noted in the blog post as actual dialogue. The quotations are phrases that I felt the people in the video could have been saying. These messages were reinforced with their body language and facial expressions. The student (tutee) showed stereotypical behavior one could expect from a student in college. He was disorganized and messy, yet seemed very laid-back and relaxed. From this unpreparedness, it seemed like he was basically telling the tutor "Whatever, I don't really want to be here." He was comfortable talking on the phone in the middle of the session, and seemed a bit preoccupied with other matters other than the math he came to get help with. This sent a message like, "You're not as important as this phone call." Slouching, putting his hands in his pockets, and leaning away from the papers made it seem like he wanted to give the work to his tutor and sit back and watch. After the tutor explained something to him, he seemed a little hesitant and moody. It looked like he thought the premise of the session was lame.
The tutor, during the entire session, kept his eye contact and seemed very polite. By facing toward the tutee even as he entered, it looked like a true "Welcome!" like he was ready to place all of his attention on the student. When the student answered the phone, the tutor never lost his calm - he seems like he is telling him "Stop talking on the phone, that's not what goes on in a tutoring session." When the pair finally start talking about the paper, the tutor is expressive and excited. If this part could be heard, I would guess he said something along the lines of "It's going to be all your work, I am just here for a little assistance if you need it." He openly gestures with his hands and seems happy that the student came. The tutor shakes the student's hand, basically signifying "Thanks for coming!"
The tutor, during the entire session, kept his eye contact and seemed very polite. By facing toward the tutee even as he entered, it looked like a true "Welcome!" like he was ready to place all of his attention on the student. When the student answered the phone, the tutor never lost his calm - he seems like he is telling him "Stop talking on the phone, that's not what goes on in a tutoring session." When the pair finally start talking about the paper, the tutor is expressive and excited. If this part could be heard, I would guess he said something along the lines of "It's going to be all your work, I am just here for a little assistance if you need it." He openly gestures with his hands and seems happy that the student came. The tutor shakes the student's hand, basically signifying "Thanks for coming!"
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Exercise 3B
Video 1 was a little strange since it is working with a larger number of students, and I was really confused when the girl in the orange sweatshirt abruptly left the room. The instructor's face made him seem confrontational to me, but this could have been because of the video quality. He moved quickly and somewhat abruptly, and even his slap on one student's arm almost seemed rebuking. The way he was almost lurking over the students' tables seemed imposing and almost dominating, as did the fact that he was standing and always looking down at the students. Standing also allowed him to have a less restricted range of motion and make broader, faster gestures. I think I would have felt extremely rushed if I was participating in whatever group work this was. However, because they had less freedom of movement, the students seemed much more open and agreeable when they interacted with each other. They were also all at eye-level with each other, which put them all on equal ground, so to speak.
Video 2 was interesting to me, because I found it a little difficult to tell who was the consultant and who was the tutor right off the bat. I initially assumed the younger man was the consultant because he was the second one to enter the room, but the fact that both men had papers ready confused me a little. Since the older man did most of the talking at first, I continued to think he was the client since the client would be initially explaining the assignment and answering questions for the consultant. However, it eventually became clear that the older man was doing too much explaining for him to be the client. The actual client's body language clearly indicated that he wasn't too interested in the session. He was late, still eating something when he entered, his papers were disorganized, and he even answered his cell phone during the session. The consultant still seemed very patient though. He always made eye contact with the student when speaking, and his hand gestures were slight and controlled.
The UM-Flint Writing Center in Video 3 seemed very welcoming and organized. The receptionist made eye contact with the student and obviously looked up the information he needed promptly. When the consultant met the student they shook hands, and she also made eye contact while smiling, which added familiarity and openness to the session. The client and consultant had a much more interactive session than the pair in Video 2, and it was obvious that there was a progressing dialogue. This consultant was similar to the one in Video 2 in that she continued to make eye contact with the student when she wasn't looking at the paper, and she also used very controlled hand gestures that indicated her interest in the work. It almost seems strange, but I can't really think of any instances of consultants using hand gestures this frequently in the sessions I have observed in our Writing Center.
Video 2 was interesting to me, because I found it a little difficult to tell who was the consultant and who was the tutor right off the bat. I initially assumed the younger man was the consultant because he was the second one to enter the room, but the fact that both men had papers ready confused me a little. Since the older man did most of the talking at first, I continued to think he was the client since the client would be initially explaining the assignment and answering questions for the consultant. However, it eventually became clear that the older man was doing too much explaining for him to be the client. The actual client's body language clearly indicated that he wasn't too interested in the session. He was late, still eating something when he entered, his papers were disorganized, and he even answered his cell phone during the session. The consultant still seemed very patient though. He always made eye contact with the student when speaking, and his hand gestures were slight and controlled.
The UM-Flint Writing Center in Video 3 seemed very welcoming and organized. The receptionist made eye contact with the student and obviously looked up the information he needed promptly. When the consultant met the student they shook hands, and she also made eye contact while smiling, which added familiarity and openness to the session. The client and consultant had a much more interactive session than the pair in Video 2, and it was obvious that there was a progressing dialogue. This consultant was similar to the one in Video 2 in that she continued to make eye contact with the student when she wasn't looking at the paper, and she also used very controlled hand gestures that indicated her interest in the work. It almost seems strange, but I can't really think of any instances of consultants using hand gestures this frequently in the sessions I have observed in our Writing Center.
"Bland Elaborations" on my 1st Client Session
This session was a very different experience from last year's client experiences. I was with a tutor who was extremely authoritative. He wrote on my paper in pen and scrawled barely readable notations on his copy while I read. My assignment was a press release, so he made sure I knew it was relient on concise words and sentences. He never asked me what I needed to work on, so we barreled through the paper. He assumed I had made up the format of my press release. I understand he was trying to make my PR look better, but I was simply using the given form from my class. Format was less important than content, which I could have told him had he given me the chance. But he concentrated on things like my title, which he changed to whatever he wanted without consulting me first. There was no "Is this okay?" It was "This will sound better. Use it." By the way, I'm not changing it to what he wanted.
He used outside sources like Google to show me examples of press releases, again to make it more professional. I actually thought this was a good idea - bringing other sources into the session is always a good idea. I did not need this, although I'm sure it would have been helpful if I had. The tutor urged me to check AP (Associated Press) guidelines, which might have added another dimension to my simple press release, but I was not looking for that! It was my first draft; I can concentrate on making it flashy and professional after the content is fixed and organized correctly... That was the most pertinent issue at hand Also, he wrote "bland elaboration" on his copy of the paper without explaining further. How would he know that I am elaborating if he didn't even ask about the assignment and its requirements?
My professor said that it would be near impossible to keep the press release to two pages. My tutor wanted me to trim it to one page! He told me that press releases were always better on one page, and I know that journalism is consistently short and sweet. This advice would be a lot more valuable in other circumstances, though. He did not know what article I was taking the information for the press release from (it was 25 pages long!) and he did not know how much information that particular piece contained and how much I had to include. How can I be blandly elaborating?! He never explained the comment to me, just gave me the paper he had written on.
While he was throwing his opinions onto my paper I found myself enjoying his frankness and honesty. Or so I thought. Toward the end of the session, I realized I liked having this tutor because he did the thinking for me. He was too easy - the only corrections that needed to be made were his, and they weren't negotiable. To me, that is NOT what a tutor at the Writing Center is for. Although some people might feel gratified by this copious amount of writing knowledge, I am not one of them.
From writing this post, I realize I am irritated by this tutor who assumes and insists that he is right without getting any background information. This session made me realize how disastrously wrong they can go if you do not assess the client's needs correctly. At the same time, it actually alleviated my peer tutoring worries - I can tell that I will never be that abrasively authoritative. I would never treat a student like they are simply a passive student who had written a "bland" paper. It was like I had no input on the outcome of my own paper! He made it seem like my considerable amount of suggestions for the paper were not as important as his. And I am an easygoing person; authoritative people and I work fine together as long as I can have a little input on the important topics. Generally.
He used outside sources like Google to show me examples of press releases, again to make it more professional. I actually thought this was a good idea - bringing other sources into the session is always a good idea. I did not need this, although I'm sure it would have been helpful if I had. The tutor urged me to check AP (Associated Press) guidelines, which might have added another dimension to my simple press release, but I was not looking for that! It was my first draft; I can concentrate on making it flashy and professional after the content is fixed and organized correctly... That was the most pertinent issue at hand Also, he wrote "bland elaboration" on his copy of the paper without explaining further. How would he know that I am elaborating if he didn't even ask about the assignment and its requirements?
My professor said that it would be near impossible to keep the press release to two pages. My tutor wanted me to trim it to one page! He told me that press releases were always better on one page, and I know that journalism is consistently short and sweet. This advice would be a lot more valuable in other circumstances, though. He did not know what article I was taking the information for the press release from (it was 25 pages long!) and he did not know how much information that particular piece contained and how much I had to include. How can I be blandly elaborating?! He never explained the comment to me, just gave me the paper he had written on.
While he was throwing his opinions onto my paper I found myself enjoying his frankness and honesty. Or so I thought. Toward the end of the session, I realized I liked having this tutor because he did the thinking for me. He was too easy - the only corrections that needed to be made were his, and they weren't negotiable. To me, that is NOT what a tutor at the Writing Center is for. Although some people might feel gratified by this copious amount of writing knowledge, I am not one of them.
From writing this post, I realize I am irritated by this tutor who assumes and insists that he is right without getting any background information. This session made me realize how disastrously wrong they can go if you do not assess the client's needs correctly. At the same time, it actually alleviated my peer tutoring worries - I can tell that I will never be that abrasively authoritative. I would never treat a student like they are simply a passive student who had written a "bland" paper. It was like I had no input on the outcome of my own paper! He made it seem like my considerable amount of suggestions for the paper were not as important as his. And I am an easygoing person; authoritative people and I work fine together as long as I can have a little input on the important topics. Generally.
Writing Center Observation #4
My second session today was a much more enjoyable experience. The student was also ESL, but she was definitely a more advanced speaker than the first client I observed. The student actually brought in three short papers. She wanted grammar and content help on the first, and general APA formatting help on all three since she found APA very confusing. She also mentioned that her professor was extremely picky, both about the APA formatting and the sentence structure of the class's papers, and hated the use of unspecified pronouns, so the consultant had a good idea of what to look for. The student read the whole paper aloud first, and then they went back and started looking for possible improvements.
The client and consultant had a much better chemistry in this session than in the last, and I felt that they shared leadership of the session very equally. Grammar wasn't a very big issue for this student, and she was able to point out several areas that she thought needed improvement. The consultant was really good at bouncing ideas off the student, and at using what she said about different sections to make suggestions. The consultant often asked questions like "Is this what you mean?" and he used the student's clarification to offer advice, which she used to solve the problems. The consultant also pointed out strong points of the paper as they were going through it, rather than mentioning strengths first and then only focusing on weaknesses for the rest of the session. I thought this was a great way to run a session.
After going through that paper, they looked through an APA handbook the client had brought in to fix formatting mistakes. The consultant pointed out the errors in the paper and made sure to find something in the book to back up his suggestions. He also wrote them all on his copy of the paper (in pencil, of course) so that the student could use them for reference later if she was unsure of her own notes.
Overall, I was really impressed with this consultant's methods, and I'm glad I got to sit in on this session after the unimpressive one I observed just before it.
The client and consultant had a much better chemistry in this session than in the last, and I felt that they shared leadership of the session very equally. Grammar wasn't a very big issue for this student, and she was able to point out several areas that she thought needed improvement. The consultant was really good at bouncing ideas off the student, and at using what she said about different sections to make suggestions. The consultant often asked questions like "Is this what you mean?" and he used the student's clarification to offer advice, which she used to solve the problems. The consultant also pointed out strong points of the paper as they were going through it, rather than mentioning strengths first and then only focusing on weaknesses for the rest of the session. I thought this was a great way to run a session.
After going through that paper, they looked through an APA handbook the client had brought in to fix formatting mistakes. The consultant pointed out the errors in the paper and made sure to find something in the book to back up his suggestions. He also wrote them all on his copy of the paper (in pencil, of course) so that the student could use them for reference later if she was unsure of her own notes.
Overall, I was really impressed with this consultant's methods, and I'm glad I got to sit in on this session after the unimpressive one I observed just before it.
Writing Center Observation #3
To be perfectly honest, I was not impressed with the first consultation I observed today. The client was an ESL student, and the assignment was an open research paper where she was to explore a topic she was interested in and propose some questions for further research. She wanted help with grammar and the general content.
The session started like any other with the quick questions about the assignment and the reading out loud. They went through the paper paragraph by paragraph, unlike the other sessions I've observed.
The similarities seemed to end there. The consultant didn't mention anything good about the student's paper, except for giving a quick, "Overall I think it's pretty good at the end." I didn't think it seemed like the consultant really wanted to be there. Her tone sounded very confrontational and uncompromising, and she was very quick to judge and point out what she thought was wrong, even though sometimes in the middle of speaking she realized that it was okay after all.
One ongoing issue she brought up with the paper was the student's use of the word "academy" where usually "university" would have sounded more "correct." The consultant would not let it go each time the word came up even though it was obvious the student didn't really understand what the problem was. I eventually intervened somewhat and went to get a dictionary for them, but the student still didn't really get it and the consultant didn't seem to care. Had I been in this situation, I would have tried to give more of an explanation besides "this isn't right," or "we don't say this." The consultant was getting frustrated with the student and just wanted to be right, and I think it was obvious.
Also, after the student left, the consultant gave me a little rant about how she was sick of dealing with ESL students and grammar editing all the time, which then progressed into complaints about native English speakers who only wanted help with grammar and would get angry when she tried to suggest any other changes. I didn't find this very professional at all, and I'm glad when 10:00 rolled around and I was able to go shadow someone else.
The session started like any other with the quick questions about the assignment and the reading out loud. They went through the paper paragraph by paragraph, unlike the other sessions I've observed.
The similarities seemed to end there. The consultant didn't mention anything good about the student's paper, except for giving a quick, "Overall I think it's pretty good at the end." I didn't think it seemed like the consultant really wanted to be there. Her tone sounded very confrontational and uncompromising, and she was very quick to judge and point out what she thought was wrong, even though sometimes in the middle of speaking she realized that it was okay after all.
One ongoing issue she brought up with the paper was the student's use of the word "academy" where usually "university" would have sounded more "correct." The consultant would not let it go each time the word came up even though it was obvious the student didn't really understand what the problem was. I eventually intervened somewhat and went to get a dictionary for them, but the student still didn't really get it and the consultant didn't seem to care. Had I been in this situation, I would have tried to give more of an explanation besides "this isn't right," or "we don't say this." The consultant was getting frustrated with the student and just wanted to be right, and I think it was obvious.
Also, after the student left, the consultant gave me a little rant about how she was sick of dealing with ESL students and grammar editing all the time, which then progressed into complaints about native English speakers who only wanted help with grammar and would get angry when she tried to suggest any other changes. I didn't find this very professional at all, and I'm glad when 10:00 rolled around and I was able to go shadow someone else.
Monday, September 22, 2008
3B- Body Language and Communication
Of the videos we were provided, the second presented some of the most valuable material for me to consider. Though the skit was clearly scripted to present a rather extreme case, it wasn’t wholly unrealistic. A lot of students are busy and are forced to grab meals whenever they can, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to bring food to a session. This student didn’t look particularly rushed, but instead seemed like he didn’t care if he was being rude or not. From wiping his hands on his shirt, to talking with his mouth full, to tapping his pen, he projected an attitude of casual disinterest. It was interesting to note the tutor mirroring the student’s fidgeting with his pen. Whether this was a deliberate attempt to show the student the effects of this behavior, or if the tutor was just as bored, I can’t say.
The student made it clear in several ways that he wasn’t invested in the tutoring session. He often avoided eye contact with the tutor by staring at the table. Rather than demonstrating a cultural deference to an authority figure, this seemed like an expression of boredom. At the end, when he rested his chin in his hand, he appeared particularly bored. Overall, his posture and facial expressions projected a dismissive attitude.
Forgetting to turn one’s phone off beforehand is understandable, but you should turn it off if it rings. Answering it, and then starting a conversation, shows a lack of respect for the tutor and the session. The student went on to dump his papers all over the desk and rifle through his things, indicating that he wasn’t really prepared. In all, he didn’t seem to care about getting help, and just wanted the session to end. The tutor obviously picked up on these signals, and seemed pretty irritated.
Watching this video has made me much more conscious of what my body language says to others. I guess I slouch a lot, but I do that whether or not I’m interested in what’s going on. It’s the only way I can sit comfortably, but I need to make an effort to sit up straighter and lean forward. The most effective sessions I’ve observed at the Writing Center almost always involve both participants modeling this kind of attentive behavior.
The third video presented a more idealized version of what a tutoring session should look like. Both the consultant and the student sat upright, leaning towards each other. They kept their attention focused on the paper and one another. Periodic gestures and head nods indicated that they were engaged with what the other was saying. Unlike in the second video, where the participants sat across from one another, these two positioned themselves more side-by-side. This created a less oppositional atmosphere. I will have to make an effort to model this kind of behavior during future sessions.
The student made it clear in several ways that he wasn’t invested in the tutoring session. He often avoided eye contact with the tutor by staring at the table. Rather than demonstrating a cultural deference to an authority figure, this seemed like an expression of boredom. At the end, when he rested his chin in his hand, he appeared particularly bored. Overall, his posture and facial expressions projected a dismissive attitude.
Forgetting to turn one’s phone off beforehand is understandable, but you should turn it off if it rings. Answering it, and then starting a conversation, shows a lack of respect for the tutor and the session. The student went on to dump his papers all over the desk and rifle through his things, indicating that he wasn’t really prepared. In all, he didn’t seem to care about getting help, and just wanted the session to end. The tutor obviously picked up on these signals, and seemed pretty irritated.
Watching this video has made me much more conscious of what my body language says to others. I guess I slouch a lot, but I do that whether or not I’m interested in what’s going on. It’s the only way I can sit comfortably, but I need to make an effort to sit up straighter and lean forward. The most effective sessions I’ve observed at the Writing Center almost always involve both participants modeling this kind of attentive behavior.
The third video presented a more idealized version of what a tutoring session should look like. Both the consultant and the student sat upright, leaning towards each other. They kept their attention focused on the paper and one another. Periodic gestures and head nods indicated that they were engaged with what the other was saying. Unlike in the second video, where the participants sat across from one another, these two positioned themselves more side-by-side. This created a less oppositional atmosphere. I will have to make an effort to model this kind of behavior during future sessions.
Reflections on Being Tutored
Last week I had two opportunities to experience what is is like to be in the writer’s position at the Writing Session. Our in-class exercise on Wednesday was the first time I’ve really taken the time to sit down and go over my writing with another person in a long time. Even when time isn’t an issue, I’m generally uncomfortable showing others my unfinished work. In the case of this particular draft, the fact that it was only half written actually made things easier. Part of the paper was still in the outline stage, so I could focus on my ideas and organization, rather than writing style or word choices.
My partner served as a sounding board for my ideas, helping me clarify my thoughts and refocus my argument. Just explaining my reasoning to someone else helped solidify my argument in my own mind. The questions she asked were insightful and gave me a better perspective as to how a reader might understand what I had written. Together, we restructured the way I had organized my paper, which I think made it more effective. The experience itself was more comfortable than I would have thought possible. It felt more like a discussion than a tutoring session.
After applying some of the changes we discussed in class, I took my revised draft to the Library Writing Center. Even after my positive experience in class, I was still nervous about presenting my draft to someone I would be working with in the future. The consultant I worked with was someone I already knew, which surprisingly made things more comfortable, not less. Since she knew I’m a Professional Writing major, and that I’m starting to work at the Writing Center, she felt like we could focus more on the organization and the ideas behind it. Lower order concerns were for the most part ignored.
I started by explaining the assignment itself, and the reasoning behind my writing. Our discussion allowed me to gauge how well I had implemented the recommendations from the first consulting session. Like the first session, this one felt like an exchange of ideas. It was like I had gone to a friend for advice, rather than a tutor for expertise. With carefully worded questions, the consultant got me to think about why I had written what I had. Though our session was only a half hour, I felt like she hit upon some very important points. I was impressed by how she could use just a few questions to get me to see my paper in completely different light. I left the session with a lot to think about and a lot of ideas for improving my work. Given how painless the experience was, I feel like I’d be more willing to visit the Writing Center on my own in the future.
How I write
I am an ESL writer, and mostly I write for academic purposes, not for pleasure. Writing in English takes me a lot of energy and time.
I can't just sit in front of the computer and start writing the whole thing; instead, I usually start with a struggling process to get my first paragraph done, which can take several revisions itself. I need some focused reading on some relevant literature at the same time to progress my first stage. I guess by doing so, I am kind of focusing my ideas, persuading myself, and also getting myself into this English mode. (I have two languages competing in my mind at all times.) Once the opening paragraph is done, I am more like fully warmed up. Then the writing project can be continued in my mind. I always try to jot down the ideas immediately when they come up, which usually happens when I am in shower or in bed. I don't really know how these ideas jump out, but sometimes it's like the comments from the professor suddenly make sense, or something irrelevant I read can click in mind, and create some connections. That's the exciting moment, but doesn't mean this is a fun process. The audience come into my writing processes in two roles: one is the general native English speaker, for whom I want to avoid any "awkward sentences"; and the other is my advisor/professor looming over, who kinda represents the typical readership on the subject I write. For formal writing, there is a style (APA) to follow, and I don't really exercise my voices to give too much personal touch, though sometimes I do get feedback like "you need to be 'critical' on this part...." If time allows, it always helps to have other people look at my draft to either catch some mistakes or clarify some points, though sometimes the comments can be really annoying when I first hear that! Sometimes the reader's comments would make me wonder "as typical readership, are you just stupid or ignorant?!" while sometimes the comments do make sense after I chill and think over.
Getting help from a tutor who share limited background knowledge can be frustrating or provocative. I think it really depends on how I take it.
For example, when the tutor suggested I address why it's significant to look at the different "Chinese heritage" among the immigrants from China, Taiwan, and Singapore, I could have been wondering "they are from three different countries, and that speaks for the 'significant difference', doesn't it?!" or I could be wondering maybe there were some "contact literature" elements in there that need to be clearer to most people who were not that familiar with "Chinese" people.
I think writing processes is inherently dynamic and always evolving with writers. I don't even know if there is actually some sort of a pattern that fits my writing process. And I also wonder what would actually happen if I wrote in my L1.
I can't just sit in front of the computer and start writing the whole thing; instead, I usually start with a struggling process to get my first paragraph done, which can take several revisions itself. I need some focused reading on some relevant literature at the same time to progress my first stage. I guess by doing so, I am kind of focusing my ideas, persuading myself, and also getting myself into this English mode. (I have two languages competing in my mind at all times.) Once the opening paragraph is done, I am more like fully warmed up. Then the writing project can be continued in my mind. I always try to jot down the ideas immediately when they come up, which usually happens when I am in shower or in bed. I don't really know how these ideas jump out, but sometimes it's like the comments from the professor suddenly make sense, or something irrelevant I read can click in mind, and create some connections. That's the exciting moment, but doesn't mean this is a fun process. The audience come into my writing processes in two roles: one is the general native English speaker, for whom I want to avoid any "awkward sentences"; and the other is my advisor/professor looming over, who kinda represents the typical readership on the subject I write. For formal writing, there is a style (APA) to follow, and I don't really exercise my voices to give too much personal touch, though sometimes I do get feedback like "you need to be 'critical' on this part...." If time allows, it always helps to have other people look at my draft to either catch some mistakes or clarify some points, though sometimes the comments can be really annoying when I first hear that! Sometimes the reader's comments would make me wonder "as typical readership, are you just stupid or ignorant?!" while sometimes the comments do make sense after I chill and think over.
Getting help from a tutor who share limited background knowledge can be frustrating or provocative. I think it really depends on how I take it.
For example, when the tutor suggested I address why it's significant to look at the different "Chinese heritage" among the immigrants from China, Taiwan, and Singapore, I could have been wondering "they are from three different countries, and that speaks for the 'significant difference', doesn't it?!" or I could be wondering maybe there were some "contact literature" elements in there that need to be clearer to most people who were not that familiar with "Chinese" people.
I think writing processes is inherently dynamic and always evolving with writers. I don't even know if there is actually some sort of a pattern that fits my writing process. And I also wonder what would actually happen if I wrote in my L1.
Weekly blog — my writing rituals
I realize I already disclosed my writing rituals in class, but for those of you who missed out on some pretty tantalizing details: I almost always need coffee. Something caffeinated. I'm not even addicted to caffeine, and I'm not necessarily tired during, but I need to be kept alert. When I write, I always daydream. I daydream about fantasy novels and fiction and grammar and random things that don't have a place in academic essays or racial privilege analysis. It's not much of a ritual -- most people drink coffee or have their preferred beverage, and perhaps it's a cop-out that that's the main element in my "ritual." Whatever.
I'm not great at prewriting. Or, maybe I am, but I just don't know because I never do. I don't make outlines, I don't jot down ideas, I don't do, well, anything. I sit down and start writing. I hope for some brilliant introduction to burst forth from my fingers. Probably with headphones jammed in my ears to Mae or Incubus or Coltrane or something that calms and stimulates me simultaneously, if that's possible, and if all is right with the world, I won't be able to access the Internet. I'm not even that interested in visiting websites -- I just find a way to distract myself.
Of course, the writing I just described is limited to my papers for college. If I'm writing an email or an author query or blog/personal statement/whatever, I can write a surprisingly large amount -- surprisingly well -- in an astonishingly short amount of time. It all varies.
I think I realized that, after rereading what I just wrote, I don't have a ritual. I come from all angles. The only thing routinely done (or, should I say not done) is the lack of prewriting or preparation.
I should probably do something about that.
I'm not great at prewriting. Or, maybe I am, but I just don't know because I never do. I don't make outlines, I don't jot down ideas, I don't do, well, anything. I sit down and start writing. I hope for some brilliant introduction to burst forth from my fingers. Probably with headphones jammed in my ears to Mae or Incubus or Coltrane or something that calms and stimulates me simultaneously, if that's possible, and if all is right with the world, I won't be able to access the Internet. I'm not even that interested in visiting websites -- I just find a way to distract myself.
Of course, the writing I just described is limited to my papers for college. If I'm writing an email or an author query or blog/personal statement/whatever, I can write a surprisingly large amount -- surprisingly well -- in an astonishingly short amount of time. It all varies.
I think I realized that, after rereading what I just wrote, I don't have a ritual. I come from all angles. The only thing routinely done (or, should I say not done) is the lack of prewriting or preparation.
I should probably do something about that.
Client Session One
On Thursday, Sept. 18, I had my first session as a client. I brought in a few ideas I had for a column I was writing, as well as the intro paragraph.
First, the consultant asked me what I wanted readers to get out of my piece. With every response I had, the consultant had another question about my answer, how it related to the piece, and what new territory that answer opened up.
I didn't feel odd or awkward at all in being tutored. Maybe it's because I've already led two sessions and have observed the interaction several times; maybe it's because I know we're learning from each other. Either way, it didn't feel like a teacher-student relationship; I felt as an equal, someone who had ideas and thoughts to exchange and share, as well as strategies to implement in my writing. It felt pretty fantastic, actually.
The consultant often digressed in her suggestions, making me feel like she was giving me as much feedback as possible while acknowledging that she may not know precisely how the piece should be written or structured. I found the constant stream of questions to be most helpful, because I myself don't always ask enough questions about what I'm writing. What's the point of this paragraph? Don't people already know this? Isn't this common knowledge? Once you have an idea in place and think it's a great one, you don't continually second-guess yourself; this session made it that much clearer that a second set of eyes, regardless of how much experience lay behind them, is critical to the writing.
To tackle the last bullet point in the Bedford guide, the tutor made me feel comfortable the entire time. The session was productive, relaxed, and appropriately engaging. I look forward to my next one.
First, the consultant asked me what I wanted readers to get out of my piece. With every response I had, the consultant had another question about my answer, how it related to the piece, and what new territory that answer opened up.
I didn't feel odd or awkward at all in being tutored. Maybe it's because I've already led two sessions and have observed the interaction several times; maybe it's because I know we're learning from each other. Either way, it didn't feel like a teacher-student relationship; I felt as an equal, someone who had ideas and thoughts to exchange and share, as well as strategies to implement in my writing. It felt pretty fantastic, actually.
The consultant often digressed in her suggestions, making me feel like she was giving me as much feedback as possible while acknowledging that she may not know precisely how the piece should be written or structured. I found the constant stream of questions to be most helpful, because I myself don't always ask enough questions about what I'm writing. What's the point of this paragraph? Don't people already know this? Isn't this common knowledge? Once you have an idea in place and think it's a great one, you don't continually second-guess yourself; this session made it that much clearer that a second set of eyes, regardless of how much experience lay behind them, is critical to the writing.
To tackle the last bullet point in the Bedford guide, the tutor made me feel comfortable the entire time. The session was productive, relaxed, and appropriately engaging. I look forward to my next one.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Rituals
Last Wednesday when we discussed our rituals I didn't really discuss mine. I'm not certain that calling them rituals is correct, and in fact calling them that may give them more significance than they deserve. Regardless of whether or not you'd call them rituals, the following is what I am relatively consistent on when I write papers:
I sit down in front of my computer. I lean over and move the books and notebook I am using for the paper from the floor to my desk. While I do this, I notice my fingernails haven't been clipped in a while. Hmm, I should probably take care of that before I forget. While I do that, I figure it only makes sense to get my toes as well. I return to my chair and look at my computer. Better check my e-mail, just in case. While I'm at it, I should probably see if anything is new on facebook. I never use MySpace anymore, and have absolutely no reason to check it, but should probably check it anyway, just in case. Before I know it I've spent an hour on Wikipedia looking up a wide array of things.
Essentially, my only real ritual is putting it off as long as possible. I've survived this way so far. I like to think I'm a good writer, and rarely alter much in the paper after I finish it. Sometimes I don't even read through it when I'm done because I don't want to think about it anymore. I think the greatest disadvantage of this is that there isn't enough time to have anybody else look at my paper. Though I don't think I'd want any peer revision among my friends. Being a client at the writing center will be a strange experience, and I'm not sure what to expect. I do not know whether or not I will be given advice and ignore it through pride or actually consider it.
I sit down in front of my computer. I lean over and move the books and notebook I am using for the paper from the floor to my desk. While I do this, I notice my fingernails haven't been clipped in a while. Hmm, I should probably take care of that before I forget. While I do that, I figure it only makes sense to get my toes as well. I return to my chair and look at my computer. Better check my e-mail, just in case. While I'm at it, I should probably see if anything is new on facebook. I never use MySpace anymore, and have absolutely no reason to check it, but should probably check it anyway, just in case. Before I know it I've spent an hour on Wikipedia looking up a wide array of things.
Essentially, my only real ritual is putting it off as long as possible. I've survived this way so far. I like to think I'm a good writer, and rarely alter much in the paper after I finish it. Sometimes I don't even read through it when I'm done because I don't want to think about it anymore. I think the greatest disadvantage of this is that there isn't enough time to have anybody else look at my paper. Though I don't think I'd want any peer revision among my friends. Being a client at the writing center will be a strange experience, and I'm not sure what to expect. I do not know whether or not I will be given advice and ignore it through pride or actually consider it.
My so-called writing process
My writing process reminds me of driving. Both are organized with set a rules or directions that I keep in the back of my mind. Both involve specific emotions: feeling lost, confused, frustrated, excited, and sometimes happy. And although I almost always feel lost driving and was born with no sense of direction, I have learned that some of the best writing comes from this horrible emotional chaos.
When I have a paper to write, I generally wait until a day or two before. I usually don't have a specific thesis or outline, but a variety of ideas I want to use. I write the introduction and a rough thesis to get me going. I write a few pages first and then go back and revise. Then I am able to see the direction of my paper and outline an organized thesis.
Writing a paper the day or two before it is due may not be very planned. I think feeling stressed and pressured to respond to a specific due date gives me an adrenaline rush, motivating me to write. When I drive, I try to concentrate on my destination and am usually late as well.
My writing process is partially organized and partially disorganized, but this leaves room for improvement and revision. I usually revise a good portion of anything I work on. I think writing on a computer helps make revision easier for me too. I like to write by myself, somewhere quite when I can concentrate easier. I usually ask for an outsider's opinion of my paper. As I continue to write, and study in professional writing and English classes, I continue to adapt and learn. Depending on the assignment, I usually overcome and frustration and end up happy and excited about my work.
When I have a paper to write, I generally wait until a day or two before. I usually don't have a specific thesis or outline, but a variety of ideas I want to use. I write the introduction and a rough thesis to get me going. I write a few pages first and then go back and revise. Then I am able to see the direction of my paper and outline an organized thesis.
Writing a paper the day or two before it is due may not be very planned. I think feeling stressed and pressured to respond to a specific due date gives me an adrenaline rush, motivating me to write. When I drive, I try to concentrate on my destination and am usually late as well.
My writing process is partially organized and partially disorganized, but this leaves room for improvement and revision. I usually revise a good portion of anything I work on. I think writing on a computer helps make revision easier for me too. I like to write by myself, somewhere quite when I can concentrate easier. I usually ask for an outsider's opinion of my paper. As I continue to write, and study in professional writing and English classes, I continue to adapt and learn. Depending on the assignment, I usually overcome and frustration and end up happy and excited about my work.
Writing Center Observation #2
By the time i entered this observation, I had gained a much clearer view of what a writing consulting should do to help the student. This time, I was able to observe how a tutor would respond to the student looking for an editor, for someone to write in grammatical corrections. The tutor I observed was very charismatic and friendly. He asked the student to read the paper out loud, having the student fix most of the grammatical errors himself right away.
After that was solved, the tutor began asking him questions to get the student to think less about grammar and more about arrangement and content. A tutor must be able to maintain the students attention and keep the student involved in his or her paper during the session. The tutor constantly asked questions and supported the students answers positively (something I have noticed with every tutor I have met so far).
What I found most interesting was that in both sessions I observed a student who was an ESL student. The tutor I observed had mentioned many students who come to the writing center speak English as a second language. This may require more attention from the tutor. Those learning a second language, as I have experienced myself, often struggle with grammar. The student may want to just focus on grammatical errors, and may need more help from the tutor to look at other aspects of the writing. The tutor I observed seemed very experienced working with such students.
I think I would be able to guide someone away from editing/grammar. I have learned a lot these past few weeks about how to work with others and how to guide a student to focus on his or her writing in all aspects. Keeping a student focused on his or her writing seems to me the most important objective. The student will be able to learn on his or her own and hopefully apply and skills learned from the session on future work.
After that was solved, the tutor began asking him questions to get the student to think less about grammar and more about arrangement and content. A tutor must be able to maintain the students attention and keep the student involved in his or her paper during the session. The tutor constantly asked questions and supported the students answers positively (something I have noticed with every tutor I have met so far).
What I found most interesting was that in both sessions I observed a student who was an ESL student. The tutor I observed had mentioned many students who come to the writing center speak English as a second language. This may require more attention from the tutor. Those learning a second language, as I have experienced myself, often struggle with grammar. The student may want to just focus on grammatical errors, and may need more help from the tutor to look at other aspects of the writing. The tutor I observed seemed very experienced working with such students.
I think I would be able to guide someone away from editing/grammar. I have learned a lot these past few weeks about how to work with others and how to guide a student to focus on his or her writing in all aspects. Keeping a student focused on his or her writing seems to me the most important objective. The student will be able to learn on his or her own and hopefully apply and skills learned from the session on future work.
How I Write
A frequent issue of mine when it comes to writing assignments (that is the only type of writing I do nowadays) is the due date. We do not have a good relationship, the due date and I. Sometimes I will feel it approaching rapidly and begin feeling inordinate amounts of stress only to discover that I actually have another four days to complete the assignment when I thought there was only one. More often, I will be completely unaware of a looming due date and let it sneak up and shock me in a very unpleasant manner. For the most part, however, until the time my assignment is (very, very close to being) due, I usually hardly think about it, unless it involves some type of reasearch that must be done beforehand for some reason or another. When I do think about it, it is only to think that it is something I have to do and not about things I may actually write (this is not true for times when I must present on my written material, but that is not a frequent occurance).
Then the due date arrives and I have no choice but to think about what I'm going to write. I never write anything by hand if I have a choice because writing by hand is a slow process for me for whatever reason. I often leave my room because places like the study lounge and the library offer fewer distractions and therefore fewer excuses to put off writing for five, or maybe ten, more minutes. It's not that I dislike writing, it's just that in the context of classes it almost always feels like too much of a chore to enjoy.
I am held up most often at the very beginning. Starting a piece is by far the most difficult task for me, though once I get going (often after maybe four or five false starts) I generally do not get stuck again. Once I begin writing a piece, I prefer not to leave until the paper is finished, both because re-mustering the motivation to write again after stopping can be difficult and because I will sometimes lose the flow of ideas and words that keep my writing smooth and connected (at least most of the time) from beginning to end. The second most difficult part of the writing process for me is the conclusion. Many times I have struggled to write something that does not feel like a summary or a foregone conclusion. More than once I have left a paper feeling unsatisfied with the conclusion I have written but having not much idea of how to fix it. Another part of the writing process that I do not particularly care for is creating titles. It is the one area of the writing process that I will often not help my friends with and always save till the end to struggle with when writing myself. Titles are important and often personal. Though there are many occasions in school settings when convention dictates how a piece should be titled, there are many more situations in which the choice of title rests solely with the author and, in my opinion, should be considered carefully. I could probably go on longer than anyone would like about my struggles with and opinions of titles, but that is not directly relevant to this blog.
Once I have finished, there is a mild-to-overwhelming sense of relief (depending on the assignment and how many hours are left until it is due). For some classes, such as my Grammar and Style class, I may rapidly reread my paper to check for sentence-level errors, most of which result from my brain moving faster than my hands (one of my more common issues is leaving out articles or sometimes skipping other, more important words). If I have time later and am thoroughly unsatisfied with the conclusion, I may add more thoughts before turning in the paper, though any thoughts I have usually seemingly come from nowhere rather than a conscious effort to improve my conclusion. If I like a piece I have written and it will not bore her to death, I send it to my sister for a second opinion. Anything that both of us think is good is usually something I will save or store somewhere for myself as a reference of my past writing.
Then the due date arrives and I have no choice but to think about what I'm going to write. I never write anything by hand if I have a choice because writing by hand is a slow process for me for whatever reason. I often leave my room because places like the study lounge and the library offer fewer distractions and therefore fewer excuses to put off writing for five, or maybe ten, more minutes. It's not that I dislike writing, it's just that in the context of classes it almost always feels like too much of a chore to enjoy.
I am held up most often at the very beginning. Starting a piece is by far the most difficult task for me, though once I get going (often after maybe four or five false starts) I generally do not get stuck again. Once I begin writing a piece, I prefer not to leave until the paper is finished, both because re-mustering the motivation to write again after stopping can be difficult and because I will sometimes lose the flow of ideas and words that keep my writing smooth and connected (at least most of the time) from beginning to end. The second most difficult part of the writing process for me is the conclusion. Many times I have struggled to write something that does not feel like a summary or a foregone conclusion. More than once I have left a paper feeling unsatisfied with the conclusion I have written but having not much idea of how to fix it. Another part of the writing process that I do not particularly care for is creating titles. It is the one area of the writing process that I will often not help my friends with and always save till the end to struggle with when writing myself. Titles are important and often personal. Though there are many occasions in school settings when convention dictates how a piece should be titled, there are many more situations in which the choice of title rests solely with the author and, in my opinion, should be considered carefully. I could probably go on longer than anyone would like about my struggles with and opinions of titles, but that is not directly relevant to this blog.
Once I have finished, there is a mild-to-overwhelming sense of relief (depending on the assignment and how many hours are left until it is due). For some classes, such as my Grammar and Style class, I may rapidly reread my paper to check for sentence-level errors, most of which result from my brain moving faster than my hands (one of my more common issues is leaving out articles or sometimes skipping other, more important words). If I have time later and am thoroughly unsatisfied with the conclusion, I may add more thoughts before turning in the paper, though any thoughts I have usually seemingly come from nowhere rather than a conscious effort to improve my conclusion. If I like a piece I have written and it will not bore her to death, I send it to my sister for a second opinion. Anything that both of us think is good is usually something I will save or store somewhere for myself as a reference of my past writing.
Consultant Shadowing #2
On this particular observation my consultant worked on paper for a psychology class in which they watched a movie gave a short summary and talked about a character that suffered from some type of aliment and talked about it using class notes and the book.
The client had started the introduction and the summary and was not worried about anything else. So the first thing we did was read the paper out-loud. The paper was very rough but the consultant was able to catch most of the errors that were there by hearing it for himself. The main problem with his summary was that instead of summarize the parts of the movie that were important to his paper he talked about every scene in the entire movie. The consultant asked some leading questions so he could avoid summarizing the whole movie.
After working on the summarization the consultant then moved towards the introduction slash thesis. And this is also where the consultant took over the session in my opinion. They still asked questions, but they wrote out the entire thesis. I thought it could have been helpful to have them work towards answering the questions themselves and have him write out the thesis and then perhaps work on an outline of the paper so he could see how the thesis relates to the rest of the paper.
At the end of the sessions he felt pretty happy and had some direction but I still think that he could have learned a little more by doing more of the work.
Writing Process
My writing process:
1) When I give myself time.
When I have a good amount of time to produce my paper or project... whatever it my be. And I also I have found some uncanny motivation, this what usually happens.
- I will stare at the blank screen of death and then play video-games
- I will come back to the blank screen try to write something then play video-games
At this juncture I will usually have something of a thesis or at least a vague idea of what I am writing about. I will then move my laptop next to my television and take turns writing a sentence or two then playing video-games.
What I have now is a goop of paper that doesn't have much coherence due to writing a sentence stopping half way through to try and beat Rainbow Road on 150CC on Mario Kart Wii. So I now I print my paper and do the following.
- Pick out the good stuff from the bad stuff
- Find which examples are worthy of developing further.
- Retailer my thesis to match my examples
- Try and beat Rainbow Road on 150CC
After building on my examples and body paragraphs and tailoring my thesis to make sense, I now have something that resembles a paper. Now I...
- Send my paper to one of my faithful friends who will read my paper for content as well as grammar issues and awaiting there return while I watch The Wire on DVD.
After getting the commented copy I read the comments fix what I think is applicable and do one more final reading. Then I turn in the paper.
This is the preferable way for me to write as it involves a lot of fun mixed in. The second is not as fun...
Scenario: Paper due in 7 hours.
1- Brew Pot of Coffee
2- Stare Longingly at my Television
3- Curse myself
4- write paper and hope its not non-sense.
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