Lauren’s post reminded me of something that I should have included in my own literacy narrative. Like her dad, my mom frequently made up bedtime stories for my older brother and me. Her stories were often in the Beatrix Potter vein, and included characters named after the two of us. I always marveled at her creativity and the fluidity with which she wove her narratives. In first grade, when I was asked to write a story for the first time, I remembered the characters that had lulled me to sleep for so many years. I decided that even though my mom had since stopped creating new stories, that didn’t mean their adventures had to be over. When my mom read my story, she was delighted that I had taken those characters and created something unique that was mine alone. It is only looking back on that now that I realize this story was essentially fanfiction. Given that my “discovery” of fanfiction in junior high helped foster my digital literacy, it’s interesting to see how much earlier I was actually introduced to the concept.
I genuinely struggled writing my literacy narrative, but not because I had trouble defining “literacy.” Rather, I wanted to explore the ways in which my literacies have developed, but at the same time I wanted to make that explanation meaningful. Though I acquired my literacies on my own, I recognize the influence that others have had on their development, as well as my own personal growth. Traditional and digital literacy are not just skills I possess; they are factors that have had an active role in shaping who I am today. My passion for language and my enthusiasm for technology have brought me to the point in my life I am currently at, and hopefully they will carry me into my future.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Thoughts about the literacy narrative...
I had trouble focusing on just one topic in my paper. And yet I feel like it is all irrelevant, because I'm not sure if I'm really answering the question... It just seems so vague! And how can anything shape a writing literacy? I suppose I'll find out that answer as I continue on writing.
I agree with Gabe. We are going to have a great spectrum of narratives - it'll be interesting to see what other people thought. The concept of literacy also gets a little shaky. I kept referring to the dictionary to make sure that what I described as literacy wasn't technically just a hobby or something. But I suppose literacies are apt to develop out of one's hobbies anyway.
I could not connect another literacy to reading and writing literacies. First it was the two, and then others came. Sure, I took ballet, tap and jazz lessons and played the piano for eleven years and the violin for three. What of it? Reading and writing were already present in my life in those time periods. The main point of my narrative is beginning to revolve around the circumstances and situations in which the literacies developed, rather than which other literacies developed with them. Then I wrote about how reading and writing created a few other literacies later in life. I'm also focusing on my family and how they helped to shape my literacy.
My problem lies in the creative aspect of this project. It's horrible, I know. Professional Writers in my track of Digital and Technical Writing have to be creative! But this is just too broad a subject, and my life is too boring. I need a narrowing of topics and a definite definition for literacy. I've heard literacy used in so many ways and different contexts that it never seems to mean the same thing. It's like a default term, a shadow word for bazillions of other words.
Here's a random query: Why does spell check think "literacies" is not a word?
I agree with Gabe. We are going to have a great spectrum of narratives - it'll be interesting to see what other people thought. The concept of literacy also gets a little shaky. I kept referring to the dictionary to make sure that what I described as literacy wasn't technically just a hobby or something. But I suppose literacies are apt to develop out of one's hobbies anyway.
I could not connect another literacy to reading and writing literacies. First it was the two, and then others came. Sure, I took ballet, tap and jazz lessons and played the piano for eleven years and the violin for three. What of it? Reading and writing were already present in my life in those time periods. The main point of my narrative is beginning to revolve around the circumstances and situations in which the literacies developed, rather than which other literacies developed with them. Then I wrote about how reading and writing created a few other literacies later in life. I'm also focusing on my family and how they helped to shape my literacy.
My problem lies in the creative aspect of this project. It's horrible, I know. Professional Writers in my track of Digital and Technical Writing have to be creative! But this is just too broad a subject, and my life is too boring. I need a narrowing of topics and a definite definition for literacy. I've heard literacy used in so many ways and different contexts that it never seems to mean the same thing. It's like a default term, a shadow word for bazillions of other words.
Here's a random query: Why does spell check think "literacies" is not a word?
Friday, October 10, 2008
About the Literacy Narrative
I think I really just want to write about how I enjoyed writing my literacy narrative. I focused on how my early interest in creative writing (which I called a "subliteracy") led to the development of two more literacies that are now crucial to me--word processing and web exploration and posting. When I was really little, my dad would tell stories to me and my younger brother Kevin, but there was a twist--every once in a while he would leave a blank and ask me or my brother to fill it in. This included character's names, the creature that suddenly jumped out at them, or where they were going on their adventure. Honestly, until we drew our literacy timelines in class two weeks ago, I didn't even realize I remembered those stories, so first off I'm grateful to this project for allowing me to explore those memories again.
However, as I wrote, I realized what an integral part of my life those stories were. They made me love to write creatively, which made me want to learn to type and format using word processors, and then when I started posting my writing online I developed web literacies for working with HTML, uploading files, and using message boards. I've never had to write a piece about how I learned something before, and without it I never would have made the connections between the stories from my childhood and the skills that are invaluable to me now as a professional writing and English major. It's interesting how our own ambition to improve one literacy can make us develop entirely new ones even if they are just for the sake of efficiency in the first literacy.
However, as I wrote, I realized what an integral part of my life those stories were. They made me love to write creatively, which made me want to learn to type and format using word processors, and then when I started posting my writing online I developed web literacies for working with HTML, uploading files, and using message boards. I've never had to write a piece about how I learned something before, and without it I never would have made the connections between the stories from my childhood and the skills that are invaluable to me now as a professional writing and English major. It's interesting how our own ambition to improve one literacy can make us develop entirely new ones even if they are just for the sake of efficiency in the first literacy.
Literacies
The concept of literacy is still something that I think a struggle with a bit. The way it is typically discussed in class seems to suggest to me that being literate in something simply means understanding it. I have a problem with this because such a thing is impossible to write about, it is too difficult to know where to begin.
I wish we had come up with some kind of specific definition for literacy in class (I remember that we did a bit, but for some reason I can't quite remember it). The most important component is communication. At first my understanding of literacy was that to be literate in something one needed to understand enough about it to communicate with others about it. I think I prefer to think of literacy as not being fluent in something, but rather being fluent in a form of communication. At least, that's what I'm going to write about in my literacy narrative. Music has been brought up a bit and is perfect in this sense because music is a form of communication. I might also use it for my narrative, but I'm not certain yet.
I wish we had come up with some kind of specific definition for literacy in class (I remember that we did a bit, but for some reason I can't quite remember it). The most important component is communication. At first my understanding of literacy was that to be literate in something one needed to understand enough about it to communicate with others about it. I think I prefer to think of literacy as not being fluent in something, but rather being fluent in a form of communication. At least, that's what I'm going to write about in my literacy narrative. Music has been brought up a bit and is perfect in this sense because music is a form of communication. I might also use it for my narrative, but I'm not certain yet.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Client and Satellite Observations
I had my second session as a client today, once again at the Library. I’m definitely coming to appreciate the later hours that branch has open, given my hectic schedule. For this meeting, I brought in a copy of my resume to go over. We’ve been working on them in class, and I wanted to make some improvements before I handed it in. Since I switched into Professional Writing relatively recently, I’m somewhat self-conscious about what I perceive as a dearth of relevant PW experience. One of the first things the consultant encouraged me to think about was how my various experiences could be spun to seem more significant. As we discussed the points I had included, she inspired me to think about what I had left out, or what I could explain in greater detail. More than just helping with documenting my experiences, she genuinely made me feel better about my accomplishments. I’ve gained some valuable insight into how I can present myself and my experiences to potential employers.
Given how closely form and function are intertwined in a resume, I appreciate the attention to detail the consultant paid. In each area, she urged me to think about my word choices, and to see if I could use more active words, or more concise language. We also talked about the layout and appearance of my document. Though it was already much improved from my earlier version, she provided valuable insight as to how I could make further design changes. It is fortunate that she had suggestions for increasing the amount of content that I could include. Before we began, I felt like my resume was practically empty, but after our discussion, I don’t know if I’ll be able to include everything!
I also had the opportunity to observe a session while at the Library. I immediately noticed that the consultant was consistent in her use of “I” statement when she responded to the student’s paper. She described her reactions in phrases like “I’m confused about this…” or “What’s I’m hearing you say is…” These are phrases that the Bedford Guide urges tutors to use, and I myself try to remember. I was also impressed by the way the consultant addressed issues of grammar and mechanics. Without overly fixating on them, she nevertheless managed to correct grammatical issues by clearly explaining the underlying principles. She also did an admirable job of explaining how the connotations of certain words changed the meaning of the student’s statements. In all, she actively engaged the student in a continuous dialogue to get her to think about her reasoning and objectives. Rather than simply identifying a problem, she talked the student through possible solutions.
This was my second time visiting the Library Satellite, but the last time I was there I wasn’t focused on the environment itself. This time I noticed how open the work area felt. I kept noticing people as they passed by. Surprisingly, despite all the foot traffic, the atmosphere seemed quieter than at the Bessey Center. Perhaps that’s because there weren’t a dozen people sitting in one small area, all holding separate conversations at the same time. It’s not that the main center is loud, but trying to filter out all those other conversations can be difficult. I can definitely sympathize with students who have ADHD who come to us for help. Something else I noticed was the difference made by not having a dedicated receptionist. When a new client came, rather than addressing one of the unoccupied consultants, he simply came to the closest one, even though she was working with another student. If all the tutors had been working with students, I could understand this. However, given that there were several available consultants, this seemed unnecessarily disruptive. I can see how this could be frustrating for a consultant. Perhaps there could be a sign posted, indicating how students can check the schedule to see who their appointment is with.
Given how closely form and function are intertwined in a resume, I appreciate the attention to detail the consultant paid. In each area, she urged me to think about my word choices, and to see if I could use more active words, or more concise language. We also talked about the layout and appearance of my document. Though it was already much improved from my earlier version, she provided valuable insight as to how I could make further design changes. It is fortunate that she had suggestions for increasing the amount of content that I could include. Before we began, I felt like my resume was practically empty, but after our discussion, I don’t know if I’ll be able to include everything!
I also had the opportunity to observe a session while at the Library. I immediately noticed that the consultant was consistent in her use of “I” statement when she responded to the student’s paper. She described her reactions in phrases like “I’m confused about this…” or “What’s I’m hearing you say is…” These are phrases that the Bedford Guide urges tutors to use, and I myself try to remember. I was also impressed by the way the consultant addressed issues of grammar and mechanics. Without overly fixating on them, she nevertheless managed to correct grammatical issues by clearly explaining the underlying principles. She also did an admirable job of explaining how the connotations of certain words changed the meaning of the student’s statements. In all, she actively engaged the student in a continuous dialogue to get her to think about her reasoning and objectives. Rather than simply identifying a problem, she talked the student through possible solutions.
This was my second time visiting the Library Satellite, but the last time I was there I wasn’t focused on the environment itself. This time I noticed how open the work area felt. I kept noticing people as they passed by. Surprisingly, despite all the foot traffic, the atmosphere seemed quieter than at the Bessey Center. Perhaps that’s because there weren’t a dozen people sitting in one small area, all holding separate conversations at the same time. It’s not that the main center is loud, but trying to filter out all those other conversations can be difficult. I can definitely sympathize with students who have ADHD who come to us for help. Something else I noticed was the difference made by not having a dedicated receptionist. When a new client came, rather than addressing one of the unoccupied consultants, he simply came to the closest one, even though she was working with another student. If all the tutors had been working with students, I could understand this. However, given that there were several available consultants, this seemed unnecessarily disruptive. I can see how this could be frustrating for a consultant. Perhaps there could be a sign posted, indicating how students can check the schedule to see who their appointment is with.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
2 Tutoring Sessions and One Observation
My second tutoring session was with a girl working on a paper for her physics class. Her class read a book and had to compare the challenges the physicists to challenges she had in her own life. She brought in her paper that had been corrected by her teacher and wanted me to make sure she had fixed what her teacher had pointed out and make sure her organization was good. I went over the paper paragraph by paragraph with her and pointed out any parts of her paper that did not fit with the rest of it. In each paragraph she was missing an intro sentence, she just jumped right into what she was talking about without setting it up. I explained to her that she needed both the intro sentence and the closing sentence so that the reader can follow her train of thought, especially because she was writing a comparative paper.
My third tutoring session was definitely once in a lifetime. I didn't have a scheduled client and about five minutes after sessions started a graduate student walked in. He was somewhere in his thirties and I immediately felt completely not the right tutor for him. I may be 18 years old but I look like I'm 16! I was afraid this man wouldn't take me seriously or would feel like he was getting the short end of the stick. I greeted him and we took our seats next to each other, I asked him what his paper was about and he told me he was writing to try and apply for a type of scholarship that would allow him to finish his final year at MSU without having to be a TA. He was an art major so he showed me a piece of his art so I could have a picture in my mind about what we were working on. His paper was divided into sections about his artwork, his performance artwork, and finally his performance piece that he is currently developing. We went through the paper and pointed out where he didn't have enough information for the reader to be able to visualize what he was talking about and how that was extremely important in a paper you are writing about art because the reader needs to be able to see in his minds eye what my tutee was talking about. That was really the main focus of our session. A final note: my student said to me "Far out!" after we finished one of his paragraphs! Crazy.
My observation at the library was very interesting. I ended up observing the yawner!! The tutor who had yawned through my entire paper. What was really bizarre was that he preformed this session almost to the tee the same way he preformed mine. The student came in, the tutor read his paper allowed as one whole chunk. As he went through he pointed out words that didn't belong or grammar mistakes. When he got done reading the paper he told the student that he assumed the student just wanted him to fine tune the paper. The student just nodded along. It was insane to me that the session had no tutor and student interaction at all. Another thing I noticed was that the student took the "turned off" behavior, he leaned back in his chair and took himself out of action with the paper. After the ten minute session the student left, in my mind, empty handed. The tutor then turned to me and asked me what exactly I was observing for. I told him and he said that I probably didn't observe his best session because he had been in and out of the hospital for the past week or more and just wasn't doing his best work. He said that if he had been feeling better he would have gone over many more things in the paper with the student. That puzzled me. If you know that you aren't doing your best work and helping the student to the best of your ability, should you really be at work? I just didn't quite understand that logic especially because I felt that the session I had with him was a complete waste of my time and if that had been my very first experience with the writing center I would not have gone back.
My third tutoring session was definitely once in a lifetime. I didn't have a scheduled client and about five minutes after sessions started a graduate student walked in. He was somewhere in his thirties and I immediately felt completely not the right tutor for him. I may be 18 years old but I look like I'm 16! I was afraid this man wouldn't take me seriously or would feel like he was getting the short end of the stick. I greeted him and we took our seats next to each other, I asked him what his paper was about and he told me he was writing to try and apply for a type of scholarship that would allow him to finish his final year at MSU without having to be a TA. He was an art major so he showed me a piece of his art so I could have a picture in my mind about what we were working on. His paper was divided into sections about his artwork, his performance artwork, and finally his performance piece that he is currently developing. We went through the paper and pointed out where he didn't have enough information for the reader to be able to visualize what he was talking about and how that was extremely important in a paper you are writing about art because the reader needs to be able to see in his minds eye what my tutee was talking about. That was really the main focus of our session. A final note: my student said to me "Far out!" after we finished one of his paragraphs! Crazy.
My observation at the library was very interesting. I ended up observing the yawner!! The tutor who had yawned through my entire paper. What was really bizarre was that he preformed this session almost to the tee the same way he preformed mine. The student came in, the tutor read his paper allowed as one whole chunk. As he went through he pointed out words that didn't belong or grammar mistakes. When he got done reading the paper he told the student that he assumed the student just wanted him to fine tune the paper. The student just nodded along. It was insane to me that the session had no tutor and student interaction at all. Another thing I noticed was that the student took the "turned off" behavior, he leaned back in his chair and took himself out of action with the paper. After the ten minute session the student left, in my mind, empty handed. The tutor then turned to me and asked me what exactly I was observing for. I told him and he said that I probably didn't observe his best session because he had been in and out of the hospital for the past week or more and just wasn't doing his best work. He said that if he had been feeling better he would have gone over many more things in the paper with the student. That puzzled me. If you know that you aren't doing your best work and helping the student to the best of your ability, should you really be at work? I just didn't quite understand that logic especially because I felt that the session I had with him was a complete waste of my time and if that had been my very first experience with the writing center I would not have gone back.
Co-Consulting Session #2
I remember someone mentioned in class that the writing center in the library was a little more of a stressful environment. My consulting session I led today was a little stressful. A student came in told me he had a biology exam right after our session, his paper was due tommorrow, and he had spend all of his time today working on another papre due tommorrow. I felt a little pressured to help him out.
The student came to me with a thesis that was too vague. His paper was on analyzing the American idea of success, what shapes this idea, and how this may or may not effect the idea of the American Dream. His first thesis was about the role of media, yet he did not mention media once in his paper. He had a lot of good ideas and points but did not have any clear organization for his ideas.
I asked him at the end of the session if he was happy and if I had helped him and he seemed really pleased and (hopefully) lessed stressed out. However, I think I gave him a few too many suggestions to help him organize his paper and should have let him think more on his own. I had him first rewrite his thesis, asking him a few times what exactly it was he wanted his paper to say. After that I had him write out a few main ideas and what he could use to support those. He left with a rough outline.
The student came to me with a thesis that was too vague. His paper was on analyzing the American idea of success, what shapes this idea, and how this may or may not effect the idea of the American Dream. His first thesis was about the role of media, yet he did not mention media once in his paper. He had a lot of good ideas and points but did not have any clear organization for his ideas.
I asked him at the end of the session if he was happy and if I had helped him and he seemed really pleased and (hopefully) lessed stressed out. However, I think I gave him a few too many suggestions to help him organize his paper and should have let him think more on his own. I had him first rewrite his thesis, asking him a few times what exactly it was he wanted his paper to say. After that I had him write out a few main ideas and what he could use to support those. He left with a rough outline.
Outside Observation #1
Today I went to the Library for an observation. The writing center at the library was a much different atmosphere then Bessey. It was very open, which I think distracts the students more then being in a room. The Library Writing Center was also much smaller with only 3 or 4 people on staff. I think it is a great location. Many students go to the library to write a paper and it is convenient to be able to have somewhere to go for help.
The student I observed came in with just a rough outline of her paper. I felt like she had expected her tutor to write some of her paper for her. She had great ideas, and an idea for direction, but had done little writing. The session was very short, the tutor and the student decided to arrange to meet again after she had established a rough draft. I think the tutor handled this situatly effectively. He went over her ideas for a few minutes, made sure she understood the assignment, but explained they could work together better if she went ahead and started writing and then came back.
The student I observed came in with just a rough outline of her paper. I felt like she had expected her tutor to write some of her paper for her. She had great ideas, and an idea for direction, but had done little writing. The session was very short, the tutor and the student decided to arrange to meet again after she had established a rough draft. I think the tutor handled this situatly effectively. He went over her ideas for a few minutes, made sure she understood the assignment, but explained they could work together better if she went ahead and started writing and then came back.
Leading a Session - #2
The other session I had today was much more productive than the first. The consultant I worked with this time gave me almost complete control of the session and only jumped in once or twice when it was obvious I was struggling to think of an explanation for why a sentence didn't work. I greatly appreciated her input because a lot of times I was thinking about the problem in a way that made it much more complicated than it was, and the other consultant's suggestions were much easier to explain and implement.
The student in this session was also an ESL student, and she wanted to go over a case study. She read the paper aloud, and we stopped at the end of every paragraph to go over any errors or rewording that might be needed. Some of the errors were simple grammatical ones, but I still made sure to try and explain them as best I could, such as when a subject was missing or unclear, or why a comma might be needed in a certain place.
Other times sentence rewording or restructuring was needed, and if I offered a suggestion, I made sure to ask if it made sense to the client. Sometimes when I did this she pointed out how she worded something the way she did in order to emphasize a certain point or to refer to a different object than I expected. By keeping her involved in the process, I was able to help make her work more clear and to serve the purpose that she had originally intended. I feel like that concept was lost in some of the other ESL sessions I have observed, so because of the lack of dialogue between the consultant and the client, the client's sentences no longer did exactly what they had intended them to.
I also made sure to point out strengths in her paper. In some paragraphs I saw no need at all for changes, and I mentioned how she did an excellent job incorporating and explaining examples from the case the paper was analyzing.
After the session the consultant who sat in with me told me I had done a good job in engaging the student and keeping her involved, which made me really happy to hear. She also said I had good body language and explained things well to the student. I hope I continue to perform like this, and I'm also interested to see how these skills will help me in a session with a native English speaker.
The student in this session was also an ESL student, and she wanted to go over a case study. She read the paper aloud, and we stopped at the end of every paragraph to go over any errors or rewording that might be needed. Some of the errors were simple grammatical ones, but I still made sure to try and explain them as best I could, such as when a subject was missing or unclear, or why a comma might be needed in a certain place.
Other times sentence rewording or restructuring was needed, and if I offered a suggestion, I made sure to ask if it made sense to the client. Sometimes when I did this she pointed out how she worded something the way she did in order to emphasize a certain point or to refer to a different object than I expected. By keeping her involved in the process, I was able to help make her work more clear and to serve the purpose that she had originally intended. I feel like that concept was lost in some of the other ESL sessions I have observed, so because of the lack of dialogue between the consultant and the client, the client's sentences no longer did exactly what they had intended them to.
I also made sure to point out strengths in her paper. In some paragraphs I saw no need at all for changes, and I mentioned how she did an excellent job incorporating and explaining examples from the case the paper was analyzing.
After the session the consultant who sat in with me told me I had done a good job in engaging the student and keeping her involved, which made me really happy to hear. She also said I had good body language and explained things well to the student. I hope I continue to perform like this, and I'm also interested to see how these skills will help me in a session with a native English speaker.
Leading a Session - #1
This experience was technically co-consulting, but it really ended up being more of another observation session for me, which was disappointing. The consultant I worked with dominated the session and didn't really leave much room for me to add anything. I also didn't agree with the majority of the changes that she made, but I didn't want to object and confuse the client even more, or bombard her with too much criticism.
The client today was an ESL student with a paper criticizing the book "Guns, Germs, and Steel." It was a long paper, and the consultant told her right away that they weren't going to get through the whole thing. This was actually a gross under-exaggeration, because it took almost half an hour to get through the first paragraph. The consultant wanted to make all kinds of specific pages and basically had the client rewrite the entire paragraph. Many of them I didn't see as necessary at all since the student's point would still be the same. The consultant didn't completely take charge of the session and make all the corrections herself, but the sheer volume of suggestions she made had to be intimidating for the client. A lot of times she skipped over obvious grammatical errors in favor of rewriting a sentence that already served its point. Basically she was trying to change the student's delivery of her argument, when all that was needed was clearer language in certain areas.
I actually did manage to chime in when they skipped ahead to the conclusion of the paper. The conclusion seemed to focus on the fact that the author had a good argument rather than on the flaws in it, which is what the paper was about. I pointed this out to the client, and she reworded a sentence to make the paragraph work better with the rest of her paper. I'd also like to note that because of the extensive changes made to the introduction, the consultant found it necessary to spend at least another 15 minutes on the conclusion to make the style there match the new style of the introduction. This wasn't intrusive on the student's writing itself since the consultant didn't just jump in and reword everything, but the student's style was completely altered.
The client today was an ESL student with a paper criticizing the book "Guns, Germs, and Steel." It was a long paper, and the consultant told her right away that they weren't going to get through the whole thing. This was actually a gross under-exaggeration, because it took almost half an hour to get through the first paragraph. The consultant wanted to make all kinds of specific pages and basically had the client rewrite the entire paragraph. Many of them I didn't see as necessary at all since the student's point would still be the same. The consultant didn't completely take charge of the session and make all the corrections herself, but the sheer volume of suggestions she made had to be intimidating for the client. A lot of times she skipped over obvious grammatical errors in favor of rewriting a sentence that already served its point. Basically she was trying to change the student's delivery of her argument, when all that was needed was clearer language in certain areas.
I actually did manage to chime in when they skipped ahead to the conclusion of the paper. The conclusion seemed to focus on the fact that the author had a good argument rather than on the flaws in it, which is what the paper was about. I pointed this out to the client, and she reworded a sentence to make the paragraph work better with the rest of her paper. I'd also like to note that because of the extensive changes made to the introduction, the consultant found it necessary to spend at least another 15 minutes on the conclusion to make the style there match the new style of the introduction. This wasn't intrusive on the student's writing itself since the consultant didn't just jump in and reword everything, but the student's style was completely altered.
Response to other Blogs
As I was reading some of the other blogs, I noticed a couple people were thinking about connecting their literacies of music with writing. When Trixie first brought this connection up in class, I did not think that I would be able to relate to it much. I love music and listen to it daily. I also took band all through high school playing the Flute, but I never really put much thought into my ability to read and perform music.
When I sat down to write my literacy narrative, I began writing about my childhood and thinking about some of the first literacies I developed. I concentrated on the ones that I felt passionate about. I was surprised to find music did appear in my paper. As I kept writing I was surprised to find many connections with music and writing. I concentrated on how my mind worked, the different aspects involved in reading and performing music, and how these could relate to writing as well. I'm not sure if this helps anyone who was struggling with the idea of connecting music with writing, but I was very surprised to find its appearance in my literacy narrative.
When I sat down to write my literacy narrative, I began writing about my childhood and thinking about some of the first literacies I developed. I concentrated on the ones that I felt passionate about. I was surprised to find music did appear in my paper. As I kept writing I was surprised to find many connections with music and writing. I concentrated on how my mind worked, the different aspects involved in reading and performing music, and how these could relate to writing as well. I'm not sure if this helps anyone who was struggling with the idea of connecting music with writing, but I was very surprised to find its appearance in my literacy narrative.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Two Leading Observations
I had two consulting sessions today that I wanted to share my reactions about. I thought my first client was going to be a no-show, and I was surprised when he sauntered in after over half an hour. I don’t know if this is me being overly sensitive, but I got the impression that he didn’t care that he was late, or that he was making my job as a consultant more difficult. His late arrival didn’t leave us with much time to go over his five page formal paper, but I decided to make the best of it. He expressed the usual concerns about grammar and mechanics, but also wanted to make sure he had fully developed his argument. He had been to the Writing Center before and was familiar with the normal way sessions are conducted, but this meeting was a bit different. Rather than having him read his paper aloud to hear any mistakes for himself, I skimmed the paper to get a sense of his argument. I tried to address a few key Higher Order Concerns that were interfering with the overall clarity, but he seemed resistive. Every time I tried explaining how a particular issue was unclear or hindered his argument, he balked at making any changes. I wasn’t trying to force him to do anything, but I wanted him to understand how, as a reader, I was confused.
As the session started winding down and it was clear we wouldn’t be able to cover everything, I switched tactics. I had him look at each of his paragraphs and decide on what its main theme was. Then we looked at his introduction and conclusion, and decided if they included these points. My goal was to get him to examine the way he had structured his argument and determine if the conclusion he had made was the one he had been going for, and if he had covered all of his bases. Overall, it was far from an ideal session. We were both rushed and I feel like our communication kept breaking down. When the student left, he seemed fairly satisfied, but I don’t think this session compared favorably to his earlier experiences with the Center.
My second session also showed up half an hour late, but she clearly had been running to get there. She was obviously very stressed and I did my best to help her calm down. The paper she brought in was due in two hours (which probably explains why she was so stressed). She was an ESL student and she stated that she just wanted someone to check her grammar. I explained that I would look over her paper and address the most significant concerns, and if grammar fell into that category, so be it. As it turned out, grammar was a major factor affecting the clarity of the piece. Though as consultants we are taught to try to see beyond issues of mechanics, I was forced to take a more directive approach than usual. As a result, when there was a major shift in language between the first and second paragraphs, I had reason to take notice. Apparently she simply inserted the abstract from an article, changed a handful of words, and labeled it her summary. I tried explaining to concept of plagiarism and the necessity for paraphrasing and proper citation, and she seemed surprised that the rules were “so strict.” When I asked what citation style she was supposed to use, she revealed that she had never even heard of MLA or APA. To say that I was both dumbfounded would be an understatement. I’m well aware that different cultures have different ideas about plagiarism, but I couldn’t believe that none of her other classes at MSU had ever mentioned plagiarism or citation. I tried to get her to think about ways she could rephrase things, but she didn’t understand why she needed to make changes when the original author said it so perfectly. Finally, I was forced to end the session because it was after 5 o’clock. I tried impressing upon her one last time the severity of plagiarism, and the importance of changing the problematic paragraph before she submitted her paper. I can only hope she took my advice.
As the session started winding down and it was clear we wouldn’t be able to cover everything, I switched tactics. I had him look at each of his paragraphs and decide on what its main theme was. Then we looked at his introduction and conclusion, and decided if they included these points. My goal was to get him to examine the way he had structured his argument and determine if the conclusion he had made was the one he had been going for, and if he had covered all of his bases. Overall, it was far from an ideal session. We were both rushed and I feel like our communication kept breaking down. When the student left, he seemed fairly satisfied, but I don’t think this session compared favorably to his earlier experiences with the Center.
My second session also showed up half an hour late, but she clearly had been running to get there. She was obviously very stressed and I did my best to help her calm down. The paper she brought in was due in two hours (which probably explains why she was so stressed). She was an ESL student and she stated that she just wanted someone to check her grammar. I explained that I would look over her paper and address the most significant concerns, and if grammar fell into that category, so be it. As it turned out, grammar was a major factor affecting the clarity of the piece. Though as consultants we are taught to try to see beyond issues of mechanics, I was forced to take a more directive approach than usual. As a result, when there was a major shift in language between the first and second paragraphs, I had reason to take notice. Apparently she simply inserted the abstract from an article, changed a handful of words, and labeled it her summary. I tried explaining to concept of plagiarism and the necessity for paraphrasing and proper citation, and she seemed surprised that the rules were “so strict.” When I asked what citation style she was supposed to use, she revealed that she had never even heard of MLA or APA. To say that I was both dumbfounded would be an understatement. I’m well aware that different cultures have different ideas about plagiarism, but I couldn’t believe that none of her other classes at MSU had ever mentioned plagiarism or citation. I tried to get her to think about ways she could rephrase things, but she didn’t understand why she needed to make changes when the original author said it so perfectly. Finally, I was forced to end the session because it was after 5 o’clock. I tried impressing upon her one last time the severity of plagiarism, and the importance of changing the problematic paragraph before she submitted her paper. I can only hope she took my advice.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Blog #5
The two class discussions and activities complimented each other very well. Monday during class we discussed an article by Flower and Hayes called: “A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing”, and Wednesday in class we did an activity where we created our own personal literacy time lines. These two discussions may not seem like they relate all that much, but they certainly did to me.
Flower and Hays’ article depicts a figure, or drawing, of the writing process. The different ideas, steps, and stages that each and every writer is thought to go through with each and every piece of writing. The graph is very linear and restricts a lot of back-to-back or diagonal movements. After looking at the graph and studying the different steps and process that according to the authors I am going through right now I found myself rather confused and perplexed at the process and the theory. I did not, and do not, believe it at all. I did realize that it is important for us to study this figure because I felt that it revealed the absurdity of attempting to label and explain the complicated writing process in very all-inclusive terms. Studying this graph proved the absurdity of trying to label and define the writing process.
Wednesday’s activity was creating a timeline that started at out birth and ended at present day and we were supposed to go through and label when we thought we developed different reading and writing literacies. Once we completed this we went through and in a different color ink we labeled when we developed different types of literacies such as cultural, music, foreign languages, religious, and body communication. This activity revealed to me how many differences we all have when it comes to literacies; what has influenced our literacies, what has influenced our background, and all in all what has helped create who we are now.
Looking back on Monday’s discussing after Wednesday’s activity I was struck at how full circle it all seemed to me. By looking at and understanding all of the different backgrounds that people have, all of the different literacies they know, and all of the different pieces of life that have brought them to where they are today further revealed to me the absurdity of Flower and Hays’ figure. With all of the different backgrounds and literacies that people have it is absolutely impossible for people to follow the same writing process. There is no way that one process can fit the needs of all of the writers with all of their different backgrounds and influences.
Flower and Hays’ article depicts a figure, or drawing, of the writing process. The different ideas, steps, and stages that each and every writer is thought to go through with each and every piece of writing. The graph is very linear and restricts a lot of back-to-back or diagonal movements. After looking at the graph and studying the different steps and process that according to the authors I am going through right now I found myself rather confused and perplexed at the process and the theory. I did not, and do not, believe it at all. I did realize that it is important for us to study this figure because I felt that it revealed the absurdity of attempting to label and explain the complicated writing process in very all-inclusive terms. Studying this graph proved the absurdity of trying to label and define the writing process.
Wednesday’s activity was creating a timeline that started at out birth and ended at present day and we were supposed to go through and label when we thought we developed different reading and writing literacies. Once we completed this we went through and in a different color ink we labeled when we developed different types of literacies such as cultural, music, foreign languages, religious, and body communication. This activity revealed to me how many differences we all have when it comes to literacies; what has influenced our literacies, what has influenced our background, and all in all what has helped create who we are now.
Looking back on Monday’s discussing after Wednesday’s activity I was struck at how full circle it all seemed to me. By looking at and understanding all of the different backgrounds that people have, all of the different literacies they know, and all of the different pieces of life that have brought them to where they are today further revealed to me the absurdity of Flower and Hays’ figure. With all of the different backgrounds and literacies that people have it is absolutely impossible for people to follow the same writing process. There is no way that one process can fit the needs of all of the writers with all of their different backgrounds and influences.
Satellite Observation #2 - Library
I worked with the same consultant for my second observation today. The client was also an ESL student, and she had an essay for a graduate school application that she wanted to go over to "refine" her writing. Again, the consultant explained that they would mostly look at structure, content, etc., and then go over grammar and sentence structure if there was time at the end of the session.
The consultant read the paper aloud this time, and where he saw larger problems he simply drew a star in the margin to come back to it rather than interrupting his reading (he also explained to the client what the stars were for). The main thing this student needed to work on was clarifying a few vague terms that she used in her introduction and conclusion but did not refer to in the body of the essay. To help organize the essay better, the consultant flipped the paper over and made a quick outline for her to follow. He made a numbered list of the topics she wanted to discuss in her essay, and then pointed out how she should go through these items in order in the body of her paper, then summarize briefly in her conclusion. The student understood immediately.
Overall, I think the writing center environment in the library normally would have been very similar to the main office, but today was an unusual day since the consultant I observed was late and somewhat rushed his first session, and then another consultant didn't show up at all, so many of the sessions were interrupted by clients wondering where their consultant was. Since these consultants are prepared for the half-hour instead of hour-long sessions, I don't think that actual length of the session had anything to do with it.
The consultant read the paper aloud this time, and where he saw larger problems he simply drew a star in the margin to come back to it rather than interrupting his reading (he also explained to the client what the stars were for). The main thing this student needed to work on was clarifying a few vague terms that she used in her introduction and conclusion but did not refer to in the body of the essay. To help organize the essay better, the consultant flipped the paper over and made a quick outline for her to follow. He made a numbered list of the topics she wanted to discuss in her essay, and then pointed out how she should go through these items in order in the body of her paper, then summarize briefly in her conclusion. The student understood immediately.
Overall, I think the writing center environment in the library normally would have been very similar to the main office, but today was an unusual day since the consultant I observed was late and somewhat rushed his first session, and then another consultant didn't show up at all, so many of the sessions were interrupted by clients wondering where their consultant was. Since these consultants are prepared for the half-hour instead of hour-long sessions, I don't think that actual length of the session had anything to do with it.
Satellite Observation #1 - Library
The consultant I observed today had five years of consulting experience, and was by far the best consultant I've shadowed. The session was with an ESL student who wanted to go over an annotated bibliography for grammar and to make sure his sentences made sense. However, this was the first time I've heard a tutor actually say, "Normally what we do is focus on content," and that grammar would be a secondary concern.
The real thing that made this session the most productive one I've seen was the level of the client's involvement in it. The consultant constantly asked him questions and made sure he understood before moving on to something else, and he employed a wide variety of techniques to help the student clarify his own writing. For example, when a sentence was too confusing, the consultant had the client say, out loud, just what he was trying to describe on paper. The consultant actually covered up the paper as the client spoke and told him, "Don't look at the paper, look at me." He then had the client write down what he had just said on another piece of paper. The student even remarked how helpful this technique was.
Another thing this consultant did was ask questions that allowed the client to figure things out on his own. For example, there were some verb tense issues in the paper, and the consultant would point out specific words and ask, "What tense is this?" to draw the client's attention to it. Actually involving the student in identifying grammatical errors seemed much more productive than the usual method of simply the consultant simply pointing out the problems, fixing them, and moving on.
A final thing that made this session unique was the consultant's recognition of the fact that there was more than one way to go about solving some of the problems within the paper. More than once he explained two different ways to correct the same error, and told the student it was up to him. I've haven't yet seen a consultant use so much patience or employ so many techniques when working with an ESL student. Obviously it takes time to acquire sure a repertoire since this consultant has been doing it for five years, but I hope I remember to be as varied and open-minded when I start co-consulting next week.
The real thing that made this session the most productive one I've seen was the level of the client's involvement in it. The consultant constantly asked him questions and made sure he understood before moving on to something else, and he employed a wide variety of techniques to help the student clarify his own writing. For example, when a sentence was too confusing, the consultant had the client say, out loud, just what he was trying to describe on paper. The consultant actually covered up the paper as the client spoke and told him, "Don't look at the paper, look at me." He then had the client write down what he had just said on another piece of paper. The student even remarked how helpful this technique was.
Another thing this consultant did was ask questions that allowed the client to figure things out on his own. For example, there were some verb tense issues in the paper, and the consultant would point out specific words and ask, "What tense is this?" to draw the client's attention to it. Actually involving the student in identifying grammatical errors seemed much more productive than the usual method of simply the consultant simply pointing out the problems, fixing them, and moving on.
A final thing that made this session unique was the consultant's recognition of the fact that there was more than one way to go about solving some of the problems within the paper. More than once he explained two different ways to correct the same error, and told the student it was up to him. I've haven't yet seen a consultant use so much patience or employ so many techniques when working with an ESL student. Obviously it takes time to acquire sure a repertoire since this consultant has been doing it for five years, but I hope I remember to be as varied and open-minded when I start co-consulting next week.
Leading sessions
This past Wednesday I led my first sessions at Bessey. My first client was a girl whose teacher had already seen and written comments on her paper. The teacher had had a number of issues with the piece and wrote on the last page that the student should "[s]ee Writing Center for help." The student was supposed to write a paper comparing characteristics of a famous person (in a book that her class had read) to her own characteristics. The girl had chosen two dominant traits of a scientist in the book (his tendency to lie to make things easier for himself and the tough treatment he gave those who worked under him) and wrote about the scientist first, then compared herself second. The teacher had written that she did not like the way the paper was organized and suggested the student write an outline in the beginning to clarify the way the paper would be set up. The teacher also repeatedly wrote that the student needed to use simpler language. The student read sections of the paper aloud for me, and we went through each section, identifying some smaller content issues as we worked. After reading the entire paper (it was four pages long), we read the teacher's closing comments before going back to the beginning of the paper to work on the organization. We first discussed the teacher's suggestion of an outline and the fact that in this case, what the teacher really seemed to want (and what was lacking in the opening paragraph) was a clear statement of the purpose and design of the paper. Following that, we talked about ways to make the organization stronger, which mostly involved moving some ideas to different sections of the paper and moving or removing some confusing quotations. The student and I connected well about the difficulties of the paper and she was quick to understand anything I tried to explain. One thing we both struggled with was the teacher's request to simplify the wording of the paper. The student complained that she had already simplified as much as she understood how to do and that it now sounded like fifth grade writing. I could see why she thought that. The wording of the piece was indeed very simple and clear, and the few suggestions from her teacher as to how to simplify further did not seem logical or consistent. Based on what I read, I gave a few suggestions for ways to possibly make her sentences simpler (though it seemed mostly like unnecessary re-wording), and then we moved on to some issues that both of us thought were more practical things to focus on (though I did not say that). I felt myself being "the ally" at times during the session--we were both confused about how to resolve some of the teacher's problems with the paper but did the best we could make it stronger overall. I was also "the coach," encouraging her through the reorganization of her paper. In the end, the student thanked me several times and left the session looking much less frustrated than she had coming in. It was overall a very good first tutoring experience.
Some thoughts
Reading some of the other posts has fed into my thoughts about the readings this week. Katie's discussion of the school-imposed dichotomy between "good" and "bad" students reminds me strongly of my own high school experience, though at the time it was not something I actively thought about. I was also a "good" student; I was in Honors and AP classes, getting good grades, favored by teachers and so on. Most of my friends were part of the same "class" of students as I was. I knew hardly any of the students in any of the remedial classes our school offered because unless we were in the same gym class, we just didn't run in the same intellectual circles. The rememedial classes were commonly referred to as "stupid math" or "stupid English" instead of "remedial" by almost all the students, whether they were in those classes or not. My senior year was the first time I was not in an honors English class (we only had AP English or British Literature at that level) Suddenly the honors class that I had had for ever other year of English (and many other classes) was gone, and I was sitting in a classroom full of students with many different intellectual designations. Many of them were less involved and less interested in the material than my honors class peers had been. It was the first time that I observed keenly the divide between the smart, motivated students, many of whom came to high school expecting to do exactly as well as they did, and everyone else, many of whom had only the goal of graduating. Thinking about these things made me wonder how I would handle tutoring a student with a background like many of the students in remedial classes I went to high school with. If his or her only goal was just to make it through the paper, just to get a passing grade, how would I cope with the lack of interest in doing well? As the students coming in to the center asking for some kind of verification that they've been there attest, not everyone comes because they genuinely want help. I have led two sessions thus far, and while both students were sent to the center by their teachers, neither of them was the type of student I described.
Another post I connected with was Jenna's. She talked about having difficulty connecting her literacy in music to her development as a writer. I have thought about that same problem for myself. My entire family in deeply involved in music (I am, in fact, the only member who did not or does not intend to major in music) and it has been a part of my life since before I was born. However, at this point I have still not found a way to connect that to my interest or development in writing. Actually, I think that one of the things that most encouraged my young writing was starting school in the fifth grade, but I'm not really sure that tackling grade school as a literacy sounds like a good idea.
Another post I connected with was Jenna's. She talked about having difficulty connecting her literacy in music to her development as a writer. I have thought about that same problem for myself. My entire family in deeply involved in music (I am, in fact, the only member who did not or does not intend to major in music) and it has been a part of my life since before I was born. However, at this point I have still not found a way to connect that to my interest or development in writing. Actually, I think that one of the things that most encouraged my young writing was starting school in the fifth grade, but I'm not really sure that tackling grade school as a literacy sounds like a good idea.
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