The first time I tried to do my library observation a couple weeks ago, I couldn't even do it because no one showed up. I say this to point out one major difference between the Bessey center and the library - lots more no shows. Today, I finally got to see an appointment. It was scheduled for a half hour, but ended up going about 50 minutes - I'll return to that later.
I'll begin by pointing out the differences at the satellite center versus the "home" center. As we've discussed, the half hour sessions have a whole different vibe because they're so rushed. The environment is more intimate, because the space is smaller and there are fewer appointments going on. Other than these things, the appointments didn't seem to differ much from the appointments at Bessey - still the same ratio of ESL to non-ESL students, etc.
Now, I kind of had some issues with the way this session went... but I don't want to sound uppity in my criticisms... the first thing that bothered me was that in the assignment sheet the student provided, the consultant made a HUGE deal about something she thought was a grammatical error made by the professor. She literally spent about 5 minutes of a short session griping about how the professor couldn't even get this "simple" rule right. I didn't say anything at the time... but I was pretty sure the professor was in fact correct and the consultant was incorrect - I looked it up when I got home and I was right. But I digress...
The student said they had been in to the center earlier with the same paper, and was told that they didn't meet the assignment criteria. They were told to try to get an extension and come back to the center. They got the extension, and came back with the same paper, less than a day before the extended due date. Specfically, they had not engaged in the analysis necessary for the paper, and so she asked at the very beginning of the session to focus on analysis and how to go about doing it (she didn't really even understand the concept). The consultant spent the entire 1/2 hour on just the intro - she hadn't even read/had the consultant read the rest of the paper yet. Generally analysis doesn't happen until later than the intro of a paper, so I thought this was sort of odd. When the 1/2 hour was up, and the consultant's next client arrived, she asked the next client if she could have 5-10 more minutes with the client I was observing. The next client said that was ok, but her appointment didn't begin until a full half hour after it was supposed to. The consultant didn't even begin to address the issue of analysis in the paper until after the 1/2 hour was up. She then suggested the girl change her entire topic and start the paper over, even though she had less than a day to work. I don't know, maybe I'm being overly critical, but I just thought the entire session was poorly handled.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
BCC Observations
Earlier this week I completed my second satellite observation at the BCC. I had never been to that location before, so it took me a minute to find it. When I entered the Lear Center, I was struck by all the people wearing suits. Obviously, as business students, looking professional is part of the deal. It was just such a contrast compared to the regular visitors to the Bessey center. The contrast was even greater between their professional attire and the casual atmosphere. The lighting was soft, there were armchairs everywhere, and there was an enormous TV on one wall. This last element proved distracting, as the whole time various politicians were yelling at one another.
The consultant I observed had obviously been working at the BCC for a while, because she had perfected the art of the half-hour session. The student originally just wanted someone to edit his paper, and she politely explained that this wasn’t what we normally do at the Writing Center, though she did tell him about the ESL Center. The client also asked the consultant to help interpret the instructions he had been given. She did the best she could, but advised him to check with his professor before submitting the assignment. After that, she dove right into the paper, asking the student probing questions to help him further develop his ideas. She tried to stay away from grammar, though she did address recurring problems. Rather than focusing on specific issues, she explained general rules of grammar and asked the student how to apply them in a given situation. Rather than being directive (ex. “It’s ‘worked,’ not ‘working.’”), she asked guiding questions (ex. “Instead of ‘-ing,’ what ending would you use here?”). After she pointed out a few examples, he was able to identify and correct subsequent errors.
Throughout the session, the consultant kept up a brisk, energetic pace. The client responded well to this and kept up with her. Periodically, she rephrased the student’s ideas in her own words, to make sure she had understood his meaning. At first he hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to respond to her questions. Eventually it got easier, and by the end the two were going back and forth constantly. Beyond that, the consultant suggested making changes to the organization of the argument, to improve the flow of ideas. She also briefly touched upon the issue of citation- both how to do it and why it’s important. Finally, she explained how to pull together all the elements from the paper and combine them into a conclusion. Then she asked the student what questions or concerns he had.
In all, the session ran like an ideal session at either the main Writing Center or the Library satellite. The biggest difference was the atmosphere itself, not the interaction between client and consultant. I confess, I had difficulty focusing on my observation with the TV going in the background. It’s not that it was interesting, but people yelling in the background tends to be distracting. The client was already soft-spoken, and I sometimes strained to hear him. Though the consultant seemed to have adapted well to the half-hour sessions, I still prefer the hour-long sessions I’m used to. Otherwise, it feels like both the client and consultant are rushed.
The consultant I observed had obviously been working at the BCC for a while, because she had perfected the art of the half-hour session. The student originally just wanted someone to edit his paper, and she politely explained that this wasn’t what we normally do at the Writing Center, though she did tell him about the ESL Center. The client also asked the consultant to help interpret the instructions he had been given. She did the best she could, but advised him to check with his professor before submitting the assignment. After that, she dove right into the paper, asking the student probing questions to help him further develop his ideas. She tried to stay away from grammar, though she did address recurring problems. Rather than focusing on specific issues, she explained general rules of grammar and asked the student how to apply them in a given situation. Rather than being directive (ex. “It’s ‘worked,’ not ‘working.’”), she asked guiding questions (ex. “Instead of ‘-ing,’ what ending would you use here?”). After she pointed out a few examples, he was able to identify and correct subsequent errors.
Throughout the session, the consultant kept up a brisk, energetic pace. The client responded well to this and kept up with her. Periodically, she rephrased the student’s ideas in her own words, to make sure she had understood his meaning. At first he hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to respond to her questions. Eventually it got easier, and by the end the two were going back and forth constantly. Beyond that, the consultant suggested making changes to the organization of the argument, to improve the flow of ideas. She also briefly touched upon the issue of citation- both how to do it and why it’s important. Finally, she explained how to pull together all the elements from the paper and combine them into a conclusion. Then she asked the student what questions or concerns he had.
In all, the session ran like an ideal session at either the main Writing Center or the Library satellite. The biggest difference was the atmosphere itself, not the interaction between client and consultant. I confess, I had difficulty focusing on my observation with the TV going in the background. It’s not that it was interesting, but people yelling in the background tends to be distracting. The client was already soft-spoken, and I sometimes strained to hear him. Though the consultant seemed to have adapted well to the half-hour sessions, I still prefer the hour-long sessions I’m used to. Otherwise, it feels like both the client and consultant are rushed.
iMovie
Making the iMovie was a very challenging, yet rewarding task. I enjoyed learning how to use the application, although there was a lot of trial and error involved. When we had class time to work on this assignment, I did not have any pictures yet. I cut up little pieces of paper and wrote my captions on each one.
The following weekend, I went home and was able to find some expressive pictures that captured either my literacy or childhood well. I looked through my old pictures for a few hours and grabbed 60 or so that I could further sort through when I went back to school.
I'm still having doubts about my topic, though. I feel like everyone else's literacy narratives will be centered around their literacies that helped them to develop literacies like reading and writing. When the class discussed the project, pretty much everyone demonstrated this type of development as the focus for their papers.
So here I am, attempting to piece together my family, my literacy, and my captions. It is quite difficult to make a literary narrative into a movie. Or maybe it isn't. I am apprehensive about boundaries. It would have been much easier to simply make a photo collage or something without words. I am so picky about the words... I don't want to dumb down the photos. To me, the visual is the best part.
I just picked out the song as well. It definitely complements the photo/caption montage I have going on in the iMovie. I needed a song with a bouncy rhythm and a happy, gentle voice. It reminds me of childhood memories and self discovery. Then I found a lovely song on the piano, and I just HAD to include it in my presentation. It's at the last slide, so I hope it doesn't sound too choppy when the tunes switch.
The following weekend, I went home and was able to find some expressive pictures that captured either my literacy or childhood well. I looked through my old pictures for a few hours and grabbed 60 or so that I could further sort through when I went back to school.
I'm still having doubts about my topic, though. I feel like everyone else's literacy narratives will be centered around their literacies that helped them to develop literacies like reading and writing. When the class discussed the project, pretty much everyone demonstrated this type of development as the focus for their papers.
So here I am, attempting to piece together my family, my literacy, and my captions. It is quite difficult to make a literary narrative into a movie. Or maybe it isn't. I am apprehensive about boundaries. It would have been much easier to simply make a photo collage or something without words. I am so picky about the words... I don't want to dumb down the photos. To me, the visual is the best part.
I just picked out the song as well. It definitely complements the photo/caption montage I have going on in the iMovie. I needed a song with a bouncy rhythm and a happy, gentle voice. It reminds me of childhood memories and self discovery. Then I found a lovely song on the piano, and I just HAD to include it in my presentation. It's at the last slide, so I hope it doesn't sound too choppy when the tunes switch.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Consulting close to home
Something I've noticed about myself since beginning of this class is that my approach to helping others with writing has changed both in and outside of a writing center setting, but my thoughts on my consulting style haven't been changed as profoundly.
This realization came to me over the last month or so when I helped my brother write his college application essays. Some background first is that our parents have been very insistent that we show them our work before handing it in. This wasn't true so much in high school, but in middle school and prior my mom would check over our math homework. When I applied for colleges, both my parents insisted that they read over my application essays and that I take them everywhere for help. However, I always felt in the back of my mind that this directive approach was too stifling. They were trying to hold our hands through the whole process without allowing us to take a chance, even if it meant some kind of failure might result.
While I never needed much help with my writing, my brother is not as literarily-inclined as I am. When he asked me for help with his application essays, the first "session" over Labor Day break seemed like he expected me to be too directive. He frequently asked me questions like, "What should I say here?" "Does this sound good?" "What else should I say?" It seemed to put me into a conflict with my WC consultant self. Because the "client" was my brother, I felt like it would just be fake and kind of weird to sit back and say, "What do you think you should say?" But on the other hand, if I gave him a sentence and he typed it word-for-word, I felt guilty for producing some of his work for him. Combine that with the fact that this was similar to the style my parents used to help us in, and it made the whole experience strange.
Ultimately, I ended up with a kind of mixture or hybrid of my sister-self and my consultant-self. I tried to ask more questions than I answered (as I pointed out, the essay was about him, not me) but if I could sense my brother getting frustrated, I would be more hands-on and say what I would write out loud.
Obviously this wasn't the best way to run a consulting session, but it makes me understand one reason why writing center consultants aren't allowed to have relationships with the people they are consulting for. It's hard to be an effective consultant when you are close to the client because there is a distinct persona that they view you as, and it can be very difficult to hide that persona when what you really want to do is come out and help that person. It's a situation in which, as a consultant, I felt like it would be easy for my brother to get frustrated with me for not giving him the "answers," and since I know him as well as he knows me, I worried about that much more strongly than I usually would, and it obviously affected my work with him.
This realization came to me over the last month or so when I helped my brother write his college application essays. Some background first is that our parents have been very insistent that we show them our work before handing it in. This wasn't true so much in high school, but in middle school and prior my mom would check over our math homework. When I applied for colleges, both my parents insisted that they read over my application essays and that I take them everywhere for help. However, I always felt in the back of my mind that this directive approach was too stifling. They were trying to hold our hands through the whole process without allowing us to take a chance, even if it meant some kind of failure might result.
While I never needed much help with my writing, my brother is not as literarily-inclined as I am. When he asked me for help with his application essays, the first "session" over Labor Day break seemed like he expected me to be too directive. He frequently asked me questions like, "What should I say here?" "Does this sound good?" "What else should I say?" It seemed to put me into a conflict with my WC consultant self. Because the "client" was my brother, I felt like it would just be fake and kind of weird to sit back and say, "What do you think you should say?" But on the other hand, if I gave him a sentence and he typed it word-for-word, I felt guilty for producing some of his work for him. Combine that with the fact that this was similar to the style my parents used to help us in, and it made the whole experience strange.
Ultimately, I ended up with a kind of mixture or hybrid of my sister-self and my consultant-self. I tried to ask more questions than I answered (as I pointed out, the essay was about him, not me) but if I could sense my brother getting frustrated, I would be more hands-on and say what I would write out loud.
Obviously this wasn't the best way to run a consulting session, but it makes me understand one reason why writing center consultants aren't allowed to have relationships with the people they are consulting for. It's hard to be an effective consultant when you are close to the client because there is a distinct persona that they view you as, and it can be very difficult to hide that persona when what you really want to do is come out and help that person. It's a situation in which, as a consultant, I felt like it would be easy for my brother to get frustrated with me for not giving him the "answers," and since I know him as well as he knows me, I worried about that much more strongly than I usually would, and it obviously affected my work with him.
Some Random Thoughts
I have always been a "History and English student" while my roomate has always been a "Math and Science" student. I'm always willing to help my friends out with their papers. I helped my roomate go over her thoughts and produce an outline for a major paper she had to write over this weekend. After hearing her complain about how difficult it is for her to write a paper I told her about some of the interesting differences between different cultures in writing. I was hoping to make her feel better by telling her how hard it is for those who come to our University from other countries to adapt to our writing style.
Instead of making her feel better, she seemed envious. She said she wanted to write in a different style like the one I described to her. I explained to her how some cultures don't believe in the neccessaity of citing sources and explaining in details, but rather buliding onto knowledge that you can assume your reader already has established. I thought it was interesting that my roomate, who could be categorized into a different type of student, thought it would be easier to write that way. She claimed it would be better for her. Although, I'm such an English-language lover at heart I can not fathom producing papers through such a different and seemingly vauge arrangment.
Maybe this is just my roomate, but maybe it is other students as well. I still find the subject very interesting and am thinking about working on some of these ideas for a final project. But I was wondering what everyone else is considering for their projects as well.
Instead of making her feel better, she seemed envious. She said she wanted to write in a different style like the one I described to her. I explained to her how some cultures don't believe in the neccessaity of citing sources and explaining in details, but rather buliding onto knowledge that you can assume your reader already has established. I thought it was interesting that my roomate, who could be categorized into a different type of student, thought it would be easier to write that way. She claimed it would be better for her. Although, I'm such an English-language lover at heart I can not fathom producing papers through such a different and seemingly vauge arrangment.
Maybe this is just my roomate, but maybe it is other students as well. I still find the subject very interesting and am thinking about working on some of these ideas for a final project. But I was wondering what everyone else is considering for their projects as well.
Connections etc.
Ok I fail - this is my post for last week, since being out of town this weekend apparently erased my memory, and I forgot about blogging :(
Something interesting seems to happen nearly every semester - I always seem to have at least 2 classes that end up discussing the same themes simultaneously. This semester is no exception - in my English 302 class (intro to the english language) we began last week to discuss ESL students, and how best to teach them in an English-speaking classroom. We've of course had readings on this topic, with the result that I confuse my readings for this class with the readings for that class. But it's awesome that I can extend my knowledge between classes. So last week for 302, we read an article that addressed the problem of teaching students who know little or no English at all, while also trying to teach your regular class of native English speakers. It's quite a dilemma. The author suggested having the ESL students write first primarily in their native language, because if they're not good writers in their home language, they can't be good writers in English. As they learn English, they can gradually start integrating English words into their writing, until they eventually make the transition to all English. They wouldn't be graded on what they wrote, but just that they wrote at all, since the teacher wouldn't be able to read their home language.
The article went on to discuss some of what we've addressed as well - the differences in writing styles between cultures, and how difficulties arise as a result. This whole rambling mess of a blog entry may seem totally pointless and irrelevant, but I found it really useful as a writing tutor to think about how an ESL student acquires the English language and in what contexts. Also, class discussions in 302 made me think about the whole language thing from the other side; how frustrated must ESL students feel, trying to operate in a new culture with a new language, and getting lost in translation as a result? As English speakers, we are so lucky and spoiled to be able to travel almost anywhere in the world, and be able to use English MOST of the time and be understood. Everyone knows our language, and we for some reason expect them to, but yet how many of us are fluent in any other language? Some food for thought I suppose...
Something interesting seems to happen nearly every semester - I always seem to have at least 2 classes that end up discussing the same themes simultaneously. This semester is no exception - in my English 302 class (intro to the english language) we began last week to discuss ESL students, and how best to teach them in an English-speaking classroom. We've of course had readings on this topic, with the result that I confuse my readings for this class with the readings for that class. But it's awesome that I can extend my knowledge between classes. So last week for 302, we read an article that addressed the problem of teaching students who know little or no English at all, while also trying to teach your regular class of native English speakers. It's quite a dilemma. The author suggested having the ESL students write first primarily in their native language, because if they're not good writers in their home language, they can't be good writers in English. As they learn English, they can gradually start integrating English words into their writing, until they eventually make the transition to all English. They wouldn't be graded on what they wrote, but just that they wrote at all, since the teacher wouldn't be able to read their home language.
The article went on to discuss some of what we've addressed as well - the differences in writing styles between cultures, and how difficulties arise as a result. This whole rambling mess of a blog entry may seem totally pointless and irrelevant, but I found it really useful as a writing tutor to think about how an ESL student acquires the English language and in what contexts. Also, class discussions in 302 made me think about the whole language thing from the other side; how frustrated must ESL students feel, trying to operate in a new culture with a new language, and getting lost in translation as a result? As English speakers, we are so lucky and spoiled to be able to travel almost anywhere in the world, and be able to use English MOST of the time and be understood. Everyone knows our language, and we for some reason expect them to, but yet how many of us are fluent in any other language? Some food for thought I suppose...
ESL Lab
When I attended the staff meeting two Fridays ago, I must admit that I did not think I would ever recommend that any of my clients go there. I was worried that it was too much like quitting. The last thing I want to do is to help an ESL student only a little bit, and then give up and make it somebody else's problem. That is, anyway, the situation I expected the ESL Lab would create with me (through no fault of its own). I was able to get over that on my next day of work though.
I dealt with two clients from Taiwan. For the first it was clear that she needed help with the structuring of her paper. Her situation was interesting because her assignment, or part of it, involved summarizing an article. This was a concept that she did not completely understand. It was satisfying to be able to explain structural concepts to her. Afterwards, when she needed grammar help toward the end, I helped her but ultimately referred her to the ESL lab. It was hard to overcome the desire to help, but I was able to. The second client was different. Though I've often argued that an authoritarian approach is often the best when dealing with grammar issues and ESL students, I could tell it wasn't working on this girl. I would fix things, and explain the reasons to her. I would ask her if she understood and she would say "yes" but I could tell that she didn't and just wanted her paper edited.
I dealt with two clients from Taiwan. For the first it was clear that she needed help with the structuring of her paper. Her situation was interesting because her assignment, or part of it, involved summarizing an article. This was a concept that she did not completely understand. It was satisfying to be able to explain structural concepts to her. Afterwards, when she needed grammar help toward the end, I helped her but ultimately referred her to the ESL lab. It was hard to overcome the desire to help, but I was able to. The second client was different. Though I've often argued that an authoritarian approach is often the best when dealing with grammar issues and ESL students, I could tell it wasn't working on this girl. I would fix things, and explain the reasons to her. I would ask her if she understood and she would say "yes" but I could tell that she didn't and just wanted her paper edited.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Literacy project
I wrote my literacy paper on my musical development. And now I must present it through a different medium.
I've been thinking a lot about how to go about this. I established a fairly clear path a few weeks ago; I had everything planned out. But now I'm wondering if something different should be done—conducted, performed, demonstrated. I spent almost ten years of my life dedicated to music, and developing an iMovie just doesn't seem appropriate.
Literacies are broad in their definition. Even while I type this, I executing at least four different literacies simultaneously. It's in everything we do, and it's everywhere around us. So how do I present something specific or compelling enough to truly represent my musical literacy? Something that dominated my life for so long, and continues to permeate my everyday tasks, my workplace skills, even the way I think about things?
An iMovie can't do that. PowerPoint, Internet, Microsoft Word, an oral presentation, even...none of those can accomplish that.
So I need to keep brainstorming.
I've been thinking a lot about how to go about this. I established a fairly clear path a few weeks ago; I had everything planned out. But now I'm wondering if something different should be done—conducted, performed, demonstrated. I spent almost ten years of my life dedicated to music, and developing an iMovie just doesn't seem appropriate.
Literacies are broad in their definition. Even while I type this, I executing at least four different literacies simultaneously. It's in everything we do, and it's everywhere around us. So how do I present something specific or compelling enough to truly represent my musical literacy? Something that dominated my life for so long, and continues to permeate my everyday tasks, my workplace skills, even the way I think about things?
An iMovie can't do that. PowerPoint, Internet, Microsoft Word, an oral presentation, even...none of those can accomplish that.
So I need to keep brainstorming.
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