When I first saw the library WC that was a big visual difference. The WC in Bessey is closed environment with more comforts, for both the client and consultant. In Bessey there is water, coffee, tea, and candy. In the Library there is only the tyranny of Sparty's and 8 dollar candy bars.
On a more serious note the sessions and feel of the library are very different. There is more of a panicky feel, for whatever reason. The sessions are different because there isn't a copier and you have to share the paper with the client. And the 30 minuet sessions are very short... almost half the time of a session at Bessey!
The session I obsereved was of an ESL student wanting to work on grammer. The consulatant begun the session as normal asking the client to read the paper aloud. As the client read the paper aloud, the consultant would stop when grammer was incorrect and try and give the best explantion of the problem. As time continued when the clinet saw a series of mistakes he would devoute some time to figure out a way to explain it to the client. The consultant was not able to finish the whole paper, but I thought given the time constraint and the length of the paper, they gave them a great stragey for the rest of the paper.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Leading a Session - #4
The second session I led today was more co-leading, but it was the first session I've done with a non-ESL student and with a non-academic piece of writing. The piece was actually for a creative non-fiction class.
The consultant I worked with let me lead the session, but also added her own input and pointed out areas she had questions about. The client read the paper out loud and then we went back to make corrections. The other consultant and I first pointed out the strengths of her essay before moving to corrections. These corrections were to clarify both her language and her content, and she was very receptive to them. Most times I didn't specifically say what to do, but drew her attention to a certain area and explained what I thought didn't work so she could draw her own conclusions. If it was a difficult problem to explain, I made general suggestions about what needed to change and let her create the wording on her own.
The other consultant said that she thought my input was very helpful, so I was glad to have made a difference today :)
The consultant I worked with let me lead the session, but also added her own input and pointed out areas she had questions about. The client read the paper out loud and then we went back to make corrections. The other consultant and I first pointed out the strengths of her essay before moving to corrections. These corrections were to clarify both her language and her content, and she was very receptive to them. Most times I didn't specifically say what to do, but drew her attention to a certain area and explained what I thought didn't work so she could draw her own conclusions. If it was a difficult problem to explain, I made general suggestions about what needed to change and let her create the wording on her own.
The other consultant said that she thought my input was very helpful, so I was glad to have made a difference today :)
Leading a Session - #3
The first session I led today was with an ESL student who had a response paper to a podcast he had to listen to for his ISS class. He had actually already asked a friend to go over the paper for him, so he had a copy with lots of corrections already marked. He also had his own updated version on his computer, which is what he primarily worked on and where he made corrections. I had the student read the paper aloud, and we stopped for corrections as we went along. The consultant I worked with today didn't actually step in at all during this session except to agree with me once or twice, and to clarify one thing I brought up about the paper's formatting.
This student was not as good of an English speaker as many of the other ESL students I worked with, but he easily understood the corrections I pointed out. Since it has been mentioned that ESL students often do not understand the use of articles, I especially made sure to explain why "the" or "a" was needed. I tried to explain most of the corrections I pointed out, by pointing out differing verb tenses or subjects that did not match their verbs. There were also places where I did not understand what he was trying to say, so I tried to help him clarify his writing as best I could. Sometimes he was able to articulate out loud what he was trying to write, and I had him write that down.
I'm afraid I might have been too directive in changing what he wrote, but he was an ESL student, so he genuinely didn't know a lot of the errors he made, whereas a native speaker probably would have been better able to figure it out with less help. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to ask my shadowing consultant what she thought of my methods since she had to leave us during the last few minutes of the session to work the reception desk and I had to leave as soon as my second session was through.
This student was not as good of an English speaker as many of the other ESL students I worked with, but he easily understood the corrections I pointed out. Since it has been mentioned that ESL students often do not understand the use of articles, I especially made sure to explain why "the" or "a" was needed. I tried to explain most of the corrections I pointed out, by pointing out differing verb tenses or subjects that did not match their verbs. There were also places where I did not understand what he was trying to say, so I tried to help him clarify his writing as best I could. Sometimes he was able to articulate out loud what he was trying to write, and I had him write that down.
I'm afraid I might have been too directive in changing what he wrote, but he was an ESL student, so he genuinely didn't know a lot of the errors he made, whereas a native speaker probably would have been better able to figure it out with less help. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to ask my shadowing consultant what she thought of my methods since she had to leave us during the last few minutes of the session to work the reception desk and I had to leave as soon as my second session was through.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Satellite Observation(s)
I observed a few sessions at the library a week and a half ago, and I also led three sessions in the same day (this post will focus on the former).
The library is a different world from Bessey Hall. Not just the needs and writing process stages of the clients but also the atmosphere—there's anxiety, there's tension, and there's a looming deadline slowly crushing souls and Word docs.
These fears are made evident in the high-strung behaviors of clients, who need to outline at least an idea or a place to start with their paper or project. The enormity of the library and the workload it implies seems to almost suffocate some students, who can't even locate a starting point in an assignment. The consultants I observed helped with strategy, optimism, and a calming exterior. Although these characteristics are important in any writing center environment, the satellite of the library is even more important of a place to exude these traits. Prompting questions — a less directive approach — guided the session toward a favorable endpoint, and it seemed success was measured in whether or not a solid direction was established and partially developed. I believed this to be a significant strength in the library consultants; even if the client had finished a paper and just needed polishing, there was always some kind of urgency or deadline. Tackling HOCs was, as the acronym implies, the number-one priority.
I soaked in these skills as much as possible and hopefully demonstrated them in my own sessions. I reveled in the practically palpable energy of this writing center satellite — I liked the people coming and going, I liked the fluidity of a paper and how it or its direction could change in an instant. Everything was malleable, everything was subject to discussion and revision, and desperation almost always seemed to transform to hope. I probably sound like a fiction writer right now, but that's how I interpret the scenarios retrospectively. I would break down each consultant's specific techniques, but 30 minutes only allows for so much of the consultant's ways to shine through. The tendencies I described were shared among them, and it seemed logical to discuss them as a whole.
I like the library.
The library is a different world from Bessey Hall. Not just the needs and writing process stages of the clients but also the atmosphere—there's anxiety, there's tension, and there's a looming deadline slowly crushing souls and Word docs.
These fears are made evident in the high-strung behaviors of clients, who need to outline at least an idea or a place to start with their paper or project. The enormity of the library and the workload it implies seems to almost suffocate some students, who can't even locate a starting point in an assignment. The consultants I observed helped with strategy, optimism, and a calming exterior. Although these characteristics are important in any writing center environment, the satellite of the library is even more important of a place to exude these traits. Prompting questions — a less directive approach — guided the session toward a favorable endpoint, and it seemed success was measured in whether or not a solid direction was established and partially developed. I believed this to be a significant strength in the library consultants; even if the client had finished a paper and just needed polishing, there was always some kind of urgency or deadline. Tackling HOCs was, as the acronym implies, the number-one priority.
I soaked in these skills as much as possible and hopefully demonstrated them in my own sessions. I reveled in the practically palpable energy of this writing center satellite — I liked the people coming and going, I liked the fluidity of a paper and how it or its direction could change in an instant. Everything was malleable, everything was subject to discussion and revision, and desperation almost always seemed to transform to hope. I probably sound like a fiction writer right now, but that's how I interpret the scenarios retrospectively. I would break down each consultant's specific techniques, but 30 minutes only allows for so much of the consultant's ways to shine through. The tendencies I described were shared among them, and it seemed logical to discuss them as a whole.
I like the library.
Weekly post
Adams' "Satellite Writing Centers" opens with an acknowledgment of a general studies-intensive university involving writing in every discipline. Writing instruction followed a fairly traditional protocol, and naturally these universities knew of and believed in the importance of good writing in any field.
I detest general studies requirements. Here's why.
You attend high school and you are required to take certain classes each year. It's not up for debate that you take math, science, reading/writing/literature, and some sort of history or government course. In college, you have applied to, been accepted at, and are paying tuition for an educational institution carefully constructed to prepare you for a professional life. If you are interested in a general studies degree, such as the one U-Mich offers, then that's fine. But universities should not require students to invest in subjects inapplicable to their field of study. If you are studying a certain subject, however, and an interdisciplinary understanding of an unrelated branch of study is pertinent to doing your job correctly, that's a different story. But I don't need to learn about kingdom/class/phylum/whatever for the TENTH TIME in my student career because it's a freakin' general requirement for every college student. It's a waste of my time, the professor's time, and my money.
With that said, I agree with the professors' beliefs in this article: Writing is important across every discipline. It's the one thing that unites us when everything else has failed. Writing Centers, therefore, warrant a place in any kind of university environment, not just land-grant colleges or general studies-intensive institutions. Writing opens up your rhetorical understand of the subject and of your environment, and those tools are invaluable.
I realize that rant didn't have much to do with satellite writing centers...more soon to come!
I detest general studies requirements. Here's why.
You attend high school and you are required to take certain classes each year. It's not up for debate that you take math, science, reading/writing/literature, and some sort of history or government course. In college, you have applied to, been accepted at, and are paying tuition for an educational institution carefully constructed to prepare you for a professional life. If you are interested in a general studies degree, such as the one U-Mich offers, then that's fine. But universities should not require students to invest in subjects inapplicable to their field of study. If you are studying a certain subject, however, and an interdisciplinary understanding of an unrelated branch of study is pertinent to doing your job correctly, that's a different story. But I don't need to learn about kingdom/class/phylum/whatever for the TENTH TIME in my student career because it's a freakin' general requirement for every college student. It's a waste of my time, the professor's time, and my money.
With that said, I agree with the professors' beliefs in this article: Writing is important across every discipline. It's the one thing that unites us when everything else has failed. Writing Centers, therefore, warrant a place in any kind of university environment, not just land-grant colleges or general studies-intensive institutions. Writing opens up your rhetorical understand of the subject and of your environment, and those tools are invaluable.
I realize that rant didn't have much to do with satellite writing centers...more soon to come!
literacy narrative
So, I finally wrote my literacy narrative, and contrary to what I hoped, it didnt all become clear as I was writing. I did the best I could, but so many things in my life have influenced my literacy that it just seemed to come out completely unfocused and all over the map. Not to mention how impossible it was to cover everything that has impacted my literacy, b/c there are literally tons and tons of factors that make us who we are today, as writers and otherwise. I just know that especially after reading some of your guys' naratives, there will be things I'll want to add and elaborate on. It will be interesting to see where this all goes and how it turns out...
I guess now I'll go ahead and put out there some things I think most or all of us are concerned about... something I know from discussion in class. I'm starting to be a little freaked out about all of the things we have to do for class in the near future.. for instance, I'm bad wth technology, and the thought of making this already-complicated literacy narrative digital is just scary. Also, I really am not sure what we're supposed to be doing with the Chalmer's thing... my group got moved and I'm feeling a little lost on that... Then there's the book presentation, and the rest of my observations, and the grammar lesson... I'm sure as we do these things they'll turn out to not be a big deal, but the semester is getting pretty hectic in all my classes, and I'm getting a bit anxious about it all... hope I'm not the only one!
I guess now I'll go ahead and put out there some things I think most or all of us are concerned about... something I know from discussion in class. I'm starting to be a little freaked out about all of the things we have to do for class in the near future.. for instance, I'm bad wth technology, and the thought of making this already-complicated literacy narrative digital is just scary. Also, I really am not sure what we're supposed to be doing with the Chalmer's thing... my group got moved and I'm feeling a little lost on that... Then there's the book presentation, and the rest of my observations, and the grammar lesson... I'm sure as we do these things they'll turn out to not be a big deal, but the semester is getting pretty hectic in all my classes, and I'm getting a bit anxious about it all... hope I'm not the only one!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Blog #6
Well we finally started our literacies project. (Is there a correct way to spell the plural of literacy?) And I can only imagine how diverse all of our project are, I am sure that once we begin to work on our other parts of the project it will get even more diverse.
While working on my literacy narrative one of the aspects of it that struck me the most is the diversity of my literacy background. It seems to me that the literacies of my life are completely intertwined and interweaved to the extent that every advanced literacy, such as understanding poetry and the ability to drive a car, is completely dependent on more basic literacies, like the ability to read and follow directions. It also seems to me that not only do all of my literacies simply influence each other, but all of my literacies influence each other to the extent that I have a set of experiences and understandings that are completely different than any one else’s could be. This concept and understanding of individuality is very interesting to me, and although I had never looked at it in this light before it seems very true and accurate.
While working on my literacy narrative one of the aspects of it that struck me the most is the diversity of my literacy background. It seems to me that the literacies of my life are completely intertwined and interweaved to the extent that every advanced literacy, such as understanding poetry and the ability to drive a car, is completely dependent on more basic literacies, like the ability to read and follow directions. It also seems to me that not only do all of my literacies simply influence each other, but all of my literacies influence each other to the extent that I have a set of experiences and understandings that are completely different than any one else’s could be. This concept and understanding of individuality is very interesting to me, and although I had never looked at it in this light before it seems very true and accurate.
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