Picture this if you will... here I am writing this blog an hour before class because I just spoke to some people from class and realized I read next week's reading selections!! agh!! Needless to say this review will be fairly short.
Before even reading the intro to Sherwood's essay i noticed the quote that read, "To me, the biggest turnoff in the world is a woman with a briefcase in her hand" (129). Had he said this to me my briefcase would be not only in my hand but it would also be smacking him over the head. There is a lot to be said for considering your audience. If any women read this it is likely because they are in his class, which means that they are planning on pursuing a career, or his professor is a woman.
However, the student is right when he said that it is his paper and his opinions and he can say what he wants to (130). We are also told not to deal with the text so this limits our options as tutors. If I were the tutor that was assisting him I would bring it up to prevent him from getting smacked and inform him why it would be very wise to at least censor his statement.
Assuming he simply refused to change his postion I would strongly advise him to present valid evidence as to why he says this. For example, if he found several statistics and articles about how children who are raised with stay-at-home moms consistently bring home better grades than those kids who do not, then we would have something to work with.
I agree with Sherwood's statement on page 131, "I would argue that, perhaps inadvertently, many of us who work in writing centers practice a form of censorship in our everyday duties." I think everyone practices censorship in their professional lives. If everyone said exactly what was on their mind all the time there would be complete havoc in the workplace. For example, you make think your co-worker is a complete... well you know, but that doesn't mean you have to say it out loud. Most people naturally censor, or filter, what is in their heads into something else before it comes out of their mouth. The same should be done in an academic paper. This is not a column in a magazine or newspaper, it is an assignment for a class.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
reading response 2
I agreed with some of the content in the beginning of this week's reading assignment. I mostly identified with those discussing the tutor's need to empathize with the student they are helping (9). I find this to be a very important skill and believe that many tutors probably experienced the same type of difficult situation at some point in their school career. Page ten mentions the tendency of some tutors to jump into what they have to say before thoroughly hearing the point the client is trying to get across. This can easily lead to tutors putting words into the mouths of their clients. A few of the sessions I observed have had this kind of problem happening. There were a few times I could tell the client did not want to use the phrase the tutor kept suggesting. I worry that this could cause a student to feel slightly bullied, but perhaps this is just my tendency to bring my stubbornness into a situation.
I was particularly interested in the section discussing ethical differences between consultant and client (10). Learning how to correctly handle this situation will be very valuable. This is another topic that can be brought outside of the writing center. Politics are a particularly sticky subject for conversation and many people, such as myself, believe that there is a specific time and place to do so. I do not think that the writing center is such a place. I agree that voicing the opposing side's position to the writer will help them form a stronger argument. However, I disagree that "we would be doing the students a disservice by not voicing our own opinions" (10). If I took a political paper to a writing center I would honestly not be very interested to hear the views of the consultant. At this point, I think, the consultant and client should work with the text and the ideas of the client.
Keeping in mind that not everyone is alike, it is very important to remember that some students are fragile and take it personally when their writing is criticized (19). I know I have been in this position before and have been really upset at comments left on my paper. However, I would much rather have a writing consultant give me criticism than let me turn in an inadequate paper. This would hurt my feelings much more. For example, today I observed a session that turned into editing because the paper needed quite a bit of help, which the client was well aware of. I would feel bad if I let someone walk out of the writing center with such a paper untouched. Before she left the session she said she learned more here than in any of her classes. All we did was editing and proofreading with explanations... something to think about.
This being said... I disagreed with many of the things that define minimalist tutoring. Hands on learning and interaction are the preferred methods for me. The end of this essay entitled "Defensive Minimalist Tutoring" just seemed silly to me. If I were to go to a writing center for help, regardless of my attitude, and a tutor acted in the ways described in this section; I am pretty sure I would get up and leave. Although, I have no doubt that this method is effective for some consultants and clients. I just don't think it would be effective for me, but you never know.
I was particularly interested in the section discussing ethical differences between consultant and client (10). Learning how to correctly handle this situation will be very valuable. This is another topic that can be brought outside of the writing center. Politics are a particularly sticky subject for conversation and many people, such as myself, believe that there is a specific time and place to do so. I do not think that the writing center is such a place. I agree that voicing the opposing side's position to the writer will help them form a stronger argument. However, I disagree that "we would be doing the students a disservice by not voicing our own opinions" (10). If I took a political paper to a writing center I would honestly not be very interested to hear the views of the consultant. At this point, I think, the consultant and client should work with the text and the ideas of the client.
Keeping in mind that not everyone is alike, it is very important to remember that some students are fragile and take it personally when their writing is criticized (19). I know I have been in this position before and have been really upset at comments left on my paper. However, I would much rather have a writing consultant give me criticism than let me turn in an inadequate paper. This would hurt my feelings much more. For example, today I observed a session that turned into editing because the paper needed quite a bit of help, which the client was well aware of. I would feel bad if I let someone walk out of the writing center with such a paper untouched. Before she left the session she said she learned more here than in any of her classes. All we did was editing and proofreading with explanations... something to think about.
This being said... I disagreed with many of the things that define minimalist tutoring. Hands on learning and interaction are the preferred methods for me. The end of this essay entitled "Defensive Minimalist Tutoring" just seemed silly to me. If I were to go to a writing center for help, regardless of my attitude, and a tutor acted in the ways described in this section; I am pretty sure I would get up and leave. Although, I have no doubt that this method is effective for some consultants and clients. I just don't think it would be effective for me, but you never know.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Reading Response Sep 16
Many of the statements in this weeks reading I found to relate to much more than tutoring. The first example that caught my attention was the willingness of the tutor to help and the willingness of the client to be there (7-8). If no one is willing to do anything then the whole idea of a writing center will automatically be set up for failure. However, this goes much deeper than a writing center. This is true for any kind of relationship in life.
I disagree with the statement "... the tutor has only hit-or-miss, trial-and-error experimentation to rely on - often at the student's expense" (7). I think this puts too much strain on the tutor. Most things in life begin with the process of trial-and-error. Without this method how do you discover any new ways of doing things? It is a common reflex for a person to try something else if their first idea didn't work.
Although I agree with the statement "Ultimately, successful tutors are willing to modify their views and procedures as new insights emerge" (7) I think it contradicts the claim that trial-and-error is not a successful method. However, a tutor who refuses to adopt any new method will not be able to help every student that comes their way.
I relate to the type of problems students who enter the writing center have. I am an English major and naturally write decent papers, but not everything comes to me as easy as writing does. Case and point is my first science class at college level. It was a disaster and I just couldn't do it. This naturally turned into not even trying to do it. I likely would of had a bad attitude in a tutoring session for that class much like people who struggle with writing do. Most of my problem was the fact that I always made good grades and never had to try too hard before and I struggled to accept the idea that I actually needed help. Murphy gives several examples of struggling students initial attitudes. I identified with one of them that read, "I've always made A's in English in high school, so I know iI should be making A's in college, too" (96). Reading this reminded me of that first semester of college.
The writers of this book have a very tall order for their ideal tutor. On page eight it lists the "traits effective tutors share... good intentions, strong writing and editing skills, flexibility, an eagerness to help, an analytical yet creative mind, a diedication to excellence, good listening skills, and ability to be supportive yet hones, a willingness to work hard, a sense of humor, sensitivity to others, careful judgment, patience, and a dedication to collaborative learning." WOW! This passage made my eyes open wide. On a good day most people do good to be half of these things.
I disagree with the statement "... the tutor has only hit-or-miss, trial-and-error experimentation to rely on - often at the student's expense" (7). I think this puts too much strain on the tutor. Most things in life begin with the process of trial-and-error. Without this method how do you discover any new ways of doing things? It is a common reflex for a person to try something else if their first idea didn't work.
Although I agree with the statement "Ultimately, successful tutors are willing to modify their views and procedures as new insights emerge" (7) I think it contradicts the claim that trial-and-error is not a successful method. However, a tutor who refuses to adopt any new method will not be able to help every student that comes their way.
I relate to the type of problems students who enter the writing center have. I am an English major and naturally write decent papers, but not everything comes to me as easy as writing does. Case and point is my first science class at college level. It was a disaster and I just couldn't do it. This naturally turned into not even trying to do it. I likely would of had a bad attitude in a tutoring session for that class much like people who struggle with writing do. Most of my problem was the fact that I always made good grades and never had to try too hard before and I struggled to accept the idea that I actually needed help. Murphy gives several examples of struggling students initial attitudes. I identified with one of them that read, "I've always made A's in English in high school, so I know iI should be making A's in college, too" (96). Reading this reminded me of that first semester of college.
The writers of this book have a very tall order for their ideal tutor. On page eight it lists the "traits effective tutors share... good intentions, strong writing and editing skills, flexibility, an eagerness to help, an analytical yet creative mind, a diedication to excellence, good listening skills, and ability to be supportive yet hones, a willingness to work hard, a sense of humor, sensitivity to others, careful judgment, patience, and a dedication to collaborative learning." WOW! This passage made my eyes open wide. On a good day most people do good to be half of these things.
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