Some things that stuck with me about this chapter are the ways that writing and tutoring are similar. Writing is a recursive process, and tutoring is a reflective process. As tutors/fellows, we should always be thinking about how the work that we do fits into the larger context of the classes we’re in, the impact we’re having, and the constant ways that we can improve. Something that also stuck with me was the similarities between what this chapter was teaching and scientific writing. Starting with a question, defining the parameters, looking at past work, collecting data, etc. This process feels very familiar to the work that I do in my STEM classes. I also like the emphasis on carefully breaking down the prompt. The ways of defining each little component were very helpful, and something I can take into a session. If a student comes to me early on in the writing process, I can hopefully help them overcome some of their writer’s block by making the prompt more digestible and less scary. I also found the idea of recording a tutoring session very interesting. The book describes the benefit of doing this is to make sense of what a successful tutoring session looks like, and how they can differ. These interactions are very complex, and there is no concrete formula to follow in order to define a good session. As long as the tutor and the tutee are happy and feel like good work has been achieved, then that is what matters. I can agree with this sentiment because when we did the mock tutoring session in class, I was afraid that I wasn’t talking enough and was putting too much of the work of the session onto the “student” but hearing the feedback from everyone else made me feel like that was the right decision to make.
I really resonated with this chapter as a writing fellow in a course that is not related to my degree. As I’ve said before, I am mostly used to writing either very heavy research papers or short discussion posts. This isn’t to say I cannot write other types of papers; it’s just something I don’t engage in much anymore. While being a writing fellow for Dr. Anderson’s class, he builds up writing assignments up to a dense research paper at the end of the semester. I think as time goes on, I’ll see more students as the work becomes more academic. However, I think I will be more equipped to help students in this context since this is the type of writing I do the most. Even saying this, I think being a writing fellow for Dr. Anderson before I tutor for Dr. Steigler-Balfour’s Research Methods course will help me transition into giving proper feedback for research papers. I have also begun to have students reach out to me via email for advice on writing their papers. Considering we had not really talked about that part of writing tutoring up to this point, I had to figure out where I draw my lines when it comes to my responses. Most interactions have been very positive with students, but sometimes I just do not hear anything after my initial response, and sometimes it is confusing about what I should do next. I typically try my best to refer students to in-person or Zoom meetings since I believe that way my feedback can be better understood, but I can also gauge if the student understands my feedback as well.
The chapter mentions the fear that many writing tutors have about tutoring on a subject that they are unfamiliar with. I can understand the fear and would also be nervous if I had to provide guidance on something I am not familiar with. The chapter faces this issue by saying that tutors should strive to be “semi ignorant”, which refers to not being too knowledgeable but not being completely ignorant on a topic. The chapter mentions that tutors helping across disciplines helps them take on the role of “colearner” with the student. It allows the tutor to ask questions about the prompt and style of the discipline, which may help the student understand more by having to explain it outloud. The book recommends focusing on organization, flow, and structure. I think this chapter included important reminders that we are not content experts. I am not going to understand all of the information in every essay I read, and that’s okay. I can still provide assistance on the global and local issues in their papers. The chapter also covers how to provide written summaries of suggestions if you are not meeting with the student in person. The book recommends that when providing a summary to make it personal, start with a positive, stop at three critiques, and to provide critiques in the order of big to little. All of these suggestions strive to make the student feel comfortable and to not overwhelm them. There may be circumstances where I need to provide written feedback so I could see myself applying these strategies.
(My first journal was on the wrong chapter, disregard it). Something that stuck out to me in chapter 12 was the idea of writing-to-learn, and how that concept is important in any discipline. I think this concept is very integral to the basis of the writing fellows program, and that instead of being a tool for correction, we are instead a tool for developing more general writing skills that can be applied to the writing process in many ways. I also was very interested in the discussion about a generalist tutor versus a specialized tutor. Personally, I think that a more generalized tutor is not lacking in what the student is asking for help on, as they would not be a writing tutor if they were not good at writing. Yes, there might be some gaps in specific knowledge, and this might make the tutee have to differ to the professor or their own prior knowledge, but I believe this is a good thing. It makes the tutee have to do more work explaining/defending their ideas to a broader audience, which will in turn strengthen their expertise on the topic and their writing skills in general. Furthermore, I also feel like the section about tutoring online was very helpful, as that is a situation that I don’t think I would be able to navigate to the best of my abilities. I have a very hard time putting my thoughts into words, and it is much easier to explain myself in an in-person setting rather than over email. However I think having a set of strategies to help organize my thoughts and not overwhelm the student with confusing feedback will hopefully help me navigate this situation better, if this situation ever arises.
4 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 10”
Some things that stuck with me about this chapter are the ways that writing and tutoring are similar. Writing is a recursive process, and tutoring is a reflective process. As tutors/fellows, we should always be thinking about how the work that we do fits into the larger context of the classes we’re in, the impact we’re having, and the constant ways that we can improve. Something that also stuck with me was the similarities between what this chapter was teaching and scientific writing. Starting with a question, defining the parameters, looking at past work, collecting data, etc. This process feels very familiar to the work that I do in my STEM classes. I also like the emphasis on carefully breaking down the prompt. The ways of defining each little component were very helpful, and something I can take into a session. If a student comes to me early on in the writing process, I can hopefully help them overcome some of their writer’s block by making the prompt more digestible and less scary. I also found the idea of recording a tutoring session very interesting. The book describes the benefit of doing this is to make sense of what a successful tutoring session looks like, and how they can differ. These interactions are very complex, and there is no concrete formula to follow in order to define a good session. As long as the tutor and the tutee are happy and feel like good work has been achieved, then that is what matters. I can agree with this sentiment because when we did the mock tutoring session in class, I was afraid that I wasn’t talking enough and was putting too much of the work of the session onto the “student” but hearing the feedback from everyone else made me feel like that was the right decision to make.
I really resonated with this chapter as a writing fellow in a course that is not related to my degree. As I’ve said before, I am mostly used to writing either very heavy research papers or short discussion posts. This isn’t to say I cannot write other types of papers; it’s just something I don’t engage in much anymore. While being a writing fellow for Dr. Anderson’s class, he builds up writing assignments up to a dense research paper at the end of the semester. I think as time goes on, I’ll see more students as the work becomes more academic. However, I think I will be more equipped to help students in this context since this is the type of writing I do the most. Even saying this, I think being a writing fellow for Dr. Anderson before I tutor for Dr. Steigler-Balfour’s Research Methods course will help me transition into giving proper feedback for research papers. I have also begun to have students reach out to me via email for advice on writing their papers. Considering we had not really talked about that part of writing tutoring up to this point, I had to figure out where I draw my lines when it comes to my responses. Most interactions have been very positive with students, but sometimes I just do not hear anything after my initial response, and sometimes it is confusing about what I should do next. I typically try my best to refer students to in-person or Zoom meetings since I believe that way my feedback can be better understood, but I can also gauge if the student understands my feedback as well.
The chapter mentions the fear that many writing tutors have about tutoring on a subject that they are unfamiliar with. I can understand the fear and would also be nervous if I had to provide guidance on something I am not familiar with. The chapter faces this issue by saying that tutors should strive to be “semi ignorant”, which refers to not being too knowledgeable but not being completely ignorant on a topic. The chapter mentions that tutors helping across disciplines helps them take on the role of “colearner” with the student. It allows the tutor to ask questions about the prompt and style of the discipline, which may help the student understand more by having to explain it outloud. The book recommends focusing on organization, flow, and structure. I think this chapter included important reminders that we are not content experts. I am not going to understand all of the information in every essay I read, and that’s okay. I can still provide assistance on the global and local issues in their papers. The chapter also covers how to provide written summaries of suggestions if you are not meeting with the student in person. The book recommends that when providing a summary to make it personal, start with a positive, stop at three critiques, and to provide critiques in the order of big to little. All of these suggestions strive to make the student feel comfortable and to not overwhelm them. There may be circumstances where I need to provide written feedback so I could see myself applying these strategies.
(My first journal was on the wrong chapter, disregard it). Something that stuck out to me in chapter 12 was the idea of writing-to-learn, and how that concept is important in any discipline. I think this concept is very integral to the basis of the writing fellows program, and that instead of being a tool for correction, we are instead a tool for developing more general writing skills that can be applied to the writing process in many ways. I also was very interested in the discussion about a generalist tutor versus a specialized tutor. Personally, I think that a more generalized tutor is not lacking in what the student is asking for help on, as they would not be a writing tutor if they were not good at writing. Yes, there might be some gaps in specific knowledge, and this might make the tutee have to differ to the professor or their own prior knowledge, but I believe this is a good thing. It makes the tutee have to do more work explaining/defending their ideas to a broader audience, which will in turn strengthen their expertise on the topic and their writing skills in general. Furthermore, I also feel like the section about tutoring online was very helpful, as that is a situation that I don’t think I would be able to navigate to the best of my abilities. I have a very hard time putting my thoughts into words, and it is much easier to explain myself in an in-person setting rather than over email. However I think having a set of strategies to help organize my thoughts and not overwhelm the student with confusing feedback will hopefully help me navigate this situation better, if this situation ever arises.