Quiz 3 Review

Direction: In the language of Tutoring Writing Chapter 3, evaluate the following tutor-writer conferences.

1. The writer comes in with a paper. The tutor reads it over and immediately notices the grammar is full of errors. She realizes she must set about correcting the errors and explaining to the writer what good grammar looks like.[correcting errors page 17 --- lower order concerns (17) --- editor journalist (14)

2. A writer comes in and hands a tutor his paper. The tutor reads it over and sees it is full of problems on every level: it has sentences which are often grammatically incorrect and are at times unreadable, and has no discernible thesis or organizational pattern. After reading the paper, the tutor says to the writer, “Okay, in this paper I see a few different issues we could work on. I think it is going to need a lot of work, so you may want to come back for a second or third visit. But for today the first thing we need to work on is your opening paragraph. What do you know about opening paragraphs? What are the most important elements that need to be included in a good opening paragraph?” [correcting errors (17) – being an expert (19) – editor-journalist (14) – responding too late (20)

3.      The tutor decides after 15 minutes in conference that the writer is a great writer and does not need tutoring. However, since the schedule insists that they sit there together for an hour, she decides to ask him how things are going in his life, and how things are going in school. He says he is doing great, so they move on eventually to talking about what they are doing this weekend. [therapy (18)] – cheerleading (17)

4. The tutor notices her tutee is working with English as a second language. The tutee seems to have things she wants to say in her paper, but doesn’t have the words for it. But the tutor feels she knows what the tutee wants to say so she says, “I know what you can say that will be good for this paper.” Then the tutor takes the paper and begins writing out ideas for the tutee to type out when she gets home. [usurping ownership 19--- ] [being an expert (19)

Final Reflection

1. Write in Microsoft Word and email to me as an attachment. Save a copy on your blog for safe-keeping.

2. Compositions must approach 600 words to qualify for an "A."

3. The use of texts for the reflection are: "The Pedagogy of the Oppressed," "Savage Inequalities," and "Psychology of Social Class." Points or terms or examples from each of these texts must be present to qualify for an "A."

4. In general, you are writing a reflection based on your answers to the following three questions, with the texts used to support or oppose your points. Your answer to these questions should be in the introduction as a quasi-thesis statement.

5. Questions

What are your reflections upon the role of tutoring in educational development and learning? How does tutoring fit into your larger teaching philosophy? How does tutoring and your teaching philosophy fit into your broader reflections about the issues within our contemporary educational system?

Case Study

3 full pages (min for an A)

This assignment asks you to do the following:

Begin your case study by articulating your tutoring philosophy. Introduce yourself to readers, and to the texts you'll be drawing upon, and to your main principles of tutoring. Draw upon course texts and readings by mentioning up front the major ideas you plan to cite, who wrote them, and what texts they're from.

For your statement, consider: what is tutoring? what does it do? why does it matter? Your answers to these questions could help you form your tutoring philosophy. You'll want to ultimately be able to explain the different principles of your philosophy to your readers.

When you consider your principals of tutoring, consider what theories/strategies/texts they come from. That will give you an idea about how to connect your principals to the intellectual foundations of your principals. 

Develop examples of how your tutoring experience has helped you develop this philosophy. Let your work with students demonstrate and illustrate different principles of your philosophy. In each example, give details about your work with students: what were the challenges, and how did you overcome them? How did you approach your work with students? How did you find out what worked and what didn't? Supplement your discussion with regular references to course texts.

The "case study" aspect of this assignments asks you to show your tutoring principals (the foundation of your tutoring philosophy) at work in your interactions with students while tutoring. 

In your conclusion, consider some of the more philosophical discussions we've had about the context of tutoring. What are your reflections upon the role of tutoring in education? What are your broader reflections about the role of education itself?

Class Agenda 8.5

1. Announcements
Case Study

2. Go over midterm
3. Go over Kozol
4. Go over Culture and Social Class
5. Refer to "ESL Writers" by Bruce and Rafoth
6. Edit videos

Class Agenda 8.1

1. In-class blog: discuss how the filming process went yesterday. Remember you're writing to an outside reader. Explain what you did, why you were doing it, and whether or not you were effective. Discuss the goal of the project and whether you think that goal was met. Relate what you believe an audience will take from the project.

2. Email assessment of project to me. In a confidential email, discuss the following:

a. Please take a moment to note all the things you've done to produce your video: communications, planning, drafting, writing, reading, traveling, reporting to professor, playing a large role in the filming, and playing a large role in the editing (also consider if you helped other people produce their videos, and how). Now please rank which of these activities you did the most, in a ranked scale of 1-10 (1 being the thing you did the most, 10 being the thing you did least or not at all).

b. Please reflect on how much work you did in your group compared to your classmates. Honestly speaking, do you think you did more work on average, less work on average, or the same amount work on average? Without necessarily identifying other group members (though you're allowed to, as these reports are confidential), please rate yourself as more, same, or less and explain why.

c. Please consider how the filming went yesterday. Are you satisfied with how you believe your filming process went? Why or why not? Is there anything you would do differently? If so, what and why?

d. What grade do you think you personally deserve for this project (not the entire class)? Provide two reasons why you believe you deserve this grade. The reasons should relate to the work you did on the project.

e. Are there any issues that you'd like to bring to our attention as we assign grades? For example, did you have group members drop out of the project? Please let me know about anything you feel we need to know at this time. Remember, we won't share your writing with anyone else.

3. video editing.

iMovie
iMovie Basics

Extra Credit: respond to Chomsky

Points

For extra credit, students will write a blog (title: Extra Credit) on the Chomsky video we partially watched in class. For every 100 words, you write, you will be awarded ONE point extra credit on your quiz grade, up to five points. For every 100 words you write beyond 500 words, you will be awarded extra credit on your midterm exam, up to five points.

Task

First, summarize what you believe to be the most important three points of Chomsky's interview; these can be the points you found most interesting. React to each point by reflecting on what you find valuable, challenging, or interesting about it. You could agree, disagree, or both.

Then, reflect on how your own educational experiences compared to Chomsky's: what was most memorable about your own education? What teachers influenced you, and why?

Finally, Chomsky makes connections between his pedagogical philosophy and the larger importance of education to American culture and democracy. After defining yours, can you connect your pedagogical philosophy to these larger dimensions of life? What is this all for? What should we be doing and why?

Class Agenda 7.29

1. midterm
2. rehearsals
3. letter to bert review

School to Prison Pipeline

We are blogging a little bit today about the school to prison pipeline. I wanted to offer a few links to the wider issue of the drug war and incarceration.

The Drug War - some facts.

The New Jim Crow.

Drugs and New Jim Crow.

On Mass Incarceration.  

My own thoughts on the subject tend to tie back to two things: money and race. First, targetting low-income kids of color makes sense for the criminal justice 'industry;' that is, all the jobs and salaries that depend on increasing amounts of criminals. Ever-expanding police and prison forces need new bodies to fill their cells - and coffers. Getting students into the system early is like tobacco companies marketing cigarettes to children: the young are your best customers. Eerily enough, students are the young "customers" for the criminal justice industry.

So why do they target low-income communities of color? Well, here race and class co-exist in a self-perpetuating cycle. Low-income communities of color have been historically disadvantaged - decades, if not centuries, of disinvestment by mostly white politicians and leaders have left many communities without many options, particularly for education. The lack of resources means that these young "customers" make for inviting targets. They can't afford lawyers, bail, and court costs like higher-income neighbors and citizens, whether those neighbors are white or not. So even if the individual cops making arrests aren't overtly racist themselves (just "following the law"), they are operating in a system where the consequences and effects of their actions are explicitly racialized: this is called institutional racism. It's how we get a racist criminal justice system even though no one administering the system believes they themselves are racist.

On the subject of black on black crime, which is a favorite mark of newspapers like the The Wall Street Journal, I have a few quick thoughts. Like Police Commissioner Kelly or Mayor Bloomberg with Stop and Frisk, these folks like to argue that low-income neighborhoods of color get targeted because that's "where the crime happens." I have to arguments: one, this is where class comes in. People without opportunities and choices tend to make decisions that only make short-term sense in the larger scope of their lives. Why invest years in a bad education in a bad school system when you can provide for yourself faster by making different choices, such as dealing drugs for quick cash? If people had better choices to make, they might make them. Two, if you look for crime in certain places, you'll find it, because "crime" exists everywhere. If you start to police other neighborhoods, perhaps you'll find more illegal behavior - that is, if you start Stopping and Frisking NYU students, you're bound to find drugs on their person. Then crime rates will go up and - wallah - that, too, will be "where the crime is." In part, their tactics rely on a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Class Agenda 7.25

1. Problem Posing Exercise Presentation
2. Films:

The US Schools to Prisons Pipeline
 School to Prison 
 Chomsky on the Purpose of Education

3. Quick in-class blog reaction

4. Video teams: screenplays

Letter to Bert

Assignment: Letter to Bert Eisenstadt Evaluating Tutoring at the Writing Center
Peer Review: Wed 7.31
Due: TH 8.1

For this assignment, you will turn the problem-posing assignment shared in your groups and present it as a letter to the Manager of the Writing Center. The Manager, Mr. Bert Eisenstadt, knows about this assignment and is looking forward to reading what you have to say.

The letter should be 2 single-spaced pages, and should address the 3 steps from the problem-posing exercise you worked with to produce your group presentation. While what you presented in groups was excerpts from the observations of particular individuals in your group, the primary evidence in your letter should be based on your own personal observations. As you did in your problem-posing exercise, name strategies, cite sources for strategies named, and describe observations in detail. It is especially important that whenever you identify a strategy or diagnose a problem, you provide support for your ideas by quoting from the course reading materials, citing all sources, and providing a works cited page at the end of the letter. You will want to take certain moments and link them your overall teaching philosophy.

Mr. Eisenstadt will be much more likely to follow your advice if you seem like you’re basing your assessments on up-to-date tutoring theory. He may also want to read for himself certain sections of a text to which you refer.

In establishing the voice you will use in this letter, try to use the tutoring skills you have learned this semester. Remember that while it is often important and useful to be critical, it is also important that you be constructive. Remember that tutors can have bad days just like anyone else; don’t make your criticisms personal, but instead try phrasing things as problems that may need for the overall improvement of the center. Think of the Writing Center, like an essay draft, as a work in progress. Imagine your audience, Mr. Eisenstadt, as someone who will continue with his practice of managing the center long after you give him this feedback. There is a future for the Writing Center, and by writing this letter you can become a part of it.

Board Notes

Class Agenda 7.24

1. Tutoring! We are heading to E-229 at 9.23 on the dot. Please come there if you arrive late.

2. Return to class: write up your notes on the experience.

3. break

4. quiz

5. Problem-posing exercise.

6. Video teams

7.   Video: Difficult Situations

  Video: Plagiarism and Tutoring

  Video: How to Write Introductions

  Video: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay

Class Agenda 7.22

1. Welcome to the new class.

On Monday we will meet in room C-128 and Wednesday we will meet in room C-245 from 9:15 - 12:45 pm.

2. Quiz

3. Writing Center Rules: discussion.

4. Blog roll: Shanae; Fizza; Lauren.

5. Group work / problem posing.

Shanice; Lupe; Rebecca

Shereen's Letter to Bert


6. Discuss Perl and Rose.

7. Film: The US Schools to Prisons Pipeline

School to Prison

8. Film: Video: Chomsky on the Purpose of Education

9. In-class writing.

Shereen's Letter to Bert

To Mr. Bert Eisenstadt,

 

            My name is Shereen Brown and I am a student in Dr. Justin Rogers- Cooper's Seminar in Teaching Writing. I registered for this course because I have a genuine love for writing and I wanted the opportunity to improve on my skills while helping others. This course provides the perfect blend and I am thankful for the learning experience. The course texts Tutoring Writing by Donald A. Mc Andrew and Thomas J. Reigstad and Active Voice by James Moffett outline key strategies in teaching writing. These books provide the necessary tools for a student tutor to have in their arsenal. However, in order to truly learn the art of tutoring writing, I believe it is necessary to see these written theories in practice. As you know, an important component of the course is observing actual tutoring sessions in the Writing Center. It is an involved, yet rewarding process that should be taken seriously as many students rely on their tutor for guidance during the writing process. As I completed the four observations at the Writing Center, I observed Collaborative Learning tutoring styles that were effective as well as excessive emphasis on LOCs that may need to be omitted for higher efficiency in the Writing Center.

 

            The most effective tutoring session I witnessed occurred during my third observation. The student came in with a paper that had been completely covered in red ink by her professor. The professor also stated numerous times that the student completely missed the subject of the assignment. The student was discouraged and did not think she would be able to accurately complete the assignment. The tutor, in this instance, encouraged the student by pointing out that the overall language and tone of the paper was well done. To assist the student in editing the piece, the tutor used Collaborative Learning to get a better understanding of what the student wanted to convey in the piece. This theory is fully explained in the book, Tutoring Writing by Donald A. Mc Andrew and Thomas J. Reigstad. The Collaborative Learning theory is described as a process in which "the tutor and the writer are connected as they question, propose, and evaluate both the draft and their interaction" (McAndrew and Reigstad 5). Using Collaborative Learning is effective because it allows the writer's voice to be heard while the tutor guides the process in the right direction. The Student needed assistance with the structure and organization of her piece. The tutor used the strategy coined “just talk about it.” The tutor simply held a conversation with the student, discussing the thesis and the major issues within it. The student was able to refine her thesis and further develop her draft (McAndrew and Reigstad 50). In Active Voice, Moffett asserts that talking about ideas that a writer will add to a written work is a natural process because “people first learn to speak through vocal exchange” (Moffett 46). Developing inner speech into writing often occurs later and in stages, in other words, it is easier for one to speak about ideas before the actual written work can be completed. This theory held true during this session because the student was more confident that she could correct the piece and had some good leads to finish the paper on her own. She promised to return to the same tutor the following day and left with a smile on her face and I left the session with a new technique to use when a student comes to tutoring deflated and distressed.

            On the contrary, I also observed techniques that I would not use during my own tutoring sessions. During my fourth observation, I witnessed a tutor that had a great rapport with a student but it crossed the fine line between professional and “too friendly.” While it is important that the student feel comfortable during the student session, I believe the tutor should maintain an air of professionalism throughout the interaction. The tutor was very honest with the student about errors made in the paper, even pointing directly to the errors and telling the student to correct it. McAndrew and Reigstad state that, "if a tutor zeroes in only on surface errors- what we refer to as lower order concerns (LOCS)- the effect on the writer may be harmful and adverse to the goals of tutoring" (McAndrew and Reigstad 17). This was evident during this session. The tutor mainly focused on LOCs during the entire session with the student. The tutor explained that she had a great rapport with the student and she could be blunt with her pointing out all of the errors in the paper because the student should “know better.” The tutor did not discuss any HOCs with the student at all. Instead of primarily focusing in LOCs, the tutor could have concentrated on helping the writer perfect the overall development of her ideas. Since the tutor and writer had a great rapport, the tutor could have utilized their positive relationship and the strategy of “Oral Composing.” When a tutor uses this strategy, he/she instructs the writer to speak about what the writer thinks he/she may write in the paper. As the writer is speaking, the tutor takes notes. This strategy can help the writer develop relevant ideas, sentences and phrases that will aid in making the paper more cohesive (MsAndrew and Reigstad 46). Since the tutor only focused on the LOCs it interfered with the tutoring process and the student left with a piece that was grammatically correct but lacking the further structural development it needed.

            As I begin the process of tutoring students, I am impelled to use as many of the positive strategies I witnessed during the observation sessions. I realize that every student will be at a different writing level and it is important to have many different tools to be able to help any student. In addition to different writing levels, students will enter the Writing Center at varying emotional states as writing can be an emotional process. As I saw with the discouraged student, it is important to give positive feedback while working with the student to improve the weaker areas of their paper. Also, it is important not to become overly friendly. The student needs to feel comfortable and the tutor must maintain an air of professionalism at all times. I believe I am prepared to tutor student and I look forward to the experience. Thank you for the opportunity.

Sincerely,

Shereen Brown

Writing Center Rules

Note some of the Writing Center rules across the country. What do you think?

St. Phillip's College
Monroe Community College
Walden University
Skidmore College
City College

Mystery college

Sample student blogs about tutoring from 2012

Davon's First Tutoring Experience


Aaron 
Shereen's Case Study 



Maria
Mrs. Keddy's Case Study

Class Agenda 7.18

1. Tutoring!
Be yourself. Remember to smile. Be polite. Crack a joke about the situation. Feel free to explain why you're there and that you're excited to be there. Remember to ask them a few questions about the class, how it's going, about the assignment, about their concerns for it, and about what they want from it.

During the process, go through your tutorial steps that we've reviewed in class. It may help to have them read out loud some passages, or read some passages out loud yourself, to slow things down and address specific points in the text (whether one of the assigned essays, the assignment, or their writing).

At some point in the tutorial, make sure they "free-write" some new thoughts on the assignment. You might guide them in the free-write by inviting them to explain a passage they found interesting, and to give reasons for why they found it interesting.

For the tutorial, remember to leave the student with a checklist of "things to do" for their paper, specific to their individual ideas about it.

2. Blog
When we return from tutoring, our first priority will be to briefly relate any highlights or confusions to the class. Once we've digested the experience a little, you will sit down to write about it. The format can be similar to your Writing Center observations. Your job will be easier later, for your Case Study, if you can connect your experiences to specific places in the texts we've read. We will spend a good amount of time on this blog. Remember to use no last names, and you might even change the first name of the student to protect their identity.

When you're finished with the blog, you will read the blog of another person from class - and leave them a comment about their experience. You can do this in the "comment" section below the blog. Offer your peer some general reactions, and then zoom in on what you found most interesting, and address any confusions or problems they might have encountered.

Class Agenda 7.17

1. Announcements
Prepared for tomorrow? Attendance crucial.
All students that have missed more than four hours must put their reasons in writing.
Mini-conferences today: grades, etc.
Go over quiz
Get into video teams

2. Preparation for tomorrow: what will you do for 45 minutes?
Bullet-list the steps of the successful tutorial (see notes)

Videos

  Video: Difficult Situations

  Video: Plagiarism and Tutoring

  Video: How to Write Introductions

  Video: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay

3. Active Voice: Moffett Group presentations

4. Break

5. Perl Discussion

6. Mini-conferences

102 essays

These are links to the essays your students read for their assignment.

http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/mcunningham/grapes/mother%20tounge.pdf
http://wiki-cik.wikispaces.com/file/view/Mukherjee-2WaysToBelong.pdf
http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/rspriggs/files/i%20just%20met%20a%20girl%20named%20marie%20text.pdf

You don't have to read them entirely (or at all), but you may want to look them over before you tutor.

Justin

Tonight's Reading

Look for it on the course blog as a link under pages.