Categories for Analysis:

Qualities of tutor:
patient
communicator
listener
team worker/ participant
leader
flexible
open minded

Training:
note taking
communication
ESL
multi cultural
team work
attitude



Academic levels of students/ tutors:
materials needed
community involvement
different majors

Materials needed/ used/ space:
books
resources
faculty
area for writing center


Involvement:
should teachers be involved or only the tutor?
should teachers give the tutor the assignment sheet?

students responsibilities
tutor responsibilities
director responsibilities
faculty responsibilities
institutional responsibilities

Introduction:
I will be studying the reason of why students come to the writing center and if there are difference between their grade level and their writing problems. I have had mostly ESL students which make my research alot more difficult, but it seems that even english speaking students have the same problems as ESL, ie: grammer, sentence structure, understanding the assignment, knowing how a formal paper is written.


review of the literature:
occurding to several books, freshman are most interested in looking at the structure and understanding the assignment, while upperclassman want to focus on the grammar and sentence structure.

methods:
i always asked the student first about their day, the class, the teacher, the subject, if they have any other work that the professor graded. i also ask them if they have an assignment, and if they even read the material, and if they understood it. i then quickly go over the assignment with the student, taking notes for myself to structure the paper. i ask the student if they have any questions, and what they want to go over with their paper. most students just shrug and nonchalantly say "everything, i really don't know what im doing", some are more assertive and will say " i need help with ....", making my job a lot easier. i usually ask the student to read the first paragraph, or first sentence, asking if they see any problems, and of course, they ALWAYS say no, until i point out a punctuation mistake, or that a word doesn't belong. By making the student read outloud, they can almost always pick out mistakes, most of the time, the student reads what he means to say, but doesnt write it correctly. By going over a few mistakes, students are able to realize problems throughout their paper. ive had 6 sessions with 5 undergraduate students, at least one student per grade level in the past month.

Data analysis:
My ESL students always came to me about grammatical problems. Surprisingly, my only english native speaker had the same problems. I mistakenly asked her if english was her first language, and she got very offended. As a junior, her writing was equal to or worse than an ESL. I still have to look over my notes, but it seemed like all my students have grammatical concerns, and most need to learn how to write a strong sentence.


* look at google books/ bibme.org for extra resources!

draft of mt research plan (blog 17)

Statement of purpose:
I hope to dissect the differences that students according to their grade level come to the writing center.

Detailed statement of research question: Does a students academic level determine what they go to the writing center for?


Information to gather: Detailed analysis of what the tutor found problems with in a students work, the grade level of student, and what the student thinks they need help with.

Preliminary list of sources:
Persons in Process by Anne Herrington and Marcia Curtis
observation of students


Plan for gathering information:
Asking the student why they came to the writing center for, trying to see what their writing problems are, and seeing if a senior student comes to the writing center for the same reason as a freshman student.

Blog 16:

well guess what! i finally did my first tutoring session today. the girl was in ESL and came in for help with a marketing paper that she already wrote. she wanted help with her grammer, but on reading her paper, i realized she needed ALOT of help with structure and organization, her grammer was fine, it was also plagiarized. reading what she wrote as opposed to what she copied and pasted there was a definite difference. her structure was ok, since the professor didnt have a clear assignment sheet (basically it said 5-10 pages, include this and that- economy, resources, politics etc 12 pt. font) i didnt know if this was an official paper, had to be cited, footnoted, titled etc. She came in with no introduction or conclusion (guess she couldnt plagiarize that) and didnt know how to write one either. surprisingly, her paper was ok, but had no organization whatsoever. there were sentences that did not belong at all, (ex: colombia has one of the most dense countries with 123e4sdf823sdee4 people per square mile. religion: roman catholic 94.5%. ... next paragraph) she went from speaking of geography to history to location to resources to culture without any way of leading into the next paragraph.
when dr. chandler pointed out that her entire paper was plargrized, she completely SHUT DOWN! it was amazing how her body language changed so quickly and turned against us! it was easier to give her concrete ideas and examples, rules of linguistics (some tips i learned from being in ESL myself) rather than explaining that it doesnt sound right and why did you write it that way? i had to repeat some things i felt a million times because she didn't write them down as i said them, and i felt like she didnt understand alot of what i said, even though i used the most simple language and used tips i learned from my teachers.
i went over the time by 10 minutes, so i have to pay attention to the time. i dont think i ever did not know what to do, i was surprised how easy tutoring actually was, but she was a harder student than i was anticipating.

Blog 14/15:

ok so this is a hard blog..lets see.....
i will definantly use my books for this...and these sites, if applicable:

Peer Tutoring in a Graduate Writing Centre: Identity, Expertise, and Advice Resisting.Citation Only AvailableBy: Hansun Zhang Waring. Applied Linguistics, Jun2005, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p141-168, 28p; (AN 20123074)
this site is for students that are graduates, helping undergrads

Persons and Progress by Martha Curtis, if a copy can be found (thanks Dr. Chandler!)

i think ill try to do my paper also on gender differences, to see if males and females go to the WC for the same reasons and if their progress through the grade levels is different

im still looking for a good site or book for problems in the WC, what grade level goes to the WC and for what? and does gender play a role in who goes to the WC?

Blog 13:

Body language is extremely important during a tutoring session, no, thats an under statement, its one of the things you should always pay attention too. It one of those things that you unconscienclessly notice, but when you REALLY pay attention to it, you can find that body language can say more than a thousand words. I would really like to do my paper on body language, however, it seems like too much could be said bc its such a broad topic. Body language is an unspoken answer to alot of questions in the tutoring center. I know i will definitly be looking at body language when i tutor!

blog 12:

so during a conversation with Dr. Chandler, ive decided to do my final paper on the different problems students come to the writing center for. I realized that fresh mens needs and problems are very different than the more experienced upperclassmen. i think that freshman come to the writing center for topics, paper structure, form, and ideas, while upperclassman come for the grammatical and proofreading "stuff" . Is this true? Who knows. But ill try to find out!!!
Ill try to do this by asking the student to fill out the questionare at the back of the book, instead of directly asking them about their age or educational background.

blog 11:

During Dr. Chandlers and Lauras tutoring session, i took notes on their body language more then the language because i think i will be doing my final paper on body language. i will definantly have to pay more attention to the indirect gestures but they are so common i dont noticed them; like the nodding. i noticed that at first Dr. was very withdrawn, hand on chin, shoulders in, didnt want to answer questions, but with a little guidence and more direct questions opened up and was more responsive. dr. chandler was eager to look at the computer and books rather than come up with answers on her own. laura gestured with downward hands at first, then started gesturing palm up. over all, i think i have to look at how language changed the gestures and body language. i was paying attention so much to the gestures rather then the tone that changed the session.

classnotes 10/26

posture-
open/ closed
interested disconnect

relaxed tense
discomfort uncomfortable
confidence uncertain
comfort nervous

gestures-
can be distravting
for emphasis
touching
nodding

distance-
indication of engagement
intention

eye contact-
facial expression-

direct-
talked most
# of turns
talks the longest
questions
you" statements
silence



indirect-



student behavior-
how much student talks

Blog 9/ 10:

ideas for a research topic

(first of all- does anyone know how to edit blogs after you post them???)

i would like to do my research paper on the body language of tutor and student, how they interact and relate to each other, their communication
or another interesting topic would be communication or methods between tutor and a freshman, tutor and upperclassmen

Blog 9:

During a first tutoring session, a tutor has to decide what method would be best in tutoring a student. I would probably sit side by side and go over the syllabus and the assignment, ask questions, and ask what the student wants to work on. I would come up with a goal with the student, whether it is to write the first paragraph, a thesis, or just work on citations. If the student doesnt know what hes doing, it would be a little harder, but i would have to figure out if the students being lazy, or truly does not understand. Different questions would help me figure out the students skill level and would give me a path of how to tutor that student.
if a student just does not want to do the paper, i would have to figure out a motivation for them, to get a passing on a paper, or to graduate etc. Overall, i think collaboration would be the best, most students should know how to write, they just need guidance and correction.

Blog 8:

My checklist:
opening
was the student comfortable with the tutor?
did the tutor ask questions to let the student open up?
is the tutor prepared?
is the student prepared?


does the tutor/ student understand the assignment?
was there a syllabus or assignment sheet available, or did the student just tell the tutor the assignment?
did the student ask questions?
did the tutor guide the student?
did the tutor ask the appropriate questions?
did the student understand the questions?
did the tutor have to restate the question different ways?
did the tutor allow the student to speak?
did the student allow the tutor to speak?

body language
what was the body language of the tutor?/ the student?
did the body language change through out the session?
was there eye contact?
were both parties comfortable?

what method did the tutor use?
did the student work well with the method?
did the tutor have to explain things a different way or try new methods?
who talked? more/less
understand eachother?
did the tutor allow the student to do own work?
did the tutor direct the student to other sources?

closing
is the student now able to do work?
will there be another tutoring session?
was the student comfortable with session/ tutor?
does the student have better understanding of assignment?
was the tutor able to help correct students mistakes?
did the student learn anything?
how was the body language at the end of the session?

Blog 7:

When I took notes on the tutoring session, the thing i noticed the most was the communication and body language between tutor and student. Both were leaning into each other and making eye contact. They asked intelligent questions and were eager to help each other out. I also noticed that they went through the syllabus, and made sure they understood the assignment. My notes are very scattered, because i would be writing something down, and then realize something else that was going on and start writing about that.

Blog 6:

Wow, so heres something else that ive been thinking about. There are many different models a tutor can use to coach someone. Because every one has a different learning style, it is important for the tutor to be flexiable, understanding, and patient with their student. Some students might just be lazy, and the tutor just has to encourage them to write and motivate them by relating the work to something that interests them. Other student might just really not understand the material, and the tutor has to allow them to think, and also ask the right questions. Sometimes the tutor will just have to sit and guide the student in the process to write a strong paper.

Blog 5: similar to blog 4

In my tutoring session, we looked at the syllabus to make sure we got the assignment right. Then talked about the main points of the essay and analyzed it. Lundsford essay was somewhat disorganized, but Ryan helped me get through all that confusion. It seemed that the tutor and student spoke about the same amount, and both were understanding eachother. :)

Blog 4:

In my tutoring session I worked with Ryan to write Lunsfords essay. It was a fun session, mostly because we acted as difficult students who had no idea what they were doing. We didnt have problems because we were able to answer each others questions. We looked online at the syllabus, then talked about the main ideas for the paper. Lundsfords essay has alot of ideas, some of them not clearly defined so there are a lot of different ideas of what is important. I picked 3, and then wrote about those because they were the most important to me.

Blog 3:

My writing center philosophy:

My writing center philosophy is that the tutor should be willing and able to help and assist the student in the best way possible. The student should be willing and able to learn. Most importantly, the student should be focused and prepared to be tutored. Alot of students go to a writing center because a teacher forces them to or because it is a class requirement, a student should go to a writing center because they want to, or they realize that they have to.
A tutor should be trained in tutoring and able to assist the student in their needs. The tutor has to be able to listen to the student, so patience is very important. A tutor should also be trained with a lot of different individuals, such as disabled, ESL, or someone of a different education background. It is important that the tutor recognizes the education level of the student by asking the right questions that are not too difficult for the student, or expecting too much from the student.
The writing director should be able to guide the tutors and answer their question. Also, to handle difficult situations or difficult students.

Blog 2:

Andrea Lundsfords main points:
garret house- the knowledge is in the student
store house centers- the knowledge is in the center and is transferred to the student
collaboration- exchange of knowledge and ideas between tutor and student
collaboration aids in learning abstractions
finding problems
helps applying knowledge to other things
critical thinking
higher achievement- student to please tutor, tutor to please writing center
excellence in community
engages whole student in thinking, reading, writing, applying

collaboration is helping the student and tutor with their work simultaneously

Blog 1:

Im writing my blogs again because i want to make sure i have solid notes for my final project and not have to reread all the chapters.

A writing center is a place for students to come and learn how to write. Not only they can come up with ideas for a strong paper, but be tutored in the process of writing, so that eventually they can write by themselves. It is also a place for the student to learn to fix their mistakes, and also do some critical thinking. Tutors have many different ways of helping students. However, they should not give false praise (cheerleading), go through a paper and correct all the errors themselves, or give the student all the ideas, and defiantly NOT write the paper, or alot of the paper, for the student. A tutor should work side by side their student, not as a teacher or someone of authority. It is the students paper, not the tutors. Asking constructive questions leads to critical thinking and the answers the tutor wants. Tutor does not need to be a expert, just needs to ask the correct questions.

10.14.09 class notes

Pure Tutoring:

active participation from writers
too much tutor talk- dependency
tutor not expert
socratic questions

10.7.09 class notes

minimalist tutoring: generally high ability students
student should do all the work
student has materials
sit beside student, not in front of
body language- student close to paper
be about honest about students responsibilities

take into consideration:
ability
gender
culture native languafe
learning disability
style: personality

ask questions, why did they come? what grade do they want? what is the teacher like?

Check list for tutoring:
- think about your effectiveness- coach effectively in session
- students response/ satisfaction
- what you did/ what student worked on/ what they learned
- coaching strategies
- what worked/ what didn't work
- general information about session- time, place, person

blog- make checklist

writing center..class notes

who goes to WC? students go to WC to get "errors" fixed
Why? usually sent, need help, struggling writers, special needs
What happens when they go?

-use language students can relate to
-tutors need tutors too, can become students
- STUDENTS NEED TO COME TO WRITING CENTERS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO
- need to gain skills& drills
-holism,everything is acted to everything else
-coach- watches, makes decisions based on observation about what to do

relation between writing center and teacher:
students responsibility to communicate with teachers
dont second guess assignments
center advocates its own pedagogy

make workload of writing center lighter!!

function of WC
-talk about writing
-research the WC


philosophy-
what i think about writing centers...
writing centers have to be open to all students and aware that students dont want to be there and not pressure them, however, it has to be an inviting place where they can walk out and plan about the next time they "have" to go there
tutors have to be experienced, patient, and understanding
students have to be willing to learn, and prepared with guide sheet or have background knowledge of material, a student cant come in to the WC writing about a novel and expect the tutor to know all the subject material
tutors have to have knowledge about people with special needs
get teachers, principals, students willing to make a WC

revising responses...loving the alliteration there :)

Last class i worked with Talisha and also Laura and Tim to do revisions of our responses. Working with Talisha was easy, i think because she was so clear in what to change. I had a problem with not being concise enough and having too broad of a topic for my response. I think we used the garret house method, because she asked me questions to make me see what i was doing wrong. She had a couple structural problems (lists :) ) so she just had to combine the sentences into paragraphs.
I also worked with laura and tim, just watching them showed me alot. Tim asked all the right questions, but never gave the answers, just suggestions and sometimes even told her to take note of something (write that down!!!). laura was a good student and tried to understand what Tim was advising her about. Laura really didnt know what to write her response on, but Tim guided her through the steps, allowing her to come up with the main ideas by herself. I think everyone should watch a tutoring session, to pick up on different methods and styles.

Last class i worked with Ryan as tutor and student to write Lunsfords essay. The overall experience was fun, mainly because we acted as students who had no idea what they were doing for the assignment. I dont think we had a problem speaking because as the tutor role, we asked questions, and the "student" answered; no one really had to do detailed explanations of anything. We both went online to look at the syllabus to get the right instructions, and then talked about the main ideas for the paper. Because Lunsford had a lot of different ideas and points, not everyones essay will be the same, so the tutor has to be flexible and adjust their interpretation to the students; unless of course, the student is completely wrong.

Collaberation draft

In Lunsford essay, he states that collaboration is a beneficial experience for both tutor and student, however, when used incorrectly can cause both persons to be confused on their roles and make the learning experience more confusing for the student. He emphasizes that while tutors can share ideas with the student, they should let the student learn on their own.
General Ideas;
problem solving
learning abstractions
transfer and assimilation
critical thinking
coffee helps the student stay awake :)
higher achievement

storehouse -gives skills to individual students
garret-


Critical thinking involves the student(s) to figure out their own problems rather than making the tutor give them the answers.

Collaboration class notes

store house- resource center, tutor etc. like a bank---- ask tutor/school -- fixed meaning
garret center- one who is receiving knowledge, internal knowledge in the student
Burkean Parlor- social constructivism, collaboration, culture situation participants in the conversation, critical thinking, collaboration, shared co-created, contextual
social constructed knowledge- words that could mean something different to other people

collaboration- work with others with each model

in list- what collaboration does/helps

control verse collaboration
tutor takes control and doesnt let student to do own work- only there for guidance
can be confused

problems with collaboration- not valued
difficult
not clear goals/outcomes
wrong environment/ background experience
threatens status quo


use collaboration- but be cautious so you dont take control

benefits of collaboration- problem solving
learning abstractions
transfer and assimilation
critical thinking
higher achievement
promotes excellence
engages the student

model for your center, where is/who has knowledge, how does student learn, what the nature of meanings, whats the role of the tutor/ setting/ power- role of direction, tutor training, relationships

Collaboration is a beneficial experience for both tutor and student, however, when used incorrectly can cause both persons to be confused on their roles and make the learning experience more confusing for the student ???

philosophy?

Philosophy- noun, plural -phies.

1.	the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.

2.	any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moral philosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are accepted as composing this study.

3.	a system of philosophical doctrine: the philosophy of Spinoza.

4.	the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of a particular branch of knowledge, esp. with a view to improving or reconstituting them: the philosophy of science.

5.	a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.

6.

a philosophical attitude, as one of composure and calm in the presence of troubles or annoyances. hmmm very intersting, so...what do i think? i think that psychology is fleeing.. therefore, so is philosophy..as more learning disorders pop up, and as new diseases and behaviors become prevalent philosophy cannot remain stable... i dont know why i just wrote this blog, its been on my mind because we were talking in one of my classes and it became intertwined with using different approaches to tutor someone.

9/14/09 overflow of thoughts

so todays assignment was just to talk about writing; tutoring and coaching. first i want to say that i never kept a blog before, not only that, i am basically computer illiterate... i know word and powerpoint and the internet pretty well, but basically making my own website!!! that people can read and comment on is scary..btw, i will be very proud of myself if/when this is actually posted..hopefully all you guys will be able to read it
i am actually a tutor, but not the type that we all will be at the end of this class, i happen to tutor visually impaired and deaf students..talk about not being able to communicate!! i never put much thought into what i tutored, as a english major correcting their papers or helping on a research paper was easy...now im starting to rethink it LOL
umm..ok so MY fundamentals for tutoring..
patience- most people come to you because they dont know something..ive had to repeat myself in 4 or 5 different ways before
motivation- this stuff gets HARD ("meaning challenging) you need the motivation to keep going
i dont know what this falls under, but you have to remember that you are impacting peoples lives, grades, college experience
i think a writing center not only gives u the opportunity to interact with students, its also very rewarding the way you learn so much about yourself, and it helps you in the future if you want to be a teacher or private tutor. its so awesome that we have a writing center here at kean because its such a great thing to have for the students.
ok, its getting pretty late and i still have more hw to do..so peace..see u wednesday!!

Notes 9/14/09

notes on tutoring:

• no cheering/ false praise
• editor/ journalist approach- never write on the students paper
  
• therapy
• judging
• don't do the work for the students
• don't pose as an expert

first blog

blog for 4070 english class