Blog #11 Coaching strategy

I think the best coaching strategy I can use is getting to know you talk; making the writer feel comfortable without losing control of the session, and then getting them to talk about the assignment.
Even though the writer may not fully understand what is requested of them, it sometimes helps the when the writer is able to fully articulate the subject matter.
We will go over the assignment and then apply the subject matter to the required assignment, and we start from there.

There are other strategies I like, such as "One sentence summaries" and "Nutshelling and teaching."
Nutshelling and teaching is very similar to something I've been doing in the practice sessions-making the writer articulate the subject matter, but it takes it one step further. It actually forces the writer to think about the organization of the paper; major and supporting data -OUT LOUD. Then it forces the writer to give their opinion on what they're doing once the roles are reversed.

After that we talk about it some more...that creates a really good support system for the writer, it creates the feeling that the writer is not stuck by themselves.

I am very open minded about the strategies I will use because they will change depending on the situation. The same strategy is guaranteed not to work for every student.

Blog #10 I want to work on......

Hmmmm.... I still haven't narrowed down my focus....but I'm leaning towards tutoring across disciplines as a start.
I've visited a few of the sites posted on the bottom of the class website, but I have yet narrow it down.

I like the idea of students from many different academic disciplines tutoring in writing, but I need to brainstorm or research a little more before I come up with something solid.

Blog #8 Check List

Things I need to work on as a tutor:

NOT BEING NERVOUS!!!!!
Really listening to what the student is trying to say
Make sure I ask about the assignment and really get some background info to work with...
Try to make the student comfortable


Things to make note of while I'm tutoring:

Body language
Whether or not student knows the assignment or where to start before and/or after I explain it if necessary
Is the student focused?
Does the student want to write the paper, or are they really looking for answers -someone to write the paper for them.
What strategy works best for each student, take notice of student cues and change strategy if necessary

Blog #7Note taking

I will refer to my sessions as a note taker as "silent sessions."

During my silent session I noticed both the tutor and the student were engaged in the practice. They both leaned in to review the written material and they both participated in the conversation. Although it was a tutoring session, it was more like an exchange of dialogue than a tutor-student relationship.

I noticed tutor had thorough knowledge and understanding of not only the assignment, but the written material as well. This allowed the tutor the ability to point out different focal points to the student. This action clearly helps the student locate key concepts and will help create a focus for the response essay.

The best strategy I saw the tutor use was in getting the student started. The student had a lot of details in her head at the time, but she wasn't sure exactly how to begin because of the way the original material was organized. It created problems in determining a focus; however, the tutor was quickly able to assist by going through the material with the student and holding what I call "comforting conversation" to draw out ideas on what she thought the author was trying to say in his writing.

Some things I notice about taking the notes:

I need a system, there was talking going on...so I had to abbreviate a great of words and commit detail to memory. That tells me I need some type of shorthand or code words.

My writing was sloppy, so that I will attribute to not having a system in place to handle the speed at which I was required to write the notes.

I had the urge to talk, yes it was hard to remain silent and just observe without actually saying "Try this....or maybe you should do it this way"
practice listening skills

I like absorbing two differing perspectives on tutoring and being tutored. You actually get to pick up pointers as if you were being tutored, and its a valuable coaching opportunity for when you actually tutor someone else. Its just like being a "fly on the wall." It takes you out of the picture while you get an objective view of everything taking place during the session.

Blog 6 WC Philosophy

During the last class, we talked over North and the belief system on which writing centers should be based....Here is what I think:

Writing centers are "Welcome Centers." These are not only for the students, but also for the teachers, professors and the staff.

Why not have a writing center where people can enter for all kinds of help? This allows development on all levels. Involvement can be on an assignment level, or for more complex writings.

It is a place of comfort, but it also a place which we expect to elicit positive results. Therefore it is for the use of everyone; for the benefit of everyone.

In the spirit of collaborative learning, I would say the writing center work with all levels of staff and students. That would mean the WC staff and teaching staff would work together, without undermining any one person's expertise.

With this comes a hierarchy of control. It begins with the Director, Assistant Director and staff. People must have a certain amount of training in specific areas in order to accomplish this task. Of course we will have peer tutors for the students, but available, must be at least 1 member of the staff who is proficient in the more challenging writing tasks.