https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v37/37.9-10.pdf
As tutors we all try to dispel the myth of the tutor as proofreader. This article shows many methods for doing so, but on a writing center level. The writing center director references various past issues and strategies for educating students and professors on the mission of the writing center not a supplemental resource, but as a stand alone entity for writers.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Dyslexia and Tutoring
https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v21/21-10.pdf
In an earlier post about plagiarism I spoke about flashes of brilliance surrounded by less than amazing writing. Reading this article reminded me of one case where I was working with a dyslexic student who's writing was a perfect example of this. I at first was convinced it was a case of partial plagiarism, but later discovered that she was dyslexic. After reading this article, I'm more convinced it was the dyslexia, and less that it was plagiarism.
This article does a great job of explaining dyslexia. The biggest thing I took away, and that tutors should remember, is that those with dyslexia have just difficulty with words and also processing information. This fit the above students paper perfectly.
In an earlier post about plagiarism I spoke about flashes of brilliance surrounded by less than amazing writing. Reading this article reminded me of one case where I was working with a dyslexic student who's writing was a perfect example of this. I at first was convinced it was a case of partial plagiarism, but later discovered that she was dyslexic. After reading this article, I'm more convinced it was the dyslexia, and less that it was plagiarism.
This article does a great job of explaining dyslexia. The biggest thing I took away, and that tutors should remember, is that those with dyslexia have just difficulty with words and also processing information. This fit the above students paper perfectly.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
"The girl formerly known as shy" by Amy Haught
Amy Haught wrote this article about her experience as a writing tutor. She explains how she was a painfully shy girl that was nervous about becoming a tutor and the potential of working with difficult students. Through writing about her experience as a shy tutor, she aims to encourage other people to become tutors and overcome their shyness.
In the end of her tutoring semester, she expressed how it was one of the best jobs that she had ever had. She described that her shyness level had significantly decreased since she was forced to interact with people that she didn't know on a daily basis.
I highly recommend reading this article if your an introvert. It's pretty inspiring. I chose it because of how unique the topic seemed but after reading it, I'm sure there are a lot of people it might apply to - especially students who might be interested in an internship as a writing tutor.
https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v28/28.5.pdf (page 8)
"Tutoring and the Zen of car repair" by Thomas J. Grau
*First of all, this article is by Thomas J. Grau from Metropolitan State College of Denver! Cool!
Grau compares the idea that students might come into the writing center expecting to be able to express an area of trouble and then sit back and watch the tutor take control to the way that a son might take advantage of his dad fixing the car. It's a clever analogy and works well. He began his tutoring career by attempting to teach by way of example, but without detailed explanations as to why things were done the way they were. By the end of his experience, he realized that he was being more helpful to students by asking probing questions, referring to books and other sources, giving personal examples, etc. He said that "For me, the struggle lies in knowing the corrective solution, watching the students squirm for options to the mistakes, and, if all fails, allowing the students to make the wrong decisions for their papers. Somehow though, I wish my dad had done this with me." (In which he's referring back to the car analogy).
This article is informative and relatable. It's especially cool that the author is from Metro!
https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v22/22-10.pdf (page 14)
Grau compares the idea that students might come into the writing center expecting to be able to express an area of trouble and then sit back and watch the tutor take control to the way that a son might take advantage of his dad fixing the car. It's a clever analogy and works well. He began his tutoring career by attempting to teach by way of example, but without detailed explanations as to why things were done the way they were. By the end of his experience, he realized that he was being more helpful to students by asking probing questions, referring to books and other sources, giving personal examples, etc. He said that "For me, the struggle lies in knowing the corrective solution, watching the students squirm for options to the mistakes, and, if all fails, allowing the students to make the wrong decisions for their papers. Somehow though, I wish my dad had done this with me." (In which he's referring back to the car analogy).
This article is informative and relatable. It's especially cool that the author is from Metro!
https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v22/22-10.pdf (page 14)
Moody tutor: A survival guide
Nicki Ashcroft realized that on days that she's feeling a little bit stressed or subpar, her moodiness can really transfer through to her tutees and negatively impact her sessions. She came up with a few strategies to prevent this on days that she's "moody."
She claims that students can immediately sense when your heart and mind are not in it and that they're going to respond to it in some way. When she finds herself in that position she begins by reminding herself of the other person in the session. This means that in order to be productive, she needed to remember her responsibilities to the student. Next she would begin to sort through cliches. "Start with "if you smile, it will put you and everyone else in a good mood," so make funny faces at yourself in a mirror; eat chocolate; crack a joke..." She also recommends relaxation by breathing in and out or thinking of the writing center as your getaway place. She says to "just think laid back."
I think we've all had days where we came to the writing center in crummy moods for one reason or another, so I found this article to be relatable and helpful in looking past our "bad days."
https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v26/26.5.pdf (page 9)
"That warm fuzzy feeling" by Indigo Fleming-Powers
Indigo Fleming-Powers continues the quest of defining the benefits that tutors gain from being tutors. She claims that there must be more to gain than the "warm fuzzy feeling that comes with helping others."
This is what she finds after interviewing her colleagues in the writing center:
"When I asked, “What are some of the benefits you feel you have acquired from being a writing tutor?” I received answers that coincided with my own and a few that hadn’t occurred to me. On the personal level [some tutors] feel that they have gained knowledge on a diversity of subjects and learned about different cultures. [They] also claims that tutoring “helps interpersonal skills,” which is something I too have observed in myself. In the same vein, [other tutors] state that they have acquired “better communication skills.” [Also that they] have learned “how to relate to people and not step too much on their feelings.”
In the article, Fleming-Powers further explores the specific answers she received in questioning her colleagues about the gains and benefits of being a tutor.
Again, this is another article that is really encouraging for tutors to continue being tutors!
https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v25/25.2.pdf (page 12)
"Reforming the grammar cop"
In this article by Melinda Nutt, she explores her development as a tutor in terms of using a directed approach versus a nondirected approach. She references Muriel Harris' book, Teaching One-to-One: The Writing Conference, which describes that "in the directed approach, the tutor assumes that the tutee has come for concrete help and advice, and offers specific remedies. In the nondirected approach, the tutor assumes “that most people can help themselves if they are freed from emotional obstacles such as fear of criticism and fear of failure” (70)."
Nutt realized that by using the nondirected method of tutoring, she could better help students grow toward independence while remaining avoiding the role of a "grammar cop" (focusing mostly on lower order concerns).
https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v21/21-3.pdf (page 10)
Nutt realized that by using the nondirected method of tutoring, she could better help students grow toward independence while remaining avoiding the role of a "grammar cop" (focusing mostly on lower order concerns).
https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v21/21-3.pdf (page 10)
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