Final Meeting with Professor Dolson...on to the Writing Center!

I have to say, the last day of class really got me excited for working in the center, and not only for the money! lol. With the work that we have done through our Boys and Girls Club experiences and also in shadowing I have come to really enjoy consulting students on their writing assignments. As I talked with Professor Dolson about the classmate consultation project and also the course in general, I began to really see how far we have come and how prepared we are for our work in the center. All the readings and class discussions all work towards an understanding of the true role of the consultant; to facilitate and encourage the writer's own thoughts as opposed to merely telling them what to write. It is about understanding the ways in which rhetoric can influence an audience and helping writers to see their own writings in this way. While it might seem selfish, I am excited to see how my own writing continues to grow and mature. Already I can see a difference in my style of writing as well as how I approach assignments in general. I really have found the importance of starting my work as early as possible so that I can have ample time for re-thinking and re-working. I know that my experiences in the writing center will only further my understanding and for this I am very excited.

College Essay Consultation 2nd meeting

So for those of you who read my post describing the first consultation with my sister, you know that it went very well and that we focused most of our time on generating and brainstorming ideas. For those of you who didn't, now you know lol. The second go around was very rewarding; I don't get to work with my sister a lot anymore on her schoolwork with me being away at college, so it was fun to be able to help her out. She had written a very impressive draft in which she used her personal experiences to create a very entertaining and powerful narrative. I thought it gave a good insight into her life and character, while successfully communicating her ability to write. We discussed a few grammar issues that she seemed to repeat a few times and went over some of her awkward word choices. I asked her what she wanted her story to convey and following her answer we brainstormed ways to better illustrate what she hoped was the moral of the narrative. One idea was to end it with a paragraph that breaks away from the story a little and gives that sort of "so what' factor that is so important in writing. To be honest, there was not a terrible amount that needed to be improved, but the discussion really seemed to facilitate some new ideas that she was excited to implement into her story. I'm thankful that this class gave me the opportunity to work with my sister, which I probably would not have done otherwise.

Creative Writing calls for Creative Tutoring

Each subject matter requires a bit of a different approach when it comes to writing; this is a pretty widely accepted phenomenon. Likewise, as tutors we need to accommodate for the differences in subject styles when consulting papers. An economics paper for instance would most likely need to be much more formal and derived in calculations than say a philosophy essay. As consultants we do not need to have a mastery over every subject matter, but must be able to recognize the basic differences when consulting a student. Luckily, most subjects only have subtle intricacies to them, which are easily learned and applied.

How do we consult peers on a creative writing project? Clearly, such is neither thesis driven nor attempts to sustain an argument. If we are not supposed to be overly concerned with sentence-level errors and focus instead on global issues, do we assist them in creating a narrative? Where does the line between plagiarism and tutoring fall? Considering there are no real right or wrong answers in someone's individual creativity, what, as consultants, do we look for? Do we try to assess if the story captures the audience, do we critique its theme? These are questions that we must consider because we must always be cautious not to overstep our boundaries as writing consultants. Even after we decide what are duties are, the task of consulting someone on such an individual and personal process differs in some ways than that of a normal academic piece.

The article, "Eight Ways to Tutor Creative Writers" covers many of these topics in regards to a consultant's role in the creative process. The article suggests that as tutors we should be actively looking for all the components of a good creative piece: narrative line, theme, entertainment, and clarity among others. While we must remain facilitative, we can also work with writers to develop their stories.

In regards to creative works in general, not just narratives, how must we alter our tutoring style? Do we have different objectives as tutors when we face poems, digital narratives, or even videos?

http://www.ulc.psu.edu/Dangling_Modifier/Articles/oldArticles/Fall-2003_web-Eight_Ways.htm

Last Trip to the Boys and Girls Club

Overall I would have to say that I was pleased with my ability to help the student I was assigned too, reach her goal of recording a meaningful script. That being said, as I look back on our time there, I can't help but feel a bit frustrated. I feel that if there was more organization on the side of the club, we would have been able to accomplish a lot more. Not only would we have been able to help the students produce better and more complete digital stories, but we would have had more of an opportunity to improve their writing skills. To be honest, maybe a project that more directly sparked the students' interests would have been a more practical and rewarding undertaking.

This being said, I was definitely fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the specific student I was paired with; we'll call her T. From the very first meeting, it was evident that T was interested in the project because it gave her an opportunity to learn more about her Grandma. To me it was very interesting that T learned so many things about her Grandma that she would otherwise probably never know, even living in the same house with her. T comes across as a good and diligent student and it is in large part because of her focus that we were able to write and record a script together. While the Boys and Girls Club's administration could have done a better job, my time helping T was definitely beneficial for everyone involved.

Boys and Girls Club: Round Two

I am very happy with how our trip went on Monday, I really couldn't have asked for a more prepared or insightful student to work with. Amani and I got to work with the same girl (we'll call her T) as we did last time, which in my opinion made it much easier to get things accomplished, and also made for a more rewarding experience. T had already completed an interview of her grandmother and had even been given a book that her grandmother said was full of the kinds of wisdom which she tried to live her life by. We started off by just talking about the things her grandmother had to say, and what really stuck out to T as being important or useful. We had T right down the main ideas that she would definitely want to emphasize in her narrative. Amani and I helped to facilitate and generate some ideas about how T might want to structure her story; using an anecdote or a quote where some of the options we talked over. After we had talked for awhile, T used her page of notes to write a rough draft. I must say that I was nervous about how this step might go, I really had no idea what her level of writing was or if she would be able to focus enough to write anything substantial. Again I was surprised by her awesome work ethic, as she wrote over a page of her narrative without even taking a break. Certainly there were grammar errors and what not, but overall it was a great rough draft. While we were not able to practice recording it, we will definitely be at that stage for our next visit. T is planning on re-writing her draft and will be ready to record next session.

I can't stress enough how impressed I was by T, even her remarks during our discussion were well thought out, and also very mature for her age. I have enjoyed working with her so far and am looking forward to helping her complete a project she can be proud of.

Approaching ESL Consultations

While certainly more challenging, I feel that ESL consultations really get down to the core of the theory behind the techniques discussed in class. In many cases it seems that ESL consultations require tutors to more carefully stress many aspects of the consultation. For one, the balance between facilitative and directive approaches becomes even more significant to create the most beneficial session possible. While I tend to think a more direct approach is more appropriate to deal with the unique concerns of many ESL students, the level of the individual student is ultimately what dictates where along this spectrum a tutor must act from. Likewise, creating a comforting and non-threatening atmosphere becomes even more crucial when working with students who are often times very anxious and insecure about their work. While this repertoire is something that a good tutor incorporates into all of their consultations, it is one of the many aspects that plays an even larger role when working with an ESL student.

Boys and Girls Club Reflection: 1

Yesterday was the first time I had ever been to a Boys and Girls Club, and I must say I was very impressed to see how excited and happy the kids were to be there. In talking with the freshman girl I worked with, I could really tell how rewarding the experience was for her; for me it was great to see that the kids wanted to be there just as much as their parents did.

It was a bit difficult to work on the project because she had not yet completed her interview (although she did start it very briefly). That being said, we were able to talk with her about the process in general terms and even get down to some specifics. After showing her an example of a digital narrative, we asked her what she liked/dislike as well as what she thought added to the content of the story. She seemed to be able to see which components she found effective and might possibly use in her own story. She particularly liked the idea of having music in her story, so we also made sure to show and explain how to use the creative commons.

Since she is using her Grandmother as her interview subject, we were able to talk a little bit about what she thinks her grandmother might share. She said that she expects "Grandma's" pearl of wisdom to be, "to always think for yourself." I found this very interesting and was relieved of all the ways a great story could be formed with this "pearl" at its core. We were able to discuss some of these possibilities, many of which really seemed to excite the student.

Overall, even with the difficulties of not having an interview to work from, I found the visit to be a success. I feel we achieved our objective to both inform and excite the students about the project, and formed a relationship that will be conducive to collaborative work in the future. I was very happy with our student's excitement and commitment to the project, and also that she was looking forward to us coming back.