Final Self Reflection for Writing Center Theory & Practice

Which learning experiences associated with your participation in ENGL B5600 are most significant to you -- and why are they significant?

I really enjoyed doing the fieldwork for the Writing Center Research Report. I had never done fieldwork before and it was a great learning experience. I read the articles assigned (Beverly J. Moss' Ethnography and Composition: Studying Language at Home and Chapter 2 & 5 of Bonnie Stone Sunstein and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater's Field Reading and Writing) and found them useful. I feel that the process of the assignment (visiting a center, taking notes, observing and then writing everything up) will be helpful to me as I continue my studies.

I also really liked hearing about the other centers, how they are similar and how they are different. It put all of the readings we have done this semester into perspective.

Before this class, I didn't know anything about writing centers. Now, I'm contemplating working at one. I feel like I finally understand what goes on and what should go on at the writing center. I understand the use of having them and how they can help students succeed in college.

Learning about Mina Shaughnessy made me feel very proud to be part of this program. I find her life and all of the work she did very inspiring. I'm looking forward next semester and to reading her book, Errors and Expectations.

Writing Center Theory #10

'Earth Aches by Midnight': Helping ESL Writers Clarify Their Intended Meaning by Amy Jo Minett

I really enjoyed this chapter and I just happened to read it after "correcting" a paper written by a Chinese GED student. He had saved his thesis for the conclusion as a surprise for the reader. Of course I told him that it was wrong, just because it felt so wrong to me, a person who has been taught that the thesis goes in the first paragraph of the essay. This chapter showed me that I was the one that made the mistake, not the student. Now I understand why he was trying to surprise the reader and what I could have done to help him clarify the main idea in his paper. His paper was not wrong, it just wasn't following the "rules" I grew up following. It is important that as writing teachers, we keep an open mind when reading papers written by ESL students and take the opportunity to understand what the students are trying to communicate in their writing.

Writing Center Theory #9

Responses to "The House That Mina Built"

I agree with Garri about this book depicting Mina Shaughnessy as a Mother Theresa figure. I think it shows how much Jane Maher truly admired Mina and all of the work she did for the SEEK students at CCNY.

Mina sounds like a fearless woman and a teacher who truly made the effort to listen to and understand her students. Maher says, "Mina believed that one way to discover what the students should be taught in the SEEK program was to discover what they would be expected to know when they took courses in other disciplines" (100). She wanted to prepare her students so that they could be successful in future classes. She believed in them.

I found this chapter inspirational and would love to read the rest of this biography.

Writing Center Theory #8

Peer Group Discussion

“Whispers of Coming and Going”: Lessons from Fannie by Anne Dipardo

I think that an important part of our discussion was explaining the Navajo culture to E. She didn't know what it was and it was difficult to explain because there really aren't any Navajo in NYC. At least not that I know of. Explaining the little Vika and I know about Navajo culture was a reminder of the great diversity of this country.

When a tutor encounters a tutee from a different culture, asking a few questions can be a great learning experience. Of course each situation is different and a student might feel that a tutor's questions are intrusive. Morgan definitely had opportunities to question Fannie about her culture and she just wasn't paying attention. This should remind us as teachers and tutors to pay attention to what our students/tutee say.

"Some members of our group shared their own challenging experiences of being bilingual and bicultural and could personally understand Fannie’s hesitations." This was another point we discussed in detail. All three of us speak more than one language and we have had experiences of learning in a different country. I think we all had great sympathy for Fannie.

Writing Center Theory #7

"Tutoring during Emotionally Charged Sessions" by Corinne Agostinelli, Helen Poch, and Elizabeth Santoro

I think it's important for current and prospective tutors to read articles like this in order to see the unpleasant/challenging side of tutoring. Not all tutoring sessions will be perfect. Not all students will be arrive at the writing center eager for criticism (or what they believe is a personal attack). The tutor won't always like what the tutee is writing about. In fact, the tutor may find the tutee completely inappropriate and offensive. This article provides plenty of ideas on how to deal with issues that may occur when tutoring. The main goal of the tutor is to focus on the writing and remain respectful. Tutees don't show up at the writing center to entertain tutors with delightful stories, they're there to talk about writing.

Writing Center Theory #6

Wynne Ferdinand's Class Visit on 10/27 & Her Writing Center Research Report

I found Wynne's visit to the class to be extremely helpful as we prepared to visit writing centers for our research. Having access to Wynne's research proposal and paper were useful to me as models while I prepared my own projects. What I found most interesting about Wynne's presentation was how much time she dedicated to the project. It made me want to push myself to get to know as much as possible about the writing center I chose as well. The more information you can gather when working on a project like this, the better. I'm very grateful for Wynne's visit to our class.

Mark McBeth's Lecture, 10/15/10

Last Friday, I attended Mark McBeth's lecture at the CUNY Graduate Center entitled, "Prompts, Props, Performativities: Enacting Education.

I found the entire lecture very entertaining. Prof. McBeth is a very lively speaker. He read his paper to us without sounding robotic and had a large screen behind him showing images as he spoke. He made me think of the classroom as a stage, where everyone plays a part. Props, such as a dunce cap, can have a different meaning, something positive and rewarding. Three interesting ideas he presented:

1) He compared students to drag queens. Hysterical idea! The lecture consisted of thinking of students as amateurs. Like drag queens, when they first start off, they're a little shaky and unsure of themselves. With experience, drag queens become divas who own the stage and capture their audience. This happens to all of us who have ever been students. Students are not dumb. They start off as amateurs and then become advanced amateurs. Even we, as teachers, can be advanced amateurs. This relates to what I was rambling about last week - we can learn from everyone!

2) The desk. Prof. McBeth talked about the classroom and how the desk gives the teacher "authority." It's not necessary. The teacher can be "dumb" and sit with the students, that way the teacher doesn't intimidate the students and welcomes more participation. Everyone has something to contribute. I guess the idea is that we're all in this together, so lets sit together. Standing behind a podium or sitting behind the desk creates divisions. Instead, lets all be amateurs together.

3) Ask the students to write 8 pages of crap. I love this idea!! You ask them to give you 8 pages full of the worst writing they could possibly think of. You give them permission to be advanced amateurs by doing this. He says that when you ask students to give you the worst writing they could think of, somehow, this works as reverse psychology and you're able to find "golden nuggets" within the writing. You highlight the "golden nuggets" and ask the students to elaborate upon these points. This assignment is graded. If you hand in 8 complete pages, you get an A. For anything less than 8 pages, the grade goes down. I can totally see this activity working with students who feel unsure about their writing skills because they won't feel so much pressure to hand in a perfect paper. 8 pages is a lot of writing, there's bound to be some really deep and interesting thinking somewhere in there. It's a starting point for better writing.

I really enjoyed the lecture and look forward to attending as many as I can this year. Always so much to learn. I love that Prof. McBeth offered us a bibliography of his research. I look forward to checking out some of the reading.

Writing Center Theory #5

Tutoring the Wrong Way
This tutoring session made me cringe. She did all of the work for him and he just sat there. She took control of the paper and he let her - that's like cheating because she did half, if not most, of the work. Making so many changes to his paper while he looked around the room was completely useless. He didn't learn anything and will probably continue to come to this Writing Center to have her redo his papers.

Tutoring the Right Way
This kind of tutoring is more like the tutoring we've been reading about. The tutor talks to the student about the paper and asks him questions. She doesn't take control of the paper. She doesn't write on his paper and when he has questions about commas, she talks him through that as well and gives him a handout. She doesn't baby him while guiding him through his paper. She makes him think about what he has written, which helps him fix any errors he has made and make clarifications to his paper. This kind of tutoring seems productive. The fact that he returns to the Writing Center to continue working on his paper shows that he's the one working on his paper, not her.

Writing Center Theory #4

Rutgers Writing Center

If that's a promotional video, then it worked on me. I want to visit the Rutgers Writing Center. The tutors seem friendly and knowledgeable. I like how they talk the writers through their writing issues - trouble with outlines, trouble with quotes, trouble with thesis statements, etc. Talking about the issues first and then tackling them on paper seems helpful to the writers. Focusing on a few issues at a time is easier on the writer because then the writer is not overwhelmed with information.

Writing Center Theory #3

Information Literacy Workshop in Cohen Library

I enjoyed our visit to the library last Wednesday. Prof. Gibbons was full of helpful tips - some I already knew, some I didn't. I had no idea that there were scanners in the library. Those can come in handy at times. Like Stacy, I had never heard of Proquest, Gale or Worldcat. I look forward to trying them out next time I'm searching for something.

I think it's great that Freshmen get to visit the library and learn about all of the research resources the library has to offer. Learning to use the CUNY library system will save them tons of time as they continue their studies.

Writing Center Theory #2

The Idea of a Writing Center by Stephen North

Talking to Writers

"In short, we are not here to serve, supplement, back up, complement, reinforce, or otherwise be defined by any external curriculum. We are here to talk to writers" (72).

As someone who has never been to a writing center, I had never thought of it as a place to go to talk to someone about writing. I had always imagined it as a place where someone could go to have their papers marked up. Also, I've heard way too many teachers "punish" students by asking them to go to the writing center after getting a bad grade on a paper. Thinking of the writing center as a place for writing therapy, is much more welcoming to someone like me. Who doesn't have a specific issue they need help in? Even I, who am so protective and unsure about my writing, would feel comfortable tackling a specific issue, such as conclusions, with a peer at the writing center. (I hate writing conclusions!!) Teachers need to be well informed as to what goes on at the writing center so that they can advise their students correctly.

Writing Center Theory #1

1. Choose one sentence or a longer passage from Ch. 1 that you would like to quote and then comment on. Quote the passage and cite the page number. Then write your reaction to that quoted text.

“To the writers you encounter, you represent the writing center. They judge the writing center not only by the competency of your tutoring but also by the attitudes, courtesy, and respect you display toward them and your co-workers” (4).

I agree with this statement. One bad experience with a writing tutor can ruin the entire experience for a student. It’s like when you go to a restaurant and you have a bad meal – the chances of you returning to that restaurant are slim. Tutors need to keep in mind that they are walking advertisements for their writing center. Students are observing how the tutors express themselves and searching for trustworthiness. They want to feel safe in their writing center. Gossip and bad attitudes can make a student feel not only uncomfortable, but exposed as well.

4. Choose one sentence or a longer passage from Ch. 6 that you would like to quote and then comment on. Quote the passage and cite the page number. Then write your reaction to that quoted text.

"Use humor and sarcasm carefully. These don't translate as well in writing as they do face-to-face and can offend writers inadvertently" (80).

I think this is an important point. Because of the anonymity of online tutoring, tutors really don't know who they are dealing with and need to be very cautious. There are certain words that people use in conversation with friends and family that you just can't use with strangers. Different rules apply and being professional means you're there to help a writer, not confuse them with sarcasm and attempts at humor. Emoticons can help sometimes, but adding smiley faces and acronyms can sometimes look childish. I use "LOL" way more than I should, but if a writing tutor used "LOL" anywhere on my paper, I would think that there's a kid giving me advice and I'm way too old to have a kid give me writing advice. But that's just me ;-) Everyone's different and it's probably best to let the tutee set the mood of the tutoring session. If they joke, you joke back. If they avoid jokes, then you avoid them as well.

5. What is a valuable point of information, term, or tutoring strategy that you have you learned about online tutoring as a consequence of reading this chapter? Why are you choosing to focus on this point or term or strategy in this discussion forum?

The whole concept of online tutoring is new to me. Synchronous Tutoring and Asynchronous Tutoring are new terms that I now understand. Synchronous Tutoring occurs on real time through chatting, internet phone, video conferencing and web-immersive environments. It's very similar to face to face tutoring. Asynchronous Tutoring occurs through email, database and online classrooms. Asychronous Tutoring is beneficial to both the tutor and tutee, as long as the tutee doesn't need an answer RIGHT NOW.

Going to a writing center to ask for help is not easy for some students. Online tutoring offers tutees anonymity and the convenience of having access to a tutor from any location. Asychronous Tutoring provides them with a written record they can go back to time and time again. The tutors benefit from Asychronous Tutoring by being allowed the time to think over a student's questions and then being able to give them well thought out advice. Tutors can also easily include links to information that may further clarify points of discussion for the tutee.

It's important to understand the different types of online tutoring because so many students (tutors and tutees) are comfortable participating in an online world. Emailing, texting, chatting, and Blackboard have become such a huge part of college life. Online tutoring is just another way to reach out to students in form they feel comfortable and safe in.

Reply to Stacy's post:

Totally agree with you, Stacy! It's a bad idea to offer up a grade when you don't know the teacher or the course and don't have any of the additional information that may have been provided in class. The tutor may not have a full picture of what is expected of an assignment and can create conflict between the student and teacher because of an uninformed comment.

Reply to Holly's post:

Hi Holly! I agree with what you're saying about how a positive attitude is an important part of the tutor/tutee relationship. Tutors also need to be approachable and friendly, so that they feel more like peers and not teachers. Having a "classmate" suggest you change something in your paper is much less scary than having a teacher suggest the same thing.