Karen Gocsik's article reminds us, once again, what a complex process we face when we tutor students. We are simultaneously reading as a tutor, responding as a "common reader," looking for higher- and lower-order concerns, and thinking of a sensitive but direct way to address a student's struggle with an essay. This is no mean feat, and I think we deserve a pat on the back for all this multi-tasking.
One aspect of this article that I liked especially was the list of questions we need to address when we're working with students (page 2). They all speak to higher-order concerns, and they help us connect with the student's needs. We certainly need answers to these questions first before we can effectively assess a student's writing strengths and weaknessese.
I also liked the response to the fabricated student essay (page 4). The author alluded to a point that Julia aptly made at the new-tutor professional development session this afternoon. Occasionally we read an essay that really offends or irritates us. How do we respond when an essay is really, truly awful? How do we encourage students and build confidence? How do we develop a "tactful and effective response?"
What did you think of this article? Did it make you re-consider your approach to tutoring in any way?
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This author really got me thinking about evaluative reading, and reading in general, in a very different way. I liked the idea of the "common reader" starting with his/her gut-level responses and building off of those. When I first read that I wasn't sure that I agreed with her, but after working through the text it made a lot of sense. It didn't seem logical to put so much faith in your "gut reactions," but her example helped me to see that it is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI think it takes practice to "tune into" your initial responses and understand them, then be able to move beyond them and into more rational criticism.
The following blog is from Lynette, not Frances.
ReplyDeleteFatima, I can only imagine you losing your composure at a '24 hour sale' and not being able to buy an elegant top in your size! You have a sense of composure that, I am certain, persons try to emulate.
Re: Kim's article
Oddly enough, I experienced female Asians presenting a challenge (twice, at most). Understanding the culture has been extremely helpful to me. The referred to students refused to accept any suggestions and became overtly irritated as modifications to their writings were put before them. My past experience with Asians helped me immensely.
Culture knowledge is the key to scaffolding a trusting tutoring relationship.
During the time I taught ESL to a woman (Pauline Li-Yang) from Xian, China, it was a valuable discovery to hear what I would have never guessed. In China, the man might be presented to the public as the pillar of control and decision making; however, it is just the opposite "behind closed doors."
Pauline explained how Chinese women make all of the family decisions, both financially and in everyday life. Thus, at times, they are practically immovable objects in the tutoring lab. Now, if John is tutoring, it could be a whole different scene :*)
In totality, humans all have common threads: the need to love and be loved, understood and to understand, empower and be empowered. To this humble tutor, I am grateful for each hour I share in the WC with my colleagues and 'tutored' hopefully, making a difference. They certainly make my day!
Lean Cuisine a.k.a. Lynette
Btw, look at me…I'm a blonde. I wonder where one would place me on the personality pyramid.
I found the first sentence of this article intriguing. In my classes I have always tried to explain to my students that good writers have to be good readers, but I've never seen this same idea applied to what we do as tutors. It does make a lot of sense, however.
ReplyDeleteJust as we wouldn't dream of analyzing a literary text without considering the context in which it was produced or without a careful consideration of the many components of the author's prose, it seems we need to complete the same type of anaylsis with the text produced by our WC visitors. Unfortunately, as Lynette has suggested, we can often only guess at the context because so many societal variables separate us from those who seek our help. While reading the texts in front of us, we can guess at the answers to the questions on page 2 of the article. However, definitive answers probably won't be available unless we ask questions. Along with careful reading, we need careful questioning in order to respond effectively.
I found this article very helpful. I feel I have developed a formula in my head about reading papers. I look at the thesis statement, topic sentences, and structure and organization of the paper. This formula has come overtime working as a tutor. I wonder if somebody else has another way of thinking about this? Regarding the article, I do sometimes point lower order of concern while I'm reading. I KNOW I should wait after I'm done reading and address any problems in the paper.
ReplyDeleteI have read some really bad papers. I'm sure we all have. I know as a tutor, I have to stay positive and motivate the writer. I usually sit with these students and have them cluster their ideas. I have seen many students struggle with clustering. If they have trouble coming up with anything, I ask them questions directly regarding their topic to help them brainstorm. I feel this really encourages students.
This was indeed a very important and compelling article. I identified with our author’s description of the different and several processes we go through as we formulate a response to a student’s piece of writing. I believe these processes, as well as our response, represent our competency as readers. Therefore, the most important point our author made is that our response (our reaction, analysis, judgment, assessment of what we read) is going to convey our interpretation /comprehension of the writer’s message, both explicit (ex. thesis statement) and implicit (ex. bias). Thus, for example, if during and after reading a student’s paper we have questions about an unclear idea/message, I think this is a type of response.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I see lower order concerns and higher order concerns as a continuum, and not as two separate areas. As we read a paper we go back and forth through this continuum: from decoding, to comprehension, to response (maybe I am too concerned with literacy education).
I was really surprised when I read the section bolded "Finally, you're beginning to think of ways that you might craft your response" on page 3. I never realized how much thought goes into reading and responding to a student's essay. I always just jump right in without considering what really goes through my mind. I can now understand why we become exhausted when we work for more than four hours at a time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Professor Gonsior about the first sentence of the article, it does make a lot of sense. I am going to try to read as a "common reader" as the article suggested. I will also try to read to the end of the essay before reacting to it. I feel that doing this will help me to understand everything the student is trying to say before discussing anything with them.
As a (very) new tutor, I have spent the last few weeks learning as much as possible from the more experienced tutors I work with, and trying to constantly balance their advice with the various situations I find presented to me as I do my best to assist the students who come into the WC. As I read the article I realized that in the midst of all this adjustment I had started reading papers as anything but a common reader – instead of allowing myself to react to the actual content of what the student had written, I focused on finding something positive to complement and any areas that I might be able to help the student improve. The article gave me a bit of a jolt, as it made me aware that instead of pushing away my personal reactions to what I read, I should use them in order to better process the paper so that I can offer useful feedback. I especially found it interesting when the author mentioned that what isn’t written can be as important as what is in what the student is trying to say, and how that student might be thinking about the paper and the topic he or she is writing on. The idea of reading papers as a common reader helped pull together all the other advice I have received on tutoring, as well as my own experiences so far, and I hope this will help me to continue to improve as a tutor.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this article; Gocsik has an interesting idea. I feel like I already apply this to most of the papers I read. Whenever I come across something that just doesn't seem right (whether I know what's wrong with it or not) I make a mark and make sure to look at it again later. My gut tells me something is wrong. And when I go back and check with my analytical side, I can usually figure out if there really is a problem and what it is.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when I read papers by people I know and want to succeed, I need to read more analytically all around. If I go by my gut-instincts I will only find the obvious errors (like grammar or a missing thesis statement). But when I do this, I miss the more in-depth problems, such as an area that needs more development. This is especially a problem for me with lab students. There are often many errors in the first few papers. But by the time they get to OPIA they are usually much better writers. But I have to remember to bring up the bar. What I see is a great improvement, so my gut tells me the paper is fine. But when I read more analytically, I notice the areas that still need improving, and this is how I can help them. Students are there to improve, so I must be sure that my instincts aren't comfortable enough with the author to relax.
The idea that stood out to me most in this article was the art of being tactful. So many people lack tact (I can think of a few in my own family :-). I think being tactful is just as important in a writing tutor as the actual writing skills. Tutors have to know how to deal with people- it's part of the job.
ReplyDeleteEven though we have the gut level reactions and we should use those to respond to the paper, they may have to be tempered with tact.