This article, by Julie Neff, offers some concrete, specific examples about how to work with students who have learning disabilities. However, we don't know which students have them. I suppose when a student feels especially stuck, or can't seem to create ideas on her own, or struggles to organize her thoughts in some logical pattern, she might benefit from these tutoring strategies whether or not she has a documented learning disability.
Also, I was glad Neff wrote about the above-average intelligence of many students with learning disabilities. I consider this common knowledge, but on p. 240, she talks about the lingering misconceptions that some educators have about this population. No wonder people with learning disabilities often struggle with self-esteem issues!
It's odd: A person with diabetes would not likely be criticized for depending on medical insulin to stay alive. We don't make moral judgments on diabetics or urge them to "suck it up" or "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." Maybe learning disabilities are a little like diabetes: These students will probably do very well, but they may need additional support. Maybe the Writing Center is their educational insulin. (Yes, I know; I've completely exhausted this analogy.)
Neff's comments about unlocking the knowledge in student writers' minds intrigued me. To some extent, we all have to learn how we each learn best. Sometimes we do this unconsciously. For example, I realize that if I really want to absorb and synthesize new knowledge, I need some very concrete examples and I need to write about it. Passively listening just doesn't do it for me. Likewise, our students with learning disabilities need to find their own "key" so they can process information most effectively.
It seems that one implication of this (and the last) article is that we need to keep adapting our tutoring strategies to meet the needs of a complex and varied student population. Minimalist tutoring is a theoretical ideal, but certain students need more from us. How much is too much? That's a tough question, and I'm not sure I know the answer.
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After reading Neff’s article, I found myself intrigued by her comment in reference to writing centers that “nowhere else on most campuses can writers find an individual who will ask the leading question that can unlock trapped information.” This emphasis on the importance of tutors knowing how to ask questions that will help the students discover information for themselves, building their own understanding in order to make the information “stick,” illustrates an aspect of tutoring that I think is crucial for helping all students. Working at the Writing Center has helped me develop a way to create a system of questions, beginning by asking something general about the paper or subject and gradually moving on to more specific questions. Depending on the student I am helping, I can modify this process by asking more direct questions or by first setting up a framework that can be a guide for the discussion. It seems like most of the information in the article could be applied to any student who comes to the Writing Center, and as tutors we need to try and get a sense of how best to assist the students. I know that is not always the easiest thing to do, though, so I suppose that is always the challenge.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that disability is defined as “a disorder in…understanding or using spoken or written languages”. Not to go all “Sign Language major” on everyone, but that immediately jumped out at me. Specifically the part about “spoken”. It bothers me, because that means all deaf or hard of hearing people are automatically roped into the label “disability”. By the standards of the majority, this is not a problem, but the deaf community tends to consider the communication method as disabled rather, not the person.
ReplyDeleteThat aside, as a writing tutor, I really appreciated the solutions and examples provided by this article. Transcribing while students brainstorm ideas from cues was a great suggestion that I feel I will be able to utilize in the future. I think it is easy to be made uncomfortable by a person with a physiological disability. By being informed about how specifically to work with the student to accommodate their needs with needs of the professor, we as tutors can be allies.
I think the trickiest part is remembering to empower the student to self correct. Instead of just fixing, teaching a method to the student to remember how to avoid future mistakes is preferable. This, I believe, applies to people without a learning disability as well.
I really enjoyed this article. I have tutored some students with dyslexia in the writing center. It is sometimes difficult to not get frustrated at the excessive spelling and grammar mistakes. Usually when I read a student's paper out loud, it is enough just to read the improper sentence. The student will then say something like, "Oops! That sounds terrible. I'll fix it." However, sometimes when I am reading a paper of someone with dyslexia, I can read a sentence that does not make sense at all, and they will be confused as to why I pointed out the sentence. It is important to remember that they are trying their best and that I must be patient with everyone that comes to the writing center.
ReplyDeleteI loved the part in the article about helping students "unlock" the knowledge in their brains. I think this a good thing to do with all writers, not just writers with learning disabilities.
I think the most important thing to remember about working with students that have a learning disability is that they are not stupid, and should not be treated like they are stupid. Just have a little extra patience and be willing to work a little differently.
I found that this article was inspiring and intimidating at the same time. I was inspired because I realized how much of a difference we all have the ability to make as tutors, and I was intimidated for the same reason. What a responsibility! After reading the article, I thought a lot about the types of questions that would help certain students unlock what they know. How fitting that earlier today, while all this was fresh in my mind, I got a chance to work with a student who comes in often, and who I know has a learning disability of some sort. I looked at this session from a completely different perspective than I have done in the past. Instead of frustration, I think we actually accomplished progress in our session today. This article was definitely a huge part of my tiny success today. =]
ReplyDeleteThis article really made me think about the need for understanding and patience, when tutoring, due to the inability to "see" learning disabilities. It is a given that many students do not even know that they have a learning disorder and know how to use coping mechanisms! As tutors we also need to know how to create a judgment-free zone for those students who are aware of their learning disabilities in order for them to feel comfortable sharing their perceived stigma.
ReplyDeleteAs (primarily) an ESL tutor this article started me wondering about the international students that are not only learning English, studying a degree program AND may have a disability. I'll definitely have to be on the lookout for any potential signs and use the examples in this article to be a better tutor.
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ReplyDeleteI appreciated this article immensely, because it corrected some of my misconceptions. I thought the diagnosis "learning disability" was just a misguided attempt to blame the failings of standardized education on individual students whose learning styles don't fit the mold. I'm glad to know learning disabilities are real, and are completely different from what I just described.
ReplyDeleteEven though we can't ask students if they have learning disabilities, would it perhaps be a good idea to post a sort of "tuturing bill of rights" in the center, notifying students that if they have learning disabilities, they may ask for adaptations to the standard tutoring session model? After reading the "bill of rights," they can discretely let us know they'd like some adaptations. They don't even have to state they have a disability -- the implied message could simply be "I learn better that way."
Many of the adaptations in Neff's article can be good not just for learning-disabled students, but for students who are simply stumped. The sample dialogue reminded me of a session Julia and I had last week, with a student who simply didn't realize how many insights she had, until we got her thoughts rolling with some leading questions and examples. If we'd started by coaxing her to come up with all the examples, she might have walked away feeling just as lost as when she came in.
One of my challenges as a tutor is that my own learning style is different from that of most of the students I've worked with. It seems there are far more visual learners than those who process their thoughts and form thesis statements solely by freewriting. I do the latter, and if I'm required to make visuals I do them last. So when a student needs a visual to get her started, I can only go through the motions of what other people tell me works about making bubble diagrams and illustrating concepts with pictures. If I’m working with someone who’s a heavily visual learner, I'm better able to help them if someone who's good with visuals co-tutors with me.