Thanks to Marian for this clear and comprehensive question-and-answer handout for tutors, and another version for students. There's been a lot of confusion about the responsibilities of both tutors and our WRT 1000/1150 students, and these handouts give all of us a lot more clarity. Hopefully, when our students read their handout, they'll know--from the start--what's expected of them.
These lab-based classes are very unusual, and I believe that's why both students and tutors have struggled. We ask a lot from our student tutors in re to WRT 1000/1150: You're expected to provide some instruction as well as feedback. Please, when you feel uncertain or that you're in over your head, ask me or another, more experienced tutor for help. We're a collaborative bunch.
Those of you who have worked with lab-based students: What have you struggled with? What have you found particularly rewarding? What areas--if any--are still a little confusing? As you're probably aware, tutoring is a sloppy, recursive process, and most of us, to some degree, are tutoring "without a net." But that's what also keeps the job from getting dull or stale.
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I find working with the WRT 1000/1150 students enjoyable because I am able to get to know their writing styles and see how their writing changes throughout the course of the semester. With the lab-based students it is easier to remember to focus on the higher order concerns in their papers, as it is not a matter of needing a perfect paper for a specific class but rather the development of drafts and revisions. Having said that, this also ends up being my biggest challenge since I often struggle with whether to suggest another draft or a new assignment. This has become slightly easier with practice, yet there are still times when I am unsure – I have to remind my inner perfectionist to go sit in a corner when I walk into the Writing Center.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have been developing a system for myself of what to remember to tell new students and how to help people stay on track during the semester, there are things I forget or do not think to mention. The handout of frequently asked questions was quite helpful as a guide to covering all the bases. It is definitely nice to have a network of tutors who can help each other ensure that things do not fall through the cracks when it comes to working with the WRT 1000/1150 students.
My biggest struggle with working with lab-based students is just remembering everything that I am supposed to tell them. I know I sometimes forget to tell a student something, and then I worry that this will cause him or her extra confusion or to miss an assignment. Another struggle I face is working with those lab students who make it very clear that they "don't want to be here" or "don't belong here". It is very hard to keep up a poistive attitude with someone who is being so negative. When I encounter these people, I just keep smiling and remind them often that even though this class is a lot of work, it really works!
ReplyDeleteSomething that I was confused about that I just recently had clarified was the amount of time that a tutor can work with lab students. I thought the "one hour a day" rule did not apply to them. I just learned that it does.
Even though working with lab students is a challenge, it is also rewarding. My favorite part about working with lab students, and actually about working in the writing center, is being able to sit down with lab students at the end of the semester and show them how much they have grown as a writer.
I agree with Sarah, I really enjoy the personal relationship that I am able to develop with lab based students. I have always found it rewarding to watch the development of students from week to week during the class. I especially like when I see students return to use the writing center in semesters after they are finished with 1000/1150. Of course, as Krista mentioned, not all students want to be in the class, and are as a result much less rewarding to work with. Even some of the at first reluctant students, however, I have found eventually begin to see the value of what they are learning.
ReplyDeleteI did notice that the handout explained that students have to have at least one fluency, detail, OPIA, analysis, and research paper. While most students complete most of those, I have always found that the majority of students never get to analysis. Is this something that we are now being more strict about? Will students be required to have at least one analysis paper even if they have been keeping up with hours but have not progressed to that level yet? This was the only major question that I had after reviewing the Q&A handout. Overall it was very clear, thanks Marian!
When I started in the writing center I was intimidated, in the beginning, to work with lab-based students because I am more knowledgeable of ESL students' needs and motivations. I have found the lab-based needs, with the great instruction that we receive (thanks Marian!) to be extremely enjoyable. The program is outlined, and methodical, yet dynamic due to each student interpreting and writing about the prompts individually.
ReplyDeleteI too really love the relationships that I am acquiring this semester. The ESL students are wonderful but the relationships are different. I see those students less frequently than the lab-based students. I feel that this relationship building helps with trust and rapport. The students that I see on a regular basis trust me yet know that I am just a peer and that they can share with me their opposite views and or questions of confusion.
I really love the writing center!
This FAQ is a good supplement to our tutoring manual and checklists. Last semester I only worked Thursday evenings and Saturdays, so I never saw the WRT 1000 or 1150 instructors stop in to touch base with tutors about lab-based students. I felt disconnected from what was going on with those students, and didn’t realize the instructors put a syllabus in each student’s folder, set up a Blackboard page for the class, and that students would receive periodic emails from the instructors. Reading this FAQ clarified for me how the instructors communicate with these students, and has made me better able to explain this to students who come to the Writing Center for the first time feeling like they have no clue what to do in a supposedly “instructorless” class.
ReplyDeleteThe impression I got from some students was they felt disconnected from the instructor; some said they didn’t realize there was an instructor. I knew there was something wrong with this, because our instructors don’t just tell students to go to the Center, and then leave it to the tutors to figure out what to do them. After reading this FAQ, I can now explain exactly how a student will receive guidance from the instructor, and make a better “defense” in case I speak with another student who simply didn’t take the course seriously enough, and who wishes to blame the instructor’s physical absence for his or her grade of “incomplete.” By periodically reminding students they received a syllabus, that there’s a Blackboard page, and that they can email the instructor regarding any concerns, I can more clearly put the responsibility back on the student, the responsibility of treating WRT 1000 or 1150 like a real class, so we won’t have such complaints at the end of the semester.