In this session I worked with Robin and I think this was the most difficult excersice, Robin was an excellent tutor, and actually she read my paper and told me that I have many things to arrenge, for example I didn't have a title, so she told me to write one and that the title need to be related with all the focus of my paper. She tought me how to write in MLA format, she checked my grammar. I learned a lot of things in this session! Thankyou Robin!
But when it was my turn to be the tutor, I was a mess!!! I was the worst tutor Robin could have. Why? Because I didn't knew what to do and how to write a response essay, so I was not able to help her, I just read her paper and say ok it looks good for me!, and I felt horrible. Sorry Robin!
So after my bad experience, I realized that to be a tutor you must need about what you are doing!!!!! you must need to be prepared!
After this experience I know I should be more prepared before tutoring anyone!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
My role as a student/tutor!
I worked with Tim in playing the student/tutor role. First I was the student, and I came to Tim to ask him if he can help me to write a response essay, he was focus on asking me about the reading, and what I understad of Lunsford essay, so we talk the most about the article, writing the main idea and the focus etc.
then we change roles and I was the tutor, and I was more focus in the assigment, I asked if he knew what did he had to do, he told me that he didn't so we went to the assigment sheet, and revised it. So insted of being more concentrated on the reading I was more concentrated on the paper format etc.
I talk a lot more as a tutor than as a student, I asked more questions as a tutor as well, so thinking back of my WC philosophy I think that share knowledge and control with the student is very difficult, it is not as easy as I thought!
then we change roles and I was the tutor, and I was more focus in the assigment, I asked if he knew what did he had to do, he told me that he didn't so we went to the assigment sheet, and revised it. So insted of being more concentrated on the reading I was more concentrated on the paper format etc.
I talk a lot more as a tutor than as a student, I asked more questions as a tutor as well, so thinking back of my WC philosophy I think that share knowledge and control with the student is very difficult, it is not as easy as I thought!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Notes for today's class
What do you need to include in a WC philosophy?
- different audiences = different statements
- philosophy tells what the WC does
- WC philosophy = public document=needs commitment + enthusiasm
- got more ideas from reading classmates' work
- make it concret - give examples
My philosophy of a writing center
My philosophy of a writing center
If I had to choose between one of the three kinds of center we´d talk about I will choose the Burkean Parlor style because I believe that collaboration is really important when you´re tutoring someone. My center will be one in which the knowledge is on the students, the tutors, and the situations, the student will learn from experiences , and the experiences may be from the tutors, the other students or maybe some study cases that we can use to learn.
The responsibility of the work absolutely depends on the student, tutors are just there to help students find the answers to their questions, and tutors are going to be a guide for students.
The power is going to be in the same proportion or maybe it could be a little more on the student side, because the student will be the one that bring all the information of what he/she need to write about.
I will like the tutors to also be students, so it can become a peer tutoring center, and tutors will be trained by some expertise on the subjects they need to know on tutoring.
Tutors will have a time where they can share experiences between them and with the teacher that will be supervising the center, so they can also learn from the experiences of their own “workmates”.
Empathy is very important here, for you to be a good tutor there has to be an empathic environment in the center, in that way the student will have the confidence to talk to the tutor about any subject.
If I had to choose between one of the three kinds of center we´d talk about I will choose the Burkean Parlor style because I believe that collaboration is really important when you´re tutoring someone. My center will be one in which the knowledge is on the students, the tutors, and the situations, the student will learn from experiences , and the experiences may be from the tutors, the other students or maybe some study cases that we can use to learn.
The responsibility of the work absolutely depends on the student, tutors are just there to help students find the answers to their questions, and tutors are going to be a guide for students.
The power is going to be in the same proportion or maybe it could be a little more on the student side, because the student will be the one that bring all the information of what he/she need to write about.
I will like the tutors to also be students, so it can become a peer tutoring center, and tutors will be trained by some expertise on the subjects they need to know on tutoring.
Tutors will have a time where they can share experiences between them and with the teacher that will be supervising the center, so they can also learn from the experiences of their own “workmates”.
Empathy is very important here, for you to be a good tutor there has to be an empathic environment in the center, in that way the student will have the confidence to talk to the tutor about any subject.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Andrea Lunsford
“For excellence, the presence of others is required”
Arendt
Andrea Lunsford’s essay talks about tree different kinds of writing centers and how collaboration takes place in each of this three places, on the first place Lunsford talks about the “Center as a storehouse” where knowledge is seen as exterior to us an as directly accessible, the way of learning here is individual, using “modules” or other kind of individualized materials, in this type of center there is no room for collaboration.
The other type of center is the one she calls “the Center as Garret” this centers are informed by “deep-seated belief in individual genius”, they see knowledge as interior, as inside de student. Collaboration is not an option in these centers because it goes against the idea of knowledge as interiorized, solitary, individually deriver and individually held.
But why is collaboration so important? After a big research Lunsford found that collaboration helps students and teachers in a lot of ways, for example:
· Collaboration aids in problem finding as well as problem solving.
· Helps to learn different things.
· On having a more complete thinking, interdisciplinary thinking.
· Critical thinking and deeper understanding of the others
· Higher achievements an promotes excellence
· Encourage the active learning
The other kind of center is one that is based on collaboration but as I understand this type of center is like a utopia for Lunsford, it has to have a collaborative environment and that seems to her as impossible. Students, tutors, and teachers must really need one another to carry out common goals. This collaboration centers as Burkean Parlors have a notion of knowledge as always contextually bound, as always socially constructed, and based on a negotiation group.
Arendt
Andrea Lunsford’s essay talks about tree different kinds of writing centers and how collaboration takes place in each of this three places, on the first place Lunsford talks about the “Center as a storehouse” where knowledge is seen as exterior to us an as directly accessible, the way of learning here is individual, using “modules” or other kind of individualized materials, in this type of center there is no room for collaboration.
The other type of center is the one she calls “the Center as Garret” this centers are informed by “deep-seated belief in individual genius”, they see knowledge as interior, as inside de student. Collaboration is not an option in these centers because it goes against the idea of knowledge as interiorized, solitary, individually deriver and individually held.
But why is collaboration so important? After a big research Lunsford found that collaboration helps students and teachers in a lot of ways, for example:
· Collaboration aids in problem finding as well as problem solving.
· Helps to learn different things.
· On having a more complete thinking, interdisciplinary thinking.
· Critical thinking and deeper understanding of the others
· Higher achievements an promotes excellence
· Encourage the active learning
The other kind of center is one that is based on collaboration but as I understand this type of center is like a utopia for Lunsford, it has to have a collaborative environment and that seems to her as impossible. Students, tutors, and teachers must really need one another to carry out common goals. This collaboration centers as Burkean Parlors have a notion of knowledge as always contextually bound, as always socially constructed, and based on a negotiation group.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Writtig centers
For my first assignment, I have to write about writing centers, but I really don't know much about writting centers (WC), in Mexico we don't have them, well at least on my college we didn't have a writting center, so I went today to the WC at Kean and it was a hole new experience for me, I felt so good to know there is a place where I can go any time I need help, and someone there will help me. Right now I see WC as a place where I can get some help, not as a place where I can help some people, but I hope that at the end of this semester I can see WC as a place where I can help students with their writting tasks.
Monday, September 14, 2009
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