Journal #1
My favorite writing strategy is one that I employ before almost every major assignment. I go through the prompt and highlight important parts, I make notes in the margins as well. Then using a blank piece of paper I map out my thoughts in colorful markers. I find that it is helpful to get my ideas out on paper so I can visualize the connections between ideas. This gives me a better idea of where my writing is going and what needs to be included. This process helps me to find a starting place for my assignment. I find this especially helpful when I get stuck on where to go next. I think that for a lot of students, especially those who are not strong writers, knowing where to start is the most difficult part. My messy process takes a lot of different for different people. My roommate for example has a web diagram she uses to organize all of her thoughts because the premade form makes it easier for her to stay on task. I think it is important to recognize, as was mentioned in the book, that not every method is going to work for everyone.
In chapter two of the text I found that the section about how to have a successful tutoring session stuck with me. Knowing what the writer is expecting out of the session can help the tutor determine what needs to happen during the time. Posing questions like “What do you want me to pay special attention to?” or “Where would you like to start?” or “What can I give you the most support with?” gives the writer control of the session. It gives the tutor an idea of where to direct the session as well. This can help the tutor know which problems are most important to the writer and what to bring up first. This can also lead to encouraging the individual to schedule another meeting to further improve their writing. This can hopefully also help prevent awkwardness and uncomfortableness during the session.
I found the section about higher order concerns to be beneficial as well. If the writer isn’t sure where to start with their paper and their concerns then it is important to know where to start. After reading the paper, start with higher order concerns first. This includes things like whether the paper answers the prompt, is there a thesis, are the arguments strong, is the piece overall a strong example of critical thinking. If the piece meets all these criteria then you can move on to later order concerns such as grammar and advanced organization. After reading these two chapters I feel much more equipped to handle tutoring sessions and make a difference in student writing.
Journal #2
I felt that the author of this paper had some very compelling ideas regarding the ethics and morals of the American people. They chose good sources to back up their point of view on the differing ethics of countries. This person also made strong connections between the pieces, but failed to carry through to the full extent necessary. I felt that there were a lot of unfinished thoughts that would have been strong had they been finished. I found myself getting lost in the multitudes of words almost immediately. There was an overall lack of organization in the piece that made it difficult to comprehend. My suggestions for revision would include a web mapping strategy of some sort in order to lay out how ideas will connect. This planning could help the writer form more complete thoughts that would allow for better flow because there would need to be a level of visualization involved in planning ahead.
Journal #3
The thing that stuck with me the most from chapter 6 was not getting caught up on one section of paper that you feel isn’t working. The example from the text referenced tutors that had gotten caught up in the introduction to a student’s writing. Another tutor had taken the time to listen to the writer read their entire paper aloud and realized the problem was in the middle of the paper. This struck me as important because I feel like a lot of times when we are listening to someone we have a tendency to stick ourselves on one thing and not pay attention to anything else they are saying. When this happens during a tutoring session it can be difficult to see the entire point a writer is trying to make. If a student has made a bigger mistake elsewhere in their paper than might have a much more significant impact on their grade then the tutor might miss it if they get caught up early on.
Journal #4
I found the in class mock tutoring session to be very helpful. I feel that after completing that session I have a better understanding of what other people’s expectations of tutoring look like. It provided me with an opportunity to express some of my anxieties about tutoring to my peers during the session and we were able to work through them together. I benefited from the experience of working with another person and communicating with them. I was able to practice asking them to read aloud and then following up with questions about their decisions to put certain things in specific spots.
Journal #5
As we enter week 5 I am most worried about the student’s expectations of my tutoring abilities. My main concern is that they might not understand my role in their class or the extent to which I can help them. I think it is appropriate to set reasonable boundaries for the relationship between tutor and tutee. I plan to lay out my expectations for the tutoring session, but also ask the student what they are hoping to get out of the experience as well. My hope is that by setting these boundaries and expectations I can set up a strong base for a positive tutoring experience.
Journal #6
I have not met with any of my tutees yet for the Abnormal Psychology class. However, I have been helping my roommate write journals for her environment class regularly. I have noticed that she doesn’t take any kind of notes or make marks on her articles. She has at least 2 articles to read for every journal so that’s a lot of information. She has a hard time organizing her thoughts and the information she read into something coherent and well written. I think this struggle stems from not interacting with the text.
I have pretty limited knowledge when it comes to environmental science so helping my roommate with content and struggling not to get caught up on things I don’t understand is important for me. I try to remember that my job is not to understand the content she is talking about because frankly I probably never will, but rather to focus on how she is writing. Her sentence structure and her organization struggle while she is writing her journals, so my focus needs to be on what I am the expert on, not my lack of information about trees and carbon output.
Since my placement is in an Abnormal Psychology class and the assignment the students have to work with me on is a Media Analysis of the stereotypes of individuals with mental illness in the media I feel like this is something I can handle. I am extremely passionate about mental health so my knowledge on this topic is a lot more than my knowledge of trees and carbon. I fear that I will project my knowledge on to my tutee and inhibit them from thinking for themselves. If I find myself doing this I think it’s important to remind myself that projecting my thoughts on the writer isn’t going to help them understand the content and it certainly isn’t going to improve their writing, if anything it might make the session more difficult.
Journal #7
Meeting with my faculty partner has been one of the easiest, yet most helpful parts of being a writing fellow so far. In my first meeting with Professor Moore we established some baseline expectations of my role in the class that are still really important to our relationship at this point in the semester. We have an understanding that it is her role to support me and my role to support the students. However, the most important part of our relationship is communication. It is my responsibility to communicate with Professor Moore not only about how the students are doing, but also how I am doing. It can be really easy as a college student to get caught up in all the work and commitments and forget to take care of yourself. I am fortunate that Professor Moore is tuned into my mental health and is willing to support me in any way she can when it comes to making me feel comfortable as a student and as a writing fellow.
I have regular meetings with Professor Moore. During our first meeting we discussed her expectations of student writing and what she would like to see out of my presence in the class. I think this created a welcoming space for future conversations about student involvement with me. I have a strong understanding of what Professor Moore would like to see out of her students which makes it much easier for me to help the students with their writing assignments. I think the important thing to remember when interacting with your faculty partner is that they are still a professor and need to be treated as such. Even though I have a strong relationship with Professor Moore I still treat her with respect. This involves writing my emails to her in a professional way as well as conversing with her as I would any other professor. However, I don’t let the professionalism affect how openly I communicate with her about how the students are doing with their writing or how I am feeling. I think the most important part of the faculty partnership is finding a balance that both of you are comfortable with and maintaining an open line of communication about anything relating to your job as a writing fellow.
Journal #8
One of the things I struggle most with as a writing fellow is my difficulty comprehending what I’m reading. Whether this is reading to write a research paper on a subject I don’t understand stand well or if it’s reading my roommate’s paper on fish. Science is where I get lost. I try to keep in mind that even if I don’t understand the subject at first, a good writer will be able to explain the topic they’re writing about to me in a way that I should hopefully be able to understand. Just because I know literally nothing about fish doesn’t mean I won’t be able to tell what parts of her paper make sense and which don’t. The language is still English after all. If I were in a science lab the situation would be much different because I don’t know the first thing about how to write a lab report. I got through bio with a lot of help from the professor.
Journal #9
https://swolf3.podbean.com/mf/play/3eqzc9/Writing_Fellows_Project.mp3
I had a really fun time making this podcast with Elissa and Sarah. They were really easy to work with and we communicated effectively. The other girls were motivated and we encouraged one another during the recording process. It was enjoyable to be able to work with my fellow fellows.
Journal #10
One of biggest challenges as a writing fellow so far has been students that come to meet with me and have nothing written. I typically start my sessions by asking students what media source they chose for their paper. Students tend to tell me their choice and then go into a long winded explanation of why they chose the particular media source followed by their interpretation of it. This is probably the most helpful question I ask the entire session. Not only does it provide me background information on their source, because chances are I haven’t read it, but it also helps me gauge their level of interest in the assignment. Students who give me a lot of information are typically the easiest students to meet with. They come with loads of questions and highlighted sections and fancy colored pens. The students who tell me they don’t know what they’re doing or they give me very little detail about their source are typically the most challenging meetings. These students are usually pretty resistant to questions or prompting from me. I have had several students come in with little to no outline and have no desire to work on the paper, especially not with me. These sessions are always awkward and both of us leave feeling hopeless. I leave thinking I’m the world’s worst tutor and the student leaves rolling their eyes at me. My strategies for these types of sessions haven’t worked yet and I have had several sessions that I felt I accomplished very little in.
Journal #11
Topics of interest for presentation: the relationship between tutor and tutee, personal growth as a tutor, the relationship between professor and tutor, why writing fellows are effective, or the effect of peer tutoring.
Journal #12
I would like to focus on the personal growth that happens for an individual while they are serving as a tutor. The opportunity to be a writing fellow this semester has given me a strong sense of purpose and confidence in my abilities as a student but also just as a person. This job made me realize that I am a strong writer and a good student. Sessions with students have challenged my anxiety, but it has made me a stronger person at the same time. There is not a lot of research specific to growth in tutors, but there is a lot about people serving in leadership positions. I want to focus on growth in this position and what it has taught me and how I will use this in my life. Why does so much growth happen as a tutor or leader? How can we bring that into the rest of our lives? What are next steps to continue improving?
Journal #13
I have found that the writing fellow program complements the social work program a lot better than I ever expected it would. Social work is considered a social science so rather than giving a lot of exams, our professors assign a lot of papers. I think having the knowledge I do about writing and the editing process helps me to be a better writer. I think more critically now and that makes me a better student which will hopefully make me a better social worker. I would absolutely encourage my fellow BSW students to join the program because I have learned how to better communicate with students and provide help to them when they aren’t necessarily comfortable receiving it.
I wish my tutees would understand that writing fellows aren’t here to just edit your paper and send you on your way. While we may not be knowledgeable about the content, we do have an advanced understanding about how to write. We are imbedded in classes as a resource not just for the fun of it. We can be used in a variety of ways that benefit the student. We exist to serve as a bridge between them and the professor. We are literally there to make the students’ lives easier and I think we get overlooked a lot.
