Reflecting on Sondra Perl's "Understanding Composition"

Reading through these composing guidelines, I couldn't help but let my thoughts drift to the moments when I'm home staring at my computer screen; my mind acting as the stage to a great inner dialectic debate. "What am I trying to say? Where should I place this sentence? Does this paragraph flow to the next one? Is this appropriate to the assignment, or is it excessive information?" Whether many believe it or not, Perl's guidelines for composing and the cognitive processes that accompany them are actions that many of us already engage in when writing. Often when coming across an individual caught up in the writing process, we witness them stop abruptly and begin to look around after they've written something. For some this may be misinterpreted as a loss of focus, but many times this is reflective of the large stop sign in their mind that says "No". Though (as stated in the reading) many people are afraid because of this notion that they may not have the "right idea", and that the "no" that they've just given themselves is a white flag the paper is waving; this part of the process many times proves to be the most productive. When a student can keep in mind that the "No" is more of a type of constructive criticism and that it reflects revising much more than it does correcting, they are more likely to retain confidence in the piece they are working on. It is also common to see students reread their work as a whole. Most of the time, I find myself asking "Is there anything major or important that I've left out?" Here, the concept of felt sense comes into play and I can begin to ask myself other questions that will greatly improve my work and fill in the blanks I found through rereading the piece: "Did I say enough about this? Is it clear WHY this is important? Have I given enough examples?" All of this is integral towards composition, down to the bit at the beginning about how comfortable one feels. From personal experience, I understand that outside factors can also greatly harm a piece's potential. It is important to be comfortable and largely focused on writing (and its processes!) when trying to create or improve a piece.

Tutoring Do's and Don't's

As a class, we have acquired a pretty basic and balanced understanding of tutoring concepts; as well as what we should or should not do. The following is a list of actions one would do well with if implemented, as well as a list on those that can turn out to be counterproductive to the tutee.

Do's

• Show up on time
• Be as supportive as possible without blind praise
• Project your voice
• Make eye contact and be attentive of all body language
• Be engaging without taking too much responsibility of the piece
• Listen to the student
• Encourage the writer to read aloud his/her work (they are usually effective at finding personal errors)
• Be wary of High Order Concerns
• Be sure to comment on positive and negative aspects of the piece.
• Ask questions that the student can answer rather than telling them what they "should do".
• Provide guidance in teaching english only. Speak to help the piece.
• Allow the student to do most of the talking and most of the work

and lastly...

• LISTEN TO THE STUDENT

Don't's

• Allow a tutee's outside issues become the topic of discussion ("Therapy")
• Give absent or excessive blind praise ("Cheerleading")
• Be overly critical and nitpick. "Correcting" is not your objective as much as revision is
• Focus on Low Order Concerns (unless the piece has serious problems that make it difficult to impossible to read)
• Slouch, yawn, or engage in any body language that makes you seem disinterested
• "Usurp Ownership" (do not take too much responsibility for the piece). This hinders the tutee's ability to excel as a writer
• Make the student feel as if the work "should be easy", or make their overall understanding be judged by their intelligence ("You're a smart guy, right? It shouldn't be a problem for you")
• Edit the content of the piece with personal ideas ("Journalist-Editor Model"). The dialogue between the tutor and the tutee should bring forth ideas from the tutee, not the tutor

What I have learned about being a writing tutor

Though I've only attended this course for about 2-3weeks, I have learned a great amount about the usefulness of tutors, as well as the fact that they can have several different ways to approach this one-on-one style of teaching. I also quickly became aware of the fact that although there are certain styles that are more strongly recommended than others (such as the student-centered approach in relation to teacher-centered tutoring), the tutor can ultimately determine for his/her self what approach would be the most appropriate. I also learned what behavior may be less helpful or counterproductive. Though it is very important to be supportive, it is equally as important to steer clear of giving blind or false praise (the terminology our reading used was cheerleading). With that said, another easy mistake to make is that of correcting errors, which is essentially the opposite of the aforementioned term. Here, the tutor's sole purpose is to find fault. I find when I'm repeatedly reminded of my errors, the writing process becomes much less bearable. This is a good example for why objectivity should always be practiced by the tutor. If there is anything I've learned on a more personal level, it would be the fact that a tutor must equally balance his/her focus on the student learning and succeeding. Although I learned a great deal in a short amount of time, this exciting course has much more insightful information to offer, and I can hardly wait to see what is to come.

How I feel about becoming a writing tutor

When registering to this class on Teaching English, I was aware that I'd soon be learning educational theory. With secondary English education as a goal, I was more than a bit excited to be learning about my planned future. Little did I know that through excellence in this course, I'd be able to put some of these theories and models into practice. I find myself recalling all the times I've heard students complain about the fact that their current courses do not apply to their field of interest. Not only am I blessed with the opportunity to learn about teaching writing, but if I play my cards right (and I must, because I can only play the cards life deals) I can immediately start to make a difference for students. Though it is a truly provocative prospect, more than a few questions have gone through my mind. Would I really be able to help these students? If they do not succeed, am I to blame? Will my personality defects hinder my ability to tutor. I may sound like a nutcase, but the objective of this course is evidently more than giving us the chance to teach writing. These students are just as integral to the success of this class, and they would also like to succeed. I have been told on numerous occasions that I am very adequate when it comes to writing, but this does not entail that I will immediately know how to teach this discipline. I want to ensure that these students go as far as they should, and knowing that the ACT is coming up only places added pressure on myself and the student I'll be assigned to. I would absolutely hate to think that I may somehow be responsible for this student's inability to succeed, but it is also important for both of us to remember that the line between success and intellect is not so thin, and that a "good writer" can not be determined solely on the basis of one hour in a classroom. I know that my student will show improvement, regardless of what the test dictates (of course, I also don't believe my student will fail the exam, but overconfidence does not always yield positive results). I am plagued with problems such as not projecting my voice enough, occasional sarcasm and the ability to make people "feel stupid". Though my biting sense of humor is usually a hit with most people, tutoring requires a good sense of emotional response, as well as well-focused word placement. I was also unaware that posture would be essential in terms of looking engaged. My posture has been awful for as long as I can remember, but I'm more than willing to correct this issue if these students are going to be getting mixed signals beacause of it. It is becoming increasingly difficuly to hide my excitement, and I'm thrilled about the journey our class is about to embark on.

Why I said what I said to Caroline

This essay was also a very enjoyable one. Caroline had a very strong understanding of the assignment, and she has her organization skills on point. However, she gave little to no supporting evidence to match her very interesting and engaging first paragraph. If I recall correctly, her paragraph on Symbolism was about two sentences long. I know by her introduction she wants to make this an essay that speaks more directly to the reader. With more vivid details cited from the work, I could have really understood what she interpreted from the symbols she used. I also really enjoyed the paragraph after the one about Symbolism, but I'm sure if she was exact and quoted the actual work, the claim she made would be more strongly argued. Her ability to engage the reader is great, but I feel she needs to work on these aspects to achieve that high grade she's working for.

Why I said what I said to Carlos

I'll have to personally apologize for my tardiness with these assignments. I've got the amazing luck of getting sick on Sunday, which is just awesome, but I digress.

Carlos showed a great amount of enthusiasm in his work. As I stated in my comment to his blog, it was a very interesting read, and I know that is very important in writing an essay or research paper. I also happen to know that sometimes when you are most inspired you expect your work to receive a certain grade, and how well you're essay addresses the assignment can make all the difference between a B and an A. I could tell Carlos took the assignment seriously and was ready to do research, but since there were only vague descriptions of symbolism in the poem, it was difficult for me to determine his response to the reading. His writing about the poem was very factual, and I felt the assignment really asked why he chose the work. He knows how to keep the reader's attention, I just feel he needs to give a clearer focus in his work to get the grade he knows he deserves.