Reading Reaction Two
Reading Reaction Assignment:
This week's readings seemed to be more focused and less generalized than the previous weeks, but seemed to be of similar value, containing a moderate degree of useful information. Overall, they were fairly interesting, if somewhat overly lengthy.
The article "When Responding to Student Writing, More is Better" provided an interesting and in-depth analysis of how teacher feedback to written assignments can often do more harm than good. I can't say I entirely agree with the article's conclusions that students are unable to comprehend simple terms like "focus" however, or agree that many students are simply too lazy to read large amounts of feedback and will ignore it. I personally always go over any written feedback given on essays, and have sometimes wished for more, not less, feedback. Perhaps this is simply a matter of addressing students in general, and not those who are English majors, and thus more inclined to improve their writing. I agree with the article that positive feedback is also often underused, and that it should be used more often to encourage students, and to gently help them improve their writing.
The reading from The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors was once again informative, if somewhat oversaturated with excessive amounts of examples pertaining to situations that tutors can encounter. However I did appreciate the tips that Chapter 3 gave when discussing how to build a rapport with students and ensure that they feel they are treated as peers and not subjects to be denigrated. I think this is something that is important in any tutoring situation, even one where the tutor is a not a fellow peer, as it helps put the student at ease and allow them to bring up their concerns with the assignment and their writing in general. This book continues to make solid observations and provide good tips for prospective tutors, even if it does it in a somewhat roundabout way.
I found this week's ESL writings especially interesting, as they brought up the interesting point that asking for help is considered taboo in many cultures and that some foreign students may feel shame, embarrassment, and fear in asking for help, even as many Americans take it for granted. This is certainly something that peer tutors should be aware of, and aware of how to counteract it as well. I also appreciated how the reading discussed ways to steer the focus of ESL students away from minor grammar and spelling concerns and onto larger topics than could potentially have a more drastic effect on the student's writing.
This week's readings seemed to be more focused and less generalized than the previous weeks, but seemed to be of similar value, containing a moderate degree of useful information. Overall, they were fairly interesting, if somewhat overly lengthy.
The article "When Responding to Student Writing, More is Better" provided an interesting and in-depth analysis of how teacher feedback to written assignments can often do more harm than good. I can't say I entirely agree with the article's conclusions that students are unable to comprehend simple terms like "focus" however, or agree that many students are simply too lazy to read large amounts of feedback and will ignore it. I personally always go over any written feedback given on essays, and have sometimes wished for more, not less, feedback. Perhaps this is simply a matter of addressing students in general, and not those who are English majors, and thus more inclined to improve their writing. I agree with the article that positive feedback is also often underused, and that it should be used more often to encourage students, and to gently help them improve their writing.
The reading from The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors was once again informative, if somewhat oversaturated with excessive amounts of examples pertaining to situations that tutors can encounter. However I did appreciate the tips that Chapter 3 gave when discussing how to build a rapport with students and ensure that they feel they are treated as peers and not subjects to be denigrated. I think this is something that is important in any tutoring situation, even one where the tutor is a not a fellow peer, as it helps put the student at ease and allow them to bring up their concerns with the assignment and their writing in general. This book continues to make solid observations and provide good tips for prospective tutors, even if it does it in a somewhat roundabout way.
I found this week's ESL writings especially interesting, as they brought up the interesting point that asking for help is considered taboo in many cultures and that some foreign students may feel shame, embarrassment, and fear in asking for help, even as many Americans take it for granted. This is certainly something that peer tutors should be aware of, and aware of how to counteract it as well. I also appreciated how the reading discussed ways to steer the focus of ESL students away from minor grammar and spelling concerns and onto larger topics than could potentially have a more drastic effect on the student's writing.
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteI am in agreement with you on Bedford. While some of the info in these first few chapters is useful most of it is common sense. The ESL readings on the other hand are very informative and interesting due to their insights of ESL students views and perceptions about writing centers and tutoring in this manner. Not only is needing help in some countries frowned upon it isn't even an option in some cases.
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteMy least favorite readings were the ESL readings. I just feel like they can condense the information, and bullet some of the points, rather than blabber on and on. I noticed that the feedback I tend to get on my essays were much more detailed in HS vs. college, and I'm not quite sure why. Nonetheless, I agree with you about wishing for more feedback.
John,
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about preferring more (not less) feedback is really interesting. Reflecting on my undergrad + grad experiences, I’m inclined to agree with you. This might have something to do with the fact that you’re an English major too, and writing is likely less daunting to you than others.
The main take-away here, I think--insofar as it applies to tutoring--is that *less is usually more*. If/when we can formulate a specific plan that helps students prioritize 1, 2, or 3 goals that can help them move their current draft/version to the “next level,” then I think that all parties involved will walk away feeling accomplished without, also, feeling overwhelmed.
Nice post!
Z