ENG250 FA2018 Course Blog

Prospectus: What can peer tutors do to make ESL students feel more comfortable in the learning center? Annotated Bibliography: Jones, Rodney H., "Interactional dynamics in on-line and face-to-face peer-tutoring sessions for second language writers." Journal of Second Language Writing , Volume 15, Issue 1, Pages 1-23, March 2006. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1060374305000561.  This source compares how peer-tutoring sessions with second language students have different interactional dynamics if the sessions are conducted face-to-face vs online. This source is valuable to me because it also discusses online tutoring can sometimes result in more equality between peer and peer tutor, while face-to-face sessions sometimes result in a more hierarchical session, similar to what would be expected with a non-peer tutor. This possibly something to consider implementing in the Learning Center, depending on other factors. This source comes from a journal a...

Field Report #3: Pre-Tutoring Questions: 1. How did the tutor encourage the student to participate more actively in the tutoring session? 2. Did the student seem to have any specific questions or concerns regarding their paper, or did they want a more general look at their paper? 3. What did the student seem to feel their priority should be vs. what did the tutor seem to feel their priority should be? Observation Report: The tutor began the session by asking the student what their assignment was and what they wished to address about their rough draft. The tutor then read the student's paper aloud, making notes on it as he went after asking permission to write on the student's paper. As he read, the tutor asked for clarification on certain points of the student's paper and suggested other points that could be made. The tutor also mentioned that the student should try reading their own work aloud sometimes and to approach things from a reader's perspective. This ...

Reading Reaction Assignment: "The Idea of a Writing Center" This reading begins by addressing some of the common misconceptions about what writing centers do, including the ever-popular "fix my grammar" request. The reading then moves on to discuss the misconception that a writing center is only for "special problems" as well as the idea that only very challenging or very problematic assignments must needs benefit from a trip to the writing center. The reading also laments how writing centers are often seen to serve as a solution to a problem, and not as a way to build better writers and betters students. The reading then goes on to discuss what the purpose of a writing center should be. Namely, "not . . . to serve, supplement, back up, complement, reinforce, or otherwise be defined by any external curriculum.", but rather to simply talk to writers, encouraging them and building them up as writers and as people. The writing makes it clear t...