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Re: tutor training discussion
Sara, Tere, & everyone:
I too have encountered the problem of resistance...and often feel
like a bully in forcing the potential tutors to bring in their work.
What I often find is that most students will invariably bring in
their "best of the best" work....we talk about that issue...and it
usually comes down to the tutor not wanting to feel inadequate or
(something more problematic) don't want to be seen as inadequate by
the other tutor. This brings up a good discussion of "expertism"
(sorry) and what the role of the tutor is anyway. Once the
potential tutor becomes comfortable with the situation (as with any
person who is meeting a tutor for the first time) they tend to start
bringing in everything (as they should!) To help them become more
accomodated, I've purposefully gone to a new tutor to show them
something rough I am writing. I enjoy the feedback, and, of course,
find it useful.
What a ramble! In any case, simple answer: yes to resistance.
> Tere, do you find that you encounter resistance from the trainees to the
> idea of bringing their writing to the WC?
> I sometimes have--both from undergrads and from grads; it raises some
> interesting topics for discussion.
> Sara
> On Wed, 12 Nov 1997, tere molinder-hogue wrote:
>
> >
> > Well, gee, we do this too :-) and one of the many benefits that comes from
> > asking trainees to do a conference is that many of them (at least at our
> > school) have never actually been writing center users, probably because as
> > successful student writers they didn't perceive themselves as needful of
> > wc support. They usually come away impressed with the dedication and
> > expertise of the tutors they work with *and* they are wowed with what new
> > insights they get into their own writing. It's a good thing --
> >
> >
> > """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> > Tere Molinder-Hogue "No snowflake in an avalanche
> > IUPUI English department ever feels responsible."
> > CA 502L 274-4499/2049
> > S. Lezczynski
> >
> > On Wed, 12 Nov 1997, Sara Kimball wrote:
> >
> > > We've never been very big on role-playing here. We tried some early on,
> > > but people were uncomfortable and worried that it was sterotyping
> > > students, that it was focusing on particular behaviors without necessarily
> > > getting to reasons for the behaviors (perhaps we weren't doing such a
> > > great job in discussing things). Like you, Clint, I do ask
> > > consultants-in-training to experience sessions from the point of view of
> > > the student by having someone help them with their own writing-- both the
> > > undergraduates in my class, and new graduate consultants, whose training
> > > takes place in the first couple of weeks of the fall semester, when we're
> > > not very busy. I try very explictly to discourage people from viewing
> > > this as role-playing. They're not playing the roles of students, they
> > > *are* writers in a consultation. I hope it reinforces the idea that we
> > > work with real people on things that are important to them. It also helps
> > > make the point that what we do with writers *works*. I've had trainees
> > > work with me on my own writing, BTW, including some of the documents that
> > > helped us get approval of the fee that supports our center, and am quite
> > > ready to provide personal testamonials to make my point. :)
> > > Sara Kimball
> > >
> > > On Wed, 12 Nov 1997, Clinton R. Gardner wrote:
> > >
> > > > While we have had some moderate success with role playing (the
> > > > potential tutor can use it to imagine the position of the student
> > > > writer who is being tutored), I have found that a better
> > > > understanding of tutoring results from potential tutors and
> > > > continuting having a session with another tutor with their own work.
> > > > In other words (cause that sentence got away from me ;) ) The tutors
> > > > tutor (respond to ) each other's work. Not only can the tutors have
> > > > a meta-tutorial in which they learn about tutoring through seeing the
> > > > positive aspects and the pitfalls of a variety of approaches, but
> > > > they also have a tutorial (non-meta) in which they learn about their
> > > > writing and get response. In either case, I think this experience
> > > > must always be talked about afterwards....with the tutors analyzing
> > > > what has happened. It also works to have the tutors write about the
> > > > experience being tutored in this way...
> > > >
> > > > --clint
> > > >
> > > > > Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 08:10:27 -0600
> > > > > Reply-to: wcenter@ttacs6.ttu.edu
> > > > > From: 00cljohanek@bsuvc.bsu.edu
> > > > > To: Multiple recipients of list <wcenter@ttacs6.ttu.edu>
> > > > > Subject: Re: tutor training discussion
> > > >
> > > > > I haven't had much luck with role playing, but I've
> > > > > had better success with scenarios. I forget the source
> > > > > right now, but there's a great story about a tutor (I think
> > > > > it's in WCJ) who tried to "coax" the word "whisk" into an
> > > > > international student's vocabulary. It worked well with
> > > > > my tutors--to demonstrate that you can't coax or be a sounding
> > > > > board for students who have nothing to "sound" in the first
> > > > > place or who are so overwhelmed that they WANT to take
> > > > > responsibility for their own learning, but they don't know HOW.
> > > > >
> > > > > Cindy Johanek
> > > > > Ball State University
> > > > >
> > > > > You wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > >This fall we used role playing between the tutors-in-training and an
> > > > > >experienced tutor (acting out the roles of some of our most typical
> > > > > >tutoring situations *and* a few more difficult scenarios) to great
> > > > > >benefit. The experienced tutor studied a few sample information
> > > > > >sheets and sample texts from actual students (both used with the students'
> > > > > >prior permission) before our session, so she was able to enter the role
> > > > > >play "in character" with an actual text in hand. The tutors each did a
> > > > > >mock conference while the rest of the group took notes and later offered
> > > > > >their comments/criticisms/suggestions. The new tutors later said that
> > > > > >this was one of the most valuable activities we did, so I plan to repeat
> > > > > >it periodically for new and experienced tutors alike. Perhaps this
> > > > > >would work with your group, too?
> > > > > >
> > > > > >Judy Davis
> > > > > >The Catholic University of America
> > > > > >
> > > > > >On Tue, 11 Nov 1997, Muriel Harris wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >> OK friends, here's a "whadda-ya'all-do" kind of question.
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >> Our undergrad tutor-training class this semester has some students who
> > > > > >> have expressed views about the role of the tutor that may or may not
> > > > > >> indicate views they've reflected on at length. Or they may be taking a
> > > > > >> lightly considered stance, and if so, I want to help them think more
> > > > > >> deeply about the views they're promoting. I'd appreciate knowing your
> > > > > >> take on all this and what you do in your classes at this turn in the
> > > > > >> conversation.
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >> We've been considering what tutors' ethical responsibilities or
> > > > > >> commitments are to writers. One person in the training class
> > > > > >> hangs on to the facilitator role, holding to the idea that he's there
> > > > > >> to be a sounding board, answer the writer's questions, and let the
> > > > > >> writer compose his/her own paper. When I asked what happens if the
> > > > > >> writer doesn't know what questions to ask, his response was that it's
>
> > > > > >> the writer's obligation or responsibility to know what he or she needs
> > > > > >> to know. ( A side thread in this conversation was about how involved
> > > > > >> tutors should be in helping students learn to write on computers, so he
> > > > > >> tossed in the additional comment that the writer needs to start by
> > > > > >> doing the online tutorial for Microsoft Word, available in all our
> > > > > >> computer labs.) Another person in our class, following down this road
> > > > > >> of focusing on the writer's responsibility stated that his job is not
> > > > > >> to motivate the writer. If the writer doesn't care, why should he?
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >> There were a few others who seemed to accept this, and if they all do,
> > > > > >> it's their perogative. Not all the class will be invited to join the
> > > > > >> peer tutors' staff, but that's not the point. Whether or not we want
> > > > > >> these people in our Lab, I want to be sure that they really have
> > > > > >> arrived at a clear understanding of what's involved in their
> > > > > >> viewpoints. What would you do? Create some scenarios for them to see
> > > > > >> how all this plays out? Give them something to read that will stir
> > > > > >> some thinking? If so, what?
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >> Mickey
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >>
> > > > > >> --
> > > > > >> Mickey Harris
> > > > > >> harrism@omni.cc.purdue.edu
> > > > > >>
> > > > >
> > > > +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
> > > > Clinton Gardner (cgardner@englab.slcc.edu)
> > > > Writing Center Instructional Support Coordinator
> > > > Salt Lake Community College
> > > > Have you visited the SLCC Online Writing Center today?
> > > > http://www.slcc.edu/wc/
> > > > +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
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Clinton Gardner (cgardner@englab.slcc.edu)
Writing Center Instructional Support Coordinator
Salt Lake Community College
Have you visited the SLCC Online Writing Center today?
http://www.slcc.edu/wc/
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