Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Many assignments for students seem like giant mountains to climb and they attempt to make that ascent in one giant leap but often fall short.    If they come to us with enough time, we can help them break down assignments into manageable steps, one section of that mountainous paper at a time.   This is a hard concept to accept, however, since many students are not used to really practicing process writing.   What can tutors do?  As with many other issues, hold the line on process writing.  Pass along the use of tools to help them make that climb:  a graphic organizer to help break down paragraphs, or a simple piece of paper to block out the shape and direction of the paper.  Try creating a list of what to do in what order, a simple 1, 2, 3 outline.   You might even come up with a “to do” list so students will remember their next steps—something concrete to hang on to (revise my thesis, add transitions, include more details in p. 3 and 4, etc.).  You might help them organize their sources alphabetically, or color code their annotations to correspond with sections of a paper.   While you are at it, try to remember to let the student do the filling in to take and keep ownership of his or her own work.   Or, you might act as the scribe with the student’s permission; just write down verbatim what the student says.   Before the student knows it, they will have scaled that mountain.   So, tighten up your boot laces, fill your water canteens, and go ahead and be that mountain guide.

Reading and Writing and ‘Rithmetic

It seems lately that many students who are using our Lab are coming in for issues that are more reading-related than writing-related.   Of course, these are two sides of the same coin and one skill informs the other.  But often students miss the point that they can’t write a thorough response until they’ve understood the reading to which they are responding.   And, often students are coming in very shortly before the assignment is due looking for that miracle, that somehow they will pull off an excellent grade through the power of their hope with a little tutoring thrown in.    It seems we are often put in the position of holding difficult lines.    No one wants to disappoint a student or burst that hopeful bubble, but it is our job to be realistic with students.    If someone comes in who hasn’t understood a reading, then they must first get some help from a reading tutor before we can step in and help with the written response.    How do we decide how much reading is too much reading?  How can we tell the scope of the reading issue?  Is it vocabulary, decoding, identifying main points, understanding inferences? These are all reading-specific problems, most of which seem to be happening with courses outside of English—difficulty with discipline-specific assignments from History, Psychology, or Sociology.     This is the time to get out the Reading Lab schedule and try to make a connection for a student there.    However, if someone comes in and wants to discuss the content of a piece of literature as it relates to their writing assignment, then this is more in line with our purpose, so go ahead and tutor your heart out.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Welcome back, Writing Tutors Extraordinaire.   Here we are starting a brand new semester with many adventures in writing awaiting us.  

In these opening weeks thus far, I’ve been noticing that both our new and returning students are exhibiting a great desire for us to sit right by them as they write their essays word by word.   It’s good tutoring to sit with someone and brainstorm together, make a list, fill out a graphic organizer, develop a thesis, find a direction, etc., but once it comes to the composing stage, it’s time to set the student free to write by him or herself.   This is painful and scary for students who sometimes see us as a sort of talisman for successful writing.  But I encourage you to hold the line, not only because there may be several students waiting for help, but more importantly because it does the student a disservice by perpetuating the idea that he or she is not able to write alone.   Once the student has reached the composing stage and is ready to head in a certain direction, kindly draw yourselves away.  Feel free to check on the student, to say that you will come back in ten minutes, or to call out a “how are you doing?” periodically.   Tell the student why you are doing what you are doing.  It might seem like tough love but in the bigger picture it will serve the student better.