So today I experienced a tutoring session from a much different point of view than my last session. We had a freshman come in with problems getting her writing process started. She had tons of ideas and examples she wanted to use for her Sociology paper but she was afraid that she doesn't use her time efficiently and wanted some tips. The student explained how her normal writing process is more like a stream of consciousness, she writes down whatever pops into her head, but with this method she's concerned that she loses some fluidity and time spent in trying to make her thoughts into a cohesive understandable paper.
The tutor suggested that first she makes an outline of her thoughts so far, so is to help her keep on track and make sure the paper flows correctly. The tutor also went over what she might want to do for the introduction and thesis statement. (I suggested the introduction sentence and they both loved it :] ) The tutor also went over what each paragraph would say and suggested that the student pay particular attention to transitional words/statements so the paper would have more of a flow to it.
At the end of the session the tutor suggested that when the student has her first draft that she bring it in for further review if she wishes. Just to get a second pair of eyes on it which might be helpful.
Sep 30, 2010
Saw this Cartoon & thought of my thesis paper... :)
Found Cartoon on Writing, Life, and the Universe
Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.
To Use the Comma, or Not Use the Comma? That is the question
In this week's lesson we are looking at Style vs Error, and what really got me thinking was the 20 common errors writers make that we read in the "Grammar Hammer" book. Upon review of the example sentences I found my problem to be if I should use a comma or a period in a particular sentence. I know in the past I have gotten many comments on teachers saying I have run on sentences or over use of commas, but how do I catch myself in this error? It is just confuses me if a pause should be the stopping point in the sentence or just a breaking point to continue. So the method of "Oh well if you pause in saying the sentence its a..." doesn't really work for me.
As suggested I went on the U of R Writers Web website and found the page concerning comma usage. It was very helpful in the way that it explained both my problems of run on sentences & comma splice. Also another resource that I commonly use for paper writing, Purdue OWL website, also covers tips on commas that I will definitely be using in the future.
Even though I find it embarrassing that (as an English major and college student) I don't have the best writing skills, im really happy in the fact that with this class when we are trying to learn how to be writing consultants my skills as a writer are being improved as well.
As suggested I went on the U of R Writers Web website and found the page concerning comma usage. It was very helpful in the way that it explained both my problems of run on sentences & comma splice. Also another resource that I commonly use for paper writing, Purdue OWL website, also covers tips on commas that I will definitely be using in the future.
Even though I find it embarrassing that (as an English major and college student) I don't have the best writing skills, im really happy in the fact that with this class when we are trying to learn how to be writing consultants my skills as a writer are being improved as well.
Why the importance on the thesis statement?
Yesterday in class we had a very long discussion on one of the students papers, concentrating almost entirely on her thesis statement. Now I know a good thesis can make all the difference on a paper but should it really take more priority than the paper as a whole? Atleast that is the impression I was getting from our class discussion. I believe that a thesis should clarify the argument/stance you are trying to make in your paper, but I don't believe that it should make or break a paper, especially if its the case that you have good supporting paragraphs and arguments that clearly define what you are getting at.
Sep 27, 2010
Why am I taking this class?
I think at this time in my blog (before I get too far down the line in this class) to explain why am I taking this English 383 class...the answer is I'm not taking this class to be a writing consultant. I originally registered for this class to fulfill a requirement for my teacher certification for Florida. I've wanted to become a teacher since high school and as the years go by the more and more I am steadfast on the idea. I'm hoping to be an English teacher for students not older than 5th grade, but as I take more Education classes here at Richmond I think I might work best with even younger than 5th grade (more like 2nd or 3rd).
As I said before, when I registered originally it was just to fulfill my teacher certification requirement, but since taking the class for these 5 weeks I have really been able to see much more of a benefit to taking this class. This class is helping me with my uncertainty of properly grading/editing papers. And for wanting to be an English teacher that is a very big component of what I am expected to be proficient in.
So for every essay we read in class and every blog I post (even though they are not many at this time) I am both thinking of the class from your perspectives (the perspective of becoming a writing consultant) and in a perspective of becoming a teacher (how can I take information from this class and use it in my future classroom).
As I said before, when I registered originally it was just to fulfill my teacher certification requirement, but since taking the class for these 5 weeks I have really been able to see much more of a benefit to taking this class. This class is helping me with my uncertainty of properly grading/editing papers. And for wanting to be an English teacher that is a very big component of what I am expected to be proficient in.
So for every essay we read in class and every blog I post (even though they are not many at this time) I am both thinking of the class from your perspectives (the perspective of becoming a writing consultant) and in a perspective of becoming a teacher (how can I take information from this class and use it in my future classroom).
Where am I in this class?
So far in this English 383 class I think I'm doing ok...I know I'm not one of those people who talks a lot in class and DEFINITELY not one who blogs all the time, but I think I understand all the concepts that we cover in class and felt confident while in my shadowing session in the writing center. I am, however, nervous about the number of blogs required by the end of the year because I'm not really the "blogging type." And by the "blogging type" I mean the kind of person who can just go online and write about there everyday life or questions about something or anything at all really. I have a facebook but don't really keep up with it, and I've had another blog for another class and did not keep up with it either. So I guess I just need to concentrate on being apart of this "class community." Hopefully I'll get what I need from this class for my goals outside of this class.
Sep 24, 2010
1st Writing Center Shadowing
Yesterday I had my first shadowing session with my tutor and a student from the Business school. When the student arrived the tutor and I both introduced ourselves, and small talked some with the student to make him feel more comfortable. The tutor first asked what the gist of the paper was supposed to be about, and to break up the formality of the appointment talked some about how school was going.
When everyone was good and comfortable the tutor asked if she could first read the paper aloud and was there any specific problems the student would like to concentrate on during the session. The student mentioned how his teacher was a stickler for grammar (he takes off 3pts for every 10 grammatical errors, or something like that) and how he was concerned if his argument was ok.
What really surprised me during the session (I have never been to the Writing Center before so I did not know what to expect) was how reading the paper aloud just highlighted any flaws in the paper, including grammatical errors, sentence structure errors, wording problems, and if the paragraphs flowed well with one another. While the tutor read the paper she stopped every now an again to ask the student "did that sound right?" "is that what you meant to say?" and made suggestions to the student how she might improve that portion of the paper, but ultimately letting him make the decisions on the corrections and correcting it himself.
Just a simple strategy of reading the paper aloud was such a efficient way of reviewing the paper. Not only did she not have to read it once to herself and then go over it with her student, but as she was reading it the student was also catching errors by himself. I think this technique is definitely something I would implore while checking my own papers and anyone who asks me for advise.
When everyone was good and comfortable the tutor asked if she could first read the paper aloud and was there any specific problems the student would like to concentrate on during the session. The student mentioned how his teacher was a stickler for grammar (he takes off 3pts for every 10 grammatical errors, or something like that) and how he was concerned if his argument was ok.
What really surprised me during the session (I have never been to the Writing Center before so I did not know what to expect) was how reading the paper aloud just highlighted any flaws in the paper, including grammatical errors, sentence structure errors, wording problems, and if the paragraphs flowed well with one another. While the tutor read the paper she stopped every now an again to ask the student "did that sound right?" "is that what you meant to say?" and made suggestions to the student how she might improve that portion of the paper, but ultimately letting him make the decisions on the corrections and correcting it himself.
Just a simple strategy of reading the paper aloud was such a efficient way of reviewing the paper. Not only did she not have to read it once to herself and then go over it with her student, but as she was reading it the student was also catching errors by himself. I think this technique is definitely something I would implore while checking my own papers and anyone who asks me for advise.
Sep 13, 2010
ESL tutoring
Hi all :) sorry that I haven't done any posts thus far...guess I've been kinda nervous to get started, and am not really sure how this whole blog thing works. Anyways my first blog post I really want to dedicate it to the wonderful ESL student I tutored this last weekend on a hypothetical college essay. This girl (I don't want to say her name so is to keep her privacy) has a lot to say and has a lot of emotion tied to the topic we jointly selected for her essay. She was from Afghanistan and was involved in war at a very young age. Her essay will concentrate on her struggles coming from a society where people believe that women are inferior to men, continuing with her traveling to the United States, and finishing with her decision to go to school and hopefully become a doctor!
Her writing isn't lacking intensity or substance, more her problems lie with organizing her thoughts and putting her experiences on paper. The writing process in this organizational phrase doesn't come easy to her, probably because of the fact that English is not her native tongue, and also because she has had to learn several different languages before coming to the United States. So I can see why writing in English must be hard for her with all those other languages and their alphabets and grammar usages are floating in her head. Hopefully with the encouraging remarks and tips that my partner and I gave her she can come up with a incredible essay by the next time we meet. :)
Her writing isn't lacking intensity or substance, more her problems lie with organizing her thoughts and putting her experiences on paper. The writing process in this organizational phrase doesn't come easy to her, probably because of the fact that English is not her native tongue, and also because she has had to learn several different languages before coming to the United States. So I can see why writing in English must be hard for her with all those other languages and their alphabets and grammar usages are floating in her head. Hopefully with the encouraging remarks and tips that my partner and I gave her she can come up with a incredible essay by the next time we meet. :)
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