Wednesday, October 6

Tonight we started out by talking about minimalist tutoring and coaching different types of people. We did not go through the particular lists of strategies (though we did characterize minimalist tutoring) => the focus of our discussion was on how to make decisions about what approach to take. How do we determine if a writer is "high ability" and suitable for minimalist approaches? Unfamiliar with mainstream U.S. culture to an extent that might suggest ESL strategies? While introductory talk is essential for making these decisions, we noted that so are the writers' responses to the different moves you might try out. There is not set formula - but it is a good idea to have some possibilities in mind for different kinds of writers.

We then talked about developing writing checklists. We noted that writing checklists can be used for different purposes: for evaluating sessions in terms of tutor effectiveness; for keeping records that will be part of the students' file; and documentation of center practices; and for collecting data on what happens in sessions. The particular entries on the checklist will correlate with the lists' purpose. There are several sample checklists - for several different purposes - at the back of your book.

For Blog 8 you are to create and post a checklist that will be useful to you - either in terms of helping you document your session for your project - or in terms of evaluating how well you are doing as a tutor (to establish what you want to work on). Although I am assuming you will prefer to create a checklist you can use for your own work - if you choose - you may document a checklist that would be suitable for inclusion in student files - so all the tutors who work with a particular student will have record. Be sure to state the purpose of your checklist at the top of the form.

We spent the last portion of class working on reflective documentation of sessions. Reflective documentation of your own sessions is different from taking notes on sessions conducted by other writing coaches - because you cannot write notes as you are conducting sessions. After your sessions you created your notes on "what happened" and we then put the list of what you wrote on the board. We then developed a set of cues (a checklist) you could use to help you reconstruct your sessions. This set of cues was chronological - and provided you with prompts on what to note during each section of the session.

We noted that our set of cues was like a standard essay in that you needed to note what happened in the introduction of the session (the getting to know you, goal setting, strategy selecting, what to work on talk), what happened in each of the "body paragraphs' where writing coach + writer worked on various aspects of the writing - and the conclusion - where the coach worked through whatever wrapping up protocols + drew the session to a close. In addition to the documentation - I suggested that you might want to raise questions, offer interpretations, or speculate about what happened. This writing might not be your final take on the session - but it is important to have a record of what you were thinking right after the session took place.

For the "body paragraphs" we noted that coaches might want to remember:
what was said + how it was said(who initiated conversations, tone of voice, volume, expression etc)
body language, proximity, silences
tutoring strategies
the coach's overall style (minimalist, teacher-centered, etc.)
whether + when writing was done
some documentation of features associated with effectiveness
and more - (+ we had lists under each of these features).

Creating a set of cues for use in re-constructing sessions helps you to be systematic, and it helps you remember more.

In our discussion this evening, we also began to do some talking + thinking about what you might want to do your research project on. We will keep talking about this - pointing out how what goes on in sessions might become a focus for your research.

Good class tonight and have a great (long) weekend.



For Monday (October 12)
Post Blog 8: checklist

For Wednseday (October 14)
Read: "A critique of pure tutoring" by Shamoon + Burns, 225 in Barnett & Blumer.