Why I said what I said to Fahimy

I think Fahimy has a good essay. She explained the personification, repetition, and color of her poem. However, she did not consider in her paper the instructions of her professor. According to her professor they are to explain what the tone and symbolism of their poem. She did not mention anything about the tone and symbolism, so I think that is the major problem in her paper. She does not have to change the whole paper I think what she could do is just add in details and in one paragraph the tone and symbolism. She could also remove some of her points that are not really necessary for the paper. I was not really able to give her a good comment, but if I’m to go back this is what I would say to her.

Why I said what I said to Bryan

I think Bryan’s paper has a lot of problem and that it requires some revising. After reading his essay the first thing that I noticed was that his thesis did not have anything to do with the whole paper. In his thesis he was talking about how death is inevitable and there is no way to stop it, but in his two body paragraph all he talked about was “tone” and “symbolism”. So I explained to him what a thesis is and what it should compose of. I also told him that he needed to add more details in his body paragraphs, because even though he tried to explain the tone and symbolism there were some parts in the body paragraph that are not clear. I think that by fixing his thesis, adding more details, and explaining more of the tone and symbolism of the poem, his paper will pass and have a good grade.

Reflection on “Understanding Composing” by Sondra Perl

When I started reading Sondra Perl’s “Understanding Composing”, I felt right away the connection that I had with the text. It was like talking to me personally and I could relate to what Perl is trying to say. For me it was a very interesting study and it grabbed my full attention to what the author is trying to expound about writing. As I read further I found myself wanting to know more and more about the important aspects that should be considered when composing a piece of writing. I could also very much relate to Anne, the short excerpt at the beginning page about what was going on in her mind while she was writing is pretty much like me. I find my self most of the time struggling every time I have a paper to do. All the distractions around me and the different things going on in my mind takes away my flow of thought and keeps me from finishing my writing fast. However, this short reading helped me to understand and know how a writer would be able to compose a piece of work effectively.

As I enter the tutoring world I could definitely use the important elements and processes that Sondra Perl discussed in the reading. It would really help students who are struggling in writing and constructing thoughts down on paper. I think that these elements and processes will be effective in helping students craft and construct their ideas into writing. Rereading, using key words, going back to the topic, and most especially paying close attention to the "felt sense" are all important recursive elements that will keep them from moving forward. Moreover, the two composing processes that I can also use to assist writers are "Retrospective" and Projective Structuring". Retrospective means to look at the words of a paper and see if those words capture what the author is trying to say. On the other hand, projective structure means the ability to write not only for themselves but also for the reader’s needs and expectations. These are all very essential in helping student develop in their writing. Being able to understand and apply these elements in tutoring writing will benefit the tutees a lot. I learned a lot from this reading, and I hope that I would be able to use this to help students be a better writer.

Tutoring Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s
The tutor should always be on time for the tutoring session.
He or she should always be available to the tutee.
Show concern for the tutee and their work.
Approach the writer in a way that is student-centered and a collaborative tutoring style.
Review the instructions given by the Professor.
Make the students read their work aloud.
Take notes while the tutee is reading his or her paper.
Let the tutee talk and do the work.
Ask the tutees open-ended questions. Using the words What, Where, When, Why and How.
Give ideas on how to improve their paper.
Be specific in addressing something that needs to be revised in the tutee’s paper.
Always go for the Higher Order of Concerns (HOCs).

Don’ts
Don’t say things that are not true or give false praises.
Don’t simply proofread the paper of the tutee.
Do not have a therapy session.
Do not tell the tutee what to write or say on their papers.
Don’t take over responsibility of the paper. Let them think and do the work.
Do not simply dwell on their mistakes.
Do not focus on the Low Order of Concerns (LOCs).
The tutors do not have to be an expert or have all the answers.

“How I feel about becoming a Writing Tutor”

I have mixed feelings about becoming a Writing Tutor. I am excited that I would have opportunities to help and learn from the tutees, but at the same time scared because I might give wrong responses and not help the students make their papers better. However, in spite of what I am feeling I can not wait to be able to have my first tutoring session. I am sure that this would be an unforgettable learning experience. I know that it will be a different experience and challenge for each student that I will tutor, but I will do my best and make sure that the writer will accomplish whatever is needed to be done to have a paper that is well written.

"What I have learned about being a Writing Tutor"

I think being a Writing Tutor is not an easy task at all. As a tutor you don’t just give a response to the tutee for the sake of just giving some feedback about the paper. There are number of things that a tutor needs to consider. I think the first and most important element that a writing tutor should have in mind is that, their goal is to assist the writers to learn how to make and develop a paper that is well written, and give them specific details that will help them revise their paper into a better one. Second, as tutors we should consider how to approach a student depending on the circumstance and with certain students. Just like what the author of Tutoring Writing mentioned, the three ways we could approach them is through “student-centered tutoring” “collaborative tutoring”, and teacher-centered tutoring”. It is important that we deal with them in a way that is not intimidating, but is focused more on the students by asking questions that will make them think, and letting them do the work. Third, last but not the least, our main focus are the (HOCs) higher order concerns not the (LOCs) lower order concerns. We do not want to irritate or discourage them by pointing out all the small mistakes they have on their paper like spelling, punctuations, grammar, and sentence structure. But rather we want to address the HOCs, like the clarity of thesis, effective organization, right tone or voice, and adequate development and information of the paper. These are the important aspects that tutors need to work on the writer’s paper. I believe that these three are the factors that will help the tutor and the tutee have an effective session together.