Attention 220 Students

We're meeting tomorrow for conferences @ 5.45. You will want to show up to be sure I have all your assignments.

Secondly, I'm asking that everyone POST their Case Study onto their blogs as their final post.

Fall Paid Tutoring Positions

WE are now beginning to hire students to work as paid tutors for the Fall I 2012 semester for our peer tutoring program at the college, Academic Peer Instruction. Those who will be considered must have : a GPA of 3.0 or better, a record of B+ or higher in the course they wish to tutor, a friendly outgoing personality and sufficient free time availability. This is a paid position that requires approximately 10-12 hours a week. If you are interested, please get in touch using the contact information below:

Dr. Joyce Zaritsky (Program Director) or Andi Toce (Assistant Director),
Room E115
Tel: 718 482 5625

Final Exam Review

Format: same as the midterm.

Study:

Hayward on non-native speakers (remember to review the main points of the essay).
Hayward on US writing expectations (ditto above).
Kozol on educational opportunities (ditto above).
Freire on how knowledge is made (ditto).
Freire on the pedagogy of problem-posing (ditto).

Reminder: take this survey!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9V8PC9S  

Case Study Assignment

3-5 pages

This assignment asks you to do the following:

Begin your case study by articulating your tutoring philosophy. Introduce yourself to readers, and to the texts you'll be drawing upon, and to your main principles of tutoring. Draw upon course texts and readings by mentioning up front the major ideas you plan to cite, who wrote them, and what texts they're from.

For your statement, consider: what is tutoring? what does it do? why does it matter? Your answers to these questions could help you form your tutoring philosophy. You'll want to ultimately be able to explain the different principles of your philosophy to your readers.

When you consider your principals of tutoring, consider what theories/strategies/texts they come from. That will give you an idea about how to connect your principals to the intellectual foundations of your principals. 

Develop examples of how your tutoring experience has helped you develop this philosophy. Let your work with students demonstrate and illustrate different principles of your philosophy. In each example, give details about your work with students: what were the challenges, and how did you overcome them? How did you approach your work with students? How did you find out what worked and what didn't? Supplement your discussion with regular references to course texts.

The "case study" aspect of this assignments asks you to show your tutoring principals (the foundation of your tutoring philosophy) at work in your interactions with students while tutoring. 

In your conclusion, consider some of the more philosophical discussions we've had about the context of tutoring. What are your reflections upon the role of tutoring in education? What are your broader reflections about the role of education itself?


Sorry for the late post.

Sample LaGuardia Case Study Blogs

http://laguardiapeertutorcasestudies.blogspot.com/2011/06/anas-case-study.html

http://laguardiapeertutorcasestudies.blogspot.com/2011/06/elenis-case-study.html

http://laguardiapeertutorcasestudies.blogspot.com/2011/06/lauras-case-study.html

http://laguardiapeertutorcasestudies.blogspot.com/2011/06/franciscos-case-study.html

Tutoring Confirmed: Tonight E-141

We're going to be dealing with students and the CATW. They just got back results from the hand-written practice test. They need good advice.

Everyone is tutoring tonight. If you cannot make it for any reason, you must email me ahead of time.

Kozol: Points

Kozol - points

(105-6) -- correlation between scores, drop outs, and funding
high expectations - "they" do not provide students with what they need to succeed (whoever does funding) - government? - new york state government...some city, some state. property taxes.

working-class peoples' faults for not owning property
government: redistribution of taxes into education? at fault?

(115) - looking for a home - white and wealthy or black or white and poor - property-owning relation to education in the neighborhood (118) - district 10 ---

(94) - no point putting more money into poor districts - (99) - join the military - why fight? (100) - welfare hospital - no right to complain

(78) - no class distinction - competition - social construction over meaning of competition - usurping ownership and theory of equality - respect writers' ideas regardless of class background - collaborative learning: having an equalized conversation about each topic ---

the education system teaches students that they don't have value

(122) - busing students from a ghetto - south bronx - not prone to learn - it has to be the people that want to care - you have to want it for yourself - different mentalities

big themes: inequality, taxes and income, race/racism

Kozol Quiz

1. After defining some of the key issues raised by examples in the Kozol, relate them to the process of tutoring students.

Tutoring Case Studies

Read the following links and gather information. As you read, consider how the material could alter your approach as a writing tutor. You do not have to complete any tutoring assignments, but you should feel prepared to respond to similar questions on a quiz.


The Tutoring Cycle



Learning Styles



Case Studies



Communication Skills



Difficult Situations



Difficult Scenarios 



Tutoring Guidelines




Thanks to the Department of Physics at Illinois State University for these prompts.

IF YOU WANT MORE:

CHECK OUT THIS BLOG.

FUTURE TEACHERS? READ THIS.

It's never too early to start reading your previous peers...

Midterm Review

Short Answer - Quote Analysis

Sondra Perl
Mike Rose
James Moffett

Sample

“The felt sense is always there, within us. It is unifying, and yet, when we bring words to it, it can break apart, shift, unravel, and become something else.” –Perl

EXAMPLE – not passing

“Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiqués and makes deposits which the students patiently receive memorize, and repeat.” When Freire states, he was referring to banking. The students are just expecting to make deposits and the teacher just sits there. The teacher speaks and communicates but students have all the knowledge.

IMPROVED

When Freire states, “Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiqués and makes deposits which the students patiently receive memorize, and repeat,” he was referring to what is know as the “banking concept”. The students are those who just sit and listen in a classroom and the teacher is viewed as the one who has all the knowledge. The classroom environment is set up in a way so that the teacher is looked at as the figure who speaks and tells the students what they need to know rather than exposing the student to a student centered classroom in which the student’s can share their own knowledge and perspectives. 

A-LEVEL 

Go beyond last example.

First "Live" Tutoring Blog

1. What happened?
2. What did you do?
3. What problems did you encounter?
4. What strategies did you use?
5. How did you know a success?
6. Did you ever feel overwhelmed?
7. What was the most positive part of the experience?
8. What did you learn?
9. What will you do next time?
10. Is there anything you won't do next time?
11. How did you navigate between students?
12. Did you find yourself focusing on one student, even when you had two?

ENG 099 Tutoring Writing

5.45 pm in E-141...

Letter to Bert Assignment

Assignment: Letter to Bert Eisenstadt Evaluating Tutoring at the Writing Center

For this assignment, turn the problem-posing assignment you’ve completed, shared in groups, and presented to our class, into a letter to the Manager of the Writing Center. The Manager, Mr. Eisenstadt, knows about this assignment and is looking forward to reading what you have to say.

The letter should be 2-3 full pages, and should address the 7 steps from the problem-posing exercise you worked with to produce your group presentation. While what you presented in groups were excerpts from the observations of particular individuals in your group, the primary evidence in your letter should be based on your own personal observations. As you did in your problem-posing exercise, name strategies, cite sources for strategies named, and describe observations in detail. It is especially important that whenever you identify a strategy or diagnose a problem, you provide support for your ideas by quoting from the course reading materials, citing all sources, and providing a works cited page at the end of the letter. Mr. Eisenstadt will be much more likely to follow your advice if you seem like you’re basing your assessments on up-to-date tutoring theory. He may also want to read for himself certain sections of a text to which you refer.

 In establishing the voice you will use in this letter, try to use the tutoring skills you have learned this semester. Remember that while it is often important and useful to be critical, it is also important that you be constructive. Remember that tutors can have bad days just like anyone else; don’t make your criticisms personal, but instead try phrasing things as problems that may need for the overall improvement of the center. Think of the Writing Center, like an essay draft, as a work in progress. Imagine your audience, Mr. Eisenstadt, as someone who will continue with his practice of managing the center long after you give him this feedback. There is a future for the Writing Center, and by writing this letter you can become a part of it.

Tutoring: ENG 099 CATW Blogs

The link to the 099 course page is HERE. Take a look.

The assignment the students originally worked from is here. You are responding to Blog 7.

The class posted a "clean copy" of a CATW practice and they were supposed to focus on 1) having a clear claim 2) supporting the claim with 3 or more reasons, with 3) each reason supported by at least one piece of evidence. In other words, the first three categories of the CATW scoring.

Each of you will respond to TWO blogs in preparation for tutoring TWO students next Wednesday (live!).

Aaron

Aaron

Kat

Kat

Evan

Evan

Evan

Danielle

Danielle

Danielle

Maria

Janet

Janet

Shereen

Shereen

Wendy

Wendy

Kadeshia

Kadeshia

Pam

Pam

Davon

Davon

Town Hall event on Pathways CHANGED times...

It is now Thursday at 3.30 in MB10....

What works / what doesn't: the Writing Center

Problem Posing Exercise:
Evaluation of Tutoring at the Writing
Center
ENG 220

Now that we have observed tutoring at the Writing Center,
we will write an evaluation of what we saw in the form of a letter to Bert
Eisenstadt, who manages the Writing
Center. This exercise
will be our preparation for writing that letter.


Part A: What Seems
Good at the Writing
Center

Step 1: Identify
and describe the best tutoring experience you witnessed over the last four
weeks of observing tutoring at the Writing
Center.

Step 2: Which
strategy from our course readings best describes what you witnessed? Explain
the strategy and cite the source. If what you witnessed does not resemble
anything we read about, then describe the tutor’s strategy as best you
can.

Step 3: How did
you know the strategy worked? In other words, what evidence from the tutoring
session makes you sure it worked? What learning outcomes did you observe?



Part B: What Seems Not To Work at the Writing Center

Step 1: Briefly identify and describe a
problem you witnessed during a tutoring session you observed at the Writing Center.

Step 2: Which “tutoring don’t” from our
course readings best describes what you witnessed? Present a quotation
(identify the source and page number) that describes the problem, then continue
the description in your own words, emphasizing what this “tutoring don’t” means
to you in a way that will set the reader
up for step 3.

Step 3: Describe what you saw in detail
when you observed the problem. Describe how it relates to your definition of
the problem in steps 1 & 2.

Step 4: Propose a solution to the problem
based on strategies and “tutoring dos” from the course reading. Describe what
strategy the Writing Center Manager might present in a tutor training session
to remedy this problem.

Spring Break Blog: Observation Three

Over the spring, write about your third observation.

Lab Hour Exercise

ENG 101 Assignment HERE.

Kat
Pam
Kedeshia
Wendy
Aaron
Davon
Maria
Shereen
Janet
Evan
Daneille

New Class Extra Credit Lab

Assignment

Aaron
Evan
Maria
Davon
Shereen

Lab Exercise

1. Blog about your tutoring observations/experiences. Same as last week.

2. Give HIGHER ORDER CONCERN feedback to the following students based off THIS assignment:

Pam
Davon
Aaron
Maria
Kedeshia
Wendy
Danielle
Evan
Janet
Shereen
Kat

Blogging the Lab

If you haven't tutored...

There were some students that weren't able to tutor yet. You should set up a make-up appointment so that you don't fall too far behind. Procrastination won't work very well because you will fall behind in class discussions, fall behind in experience, set a tone for the semester, and ultimately discourage my ability to write you letters of recommendation in the future. Perhaps most practically, you won't be able to tutor on time. You will have to complete an alternative assignment while other students tutor. Having said this, it's only the first week and there's still plenty of time to develop a rhythm and find a four-week schedule that works for you.

To the entire class on the subject...

If more than one student hasn't completed his or her tutoring next week, I will not let our class out a little early anymore. There is no sense giving away time if that time isn't used properly.

Once you finish...

Please take the survey and complete the post-observation exercise.

Responding to students...

All your questions and concerns were absolutely right. Let's try and create a list of protocols for responding to student work so you can minimize your anxiety and be the best reader possible.

TAKE THIS SURVEY!

If not clickable, copy and paste into your browser.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TFPW6DZ

Post-Observation Assignment

Spend 15 minutes responding to a student blog from ENG 101. The assignment for the student blogs is HERE.

Then, respond to one student's blog each: address the student as a peer professional. Be sure to state upfront what you thought of the entire piece as a blog (blogs are ungraded, but evaluated for the skills students communicate). Then, specifically state what you think the student did well in the context of the assignment (you might refer to the assignment). Then, note what areas of the blog the student should consider revising. As you note these areas, literally tell the students what they should do differently. NOTE: Make sure the student blog entry that corresponds with the assignment - I tried to match them up, but make sure.

Blog Pairs

Janet
Kat
Davon
Wendy
Evan
Danielle
Aaron
Maria
Pam
Shereen








Example: Hi NAME, I'm a practicing Peer Tutor in Prof Rogers-Cooper's ENG 220 class. My name is NAME. I thought your blog was a wonderful start to ENG 101. I thought your summary and paraphrase skills were excellent because HAPPY LAPPY NOO. For example, when you wrote about LAPPY it was interesting because HAPPY. I do feel that you need to work on your citation, however, because NOO NOO. For your next blog, consider WOOKA WOOKA. Thanks for publishing your blog for readers!

Observation One Assignment

For the next 15-20 minutes, please reflect on your observation in the Writing Center. Write a professional blog (first-person is fine!) that relates the following information to your reader:

- establishes why you went and what the Writing Center does

- anonymously reports on the experience with the following criteria in mind:
* describes your observation as an experience (what kind of student essays issues arose?)
* establishes what the tutor did in the context of our class (link to class ideas and texts!)
* evaluates what you thought was effective and ineffective about the session

- explains to your reader what you're expectations are for next time.

When you're finished, proofread your blog. Be sure that an outside reader would fully understand everything you've written.

Feel free to add in quotations/citations and/or ideas from class discussion.

Dialogues Revision: for Wednesday

For Wednesday students are making their dialogues "researchable." This means that each side in the dialogue should have two 'ideas' supported by research, and students should refer to that research in their dialogues (use footnotes, and practice MLA citations in the footnotes).

Today in class, students evaluated the arguments in the dialogues, determined whether both sides had equal evidence, and decided whether or not there was a legible debate with obvious 'ideas' at stake. They also gave each other suggestions for further research.

Students who didn't have their dialogues drafted two columns in their notes, where they wrote down the points that supported the two sides of their debate.

Tutoring Videos

1. Myths

2. Sample Consultation

3. Promotional Video

4. Do's and Don'ts

5. Do's and Don'ts

6. Non-traditional Student

7. The Wrong Way

Blog: Tutoring Observation Expectations

What are your expectations for your observations? What are your feelings? What are you going to look for? What do you expect to happen? What do you expect to learn?

Start Tutoring! B-200!

Between now and next Wednesday, students should find a one-hour block of time to observe a Writing Center tutor. Students will observe tutors four times before they begin tutoring. They can meet this four hour total at any time, and in any way they choose.

For their observations, they will

- find a LaGuardia hour on the schedule that works for them
- tell the front desk who you are, and explain you're from Rogers-Cooper's ENG 220 Peer Tutor class
- sign in on the sheet they should give you
- introduce yourself to the tutor (or follow their lead)
- take notes during the session (tutoring style, student issues, interaction with tutor, etc)
- come prepared to class to discuss what you observed and blog about it.

The Writing Center is located in B-200. The link to the Writing Center homepage is HERE.

Quiz Two

ENG 220
Professor Rogers-Cooper
Quiz 2

NAME:________________________________________________

Which theory underpinning tutoring
writing does each sentence best correspond to?

1. One never learns alone.

2. One should be able to point to where in the text she got her interpretation from.

3. The dictionary does not dictate to us the proper words, but tells us what words people have
used.

4. Learning needs to happen in an atmosphere that is anti-hierarchical and anti-individualistic.

5. If the tutee is not talking, then the session is not going well.

6. The best way to get the tutee to figure out what he wants to say in his paper is by
listening to him, not by talking yourself.

7. This poem means whatever I want it to mean.

8. The tutor and the writer should be talking actively so the tutee will get, through conversation,
a sense of what she will put in her paper.

Buttons to Hit on Your Blog

"New Post" - You can find this on your main blog page and on your Dashboard page. This allows you to write a "new blog entry." This is different from creating an altogether new blog.

"Design" - Look at the top right-hand part of the screen. This button brings up the "Dashboard" button.

"Dashboard" - this allows you to create new blogs, to edit your posts, and other functions.

Email Me Your Blog Addresses

Email me your blog as the address appears from your "View Blog" page...Thanks!

First Assignment: Moffett Research

ENG 220 Research & Writing Assessment Paper

“The Ideas of James Moffett”

Research Question: What are the most important and enduring ideas James Moffett has contributed to the field of teaching writing?

This weekend you will write a 3-5 page paper answering this question based on researching James Moffett. There are two reasons we are doing this: 1) so the professor can get a sense of your abilities to both locate information on line and evaluate which information is appropriate to both the assignment and the context of teaching writing; and 2) so the professor can evaluate a sample of your writing before the end of the “drop” period. In light of reason 2, be sure to pay close attention to writing well. Be conscious of producing an error-free paper which has a thesis that answers the question, and uses topic-centered paragraphs which support your thesis and offer evidence from your research. You must also include a works cited page. Remember: this is a course that gives you the opportunity to tutor in the LaGuardia Writing Center. As the professor, I have a serious responsibility to assess your skills in these areas before I let you tutor. This difficult assignment is one of the ways I will do that.

HINT 1: Be attentive to the exact language in the title of the assignment. Do not present information that does not concern the exact words of the main question: What are the most important and enduring ideas James Moffett has contributed to the field of teaching writing?

HINT 2: If you do not know how to use the library search engines to look in Academic Search Premier, ERIC, or any other search engine that you might need, figure out how to get help. This assessment is, in part, a test of your resourcefulness—what do you do when you are presented with something that seems challenging or beyond your current knowledge base?

HINT 3: I have already conducted this search myself, and am aware of what will come up on Google when you search for Moffett using a variety of key words. I expect you to use the most informative of the online resources available to you, not just the first 1-2 things that come up on Google.

HINT 4: Because I have done this research already, I am already very familiar with the materials you will find. I will surely recognize any plagiarized material instantly, so do not plagiarize. If you plagiarize, you will not only fail the assignment but will be formally held accountable for cheating. Use summary, paraphrase, and quotation from your research to help you describe Moffett’s ideas, and always cite sources.

Good Luck!