SECOND DAY OF MY OBSERVATION

SECOND DAY OF MY OBSERVATION

Time: 11:50 – 12:45

Date: 03/24/2014

Topic: “Essay on Articles”

Class: ENG 099

            Tutor introduces his self, and introduces the writers and welcomes everyone on the table. When we sat there he said “welcome guys someone is here to observe this session and let’s start”. He started by asking the students their names, their class, and their reasons. Although, this was the first time I am observing a tutor with two writers from the same class ENG 099, I want to see how will handle it but it was easy for him because they had the same problems.

            Both writers are ESL students and they don’t understand what an article is. They both showed the article to the tutor and it was only 2 paragraphs long. The writers said “when there are reading the article, they don’t understand anything which means they don’t know what the main idea of the article.

            The tutor was very clam, listening to them while they were talking. Then he respond saying “OK, that’s no problem; I am here to help you to figure out the meaning of this article so you guys can start write your essay”. The tutor took one copy of the article and read out loud to both writers and he put both writers to read the article over again; while they were both reading, he told them read each sentence and try to figured out what is the main purpose of this article, who the author, find different characters and what there are talking about. In other word, he is telling them to find details, ideas, evidence, or the main idea. Additional, he helped the writers fine multiples examples, ideas, and details and give them enough information to start writer their thesis. At end of this session he help both of them with their thesis, and he gives each one of them two different ideas that grabs their attention in the article so they can start their paper. Even more he asks them to connect their pass experience to the main ideas and that will able to expand their paragraphs wider.

I believe this session is connected with “responding too late” because the writer only have two more days to finished a four body paragraph essay, which is 700 words so this types of tutoring can put pressure on the tutor and the writers because they don’t have enough time to write a proper essay. For example, if they have an F-grade or a –C-grade they can blame the tutor for not helping them to write a good essay but they have to realize the professor give them over one week to finish their essay.

One thing I disagree with this tutor is when I started to see he is not only being a tutor he is being more like a “counselor”. (Mention on p.18) and tutoring under “Therapy”. I started to see he is actually giving them every little detail for writing their paper. I did not see these writers make no efforts at all for help them self. I was think to myself, do their believe LaGuardia College tutoring center actually do everything for them? Or because they are paying their money they expect the tutor for write the paper? But hey, they tutor did his best and I am happy that both writers actually get enough information to start their essay from the tutor. This is what exactly what Moffett's was saying if teachers or tutors read his techniques they can have enough knowledge to handle situation like this.