First Day of my ENG 101 Tutoring Experience

                                          First Day of my ENG 101 Tutoring Experience

Date: 4/7/2014
Prof: H.

First, when I started to read my writer Introduction, I started to look for the thesis.  His thesis was in the third sentence and ended in the fifth sentences.  I already knew to mind that his thesis was 3 sentences long and that was okay for a 2 ½ pages essay.  His thesis was “Gentrification benefits and develops neighborhoods over time”.

While reading his other two paragraphs and I were looking out for topic sentences, examples, direct quotes, summary, paraphrase and conclusion. On the other hand, while I was reading, I was able to pick out verb tense, run-on, fragment, and etc. I did not fix it right away put I put start to remember where to work on soon as I finish read his essay loud.

I was surprise he have a good Thesis to support his paper but he was lack of Structure, Evidence and Critical Thinking. For example he did not have any summary, paraphrase or examples. He also doesn’t have no example about himself, his neighborhood, the news or pass experiences. When I saw that, I already knew this will affect his grade. Even more, he did have lot of evidence and no direct quotes. In his second body paragraph all his sentences are examples about different neighborhood and statistic but he did not quotes where he got it from. I already knew that plagiarize and he can be in trouble.    

                                                       

So I agree with his thesis, helped him fix some grammatical errors and told him how to organize his sentences (for example, put this sentences here, and move these sentences there). Up top of that, I told him quotes where he got his statistic from (for example, he said “Harlem has change from 2002 to 2013 and crime rate reduce by 60 %”).

 I also showed him where to put direct quotes, when to summarize the quote and when throw in an example. Even more, told him to go to the library and do research on” gentrification “and that will help open his knowledge more. Finally, he does not know how to cite MAL format I show him how too, and I also told him if he need, to know more about MLA format please visit English writing center and ask them for the MLA work sheets.           

At the end I was very curious and I asked him how much time you put into your paper, he said “about 2 hours”. I was like okay. But I will advise him to put another 2-3 hours more into this paper and take another hour to edit before you submit to your professor and I guarantee him that he will have a better grade.    

           

FORTH DAY OF MY OBSERVATION

FORTH DAY OF MY OBSERVATION

Time: 11:50 – 12:45

Date: 03/31/2014

Topic: “Essay on Jobs to blame for the Obesity Epidemic? & Cover Letter for a Job”

Class: ENG 101

Writers: Two

Tutors introduce her-self and writers with a welcoming smile but she was very nervous during this session when I was there. However, both writers already knew her from the pass. Student numbers one needed help to start begging her essay. An article was provided by the professor and she had to answer the topic question above. The article was only 2 pages long. 

The tutor started to read her article along with the student and started to ask her questions while reading. For example, she started to ask the student what do you think the article is base and what do you think the main ideas the author are saying to points out? Then she asks the student if she can relate anything that she had read in the pass or if she can connect anything from her passed experience to the article. The student said “Yes”. Then she told the student “ok, great! That will help you to write more in your body paragraphs”. 

I believe that, this tutor started to use her writing process skills that mention on p.21 Active Voice. Because, while the tutor was reading her article she started to help the writer develop a subject, brain-storm different ideas / main points, developed a three sentences thesis and in 20 minutes she came up with an Introduction; I was surprise that this student does not have any idea how to start her essay and less than half of the session she actually got her introduction finished. Now, she have enough points to start her body paragraphs, and the tutor told her to go home and start it and then come back for another day so there can work on the body’s and conclusion.

I believe that, she told the student to come back with her rough draft because she wants to help her revising and editing it before she hand it in to her professor. Additionally, she told the students if she runs out of information to write about go to the library to do some research.

Student number two needed help to write his cover letter for a job interview. She started to tell him, revise your resume and see if there is any experience in your resume that connected to the job he wants. Then she told him start begging your first sentence by saying “the reason I want this job is because I have done many things in the past that are similar to your company and I believe that, I will be a good associate to make your company improve”. When he finishes his rough draft, she started to read each sentences line-to-line, for editing and revise. There was couple of errors and she help him move sentences around to make it look more organize. She told him go to the library and type it out and he is ready for him interview the other day.

            Dislike, she is very quiet, her tutor’s gestures was not the best because she was folding her hands most of the time, and she need to get student’s to talk more often. 

Liked, for both students she used collaborative tutoring, help them connected ides, told them where to get more information and help them start from scratch on their piece.  

Expectations and Questions for Turoring

                                            Expectations and questions for Monday


Expectations that I will expect for Monday are :

1) Expect students going to be kinda  nervous.
2) Expect lots  ESL student with different culture / background / believes.
3)Expect students with nothing at all.
4) Expect students who does not know how to develop a thesis, and  support their thesis.
5)Expect students who knows how to develop a thesis with supporting ideas, examples, research and connect with experience.  
6) Expect students who does not know what is an Article and how to compare and contras.
7) Expect: grammar, run-on, verb-tenses, fragment, comma slice, and etc.
8) Expect students will get some of their ideas all over the places, lack of organization / structure.
9) Expect students to have a lot of general ideal which need to explain further.
10) Expect students going to be quiet. 
11) Expect papers with plagiarism.



Questions that I will expect for Monday are :

1) I don't understand English because I speak  other language.
2) What is an Article?
3) How to start an Essay?
4) What is a Thesis?
5) How may paragraph do I need to complete an essay?
6) What the difference between MAL and APA format?
7) What is the correct way for uses citation?
8) How many ideas does my paper need in order for it to complete?
9) Can I talk about my personal, families, friends and my neighbor experience in my essay?
10) Can I give any example that I saw on the newspapers, magazine, blogs, news and books?
11) Do you believe this is an "A" paper?
12) How long have you been tutoring for?
13) Do you go to LAGCC or a grad school?

THIRD DAY OF MY OBSERVATION

THIRD DAY OF MY OBSERVATION

Time: 5:45 – 6:45

Date: 03/27/2014

Topic: “Pick One Immigrant Background and write an essay”

Class: ENG 102

            Both tutor and writer introduce their self to me. Writer and tutor already have a passed relationship because they have work together in the pass. The writer actually requests the tutor at the front desk because they have work on the same paper that we are working on today. However, the writer have a “C +” on his paper and he came back to fix the errors and comments. The professor had told him if he want have a better grade visit the writer-center and fix the paper.

            I already knew to myself that “students and tutors relationship” is occurring at the moment because they had worked together last week on the same paper. Deep down into the conversation the writer really feel comfortable with the tutor body language, voice tone, and his expression because everything they were discussing on the paper the writer seem to smile along with the tutor while there was working. On top of that, they both knew exactly what they are discussing / working on. They both started to speak “Spanish” for a better understand, only if the writer lost at some point. I found that “students and tutors relationship” have a lot to do when tutoring someone in a student-center.

            The tutor and writer started to read lines to lines throughout the essay to fix grammatical errors. Some of the errors are verb tenses, run-on and fragment. He also don’t know where to put commas, how to introduce a quote to develop his argument and how to cite a quote. The tutor asked him “do you know what are MLA and APA Format?” He said “No”. The tutor gives him three work-sheets explaining the differences between MAL and APA format, so now they writer have an idea how to do a better citation. 

            I actually saw this tutors are using “language structures” because he is helping the writer read lines-to-lines, over and over, while revising to help develop ideas and experiences to make his paper stronger.

I also saw the tutor give the writer better vocabulary words to use in his paper, help him develop a better thesis that actually goes with his body paragraphs and help fixes his verb tenses. At the end the session the tutor told the writer I am not promise you an “A” on this paper but you will have a better grade than your last grade because we make everything flow the way it should be.

Then, he also told the writer that we are using the “sandwich method”. He explained the sandwich method to the students. And for those who don’t know what is the sandwich method here is an example below.

Intro, Body, Body and Conclusion.

Topic sentences….

Say something more about the topic sentences….

Introduce Quote…… “   “

Analyze quote…….

Give a Example……

Connect topic sentences in different words and rap the sandwich up together.

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.

FIRST DAY OF MY OBSERVATION

FIRST DAY OF MY OBSERVATION

Time: 1:00 – 2:00

Date: 03/21/2014

Topic: “Compare two Family Photos”

Class: ENG 101

           

First day of my observation, the lady at the desk assigned me to a tutor, then the tutor introduced himself, and he introduced me to the writer. The writer is an ESL students that have a “-c” on his paper and went back to fix it for a better grade. 

Every minute I was sitting there, I was looking at the tutor for his body language and his attitude throughout this session.  However we sat down together and while he was talking, I saw that “friendly and welcoming, smile”. Additional, his voice was at a level pitch while he was talking; he wasn’t too loud and wasn’t too quiet. 

He said to the writer “welcome I am your tutor for today session and I am here to help you” then the tutor took out his paper and explains the reason what he was there for. However, the students were having problems with grammar, verbs tenses, singular / plural, fragments and run-on. Then the tutor told him “OK please slow down and let’s us read lines to lines and fix each problem that occurs in each line”.

I believe that, the tutor was having a “collaborative tutoring” with the writer because there were both asking questions while there was fixing the problems. As the tutor and writer keep working I saw that “reading and writing relationship” between both of them. For example, while both of them was reading lines to lines, then tutor leaves writer to figured out his own grammar mistake and if the student cannot figured out his own mistake, then tutor ask him to read the sentences over again and address it to him and fix it.

On the other hand, the writer asked the tutor “what is a thesis? How can I develop a thesis? What is the main purpose of a thesis”? Tutors replied “to develop a good thesis the first steps you have to brainstorm, able to develop ideas in order to develop a thesis, then you have to pick two or three main points and develop a general sentence in your introduction and that is what you will talk about in your body paragraph.

Another question, the writer asked “how can I improve my grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary. The tutor replied “there are many ways you can improve your grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary by reading a lots of newspapers, magazine, blogs, books, or anything have to do with reading.

However, we ran out of time and he advice the writer to visit the writing center to finish his last two paragraphs that had left and if he have any other questions feel free to visit again. He also gives the writer work sheets to improve him grammar, verbs tents, and singular / plural.

 I will recommend this tutor to anyone including myself if need help on a paper, an essay, or any types of writing because he explain everything clear, provide information / ideas, and have direct eyes contact to see if you are focusing.