Learning Log No. 7 Part 2

One-to-one Tutoring Talk with Gordon Dossett

A few good points I picked up on from his talk;

·         Suggests that we should ask students to write on the spot for instant feedback

·         Good strategy is to ask a student what his/her argument is without looking at the essay

o   This helps the tutor know whether the student has confidence and knowledge in his/her work

·         Guidance is more important that giving students tips on improvement

After his talk, Gordon gave us the task to act out a role play; get in to pairs where each takes a turn in being a teacher and student. He handed out two different extracts and we had to pretend that they were our own pieces. A student would then have to seek the ‘tutor’ for help.

What went well for my partner and I was that we shared our experiences in writing. My ‘tutor’ provided a very interesting quote about adverbs by Stephen King. When it was my turn to teach, I did the same where I explained what I struggled with in my first year writing class and how I came about to do better. The reason why I thought this tactic worked was because it felt that I, as the ‘student’, could connect with the ‘tutor’.

What went wrong was having the confidence in knowing what or what not to say. My ‘student’ pretended as though the piece was too good for feedback. This was a helpful challenge because there’s always a possibility that some students can be stubborn with accepting criticism. I had to take a few seconds to myself to really think of what to say incase I’d hurt anyone’s feelings. I overcame this by asking open questions (relating back to Geoff Petty’s Chapter 48, Providing Learners With Support) to my ‘student’. I asked questions like; So why do you think you’re in this position right now? What was it that your classmates didn’t like about your piece? What are you trying to aim for with your piece? By doing so, it eased the atmosphere a lot more. Hearing the answers helped give me a clearer idea of what I can do to help. Being in a one-to-one situation is definitely more personal so it’s good that I try my best to be approachable and open.