Friday, March 14, 2014

Writing Center Blog #1

Although I have not yet been able to observe the writing center, I anticipate that it will be an informative experience. It may be a little awkward sitting and watching someone else's session for both me and the student involved, but hopefully over the four sessions that we are required to attend as part of this Teaching Writing class, it will become less so. It is interesting watching someone else's writing process, and new ideas coming to life, so I suspect that I may even enjoy being a part of the session.

I personally have never been to the writing center at LaGuardia, as I did not take Eng101 here, so I am not sure what to expect as far as friendliness and/or interest of the tutors in the writing center. However, I am sure they are knowledgeable and I'll be able to pick up a few ideas and techniques that I can implement when students in this class start tutoring there. 

I'm a little nervous about tutoring individuals I've never met. I've corrected papers for friends, family and other classmates before, but never for strangers. I wouldn't want to insult anyone, or tell them they're doing something completely wrong. I think that's what sitting in on the sessions in the writing center will help with, though. I'll be able to see how other tutors handle those situations and how they react to students that are completely uninterested in their class or paper.

3 comments:

  1. The vast majority of papers I have written have been seen by the tutors at the writing center. I have not observed yet either and am also nervous about it. I don't want to pry but how else will we learn?

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  2. I have not went to the writing-centered myself to start my observation but i had heard the tutors are very nice, friendly and helpful. Other than that, i have been to the writing-center when i was in ENG 99 and ENG 101. There were very friendly and ready to work with me soon as i got there. Although i though a writer-center is actually helping you how to write a paper and i also though they will make comments or write on my paper they did not. I was surprise because the tutor is not there to make changes on your paper. They just asked basic questions pertain my paper to help support it.

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  3. I visited the Writing Center and witnessed something I didn't even know was possible! The student appeared with nothing more than her professor's assignment, the text it was based on, and by the end of the session was one paragraph short of finishing. When I think of the writing center I never think of someone arriving without a paper because I have never approached them in that way. It almost seems irresponsible to me to arrive empty handed but after reading Moffett's works I am beginning to understand that it is not an act of irresponsibility but a genuine need that the student may have and the best timing for advice on a paper is not the end but the beginning.

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