The first tutoring practice came to life last week.  I was hoping that I could be of assistance to the tutee.  I kept reminding myself that I had to be nice and claim (in my face expression) even though a paper might look “all over the plate”.  Recalling the first time I saw other fellow student’s paper through peer review in a Psychology class last semester, I was panicking and speechless.  Since her paper was full of LOC problem, readers could not be possible to understand the writer’s main idea or HOC. I even thought she was not college ready. Please don’t get me wrong.  Obviously I am not yet a good writer.  I always ask my husband’s assistance to proofread all my paper with respect to the LOC.  Most of the time, I allowed myself to be careless in these LOC problems and rely on other’s help.  This is my point…if I can see there are problems that are a real problem!

Back to my first tutoring practice, thank goodness that our class was informed of the topic and its guideline.   I was able to read ahead and got some ideas of it.  I started the session by introducing myself and asking for his.  The tutee had a two pages draft on the assigned topic-Is gentrification a benefit to urban development or not (a cancer) ? He felt there were problems in his paper but he could not figure out what these problems were.  I suggested that the tutee to read aloud himself. (I find it works well in peer review session and usually students will be able to fix their own spelling problem easily)  After reading the introduction paragraph, I found that there was not clear that the student’s intention as to agree or disagree with the topic issue.  When the read aloud continued, I found that he seemed positive to the issue (gentrification benefits urban development).  However, by the end his reading, he told me that, as more information unfolded, he now wanted to flip his support of the topic issue.  I then asked for the due date of his paper and he said the paper was already past due.  I suggested him to stay where he was since the time constraint he faced.  He seemed OK with it. 

Although the tutee had written two pages of his assignment, he was not clear as to what side to stand for.  It rendered no argument in his paper.   I suggested him to read more articles, news, related materials online or in library.  It is important to see both sides of views and find things he agrees upon and/or vice verse. Afterward he should be able to incorporate his own ideas and makes a stronger support for his argument regardless what sides he takes on the topic issue.  After discussing how to brainstorm the topic issue, I got down to the structure of his paper like introduction, support, detail, evidence, conclusion and the like.  Then we moved on to the thesis, which he had yet had one.  This was a hard one since the tutee had yet framed on what sides to stand for. 
At the end of the session, the tutee expected me to give him a thesis and the topic sentence of his paper. I told him that I was not sure if I could do so.  I am afraid to be a co-author of his paper so I limit myself to general ideas and structure on his paper rather than any kind of directly input.

I have completed all four sessions of tutoring observation in addition to a visit to the Writing Center as a tutee.  Although tutors have faced many different issues in dealing with tutees, some of them were beyond their duties, tutors were helpful in many ways.  Regardless it is a good session or not, both tutor and tutee may learn something from each other.  I will adhere to the guideline and common practice in tutoring others and would love to put my thought in actions on Monday.

A tutee has been working on a writing assignment for her accounting class (I did not aware of accounting students need to write..lol..I was one …did not required to write much).  Somehow her professor required her class using APA format, which deemed to be suited for psychological publication.  The tutor was not familiar with the work cited format so he looked up the guideline that the Writing Center provided.  After a few attempt, the tutor failed to find solution from the print materials, he then asked the tutee to use a general rule to complete her work cited page.  It was good that he ended up suggesting the tutee goes to the library for assistance since the library provided the work cited guideline that he had used.  

That remains me again that tutors may face many different situations in tutoring sessions.  Some of them are beyond their duties in the Writing Center.  I think it will be helpful if tutors can refer tutees to the right department so that the tutees will not feel to be left out. 

Speaking of the work cited pages; I have received the invitation periodically in my email sending from Lagcc library.  The library provides one-on-one help to assist student in creating of their works cited page in MLA and APA format.  It usually holds at the library classroom (E101).  Nonetheless, the last sessions were at last Nov and Dec.  My suggestion is that students need to check their Lagcc email frequency and join these types of information sessions as they become available, instead of waiting to the paper due.  This will be really helpful throughout the entire college career.

 My third visit to the Writing Center was less excited than the previous two.  Both the tutor and the tutee were very laid-back in term of discussion.  Tutee was required to submit a two pages essay for her Urban Study class.  She went and observed at Flushing Meadows Corona Park and found nothing to write with.  The interesting part was that she referred the landmark Unisphere (the monumental stainless steel globe) as a “legend” but gave up going further to provide more background information.  To my surprise, neither of them paid much attention to the requirement of the essay.  I think the assignment is about how the City uses spaces and how this effect people live and the like. Instead of guiding the tutee the main concern of the paper, the tutor decided to stay on her comfort zone focusing on the lower order concerns.  She provided the tutee a cheat sheet (made by English Center) that contents boxes to fill in like introduction, body, support and conclusion. The tutee still got some help in this visit but I felt that she should have gotten more assistance in the higher order concerns.

 This makes me think that how I can be of better assistance for tutees if I was in her shoe.  It is difficult to discuss issues that you are not familiar with.  I will surely suggest the tutee to do some researches on the topic issues, and it is very helpful to hear many different opinions.  The most important thought, is to filter and incorporate one’s own ideas.  That way the tutee should be more confident to write.