Last Observation

My last observation was not what I expected. The guy I had to observe didn't even said Hi. As we were walking to the room both students kept looking at me, maybe wondering who was I? The tutor didn't introduce me or himself. We had to seat where the marble posters were. When they sat down, both students pull out their papers and they both couldn't stop looking at me. I was going to introduced myself so the students would stop wondering who was I, but I decided not to because I thought I was disrespecting the tutor. When he started helping the first student, he gave the student a great feedback and told him that all he did was perfect. s He did checked his grammar, punctuation and he also told him tricks about the quotation methods. He never did any eye contact with him, while he was telling him how to change the paragraph.

Meanwhile the other student was looking at her phone constantly waiting for the tutor. The tutor asked the first student to work on his paragraph while he was going to help the other student. She didn't had a paper writing down, the only thing she had was just three sentence and the tutor told him that he was not going to be able to help. She was preparing for her CATW. He told her that next time she was supposed to be prepared and that he was going to give her a few handouts. He stood up from his chair and walked to the other side of the room. I think by the tutor having to stand up from their chair is a distraction and he gave the student time to check on her phone one more time. He did not have any eye contact with the girl either, when he explained her how to use her handout, he was just looking at the wall instead of her.

The sound of an alarm went on, and the tutor pulls out his phone and I don't know if it was an alarm but he turned it off. I think that his alarm was really helpful but I also noticed that after his alarm went on he started to talk fast and he tried to finish eve4rything fast. The first student left after he came back with the handouts, the student thank him and left. Even thought he had 20 minutes left he wanted to help the girl with her essay. The tutor asks her if she wanted to stay that he was going to help her, but she choose to leave. I guess she didn't feel comfortable with him; she looked like she didn't understand what she had to do. I also think that her phone distracted her, while he was telling her his schedule she checked oh her phone and I don't think she even listened to him. They both got up, she thanks him and they both walked out the room. The tutor didn't even see me or asked me if I had any questions it looked like I was invisible. I know I was there to observe him and the two students but he was not polite at all.

That room with the marble heroes posters, is very distracting, I was distracted by them. It happened during my second and last observation. While the tutors were talking to the students I was reading and looking at the figures so I know that the student can distract his mind by being in that room. Each room should have a least a cabinet with the handouts so the tutor don't have to walk around while helping the student. I think that the lady that's at the front desk can walked around each room and can leave something at the top of the mural after half an hour, so that way the tutor can manage his time with each student.

 

 

Third observation

My third Observation was short, it only lasted half an hour. I was surprised because my first and second observation was for an hour. The tutor greets the students and introduced me as an observer. When she started with the first paper and wanted to correct a few errors, she couldn't because she didn't have a pen, so she asks for a pen. I think it was very unprofessional from her not to have a pen on her. She also said that she preferred any color pen but red, then she explained that she hated when teacher graded papers with a red pen. I still don't see where she wanted to go when she said that, but for me I don't care if is a red or purple pen, it's a pen. She helped the first student with grammar and said that she was just a writer not a linguistic teacher, when the student asked her if her work was perfectly writing. The tutor told her to include quotations marks on a very important sentence and overall she said that her paper was ok, to just add a few more lines so it would be longer.

The second student didn't have the teacher's instructions and told her she had them but on her email, so she asks her to pull out his phone and showed her. The tutor didn't read out loud any of the students work and when she tried to explain the second student what she did wrong; she put her hand on her sweater as if she was cold. I still think that's unprofessional but she never stopped explaining her point. As everyone knows phones are very distracting, while she was helping the first student the second student was on her phone and she was texting. The tutor didn't say or do anything about it. After 20minutes one of the students left because she was done with her paper, and then the second student left after 10 minutes. Everything happens really fast I didn't have the change to observe her that much. She did gave really good feedback to the students I didn't see any confused expression on their faces.

 

First Observation

When I walked into the room, I greet the tutor and it was a nice lady. She introduced herself to the students, but knew one of the students. She asked her how she was doing and how she did in her last semester. She started with one of the student’s paper and left the other student hanging for a while. She read her paper out loud and corrects a few errors in grammar. She told her that her introduction was great but she literally took 10 to 15 minutes going over the girl’s paper and I guess she forgot about the other student. The girl had an essay and the other student was working on an article for CATW.

 Meanwhile the other student was just looking around and I guess he didn't know what to do. Until the tutor told the girl to change some words and add new sentences to her essay while she help the other student. When it was time for the other student, she got up and went to get an article so that way she could help him with the structure of an essay. The tutor explained herself very good and the student understood every single instruction. When the other student was reading and trying to come up with ideas for his article. The tutor went back to the girl. I noticed that she was more focused on the girl’s paper, then the other student. I also noticed that the boy got distracted and pull out his phone and started typing. I could not see what he was doing but then I kind of guess he was translating words. Because I saw that he wrote something on top of two or three words on the article. I thought that it was going to be a lost session knowing that he pulls his phone. But it turn out to be a helpful source, because he came up with different sentences and at the end the tutor cheer him up and told him that the sentences were well writing and they made sense.

I think that the student center is doing a great job, the tutor I observe today was very helpful and when the students left they seem to know what to do for a future paper. She hands out papers to the second student that was preparing for the CATW and he seem to be great full. The girl told the tutors that she was going to come back to her again whenever she needs it help. At the end she asks me if I had any questions I said no. Trough out the hour everything went well I didn't see any lost session.

Second Observation

My second observation was totally different from the first one. It was different because the lady that I was observing was really loud. I don't like when people talk too loud so for me it was a lost session already. I mean if I had to work with her on my paper I would be really embarrassed to know that everybody will know my errors or that she would talk to me in a bad way. Her face scared me she looked so mad and I would never ask her to help me with my paper.

She greets both students and asks them to pull out their work. When I went in to the room, I saw some posters of heroes. She read out LOUD the first student work, and corrects a few errors with grammar and punctuations. Her face expressions were unique, it seems that she didn't like any of his work and made him said "Should I change my paper". I was shock to know that the student felt like that, instead of helping him she made him have thoughts about his paper and again I thought that the session lost.

The student was working on a CATW article. She asked him to work on a paragraph and she turn to the other student. When she read the second student paper, she told the student that his paper was perfect and his grammar, punctuation and his used of words was perfect. She gave him a few feedbacks, while she was going over his paper for the second time. She read out loud and I could see on the first student that he could not concentrate. He just looked around and I guess he didn't know what to write after worth. When they working on their paper, she mentions that she was a marble fan and that is why she felt comfortable in that room. She was out of topic; I could not believe she would say that especially somebody that is supposed to know what to do in the writing center. Even though she mentioned about the marble heroes, it didn't took more than a minute, when she change the subject back to their paper. The student who needed help with his paper for the CATW received a call, he excuse himself and told her that he need to take that call. Her response was "sure", I mean she could ask him not too, but instead she said sure. When he came back the tutor was working with the second student, so while she was trying to fix a paper, the first student pull out his phone like three times before they finish. So she was going in between both, 5 minutes for the second 10 with the first student. She even asked the second where he was from, because he was using strong and old words on his writing. At the end, I guess that she was not that please with the first student because he acted like that specific hour didn't matter and he completely forgot about the respect towards a person who is trying to help. The second student finished with his paper and took off and I guess she didn't want to help the first student either even though she explained him what to do and how to do it, she just said, good bye at the end without being rude.

 

Texting and plagiarize

After I saw the videos about the writing center. I learned that tutors need to keep their professionalism. When the student was texting while he was reading the research, I noticed that the tutor was irritated by the student because she was not focused. I think there should be a sign in the writing center with cellphones policy. The tutor can always remind the student about the cell policy before working with the paper. A lost session in the writing center happens when there is disagreement between the student and the tutor. Flirting, friendship and cellphones are also part of the lost session.
The second video showed us, that if the student is not happy with the teacher and complains about her with the tutor, and the tutor just tries to calm him down by saying is ok this could also be a lost session. Another session lost is when the student wants the answer from the tutor or said that he/she don't understand the work.
The third video was about plagiarism, the tutor was suppose to explain the student that plagiarism in school is not okay and she can get in trouble if she hands in the paper. There are many students that don't know about plagiarism and I think this should be taught in high school. I was just like the student on the video, I never knew about plagiarism until I made it to college and done my own research about it. When a person tries to correct me in any of my papers I normally get sensitive because I am a bilingual student. I get confused with both languages and tend to translated words when I don't understand. So I feel horrible when a person tells me that I do not make sense on some sentences or that I need to improved my grammar , I feel that I come to school for no reason. I don't memorize thing I always forget so that's one of the reasons why I feel defensive.

Tutorial successful

The tone of voice and respect makes a tutorial successful. To become a successful tutor the person needs to have a lot of patience and a positive thinking. It helps the student to understand better giving them confidence towards their writing. The tutor have to give honest feedback, positive comments about their work. Its job is to encouraged the writer to revise his/her job before criticized with negative comments he/she needs to be supportive and helpful.  It's inappropriate and dangerous for the tutor to adopt the role of therapist. When the tutor starts asking personal questions or things that do not involve the assignment, this is a session lost. The tutor needs to respect the writer ideas culture and language. In writing there is never a right or wrong answer. To be a good tutor, he/she is supposed to come p with new strategies if the student do not understand.

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