Disability in the Writing Center

In this week’s readings, I found that the article named Support for Students with Disabilities, focused on practicing with a bit more detail. I didn’t find that this was focused as much on those with disabilities as just general tips on how everyone can improve using methods of organization. Colored markers, high-lighters, note cards, reading your paper aloud or using a tape recorder, or go to the writing center to assist you in the process of writing.

This to me rolled into the article Access for All: The Role of Disability in Multiliteracy Centers, where the author spoke of not just accommodating those with disabilities, both physical and mental, but restructuring the way the tutors approach each tutee in teaching per various learning styles. Kinesthetic, audio, or visual learning styles should be adjusted to assist the student with finding out what methods would best work for them. In doing this, the tutee can help the disabled students, instead of accommodating them, based off style and not the disability. In some ways, I feel this works, in other instances, tutors should accommodate the student based off their needs. The Universal Design of making sure the environment is structured to accommodate an individual that requires special accommodations. Also, the pedagogy should be able to be adjustable to assist all students.

This article to me rolled into the Blurring my boundaries: insights from tutoring a student with visual impairments where Susan, a blind student was being helped by a tutor. The tutor felt initially thrown into the tutor session but learned on her own how to help this blind student through trial and error. The tutor looked forward to the sessions with the disabled student and learned how to assist her, even though she stepped into taboo territory and did some of the “No-No’s” that most writing centers prefer.

I didn’t care for the Dual Citizenship of Disability. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why the tutor felt they had the authority to diagnose a student with a disability. I felt if they used the approach from the other article using a flexible pedagogy with all students, that the need to diagnose a student would be irrelevant. Also, a statement made when one student entered and told them immediately about being dyslexic, that she wishes all students were that honest. Why do they have to disrobe themselves for the sake of the tutor’s comfort? The tutor is there to help, no matter the disability. With time and patience, maybe the student will trust the tutor more to tell such valuable information. I found that this article was out of line in some areas if you feel the student may have a disability, you can offer them information that may enlighten them to this knowledge, but I don’t feel a diagnosis or statement that may be considered a diagnosis should be offered. They stated they are not a counselor but seemed a lot of the statements led me to believe that they were both tutor and counselor, or psychiatrist.

ESL, EEL, but no LOL

This week readings have me thinking a lot about the programs that exist and the challenges faced by student from other countries that native language is not English. Coming to the United States for an education where English is the language of choice, already put a damper on the individual’s outlook on a good experience verses a challenge to excel at what they like and want to do.

Writing centers have a unique challenge and this challenge seem to effect students grade as well as some student’s self-esteem. As we get more involved in methods to better address student’s needs, we will start to excel at being better tutor and teachers for all. Shenandoah University decided to change their approach to working with students in the writing center due to the frustration of the student not fully learning the concepts and the tutor not fully getting the satisfaction of helping a student reach their goal. The focus was changed to have the session “the Idea Check procedure put in place. This procedure requires all ESL students make visiting the writing center a part of the process to writing papers for classes. This process would make the student feel comfortable in the environment as well as get good habits for writing. Ideas would be formulated to the structure of what would make a good or structured paper or writing assignment. The outline of what is trying to be accomplished would be the primary focus followed by a first draft of the paper that have the ideas transformed. This method proved to be effective and mostly produced ESL students with a full grade difference on an assignment they would have received a lower grade without this guidance.

I strongly agree that we have a problem with the assistance provided to student is the learning centers in regards to ESL and ELL students. Building a relationship with the student as well as helping them get the needed skills to succeed is fulfilling two fold. Inventing and correcting not at the same time to produce better growth gets the results needed and propels the student to feel comfortable and want to excel. It is I am sure an emotional challenge as well as an educational translation challenge.

Working together with student on long term papers and projects measures the improvement over a period of time and deepens the level of understanding and the acceleration of learning.  As the population of ESL and ELL students increase, it is very important to have the tutors and teachers focus on the growth of the student mentally (for confidence) and educationally, so they receive the level of education that they are looking for.

Lastly, bridging the gap between learning and relationship is important. Confidence builds learning, Learning builds confidence. The relationship between the tutor and the student builds trust. The student will believe in themselves and the methods they are learning to better themselves. The tutors will get meaningful tools and build a strong list of best practices for helping student to become not just better people, but better writers.

Oppression

This weeks’ readings had me in a big of a fuss. I found them to be contradictory to what North stated as “The tutor should focus on the tutee as a writer and not the actual text itself.” Yet, I feel in this weeks reading the focus was on oppression and the avoidance of it. When is it the writers job to make the tutor feel comfortable. I do not feel the writer should conform their beliefs to appease the tutor. Nor do I feel the tutor should insist on long bouts of dialog in order to change the mind of the tutee. I believe that they are entitled to feel and believe as they desire. Yes, it is okay to help enlighten the tutee, but when does it cross the line of imposing on the part of the tutor? When does it become a situation where personal boundaries are being crossed in the writing center?

I agree where the article stated there should be intentional diversity in the writing center. That not all scenarios can be accomplished in mock training. By encouraging diversity amongst the tutors in the center, they deal with real life differences and issues that might occur. Their exposure to multiple cultures are not foreign and the introduction of another whose culture is different is met with less surprise and more competence and understanding. What we do not understand something it often makes us uncomfortable. When we understand a situation better, we are better able to adapt to changes that might occur.

Students whose second language is English also face misunderstandings in the writing center. I observed 3 sessions this week in the writing center this week where three students from WENZOU – Kean university in china, were being tutored. The differences in each session going on simultaneously were totally different and all based on the tutor and their experiences and comfort level with those of different backgrounds. I will explain it briefly below:

One tutor seemed to not be uncomfortable with the student but was very formal. Asked the student questions, and when the student did not understand, he posed questions in as simple forms as he could without me, the on looker, getting a sense of frustration. While he basically ran the session, I didn’t feel he took over the session. He asked questions and waited for the client to be an active participant. He also took his time to explain details.

The second tutor was what I refer to as the “TUTOR TYRANT”. She was loud, she was controlling and totally took over the tutoring session. She barely received input from the client and I felt as if she was imposing all her beliefs on this student because of the language barrier. I believe this because I watched this tutor with a native English speaker and her mode of tutoring was totally different and more relaxed. I felt this session was hostile in some ways. I am sure the client did not notice it as such and just accepted it as such.

The third tutor had the perfect medium. She used collaborative dialog and actually asked questions of the client about herself and get a sort of understanding about where she was from. She took this client to the third space. She allowed the client to use what she knew to help her form this paper. I felt her whole session moved at this amazing pace that I’d expect at a regular session of an English speaker with no language barrier. She was the epitome of what a tutor should be.

Blog The Motivational Factor

Motivational Scaffolding a terminology that I haven’t heard of until this article. What I understood of it is that it is where they use the linguistics of the tutor to the tutee in order to build a rapport with the student that will encourage the student to become a better writer. They use politeness, analyzing, identifying and basically a kind of customization with the student that in turns help to build confidence within the student. Motivation is the drive that encourages us to do most of the things that aren’t innate in our lives. Whether it is intrinsic or extrinsic motivation, it is the motivation in itself, some type of reason that we do the things that we do. When a student comes into the writing center the extrinsic motivation may be what got them to come to the writing center, but, what keeps them coming back, could be a matter of who the tutor makes the tutee feel.

I always go back to my experiences, because, for the most part, they have all been so very positive. It is what kept me coming back to the writing center. My first tutor session at Kean University was a classmate. While she wasn’t so skilled in the paper I was writing, she sat with me and tried to help me figure it out. I then came back again. I met John, my famous happy tutor, at this point and he became the ideological ideal of what a perfect tutor was. He was patient, inspiring, motivating, encouraging, humorous and intelligent. I met several other tutors that I would also enjoy Kathrine and Holly, who also painted a critical picture for me. I had gotten so accustomed to John; I was a bit worried that the other tutors would not have been as thorough or as comforting as he was. As indicated in the article, as you come more frequently, you build a rapport with the tutor that is inviting. Sitting there I can collaborate with the tutor, and while the deadlines aren’t written in stone, you hate to disappoint them, so that intrinsic motivation kicks in.

Of course, linguistically matters. You don’t want to hear negative connotation directed to your papers on a constant basis. Who wants to constantly go to the doctor if all you hear is negativity. It is discouraging. An example was some of the earlier articles we read in this class where they would say, the writing center was for those who were horrible writers, or for people with serious problems. I think if I heard some of the things that were said about the writing center before, it would have been discouraging. Also, if the tutor only points out errors or issues with the paper, would I want to come back? I would, but I am always looking for ways to improve. I do believe it would be discouraging. It is the old saying it isn’t what you say but how you say it that makes a difference. Make a negative into a neutral and try to be positive as much as possible. But, be honest. A paper with a lot of grammatical errors, (I know the writing center isn’t a fix it shop; it was just the easiest thing to gravitate towards). I see you have a few comma splices, I am going to help you with a few and leave you with a pamphlet to help you with the rest. I am not going to do it for them, but I would turn my focus then on the paper itself and leave the grammar alone. I am not going to say.. this is some horrible crap. I then would say if possible, I like how your body compliments your thesis accordingly. Positivity as much as possible.