I thoroughly enjoyed the Corbett perspective to tutoring! I feel that his ideas in "Tutoring Style, Tutoring Ethics" are different from the past two essays, primarily in the fact that he is more realistic about what actually goes on in the world. In the end, I see this radiating message that we ought to "reconsider our best intentions," and tailor our tutoring to the needs and abilities of the students we are helping.
From the first two essays, I see this "Writing Center Utopia" presented, where the tutors are enlightened and innovative and the students anxiously await the chance to make their papers a "blossoming flower." They engage in scholarly discussions about the complexity of the writing and exchange top tier ideas on the subject. This is a totally possible scenario, but requires the two parties to be at upper levels of intelligence. When we look at the state of our Writing Center and college, we can easily note that many students will not have the capacity to engage in this kind of discussion. They will have literal questions that we should feel obligated to answer.
This "Utopian" scenario is known as the "hands-off" approach. Corbett argues that though this is a wonderful way to tutor, it is not always possible. We have to be able to accommodate for the student's needs, not make them accommodate for our tutoring styles. Corbett is in no where arguing that the "hands off" approach to tutoring is bad or wrong, but he does recognize that it can not work if both parties are not actually invested in the discussion. He argues that if the student does not want to participate in an active discussion about the writing, the session can not really continue, but also says that if tutors are not "authentically listening," the session is forced and not actually helpful to the student. We can not force the student or ourselves to abide by this style if it does not work for the circumstances.
I believe that Corbett would argue that a hands off approach is ideal, but depending on the students level, we sometimes have to start with a hands-on approach and work our way up to a hands-off method. Corbett says it is necessary to ask the tutee what where they are with their papers and determine whether a hands-on or hands-off method would be most effective for the student.
I think as Corbett urges us to "reconsider our best intentions," we should take into consideration the state of our College. Realistically speaking, we have many students with learning disabilities, English as a second language, or who have not been in school for many years. They will likely need some polishing of their skills that their teachers will not have the time or patience to attend to. If a teacher sends a student to the writing center to learn some really basic skills, it is still our job to help them, even though they are not to the level we would like them to be. I think the hands-off method should be our end goal, but we have to be realistic in the way we get there. We must remember where we are and be sympathetic to the needs of the present student.
From the first two essays, I see this "Writing Center Utopia" presented, where the tutors are enlightened and innovative and the students anxiously await the chance to make their papers a "blossoming flower." They engage in scholarly discussions about the complexity of the writing and exchange top tier ideas on the subject. This is a totally possible scenario, but requires the two parties to be at upper levels of intelligence. When we look at the state of our Writing Center and college, we can easily note that many students will not have the capacity to engage in this kind of discussion. They will have literal questions that we should feel obligated to answer.
This "Utopian" scenario is known as the "hands-off" approach. Corbett argues that though this is a wonderful way to tutor, it is not always possible. We have to be able to accommodate for the student's needs, not make them accommodate for our tutoring styles. Corbett is in no where arguing that the "hands off" approach to tutoring is bad or wrong, but he does recognize that it can not work if both parties are not actually invested in the discussion. He argues that if the student does not want to participate in an active discussion about the writing, the session can not really continue, but also says that if tutors are not "authentically listening," the session is forced and not actually helpful to the student. We can not force the student or ourselves to abide by this style if it does not work for the circumstances.
I believe that Corbett would argue that a hands off approach is ideal, but depending on the students level, we sometimes have to start with a hands-on approach and work our way up to a hands-off method. Corbett says it is necessary to ask the tutee what where they are with their papers and determine whether a hands-on or hands-off method would be most effective for the student.
I think as Corbett urges us to "reconsider our best intentions," we should take into consideration the state of our College. Realistically speaking, we have many students with learning disabilities, English as a second language, or who have not been in school for many years. They will likely need some polishing of their skills that their teachers will not have the time or patience to attend to. If a teacher sends a student to the writing center to learn some really basic skills, it is still our job to help them, even though they are not to the level we would like them to be. I think the hands-off method should be our end goal, but we have to be realistic in the way we get there. We must remember where we are and be sympathetic to the needs of the present student.
I love your realistic approach and how it focuses on the college as well. You're right; we do have a lot of students who will need polishing. I am one of them, as my Business English class is proving to me.
ReplyDeleteI love this sentence: "We have to be able to accommodate for the student's needs, not make them accommodate for our tutoring styles." That is true! It makes me think of how some tutoring styles just won't work with the student's needs, and for the first time, the possibility that a tutee may need a different tutor, just because of the lack of compatibility, crossed my mind. Nothing against the tutor or that tutor's style, but sometimes a different tutoring style will simply work better. I agree with you entirely.
I agree, we need to cater to the needs of our students. Feeling out in the session, especially in the first few minutes, to see what stage our client is in and what would help them the most in their writing projects. What stage are they at? Should we advise them on methods of how to understand and complete their assignments, or do they need help making sure their paper sounds good out loud and is organizes correctly with a good thesis statement. Everything is a case by case scenario based upon the needs of our current student in our current session.
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