Today we had our orientation with Dennis at the Writing Center, and I was struck by how similar what he was talking about is to what a counselor does. The three principles of being a writing assistant are also very integral to being a counselor:
1. Build rapport
2. The student (or client) should be doing the work
3. High level concerns before low level concerns
Of course, for any cooperative experience, rapport is key. Because this is the student’s writing, the student should be doing the work. In counseling, new counselors are often driven to do the work for the client, and I imagine it is the same for writing assistants: There is a need to fix the problem instead of focusing on the process. With the third principle, this is a bit more relevant for writing assistants than for counselors, but counselors are supposed to focus on high level concerns (it’s just that, at least in client-centered counseling, the client focuses on what the high level concerns are; for writing assistants, the student does state what some concerns are, but the assistant also sets the agenda).
Other things that were discussed include the fact that writing assistants do not need to be experts (which is also the same for counselors); allow the client/student to teach you.
Dennis covered the 9 Strategies for Responding to Student Work:
1. Requesting more information: “Can you tell me more about…“
2. Requesting clarification: “How does this idea connect with…“ “What exactly do you want to say about…“
3. Refocusing: “How would someone who disagrees with your argument respond?“ “If that is so, what would happen if…“
4. Sayback: Say back in your own words what you think the writer is getting at.
5. Movies of the Mind: Describe what happens in your head as you read the writer’s words
6. Pointing: point out passages, phrases, features that stick in your mind.
7. What’s almost said or implied or what you would like to hear more about.
8. Center of Gravity: Identify the source of energy, the focal point, the generative center of the piece
9. Believing and Doubting: Believe (or pretend to believe) everything the writer has written. Then doubt everything and describe what you see.
These are, for the most part, counseling skils! Refocusing, paraphrasing (or, in Dennis’s terms, sayback), pointing, drawing out what’s implied, requesting more information or clarification. Wow!
We also read Jeff Brooks’s “Minimalist Tutoring: Making the Student Do All the Work,” which Sara J. had us read as TA’s last fall. In this essay, Brooks notes that “The most common difficulty for student writers is paying attention to their writing“ (84). I wonder if it’s true that the most common difficulty is paying attention to anything: each other, classmates, themselves. To simply listen. Isn’t that indeed the teacher’s hardest task? The reader’s hardest task, to simply listen to the writer? The writer’s hardest task, to listen to those who disagree? I think I might be onto something, and this might tie into my paper topic for 593.
I’m eager to help students with their writing; this seems like the perfect intertwining of my two degrees (English and Counseling), as well as somewhere to practice skills in each.
I have a lot more I want to write about, but I’m going to touch on one last thing before signing off (I have to get a few things in order to teach in 45 minutes). Dennis compared the Socratic method to the leading questioning a writing assistant does with a student. I must disagree with this, as I see the Socratic method as too leading, heading toward a pre-determined destination. I don’t know what thesis a student is going to arrive to if I’m asking questions about the thesis, so I’m not leading them to this goal. Instead, I am following a process, reflecting thoughts, asking clarifying questions, so that the student arrives where he/she/ze arrives, not where I intend. Of course, I also think the Socratic method is a bit, well, arrogant, rude, and perhaps even violent (esp. in Plato’s Gorgias), but that’s another story.
My sense, Michael, is that the term Socratic method is overdetermined. Some people view it in its original context, where it is very clear that Socrates is asking leading questions and has a fixed end in mind. But others use it more generally to refer to the discussion-orientation of much teaching in the humanities.
I just realized that responding to your journal on your blog has another advantage (at least I hope it’s an advantage). I tend to write much more than in a print journal. Often there’s little room for extensive comments, and since hand writing is physically hard for me that’s another disincentive.
Lisa
PS I forgot to add that I see all the connections that you see. You might consider writing a column on this for The Writing Lab Newsletter. They have a column devoted to essays by tutors.
Lisa
While handwriting isn’t necessarily physically hard for me, I’m physically lazy, so this commenting works better for me. Also, I like this format for other reasons, mainly, it’s conversational. I like that you write longer comments, and then I can write responses. It’s more like a dialogue. I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be beneficial for writing tutors to read each other’s journals and respond – creating a conversation around that. I don’t know how well that would work – and there is a comfort level involved that other students might not be so thrilled about.
Oh, and while I’m thinking of it, I got the essay that you put in my box re: blogs. Thank you! I look forward to reading it!
I agree with your points about having wa’s read each others’ journals, Michael, though I suspect that not all wa’s would be comfortable with this–and it would be more work.
The desire for dialogue is one reason Dennis set up the portal, where we hoped this could happen. It’s been having some technical difficulties, though.
Lisa