Observing in the RWC Reflection

I had my first tutoring observation this past Tuesday from 2:30-4pm. My mentor’s name is Danielle and she is getting her Masters in English and Literature. She had three appointments back to back, so I got there fifteen minutes early to chat with her about what typically goes on in a session and to get to know each other as well. Her first appointment arrived shortly after, so we were able to talk with her before the session began. She is a freshman and is taking the new ENC course for new students. The paper topic was an argumentative essay comparing two genres. After asking the student about the class and topic, Danielle read the essay aloud. I learned that majority of students prefer the tutor to read his or her paper. Once Danielle finished reading, she asked the student what she heard and she said that she heard some errors throughout, such as misplaced words and repetitive language. Danielle then discussed with her the language, audience, and organization of the essay. The main thing the student wanted to work on was formatting. Her essay was extremely unorganized, so we gave suggestions as to what she could do to fix the format, such as reverse outlining and considering what is most important and what information should go in each area. As we went over the student’s rubric, Danielle and I learned that she was confused as to what her professor was trying to say. Danielle then broke it down for her and told her what she thought the professor had intended. However, Danielle made it clear that the student should go ask her professor to clarify as well.  Overall, the session was very difficult. Danielle said it was one of the most difficult sessions she had ever encountered. On the other hand, it was good for me to witness and learn from it. Danielle handled everything so professionally, which is something I really admired.

The next session went a lot easier. The student is taking a dance class and her assignment was a personal essay regarding how dance and other activities relate to experiences throughout life. The first thing we did was discuss the rubric and then Danielle read the student’s essay aloud. Again, the student was not comfortable reading it. The essay was very well written. Overall, the student just wanted to know if she followed the rubric, and she did. Danielle gave her a few suggestions for her essay/topic, but for the most part, the student was pretty aware of what she intended to accomplish. I learned a good way to breakdown a rubric in order for students to understand. 

The last student did not show up for her appointment.