Response 11/13

            The most important key concepts that we have discussed in this course to me personally, based on the tutoring that I have completed thus far in the Reading and Writing Center, were “Reflection” and “Observation.” These key concepts shaped many of my tutoring sessions because both are crucial in order to reach maximum productivity in each tutoring session, no matter what it is your tutee wants to accomplish.

            Observation is important in every tutoring session because you have to familiarize yourself with your tutee and their specific needs, given the fact that each tutoring session will be completely different from the last. Observation will help you, as a tutor, understand your tutee’s background, relationship with writing, and goals that they need you to help them reach. Observation is a key concept that is most beneficial in regards to advice for tutors on knowing exactly how to reach these unique and specific goals.

            Reflection is an important key concept to know because reflection helps increase communication between you and your tutee. If you proofread or help brainstorm or even just polish a paper, reflecting on everything you fixed or every suggestion you have will help make your tutee more comfortable in the session and also give them more of an opportunity to strengthen and emphasize their personal voice. Reflection will help you as a tutor to divide the responsibility evenly in each session, allowing your tutee to be in control while you step back and only help when needed.

            I found that in my past tutoring sessions, observing my tutees has helped me better decide what tactics I will use to help them, such as reading their paper aloud, or skimming over it, stopping only for minor grammatical errors, or simply focusing on MLA or APA formatting or how to cite sources. Reflecting with my tutees has helped me personalize each session, figuring out what it is that my tutee wants and what suggestions I have made that most satisfy them. Asking questions like, “what do you think about changing this word here, or putting a comma here,” has helped me feel more confident in my suggestions and more comfortable as far as steering the tutoring session in the way that my tutee would want it to go.