BLOG 14: OBSERVATION NOTES

Session 1:  October 19, 2010

Coach:  female (Maria)*
Student:  female (Curly)*

*= real names have been made up to protect individual's privacy.


The student walked in coming from an English 1030 class, saying, "I need to fix my paper."

The coach eased into conversation, and began asking what she can do to help.  Yet the student was persistent, and said "I need to fix it, need to rewrite for tomorrow"

Coach:  "You want to read [it] together," the coach said pointing to a paper already corrected with markings all over the copy.

The tutor came closer to student by strolling her seat closer to the student.  They started to read together the highlighted comments of what the student's professor wrote.  "Curly" became frustrated by putting her hand on her head and sighed.  The student took out a pencil.

Coach:  "She (meaning professor) wants details."  Student seemed a little frustrated but as the session continued writing paper aloud, "You're good..."

Coach:  "What are you trying to say?"
Student:  "What do you mean normal?
Coach:  "Why don't you say :"In that way..." and motioned for student to fill in the blanks on the paper.

When the student resisted, and said "Okay," yet her body language with her hand on her head with the elbow to the table mostly said the contrary and that she was not comfortable with what the tutor was saying.  Then the coach said, "Your paper...your choice...the way you said it, it's not the way you meant it..."

With this tutorly move, the coach was able to get the student talking about what the student's paper was all about and what she [the writer] was trying to get across.

Good questions overall was seen in this session--with the student resistant at first, because the tutor's initial reaction was the thought that the tutor was going to fix her paper.  In not doing so, the session was an effective one, allowing the tutor to control the progress of the session.