Case Study: Solid Example

My name is CCC; my major is Childhood Education with a concentration in English. I am in Professor Justin Rogers-Cooper ENG 220- Seminar in Teaching Writing class. This course is a requirement for my major, but I also was excited to be in this course because I like writing. I have enjoyed the class readings, discussions, and writing assignments that I’ve had throughout the semester. But mostly importantly, I have enjoyed the opportunity of tutoring other students, helping them reach there highest potential in there class. My pedagogy of education is focused on Collaborative learning and Student-centered tutoring, these strategies contributes to students gaining positive outcomes, as well as learning from the negative outcomes within the classroom and through tutoring. I believe that through self-expression and critical thinking students are able to achieve their goals that they have set for themselves. Collaborative learning allows the student and tutor to work together as a team to complete a specific task, also making responsible decisions. While, student centered tutoring allows the teacher to focus on the student’s needs, realizing what works and doesn’t work for the student. These two strategies allow students to not only realize their own capabilities, but also demonstrate their knowledge and skills outside of the classroom. Throughout my four tutoring sessions, I have seen the use of collaborative learning and student-centered tutoring be very efficient and practical to the students I have tutored. In order to help me understand how these strategies are value to students people such as James Moffett, Active Voice (1981), introduces different methods and techniques to use in the classroom as well as tutoring. For example, he believes that students realize their goals and effort through a student-centered learning by doing.  Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1976) allows us to see the injustice for children being oppressors and the reality of what it really is, also through his writing he shows us how this can change.  My favorite, which I enjoy reading Jonathan Kozol Savage Inequalities (1992) shows us the condition and state of different situations that children face on a regular basis at schools while trying to get an education. While, Nancy Hayward Insights into Cultural Divides displays how people from different cultural differences communicate through their own culture and language. Throughout the four times that I have tutored, these texts have helped me to understand why certain students struggle or are in certain situations when it comes to their education and even writing. In that sense, collaborative learning and student-centered tutoring, has played a vital role of highlighting the factors that critically influence students’ experience and success towards academic success.

Tutoring is such a privilege. I believe that its rather meaningful to consider the fact that, you have the opportunity of helping someone else not only to better themselves, but there future as well. Throughout this course, by far the best part about the class would be tutoring other students. Tutoring throughout the semester not only allowed me to learn about other student’s interests, concerns, or even weakness, but it also gave me a chance to learn about myself. To help understand the different types of methods and techniques used through the process of tutoring is the text, Tutoring Writing A Practical Guide for Conferences by Donald A. McAndrew & Thomas J. Reigstad. Though my pedagogical philosophy focuses on collaborative learning and student-centered learning, the use of free writing, and conversation played a major role throughout my tutoring sessions, developing student’s paper to be successful.

In my first tutoring session, I tutored two students at the same time, which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I found it a bit challenging for me, but I was up for it. So, as I was talking with one student I made sure that the other student was occupied doing something pertaining to their paper. Both of the students that I tutored, English were not there first language. One student was from Indian and the other student was Mexican. As I read each of the two students papers it was hard to understand what they were trying to say in there essay, also it was unclear to grasp the point that they wanted to get across in there paper. According to Nancy Hayward Cultural Differences “students who have not yet mastered a linguistic form, concept sentence type, grammatical unit, or vocabulary word tend to avoid types of writing that put them in the position of having to produce what they find difficult” (Hayward 9).  I took into consideration the fact that English was not these students first language, so from there I implied the strategy of free talking. I felt that through the use of free talking that these students were able to express and discuss there essay verbally rather than having them just write about it. According to the text Tutoring Writing, free talking “ is a sequence of steps to combine oral and written brainstorming so that a writer gradually narrows down a manageable topic” (McAndrew and Reigstad 34).  I like this technique the most because it allows the tutor and the writer to brainstorm ideas, then talking and elaborating on it. I believe that free talking is really effective not only in tutoring but for teachers to incorporate into the classrooms as well.

In my second tutoring session, was in an ENG 101 class, who had an essay to complete about whether the use of the No Child Left Behind is useful towards students in school. The student that I had didn’t not have his rough draft with, he said that he doesn’t have a computer at home and that he worked long hours the night before so he wasn’t able to even start the essay. He emphasized to me that he works a lot, in order to pay for his tuition, because his parents cant afford to help him pay for college. So usually he waits last minute to complete his schoolwork. This particular situation reminds me of when I was reading, Jonathan Kozol Savage Inequalities (1992) when he discusses the different advantages and situations that students face in schools such as the lack of technology, updated textbooks, or even leaking ceilings. Kozol mentions “It has to be the people in the area who want an education. If your parents just don’t care it won’t do any good to spend a lot of money” (Kozol 86). I felt that with this student that I tutored, he was just telling me of all of his problems in his life that prevents him from reaching his highest potential. I feel that at most times, when a student doesn’t see there parents taking any interest into there education it doesn’t motivate them to strive for academic success. The strategy of collaborative played a major role in this tutoring session. I was able to engage in a equal conversation with the student as we started to develop ideas and thoughts to help him start his essay. According to James Moffett Active Voice, “collaboration will teach an enormous amount about how to write, build up confidence and interest, and prepare for solo writing and the workshop process” (Moffett 22). Collaborative learning allows me as a tutor to help; another students not only develop ideas and thought to produce their essay, but to also help them articulate these skills later on by themselves.  The technique that I used in this tutoring session was free writing. The use of free writing really helped the student throughout this session, where he formed many ideas of how to develop his thesis statement and form ideas in order to start his paper. According to the text Tutoring Writing free writing “is an excellent technique for helping the writer get something down on paper is to ask her to write for ten minutes about anything that pops into her head”  (McAndrew and Reigstad 33).  I found that this procedure, allowed the students to write down anything that comes to their minds not thinking about grammar, punctuation, or spelling.  Once the students develop his information for his essay through free writing, I went on asking him if he had any concerns regarding his paper or if anything was clear.  It seemed that the free writing helped the student develop his critical thinking skills and more information for his essay, which was a great start for him.

In my third and fourth tutoring sessions, I had the same student from an ENG 101 who was writing and essay on the advantages and disadvantages that disable people go through and how they overcome those challenges. From the start, the student looked eager and excited to have me they’re as a tutor (guidance) to help her with her essay. She had a full three pages of what he teacher asked of her for the paper and she followed the guidelines, but as I read her paper I felt like she was restricting herself of expressing her ideas more in her writing. The essay was well written but when I would ask her why she wrote this here, or mentioned this quote there, her reply would always be well the professor said I should do that. As we discussed in class Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1976) explain the notion of the “banking concept of education” the teachers are the authority and the students are the oppressed. Freire mentions that “It attempts to control thinking and action, leads women and men to adjust to the world, and inhibits their creative power” (Freire, 77). Students need to be able to make their own decisions and not be restricted by their teachers, to fully express there thoughts second-guessing that its not what the teacher wants from the assignment. After I saw that this was occurring with the student, I used the technique of conversation, According to the text Tutoring Writing, conversation “ is the power of simply engaging in natural conversation with the writer, bantering back and fourth about mutual interest such as music, sports, or current events” (McAndrew and Reigstad 34).  I like this technique the most because it allows the tutor and the writer to develop a conversation on any topic especially on the issues that may concern the student. I think that the use of conversation was really affective throughout both of my sessions with this student. I saw that when she talked to me and told me her ideas and true thoughts it was so different from what she had included in her paper. I feel like this is how at times students aren’t able to fully express their critical thoughts and skills from over thinking, what their teacher will say or think about them. I was glad that I was able to help my tutee develop more powerful statements and arguments for her paper. Since I saw her twice for tutoring, I felt that the strategy of student-centered learning help me work with this student one-on-one. I was able to realize her capabilities as well as her weakness when it comes to writing and overall help her develop a successful paper. On the last day of my tutoring session with her, I felt a sense of pride and self-appreciation knowing that I help someone else realize what they are truly capable of and not letting certain guidelines restrict you from expressing the person that you truly are.

Overall, I believe that education within the classroom and tutoring these strategies and techniques enhancing a student’s capability through writing. The way that I would enact collaborative learning and student-centered tutoring is through these specific strategies such as free writing, free talking, and conversation. These strategies and techniques are effective and useful in any classroom setting as well outside the classroom. As a future educator, I want to able to assist every student the best way that I know how. I know that every student is different in there own way, but at the same time I want to allows my students to take that leap of faith whether they think there decision maybe wrong or right. At the end of the day, that’s what makes education and being a teacher so much more rewarding, knowing that you have learned something new; whether you failed or succeed.