Note Taking Reflection

My note taking strategies.

I think my note taking strategies are pretty effective. I try to write most of what I see going on, in terms of body language and dialogue. The tough part for me is the angle. Sometimes I have to sit in whatever chair is available and it may not necessarily be the most effective spot to sit duet ot he fact that it can be difficult seeing facial expressions of students.

I guess I am satisfied in my note taking skills however one problem that I have is that I try to type everything that I am noticing during the session. Bouncing back between body language, sighs and dialogue is challenging. I sometimes end sentences with “…..” because I am not able to type what is being said word for word, which is okay because I usually understand the topic of conversation and can identify patterns after I revisit my writing which brings me to the topic of revisiting my work.

When I revisit the notes that I wrote, I try to color code, elaborate on certain parts of the session that I found interesting or important but was not able to fully talk about during my note taking session. In addition, I may color code and identify patterns. I may break up my sections according to the patterns that I noticed such as a shift in body language or every time the student would nod and agree with the tutor and then write something down.

I also like to make note of times. During my typing I try to look at the time as often as I can so that I have an idea of what happens every ten to fifteen minutes.

Sometimes I get tired of typing and just sit back and observe, making small notations in my document. I usually highlight it in a different color on order to remind myself to revisit the section.

Writing Center Philosophy

Angela Castillo October 14, 2010 Eng 5070 Writing Center Philosophy

Welcome to the Writing Center at Kean University!

Researchers Shamoon and Burns wrote, “Social Constructionists characterize writing as a social act rather than a process of personal discovery or individual expression.” The Kean University Writing Center believes that learning best occurs when individuals interact with one another through conversation. Inspired by social constructivists theories, our writing center staff believe that answers are not found within text. Instead, we believe answers are found within the readers and writers who bring their own ideas and values to the writing.

Here at Kean University’s writing center, students are given a chance to articulate and explore their ideas with experienced writing coaches on a one to one basis for duration of 45 minutes. We invite undergraduate, graduate and faculty to make an appointment with one of writing coaches. Our writing coaches are experienced in working with students of all different majors and levels.

Writing Center Staff

In order to promote an environment where students will feel comfortable talking about their work, Kean’s Writing Center hired staff that are both undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, all of the writing center staff completed 120 hours of extensive tutor training over the course of two months. Through training, staff learned about the pedagogical influences behind writing center theory. They also observed and practiced conducting coaching sessions. In addition, coaches hired do not necessarily have to be English Majors. They can be Biology majors, Education majors, Criminal Justice majors, etc.

In order to encourage a collaborative tutoring atmosphere, undergraduate coaches are suggested to work with undergraduate coaches, while graduate coaches can work with both undergraduate and graduate students. According to researchers, McAndrew and Reigstad, “the tutor and writer, share equally the conversation, problem solving and decision making.”

Undergraduate coaches are least sophomore level. Both graduate and undergraduate coaches completed English 1030 with a B and all have 3.0 GPA or higher. In addition, all will require two letters of recommendation from either a professors or former employer.

In addition to working with undergraduate and graduate students, our writing center also works with faculty and professors. There are two professors who provide coaching sessions at our center. These professors all teach composition courses and too have gone through extensive tutor training.

Furthermore, weekly staff meetings are conducted in order to discuss any questions or concerns they hard during the week.

Writing Center Administration

Our writing center has a hierarchal structure. The writing center coordinator oversees the coaches and two administrative assistants. Staff is held accountable for their delegated or volunteered responsibilities such as publicity events.

What researches have influenced my writing center philosophy?

I agree with both Bouquet and North's view of coaching. I do not want to use only minimalist tutoring because I think students may leave frustrated and will never want to come back if a coach comes off as "not caring" or "rude". However, I believe that minimalist tutoring may be the best approach for coaches who feel very passionate about the subject that the student is writing about. This is because when coaches feel strongly about a familiar topic, they may struggle with preventing themselves from talking too much and dominating the conversation. This may leave students feeling as if they were talking to a teacher instead of a coach.

In addition, I think that writing coaches should not become therapist either. Although it is important to establish good relationships with students, coaches are not trained to be guidance counselors or psychologist. In addition, this may lead to off topic conversations, and for a student, coming to the writing center just to "vent" may become habitual. Writing coaches can only do so much for students, this is why I think there should be a balance between minimalist tutoring and overly sympathetic tutoring.

Blog 9..Ideas about My Writing Center

In this blog, I will revisit and revise what I posted in last three paragraphs of blog 7 which were in regards to my writing center philosophy.

Who will my writing center serve?

My writing center will work with all types of writers within university . Regardless, my writing center will work with writers of all levels, who are either students or faculty.

Who will work in my writing center?

The coaches will be at least sophomore level. They must have completed English 1030 with a B and must have a 3.0 GPA or higher. In addition, there will also be undergraduate, graduate and adjunct faculty who will coach students at my writing center. The writing coaches at my center will be a diverse group of students that reflect the student population. Coaches hired do not necessarily have to be English Majors. They can be Biology majors, Education majors, Criminal Justice majors, etc.

In addition, undergraduate and graduate coaches will require two letters of recommendation from either a professors or former employer.

Who will do most of the talking during the sessions?

During tutoring sessions, the main focus will be on the student. This is not a place where the coach will do most of the talking. Instead, the coach will use various forms of inquiry in order for the student to generate ideas. From the beginning, I would like to establish an understanding with the school or university, that the writing center is not a place where people should expect the tutor to act as a teacher. I will try to get this message across through different forms of publicity.

What training will my staff have?

In addition, daily training is necessary in order to prepare coaches to deal with situations in which students think tutors are the teachers. Training will consists of familiarizing staff with texts and presentations about writing centers throughout history and across the nation. Training will also consist of mock sessions, what if scenarios, videos, observations and one on one feedback through the course of a month (Hopefully there is enough money to fund all this).

In addition, I will hold weekly meetings with my coaches in order to discuss any questions or concerns they hard during the week. Attendance will be taken at each of these meetings.

What type of administrative structure will my center have?

In regards to administration, I think a hierarchal structure would be necessary. I think that there needs to be a person in charge of the writing center who delegates tasks to other members. In addition, I am a stickler for rules. I need organization and people should be held accountable for their delegated or volunteered responsibilities. I think there should be assistants who will work one on one with each coach. This is because my fear in having a writing center with a collaborative structure is that coaches and staff members may lose sight of their tasks and will point fingers in regards to accountability.

What researches have influenced my writing center philosophy?

In addition, I agree with both Bouquet and North's view of coaching. I do not want to use only minimalist tutoring because I think students may leave frustrated and will never want to come back if a coach comes off as "not caring" or "rude". However, I believe that minamilist tutoring may be the best approach for coaches who feel very passionate about the subject that the student is writing about. This is because when coaches feel strongly about a familiar topic, they may struggle with preventing themselves from talking too much and dominating the conversation. This may leave students feeling as if they were talking to a teacher instead of a coach.

In addition, I think that writing coaches should not become therapist either. Although it is important to establish good relationships with students, coaches are not trained to be guidance counselors or psychologist. In addition, this may lead to off topic conversations, and for a student, coming to the writing center just to "vent" may become habitual. Writing coaches can only do so much for students, this is why I think there should be a balance between minimalist tutoring and overly sympathetic tutoring.

Blog 8 Messy Draft

*Note to classmates: This is just my messy draft. I realize I need to organize this and integrate quotes. I also need to strengthen my opening paragraph and work on my focus. I feel like I am all over the place.I need to put my . I am planning to color code this draft and find areas in which I can incorporate quotes*

There are unstated rules in academic writing culture that may confuse students who have never heard this information the past. These unstated academic rules include writing research papers without using the writer’s opinion or the words “I,me,my,our..etc”. For example, professors expect students to know the difference between an opinion and stating a position through use of concrete examples and citations. Not only are examples and citations required in justifying a position, but writers need to explicate after providing evidence. The explications must be tied into the focus of their papers as well as the quotes or paraphrasing which they have provided. (Insert quote or paraphrasing in this paragraph with citation included). As the citations are intertwined within the students writing, it must also be tied in and cohesive so the paper maintains a flow and the reader is not confused or thrown off by choppy language. Justifying a position within academic writing means more than merely cutting and pasting a quote.

Students may have a trouble with this for a variety of reasons. One reason may be that the student did not learn about explicating in high school. Another reason may be because writing valued on social networks, blogs and forums revolve around the individuals and how they portray themselves. Another reason is because of the way individuals voice out their opinions and justify their reasoning through the internet; this is done through visual rhetoric. (Insert quote or paraphrasing in this paragraph with citation included)

Forums, blogging and social networking revolve around the creation and recreation of identify and self. Therefore individuals on the internet are accustomed to writing about his or her own selves on a daily, monthly or weekly basis. The types of writing that is valued on these types of websites are the writing that states a position while providing a realistic and honest truth. This is where the problem lies. Because individuals are accustomed to writing about themselves on the internet, they may bring the same assumptions to academic writing. Students who have not been exposed to prior knowledge about these conventions of academic writing may not necessarily be equipped to effectively write research papers in the way their professors expect. (Insert quote or paraphrasing in this paragraph with citation included)

Forums, blogging and social networking also provide individuals with chances to justify the positions through the use of visual cues. For example, on the internet, in order to validate a point, a picture or a video or article or website can be linked. No further explanation is required, a link is simply cut and pasted. This is what is valued on the internet. This value conflicts with the values of academic writing. (Insert quote or paraphrasing in this paragraph with citation included).

This brings forth issues in the writing center. Most of the time, the writers do not understand the importance of explaining their quotes in their essay. Instead they want the coaches and tutors to merely proofread. This is because they may not have acquired the language to talk about their papers. Students who have not had any prior experience with writing research papers, and essays that require integration of quotes, only request feedback on grammar.

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Final Draft

Angela Castillo

Dr. Chandler

Writing Cultures Essay

October 13, 2010

The Effects of the Internet’s Values of Writing on Kean Freshmen

There are unstated rules in academic writing culture that may confuse students who have never heard this information the past. These values include the hyperlinked activities on the internet verses linear arguments in academic writing as well as self focused writing on the internet driven by emotion verses audience focused writing in academia driven by reason (Thaiss). Because of different values of writing on the internet and academia, students who are unaware of the audience expectations, arrive at the Kean University Writing Center with essays that may not necessarily follow the standard conventions of academic writing.

Thaiss et al. argue that academic writing can be defined as “student writing in response to an academic assignment, or professional writing that trained "academics"—teachers and researchers—do for publications read and conferences attended by other academics.” However this type of writing comes with unstated rules which include writing research papers without using the writer’s opinion or the words “I,me,my,our..etc”. For example, professors expect students to know the difference between an opinion and stating a position through use of concrete examples and citations.

Not only are examples and citations required in justifying a position, but writers need to explicate after providing evidence. Through academic writing, writers are expected to pose philosophical arguments. In order for students to pose philosophical arguments, they must be equipped with the necessary tools in order to “ identify debates and disagreements among sources, question and evaluate sources, define key terms and engage counter arguments” (Sommers). According to Nancy Sommers, in academic writing, in order to pose philosophical arguments, students must “begin with a thesis, outline a debate, synthesize competing positions, notice questions and implications which arise from this synthesis, explain how these questions might be answered, offer counter arguments, and propose solutions”. This formula requires writers to expound on their citations which are expected to be tied into the focus of their papers. This type of writing is mostly based on text.

Unlike academic writing, communication on computers is not solely based on text. Communication on a computer is referred to by Susan C. Herring as “computer-mediated discourse.” Herring states that computed-mediated discourse currently uses text forms of communication. According to Herring:

Text-based CMC takes a variety of forms (e.g.,e-mail, discussion groups, real-time chat, virtual reality role-playing games) whose linguistic properties vary depending on the kind of messaging system used and the social and cultural context embedding particular instances of use.(1)

Currently one of more popular websites that promotes the use of text-based CMC that is most popular is the website known as Facebook.com. According to Facebook.com’s press section, there are over 500 million active users. In addition the website states, “50% of their active users log on to Facebook in any given day.” The website also states that the “average user has 130 friends” and “people spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook”. This means that millions of users are communicating with friends and group pages in regards to their personal opinions.

In regards to freshman students at Kean University, many of them are familiar with using computers and social networks. Kean University has taken into consideration the popularity of social networking and has created it’s own page on Facebook.com and Twitter.com which is linked to the University’s main website. According to Carolyn Handa, “students surround themselves with multimedia and cyber texts. At younger and younger ages, they become adept at playing entirely visual computer games and watch more television and movies than previous generations ever did (3). With that in mind, freshmen students from Kean University may be exposed to more visual rhetoric than students or professors who are much older than they are. In addition when individuals use social networks and blogging sites, “they construct their own highly sophisticated Web pages, they use Web browsers to create pages that almost always include visual elements. They make their own visuals. . .” (3)

However, this can lead to problems with writers who are unaware of the standard conventions of academic writing. Because writing valued on social networks, blogs and forums revolve around the individuals and how they portray themselves, they may choose to incorporate their own personal feelings and emotions in their academic essays. According to Thaiss, “Perhaps the most common instruction by teachers in regard to the control by reason of emotion is to avoid "impressionism": merely expressing "feelings" or opinions.” In addition students who are only familiar with the values of writing the internet may need guidance in setting their purpose, tone and arguments when writing for an academic audience. Handa states that:

Students who possess a high degree of technological skill may see the value in knowing how to create a document using the latest digital took but not understand the importance of thinking carefully about rhetorical questions such as the appropriate audience, purpose, tone and argument (Shauf). (3).

Moreover, academic writing requires individuals to not only provide evidence which supports their reasoning, but they must also be able to explain in order to justify the use of their source. Students may experience difficulty in justifying their reasons in their academic work because of the way individual’s voice out their opinions and justify their reasoning through the internet; this is done through visual digital rhetoric. According to Mary E. Hocks, “digital rhetoric describes a system of ongoing dialogue and negotiations among writers, audiences, and institutional contexts, but it focuses on the multiple modalities available for making mean-ing using new communication and information technologies”. This ongoing dialogue between writers can come in the form of “graphics, screen design, and other media forms” (Mirel, Barbara).

Consequently, forums, blogs and social networks such as Facebook.com, provide individuals with chances to justify the positions through the use of visual cues. For example, on the internet, in order to validate a point, a picture or a video or article or website can be linked. No further explanation is required; a link is simply cut and pasted. There lies the problem of visual arguments. According to Handa, “visual arguments tend to be one-dimensional. They present the case for one side only, without including the arguments against it, or without doing so sympathetically, and without representing alternative standpoints and their merits and defects” (361).

In conclusion, because emotional/self focused writing valued on social networking, forums and blogs, it conflicts with the values of academic writing which is driven by reason. In addition, because hyperlinked activities are valued on the internet, students may have trouble familiarizing themselves linear arguments. With that in mind, students may bring these assumptions to the writing center. Students who have not been exposed to prior knowledge about these conventions of academic writing may not necessarily be equipped to effectively write research papers in the way their professors expect.

Works Cited

Bishop, Wendy. "Places to Stand: The Reflective Writer-Teacher-Writer in Composition." College Composition and Communication. National Council of Teachers of English, Sept. 1999. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. .

Facebook. Facebook, 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2010.

info.php?statistics>.

Handa, Carolyn. Visual Rhetoric in a Digital World: a Critical Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2004. Print.

Herring, Susan C. "Computer-Mediated Discourse." The Handbook of Discourse Analysis. By Deborah Schiffrin, Deborah Tannen, and Heidi Ehernberger. Hamilton. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2001. Print.

Hocks, Mary E. "Understanding Visual Rhetoric in Digital Writing Environments." College Composition and Communication Vol. 54.4 (2003): 629-56. College Composition and Communication. National Council of Teachers of English, June-July 2003. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. .

Mirel, Barbara. "Writing and Database Technology: Extending the Definition of Writing in the Workplace." Electronic Literacies in the Workplace: Technologies of Writing. Ed. Patricia Sullivan and 655 CCC 54:4 / JUNE 2003 Jennie Dautermann. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1996. 91-114.

Sommers, Nancy, and Laura Saltz. "The Novice as Expert: Writing the Freshman Year." College Composition and Communication. National Council of Teachers of English, 2004. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. .

Thaiss, Chris, and Terry Zawacki. Engaged Writers, Dynamic Disciplines: Research on the Academic Writing Life. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, Heinnemann, 2006 <.http://classweb.gmu.edu/bhawk/302/academic.pdf>