As an instructor, I've noticed that students frequently correct minor errors I've commented on and ignore higher order concerns. These include thesis statements, topic sentences, opposing arguments in persuasive essays, and elaboration of interesting but under-developed ideas.
Is this because it's easier to fix grammar and punctuation errors than it is to think more deeply? Or is it because students believe the lower-order concerns (surface errors) are more important than the higher order concerns (big picture)?
Following are a few nuggets of advice in "The Third Voice" that I liked especially:
* We need to translate teacher comments into questions that spark conversation with the student about his or her work;
* We need to break down the steps that the student needs to take so he or she isn't overwhelmed.
When we're not sure what a professor means by a written comment, I believe we all encourage our student writers to confer with their instructors. This is the students' responsibility and part of their taking ownership of their work.
What's your perspective, as tutors, students, and professors?
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One thing that really caught my attention was the statement that the teacher isn't always a "real audience". The student knows that, whatever the instructor may try to do or say, ultimately, the instructor is evaluating and grading the paper. I was aware of this in some sense before, but I had never thought of it quite as concretely. This can greatly complicate the writing problem for ESL students because: they don't have a good grasp of the English writing process, they don't always understand what their instructor wants, their instructor is sometimes a "fake" audience and they don't have a good understanding of L1 speakers as a possible, broader audience. ESL students also face a problem with peer-review because most (or all) of their peers are also ESL students so they don't have a good idea of audience either.
ReplyDeleteWriting tutors are so important because, by default, we are a "real" audience--we don't know much about what the student is writing and, although we'll be giving feedback, we will never have to say whether the paper is "good" or "bad" and we'll never have to give a grade. Students usually have some knowledge of this; hence, they feel a little more comfortable opening up to tutors and seeking/accepting guidance.
Another reason the tutor is an excellent audience for the student is that the tutor is a physical person that the student can look at, talk to and ask questions of. In this situation, the audience becomes a living entity instead of an abstract and theoretical concept.
This article is very helpful because it reminds us tutors of our very important and very unique role in a student's burgeoning writing.