Though a good amount of research suggests that teacher error correction of L1 student papers is either useless or harmful (Truscott), Dana Ferris' research finds that, given the right situation -- the correct timing, place and the priority -- students tend to request such feedback, even demand it. However, studies suggest that they often do not utilize the feedback, nor does it improve their writings in the long-term. Nonetheless, reasons Ferris, students cannot hope to make long-term improvement without short-term improvement, thus justifying error feedback.
Ferris goes on to stipulate exactly the manner in which such feedback can be most valuable. Prioritizing the feedback is critical; it's suggested that the most effective feedback focuses on frequency of errors. Thus, if a students' chief error is subject-verb agreement, Ferris recommends presenting a mini-lesson to explain the correct usage. The author finds that timing of feedback can be essential; a compromise between the first draft and later drafts would be to communicate with the student one-on-one over a preliminary draft. Giving feedback after the final draft is complete is deemed rather useless. Teachers should take care regarding the manner of feedback, tending toward the indirect approach, where the student is guided to find errors him/herself, though with some specifics, e.g. "What kind of subject-verb problem do we find in line 9?"
As far as written feedback for L1 student papers, students' responses indicated they much preferred feedback at the point of the error vs. end notes. One surprising finding in Ferris' research said that, contrary to many teachers' critiques of other teachers feedback, students had no preference for or against the dreaded RED MARKER.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
Week 1, Post 1: The Long and Winding Road
I have always loved language. Initially, I think I was fascinated by my Arkansas grandma’s twang, which sounded so different from -- and frankly, funnier than -- anyone else’s speech in our family. Then I found myself mesmerized by songs and the meanings behind lyrics, from children’s songs to Hank Williams to Motown to Dylan.
When I was twelve I had my first encounter with religion; the language of King James’ Bible felt magical. I first fell in love with literature when, in high school, we were encouraged to expand our outside reading. This is how I came upon Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath,” with it’s lovely alternate chapters of poetic/journalistic commentary. In my English BA, I adored Milton’s description of Satan in “Paradise Lost,” and, from the beginning, I’d always felt Shakespeare’s dialogues were confections as much as conversations.
In intermediate school we had to pick a foreign language to study. Having been born in Germany and having grown up with mysteries of “G.I. German” in the home, my choice was clear. My father knew a man who’d retired from his medical practice and was living in Lucerne, Switzerland. In the summer of my fourteenth year, he asked if I’d like to spend a summer in Switzerland, and I jumped at the chance. I was fairly immersed in German for about three months, an experience that ran from pure alienation and misery, at first, to an amazing feeling of enlightenment toward the end. I reveled in the people, the culture and the learning; I dreaded having to come back to my home in California. My zeal for language learning was only boosted by this experience. In time, I would study happily, if superficially, French, Spanish and Japanese, as well.
High school journalism classes afforded me the chance to use language to inform and, potentially, move people to action. Toward the same end, though in a more creative way, I would eventually put my hand to songwriting, poetry and, for a limited time, advertisement copy writing in an internship with a firm in the City. Songwriting was my greatest love. Personally, nothing had ever stirred me quite like the one-two punch of music and narrative that we find in modern songwriting, so I channeled that passion into a few rock bands in the East Bay during the early 80s, playing clubs all over the Bay Area.
Though I moved to LA after college, in part, to make it as a songwriter, I rather fell into teaching via the seduction of the emergency credential. In truth, I didn’t know what I was getting into. I’d had no formal teaching instruction. Suddenly I was teaching huge classes of hormone-crazed adolescents in ESL in South Central, complete with drive-by shootings and, worse, an even more uncooperative administration. Two years later, taking a big drop in pay, I found my way to teaching ESL in adult education centers throughout LA. I did this for about 25 years. After a very enjoyable position near the beach for twelve years, the entire school was eliminated due to budget constraints -- a tragedy for the whole community, where the school had served for over seventy years. For my part, it broke my heart to walk away from the joyous students I’d been blessed to teach, and who’d taught me much about loyalty, friendship and the bounty of a (comparatively) non-materialistic culture.
Unemployed, I took some literature courses at a community college. They reminded me of my earlier passion for reading and writing, which, to be honest, I’d neglected to some extent, in favor of songwriting. I remembered, too, my favorite class at UC Berkley, Rhetoric 101. It was easily the most student-centered course in my college experience; the discussions were always lively, sometimes even aggressive. The goal was to master persuasive writing. The means to that end was critical thinking, questioning everything, and honing our writing skills until we were capable of persuading our most ardent opponents. Like my summer of “enlightenment” in Switzerland, Rhetoric 101 felt like a great “wake up” time. Looking back, this was the turning point, I suppose, where I discovered clearer thinking and clearer writing. In choosing a new career direction for myself, I’ve decided to return to my Rhetoric “roots,” to try to help other young people clarify their thoughts and writing. It may well be difficult, but I’m sure it will be rewarding.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Week 3, Post 2: Tutor to Tutee
As we've seen in various articles, notably Joy Reid's "'Eye' Learners and 'Ear' Learners," much of the schema our tutees bring to the reading/writing process depends on their prior educations. Both eye learners and ear learners have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it behooves the tutor to capitalize on the former and nurture the latter. First, however, it's essential to identify whom we're working with. As Mark Robege has said, we can't merely ask if the student is Generation 1.5. Rather, we need a simple set of questions to help identify the tutee's by experience and skill set.
At the risk of appearing hideously unoriginal, it seems we could do far worse than to utilize or adapt Reid's Sample Survery/Interview Questions to Identify ESL Student Writer's Language Background ("'Eye' Learners and 'Ear' Learners," pp. 8-9). Ideally, the "interview" would not come across as an interview at all, but rather a chat that covers some rapport building and some questions like those offered by Reid. This would follow naturally after I've spoken a bit about my myself and my goals.
Questions
1. Is English your second language?
2. What's your first language?
3. Did you come to SFSU directly from high school?
4. How many years of college have you had?
4. Did you graduate from a high school in the U.S.?
5. How did you choose SFSU?
6. What do you like about SFSU?
7. How fluent are you in you first language in speaking, listening, reading, writing?
8. How did you learn English?
9. Which areas of English do you like the most -- speaking, listening, reading, writing or grammar?
10. Which areas would you like most help with?
10. What things do you like to do for fun?
11. Who do you like to spend time with in your free time?
12. What do you imagine yourself doing after you graduate?
At the risk of appearing hideously unoriginal, it seems we could do far worse than to utilize or adapt Reid's Sample Survery/Interview Questions to Identify ESL Student Writer's Language Background ("'Eye' Learners and 'Ear' Learners," pp. 8-9). Ideally, the "interview" would not come across as an interview at all, but rather a chat that covers some rapport building and some questions like those offered by Reid. This would follow naturally after I've spoken a bit about my myself and my goals.
Questions
1. Is English your second language?
2. What's your first language?
3. Did you come to SFSU directly from high school?
4. How many years of college have you had?
4. Did you graduate from a high school in the U.S.?
5. How did you choose SFSU?
6. What do you like about SFSU?
7. How fluent are you in you first language in speaking, listening, reading, writing?
8. How did you learn English?
9. Which areas of English do you like the most -- speaking, listening, reading, writing or grammar?
10. Which areas would you like most help with?
10. What things do you like to do for fun?
11. Who do you like to spend time with in your free time?
12. What do you imagine yourself doing after you graduate?
Week 3, Post 1: Twelve Little Indians
Overview
This is not as easy a task as it first appears. I had to re-read several selections 2-3 times, and even noe, I'm not 100% certain. Generally, the ear learners have a better command of idiomatic expressions, though they make certain grammatical mistakes (errors?) that ear learners would tend to know sounds "off." The student in the Introductions appears to be an ear learner, using the language idioms like, "Tell you the truth" and slang like "slacker." Student I, however, makes awkward vocabulary choices such as, "I eat green-tea every day." Most likely, this student is an eye learner.
I used a similar means to group the student papers in general. The "tip off" aspects below are in parentheses, though these are hardly the only identifying features.
Eye Learners
D (awk. vocab.), E (awk. idioms), G (awk. vocab.), H (awk. idioms), I (awk. idioms)
Ear Learners
"Pot Legal" (false cognates), "Spelling" (slang usage), "Intros" (slang usage), A (idiom usage), B (conversational grammar), C (awk. inflection/first language thinking), D (awk. inflection/first language thinking), F (awk. sentence structure, punctuation and grammar).
Twelve Divided by Three
The three categories that seem to require attention are A) Thesis/Structure, B) Argumentative Support and C) Grammare Issues/Sentence Structure/Polishing. The key question for me is one of priority. If a student needs help with all of the above, where should we begin? Do you start from scratch with sentence structure? Or do you focus on the argumentative essay -- Point, Purpose and Argument -- and take care of the finer points later? For this Blog, I chose to address the argument first; thus, if a student, like F, seems incoherent, my tendency is to brainstorm with him from the start, to be sure he has something to say.
Off Task/Needs Brainstorming/Thesis
These papers make a nod toward the prompt, then lose focus, failing to form and develop a thesis.
B, E, F, G, I
Need More Argumentative Support
These papers are chiefly on task in addressing the prompt, but they lack sufficient support either defending the thesis, or within the paragraphs. Again it's a question of focus.
" Pot Legal," A, C,
Grammar Issues/Sentence Structure
These papers were far more sophisticated in structure and tone, but they need help with with sentence structure (ex. D) or proofreading and polishing (ex. "Spelling").
"Introductions,""Spelling," H, D
Eye/Ear Summary
Clearly, a task that began by corralling eye learners and ear learners in tidy clusters took a sharp left turn when I had to address their skills. So what is the point of paying attention to such backgrounds at all? The benefit is that this equips the teacher to deal with each student as an individual, based on experience, talents, learning modalities and needs. Of course, in a group setting, such a goal may prove more difficult in application than theory, but it's absolutely impossible to achieve without focusing on it from the start.
This is not as easy a task as it first appears. I had to re-read several selections 2-3 times, and even noe, I'm not 100% certain. Generally, the ear learners have a better command of idiomatic expressions, though they make certain grammatical mistakes (errors?) that ear learners would tend to know sounds "off." The student in the Introductions appears to be an ear learner, using the language idioms like, "Tell you the truth" and slang like "slacker." Student I, however, makes awkward vocabulary choices such as, "I eat green-tea every day." Most likely, this student is an eye learner.
I used a similar means to group the student papers in general. The "tip off" aspects below are in parentheses, though these are hardly the only identifying features.
Eye Learners
D (awk. vocab.), E (awk. idioms), G (awk. vocab.), H (awk. idioms), I (awk. idioms)
Ear Learners
"Pot Legal" (false cognates), "Spelling" (slang usage), "Intros" (slang usage), A (idiom usage), B (conversational grammar), C (awk. inflection/first language thinking), D (awk. inflection/first language thinking), F (awk. sentence structure, punctuation and grammar).
Twelve Divided by Three
The three categories that seem to require attention are A) Thesis/Structure, B) Argumentative Support and C) Grammare Issues/Sentence Structure/Polishing. The key question for me is one of priority. If a student needs help with all of the above, where should we begin? Do you start from scratch with sentence structure? Or do you focus on the argumentative essay -- Point, Purpose and Argument -- and take care of the finer points later? For this Blog, I chose to address the argument first; thus, if a student, like F, seems incoherent, my tendency is to brainstorm with him from the start, to be sure he has something to say.
Off Task/Needs Brainstorming/Thesis
These papers make a nod toward the prompt, then lose focus, failing to form and develop a thesis.
B, E, F, G, I
Need More Argumentative Support
These papers are chiefly on task in addressing the prompt, but they lack sufficient support either defending the thesis, or within the paragraphs. Again it's a question of focus.
" Pot Legal," A, C,
Grammar Issues/Sentence Structure
These papers were far more sophisticated in structure and tone, but they need help with with sentence structure (ex. D) or proofreading and polishing (ex. "Spelling").
"Introductions,""Spelling," H, D
Eye/Ear Summary
Clearly, a task that began by corralling eye learners and ear learners in tidy clusters took a sharp left turn when I had to address their skills. So what is the point of paying attention to such backgrounds at all? The benefit is that this equips the teacher to deal with each student as an individual, based on experience, talents, learning modalities and needs. Of course, in a group setting, such a goal may prove more difficult in application than theory, but it's absolutely impossible to achieve without focusing on it from the start.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Top 10 Tutoring Tips
While I spent years in the classroom, I had far fewer experiences in one-on-one tutoring. The tutoring I did was entirely schooled by empathizing with students and following common sense. This list is derived from my experience and from various websites.
1. Put yourself in your tutee's shoes. Relate to him/her as a person who's struggling as bravely as he/she can. Understand the frustration. Let him/her know it's totally normal to feel "stuck" sometimes.
2. Be sure you understand the student's background before you begin. If he/she's an "eye learner" or an "ear learner," orient yourself appropriately. Much of this can be derived from the orientation info, but pay attention to speech patterns that may signal a tendency to write in a style influenced by native language, including use of false cognates.
3. Implement the Socratic method. Rather than push the student to understand his weaknesses, lead him through questioning. Wait for agreement. Begin with what the student knows and move on to less familiar material.
4. Know your material. Keep resource materials handy for explanation. If you don't know the answer to a question, say, "I'll have to get back to you on that."
5. Be flexible. Be ready to present different approaches to explain a point.
6. Be patient. If the tutee keeps drawing a blank, ask what he/she doesn't understand. If he/she isn't responding, it could be the tutee is thinking deeply, about to arrive at the answer independently, so allow "quiet time" as necessary.
7. Be creative. After you've explained a point, be ready to think up a few practice cases for your tutee to work out by him/herself, explaining how he/she arrived at the answer.
8. Give credit where credit is due. Most people are motivated by the carrot, not the stick.
9. Stay upbeat. Smile. When you and your tutee reach a dead-end, stay positive. Keep a sense of humor. Try to enjoy the moment, regardless of the difficulties.
10. Believe in your tutee. Let him/her know his/her efforts will definitely pay off; it will all be worth the work.
1. Put yourself in your tutee's shoes. Relate to him/her as a person who's struggling as bravely as he/she can. Understand the frustration. Let him/her know it's totally normal to feel "stuck" sometimes.
2. Be sure you understand the student's background before you begin. If he/she's an "eye learner" or an "ear learner," orient yourself appropriately. Much of this can be derived from the orientation info, but pay attention to speech patterns that may signal a tendency to write in a style influenced by native language, including use of false cognates.
3. Implement the Socratic method. Rather than push the student to understand his weaknesses, lead him through questioning. Wait for agreement. Begin with what the student knows and move on to less familiar material.
4. Know your material. Keep resource materials handy for explanation. If you don't know the answer to a question, say, "I'll have to get back to you on that."
5. Be flexible. Be ready to present different approaches to explain a point.
6. Be patient. If the tutee keeps drawing a blank, ask what he/she doesn't understand. If he/she isn't responding, it could be the tutee is thinking deeply, about to arrive at the answer independently, so allow "quiet time" as necessary.
7. Be creative. After you've explained a point, be ready to think up a few practice cases for your tutee to work out by him/herself, explaining how he/she arrived at the answer.
8. Give credit where credit is due. Most people are motivated by the carrot, not the stick.
9. Stay upbeat. Smile. When you and your tutee reach a dead-end, stay positive. Keep a sense of humor. Try to enjoy the moment, regardless of the difficulties.
10. Believe in your tutee. Let him/her know his/her efforts will definitely pay off; it will all be worth the work.
Groovy Blogs for Tutors
Rummaging through dozens of sites, I found a plenty that emphasized grammar (Purdue) and a lot that cater to online tutors. More relevant to this class, I found the following most useful:
writingcenter.unc.edu/esl/teacher -- Lots of tips for tutors; excellent, easy-to-understand grammar
blog.socrato.com -- This site provides great tutoring tips and provides quizzes and testing services, too.
www.edudemic -- Offers mountains of help for tutors and teachers (mostly teachers), especially in terms of technology in the classroom.
Though I rooted through dozens of sites, none were as resourceful as those listed on our I-Learn English 704 website!
www.lynchburg.edu/writing-center/alton-l-wilmer-center/tutoring-strategies -- Fantastic primer on working 1-on-1, including the importance of reading body language and how to handle "difficult" tutees (irresponsible, duplicitous, lazy).
www.etown.edu/offices/learning/module_one.aspx -- Like the Lynchburg site, this site is an embarrassment of riches for tutor tips.
writingcenter.unc.edu/esl/teacher -- Lots of tips for tutors; excellent, easy-to-understand grammar
blog.socrato.com -- This site provides great tutoring tips and provides quizzes and testing services, too.
www.edudemic -- Offers mountains of help for tutors and teachers (mostly teachers), especially in terms of technology in the classroom.
Though I rooted through dozens of sites, none were as resourceful as those listed on our I-Learn English 704 website!
www.lynchburg.edu/writing-center/alton-l-wilmer-center/tutoring-strategies -- Fantastic primer on working 1-on-1, including the importance of reading body language and how to handle "difficult" tutees (irresponsible, duplicitous, lazy).
www.etown.edu/offices/learning/module_one.aspx -- Like the Lynchburg site, this site is an embarrassment of riches for tutor tips.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
First Tutoring Experiences
I'm Troy Croom.
My first experience with tutoring came while I was working at Moss Lighting on Mission as a general laborer around 1981. I'd started Cal and dropped out to play in a band called Flexopumps. There were a couple SF City College students from China who were also laborers like myself; they were struggling with their English compositions. I was surprised at how deeply appreciative they were and how good it made me feel to help these guys. Working with them was one of the things that motivated me to return to and finish my BA in English.
A few years later, having graduated at Cal and having moved to LA, I discovered I could become a K-12 teacher with NO TRAINING; I would begin night courses in teaching instruction and work in South Central LA as an ESL instructor on an "emergency" credential for two years. Then I would go on to teach adults ESL. While I found I loved leading large groups, one-on-one instruction and motivation was always my favorite.
My first experience with tutoring came while I was working at Moss Lighting on Mission as a general laborer around 1981. I'd started Cal and dropped out to play in a band called Flexopumps. There were a couple SF City College students from China who were also laborers like myself; they were struggling with their English compositions. I was surprised at how deeply appreciative they were and how good it made me feel to help these guys. Working with them was one of the things that motivated me to return to and finish my BA in English.
A few years later, having graduated at Cal and having moved to LA, I discovered I could become a K-12 teacher with NO TRAINING; I would begin night courses in teaching instruction and work in South Central LA as an ESL instructor on an "emergency" credential for two years. Then I would go on to teach adults ESL. While I found I loved leading large groups, one-on-one instruction and motivation was always my favorite.
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