Karla Williams October 14, 2013 WRD 396, Writing Fellows

Peer Tutoring Philosophy

In this rough draft, I will be forming ideas for my peer tutoring philosophy. Some of the questions I will be answering are found in the handbook, and I will begin forming ideas as to what the finished draft will be like. Difference Between a Peer and a Tutor? To me, being a peer means viewing another person, like a classmate, as a person to refer to for help. A peer could be a friend who is good at writing and can be helpful, or a peer could be a classmate who is also struggling with something involving writing. In terms of a tutor, I think a tutor will be more helpful in answering confusing questions a writer has, and could be more specific with answering questions such as Does my thesis have a valid argument? or questions about organization. Im not saying that a tutor has more authority than a peer would, because I consider myself a peer when Im in class and I ask someone for help. When I tell someone Im a tutor, theres a certain assumption about how I approach writing. While there may not be obvious distinctions between a peer and a tutor, I believe that a tutor is a little more skilled in the expertise. Types of Feedback

From a student perspective, I think the most effective comments are direct comments. I think direct comments could be really helpful, but not to the point when a tutor ends up assimilating a students writing. I found that during my first round of written feedback, I noticed that most of my comments were really direct. I didnt try to be strict with the tone of my comments, but I found myself including comments such as I suggest doing this, or Instead of saying this, simply say this. I just thin with encouraging comments, the tutors word get lost in translation and the student might feel like they dont need to change anything. Im not saying that encouraging comments arent needed, but if used excessively they can come off as non-genuine.

How Working With Me Will Go.. I want students to leave appointments feeling like their writings matters, and they dont to be perfect with their writing. Just because they turn in the final draft, doesnt mean everything we covered in the appointment made that final draft perfect; there is always room for revision. I know that some students come into appointments feeling frustrated about what they want to work on, if global concerns are more important than local concerns, if their thesis sounds good, the list goes on. After an appointment with me, I want students to feel that its alright to not have the completed final draft ready to go over when they meet with me. I want them to walk out feeling like what they have is ready to hand in to a teacher, and feel excited about having someone else read their work. Students should feel confident in their writing and never second guess if they are good enough. My Attitude

I think peer writing tutors should have a positive and open mind when working with a writer. Writers come from various backgrounds, so I will have to respect a writers perspective about a certain issue. I understand there will be disagreements about what the tutor thinks or what the writer thinks, but Im sure the student and the tutor could come to some agreement with discussing an issue.