WHOSE TIME IS IT? Penny Pitrucha Frances Crawford Fennessy Nathan Roberts Sam Houston State University A Journey of Self-Discovery

Our history: Learning Assistance Center Academic Enrichment Center »January 2000 »Writing Tutors

Academic Enrichment Center Student Advising And Mentoring Center Math LabReading CenterWriting Center

SHSU Writing Center: English Department –Graduate Teaching Assistants Tutors from different disciplines »Graduate »Undergraduate

Internal auditing: It has been our practice to review our internally generated reports to determine the type of services we provide. –What type of training do our tutors need? –Do we practice according to our theory? –Is the theory that we utilize appropriate for our center?

Our job is to produce better writers, not better writing. -Stephen North All writers need writing tutors. -Muriel Harris …the need for tutors to maintain a certain amount of control and flexibility. -Paula Gillespie and Neal Lerner Most tutoring sessions can be effective in 30 minutes.

We wanted to review the student-centered concept and to determine if we truly are providing student-centered services.

Research questions: What type of service do we provide? Does this service match our theory?

Research hypotheses: We provide services that the student requests. This action supports our student-centered theory.

How the time was spent…

The research: From fall 2002 through spring 2004, we examined 9,520 reports for students in developmental English and freshman composition. Tutorial reports Student –Prompted Tutor

Overall analysis of data

SERVICES REQUESTED BY STUDENTS

SERVICES PROVIDED BY TUTORS

Understanding the Assignment Greatest Variances

Strengthening Examples/Evidence

Sharpening Purpose

Least Variances

Implications… Overall the services our tutors provide do not match the services students requested. This data indicates that while we do adhere to our theory, we cannot define our center as student-centered. There is still an unclear picture of what happens in the tutoring sessions. These tutor reports are not designed to measure the relationship between services requested and services provided. Prompted Responses Terminology

Further research… Does the level of student control of the issues discussed in sessions increase as course levels increase? What perceptions do students and tutors have concerning this issue? What can we add to this study to give a clearer indication of the type of service we are providing?

How I wish the time had been spent…

Student comment: When I bring a paper in for English, and I only want it read over for any grammatical errors, I might have it read over, I feel it isn’t productive to go over everything in my paper—in other words, yes, offer to go over the whole thing. But if I say I only want to check for misspelled words, just check that part for me!

What we knew: The initial review of the SHSU Writing Center tutorial reports indicated that we did not give students the services that they requested.

What we believed: Student services, tutorial sessions, should be student-centered. Tutorial reports may not reflect everything that happens in tutorial sessions.

The tutorial session questioned… It has become necessary to review the tutorial sessions and examine the roles each participant plays.

The research questions: Why are services that students have not asked for being provided? Why are services that students have asked for being ignored by tutors during tutorial sessions?

Research hypotheses: Tutors are overwhelmed by the amount of assistance the student’s writing requires and focus on global issues rather than local concerns. Students have questions and desires that are not requested and, thus, go unmet in the tutorial sessions.

The 2004 research: Conducted 2 surveys: Tutors Students

The tutor survey: Tutor Tutorial sessions »September 2004

The tutor’s prompts: I noticed these things in the student’s paper but did not discuss them: Because:

Tutor group results:

What does “other” mean?

Tutor constraints:

The student survey: Student 5 English instructors »September 2004

The student’s prompt: I wish I had taken the time during the tutorial session to…

Student group results:

What does “other” mean?

Tutor desires:

Student desires:

Biggest variances:

Least variances:

Distinct desires:

Implications: What the student wants is often not perceived as most important by the tutor. Student-centered may not mean doing only what the student requests. Tutors need to be trained to effectively help students…

Further research: Does student-centered mean only providing the services that the student requests? or Does student-centered mean providing the services the student needs?

“Whose time is it?”

If the time is controlled by the tutor, then the tutor has the responsibility to spend that time in the most effective way possible.

Teacher-Centered vs. Learner-Centered

Teacher-Centered Knowledge is transmitted from professor to student. The student is passively involved. The professor is the primary information giver.

Learner-Centered The student constructs knowledge through his or her own gathering and synthesizing of information. The student is actively involved. The professor’s role is to coach and facilitate.

How are the Teacher-Centered and Learner-Centered philosophies applied to the writing center?

The Writing Center as Storehouse “operates as an information station or store house, prescribing and handing out skills and strategies to individual learners” (Lunsford 4).

The Writing Center as Garret “based on a deep seated belief in individual genius. Unlike the Storehouse centers, Garret centers don’t view knowledge as exterior…but interior…and view the writing center’s job as helping students get in touch with that knowledge” (Lunsford 4).

How do these approaches translate into personal tutor philosophies?

The Montressor Method of Tutoring