1. Patty Hazle College of LSA University of Michigan Class of 2015 ESL STUDENTS IN THE WRITING CENTER Examining the Peer Relationship & Tutoring Practices

2.  Fall semester, 2012: Total of 8,491 international  students  scholars  faculty  staff  13.5% international students ESL AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

3. ESL BACKGROUND  Complex Relationships  1. Tutor and writer  2. Writer and the English language  Different social cues, learning process & standards, culture  Each ESL student is an individual encounter  Tutor must adapt from student to student  Excellent tutors are equipped with techniques to overcome impasses with ESL students in the writing center  Tutor Relationship: Expert vs. Peer

4.  Nancy Hayward compares culture to an iceberg  We see the top 10% (clothing, food, customs, social customs)  The rest is submerged  There is no “right” or “wrong” culture SETTING UP EXPECTATIONS  Therefore, we must consider that an ESL student will approach a session differently than a NS  Sweetland tutor: non-directive approach  ESL student might not consider it an appropriate approach

5.  1. Expect that tutor directly dictates course of the session  2. Think that tutor should be older, have extensive writing/tutoring experience, be a native English speaker  3. Students do not question authority  4. Interpret politeness and formality differently  5. Anxiety because of power relationships UNDERSTANDING TUTOR RELATIONSHIP OFTENTIMES, ESL STUDENTS STRUGGLE WITH UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP OF A PEER TUTOR, AND COME IN WITH EXPECTATIONS TO WORK WITH AN EXPERT

6.  When the tutor is seen as EXPERT instead of PEER: - Contributes to misconceptions about “fix-it-center” - Sometimes do not accept tutor as reliable source ISSUES IN RELATIONSHIP - Students do not take ownership of papers - Hard to engage in collaborative process - Feel disrespectful asserting opinions - Do not respond to non-directive approach

7.  Set up proper expectations  Explain goals of the writing center before beginning work  Establish peer relationship (not expert)  Employ earnest rapport and ice breakers where appropriate  Explain own difficulties with the writing process  Give an example of how to utilize a reference book  Find ways to communicate that provide a less formal environment for the student  Use student’s body language to judge what level of politeness and formality they are comfortable with (big introduction vs. quietly entering the session) TECHNIQUES TO EMPLOY

8.  Help the student take ownership  Ask them to read the paper out loud  Ask leading questions about content  If it does not work for them to read the paper out loud tutor can read it & have student recognize their own errors  Accommodates students who are uncomfortable by the spotlight because their culture identifies more with group than individual  Ascertain whether the student is making a mistake vs. an error in their paper  Devise a strategy to help teach them, allows them to take away skills for future writing process  Recognize patterns of error  Enables tutor to diagram problem & fully articulate to student TECHNIQUES TO EMPLOY

9.  Encourages ESL students to continue with tackling writing process  Sends message that the writing process is difficult and ongoing  No one correct way to write, or an easy solution to paper writing  Writing cannot be fixed quickly  Eliminates the tendency for editing  Encourages multiple drafts  Paves way for extended discourse about a particular piece of writing or overall writing process  Improves the individual’s skill set  Be sure to adjust techniques from student to student to cater to their needs and cultural backgrounds ESTABLISHING PEER RELATIONSHIP: WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

10.  Do you have a relationship with an international or ESL peer(s) that you can recall?  Based on cues indicating their specific culture, in what way would you present the writing center to them that would prompt them to utilize it?  In what instances might this attention to cultural difference and particular sensitivity to relationship be applicable outside of the writing center? FOOD FOR THOUGHT

11.  Brice, Colleen Marie. ESL Writers’ Reactions to Teacher Feedback: A Multiple Case Study. 1998.  Gitzen, Mary. Face to Face: Conferencing As ESL Writing Instruction. 2002.  Jordan, Cecil Terrell, III. ESL, “comp,” And Composition: Terms, Assumptions, Implications, And New Practices for Native and Nonnative English-speaking Students. 2006.  Shanti, Bruce. ESL Writers: A Guide for Writing Center Tutors. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.  University of Michigan International Center 2012 Statistical Report WORKS CITED