tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790062.post2887079023098580190..comments2024-03-27T08:11:29.257-06:00Comments on PeerCentered: Place on the totem poleClint Gardnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07671508034667904543noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790062.post-31442545795108067272007-10-10T11:29:00.000-06:002007-10-10T11:29:00.000-06:00in re: to the original post, as well as Alisha's c...in re: to the original post, as well as Alisha's comment- I feel like this is a really important example for all peer tutors. Before my first sessions as a peer tutor I truly feared the prospect of a student who would call me out for not being an "expert". I have found that my non-expertise is actually a selling point for a lot of students. Students often fear faculty- with their notorious red pens, and I find that they are much more at ease with me, a fellow student. sometime this leads to them opening up alot more about insecurities in their writing that help me to better address what they really need to fe focusing on.<BR/><BR/>The idea of a student like Sam's, who obviously has a real profficiency for academia (how much advanced Chem. do you think a pharmocolgist takes?!)is real and intimidationg. I think alot of peer tutors have a good feel for what profs. are looking for, at least in a fundamental sense& that is really helpful to the average student. I also think that sometimes the specific work on grammar and phrasing that ESL students of all ages request is just as important to them as more global issues in writing can be to native English speakers. A student like the one that Sam had obviously knows what he is talking about. He doesn't need the help with developing ideas or generating examples that some students need. <BR/><BR/>I was happy to read this post, mainly because I often worry about the student who expects an expert, or the one who wants me to edit his or her paper. In the case of this example, however, some amount of help with editing and grammar is exactly what the student needs to be working on. what a relief to rememer that we can serve different purposes for different students! T<BR/><BR/>THanks Sam and Alisha!sabrinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14829449045303674494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3790062.post-84083864699365309092007-10-08T18:38:00.000-06:002007-10-08T18:38:00.000-06:00Umm...Sam, you are just as smart as the writer tha...Umm...Sam, you <B>are</B> just as smart as the writer that you worked with--the two of you just look at things differently and have very different talents--as this post so nicely illustrates [insert cute smiley face here]. <BR/><BR/>I really like that you chose to post about the ELL student, and I think it's an experience that will probably happen to all consultants eventually--not the business card thing (that's just a really cool bonus. Lucky...geesh), but the fact that you participated in a consultation where the subject matter was a real challenge.<BR/><BR/>I think that I'll be able to take some of the insight that you've written here and take it into a similar consultation. This post reinforces the fact that although we can't always see how consultations relate to the larger equation, what we say and what we do does greatly affect others.<BR/><BR/>I also commend you for not giving up on the COBE consultation altogether. I still have issues with MLA and am terrified that my next consultation will be regarding APA. I don’t know anything (other than what’s been talked about in class) about citing that way, and don't think that I'm not just a tiny bit (a lot) glad I haven't had one yet...I just jinxed myself!<BR/><BR/>You're doing well, Sam...keep it up!Alisha Kamphhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03021863287095747457noreply@blogger.com