Observation # 1

Today was my first observation at the Writing Center at LaGuardia CC. I was very nervous since I didn't know how it will be. On the session (my first session) I was assigned to work with a male tutor and I had observe some thing that I will like to share.

OBSERVATION # 1:

The session was from 13:00-14:00pm. the tutor and the tutee seen to me that know each other from before, and it looks like the have a good relationship. They just started working having me there without even asking for my name. The assignment was to write a paper about "Community" I guess from what I was listening to, since they did not informed me of anything and where working on a paper that the tutor knew. The tutor used to ask open questions like " why this is important?" to have the tutee cooperate but the girl usually makes a silence and the tutor start talking again, "I think this is important because...but lets see if you can think in something else" the silence still there, it make me think that she (the tutee) wanted him to think for her. He start "Okay, talk about a 24hrs service, a public transportation".

 

The tutee start writing the information down to start building the essay. The tutor kind of guide the tutee pointing out where to put the information on her paper. The tutor later on asked her what she was thinking to put on her paper, after having the tutee answer he again asked why was it important? what made her confused? The tutor after talk about the confusions gives the tutee a lot of examples that can guide her with her paper. But again it seen to me that the tutor talk more then the tutee she did not participate a lot on the session, he give her a bid list of facts that she may use and she left the place with a smile on her face with a loosely paper full of ideas and ready to start her essay.

 

The appearance of the tutor was professional and his vocabulary was developed but his personality and he's way of approach the situation wasn't that much. The idea that a have now respecting him is that he basically write the papers for the students and do not work on develop the students critical thinking since he does the thinking part. He's actions wasn't the actions of an tutor that is on he's work place, I think he was very comfortable that he forget he was working he continuously lay on the table and touch his hair and head, he didn't introduced me or presented himself "follow me, set there and watch" was one of he's words to me.  I feel that this is not a positive experience "I hope" but let see what I found next time.