As I went through my 103 student's paper, I wondered if there was any sort of guideline that I could make for myself as I corrected it. And then I wondered whether or not there was already guidelines made up for grading papers. Not grammatical rules or essay formatting but general structuring for the tutor to be a more effective helper. Then I couldn't seem to remember whether or not I should mark grammar mistakes of the paper or mention them later in the session and whether or not I should even start talking about immediate obvious errors and such. The second portfolio's paper seems much longer than the first and it is obviously more difficult to come up with a way to have an indepth conversation of the paper. I think that in this specific student, it will be easier for me to be nondirective and try to have explain certain things about his paper.
I realize tutors have to be very flexible and cannot always go through step by step in a session. There's the possibility of the student bringing his own concerns to the table; also, he may want to go over specific grammar issues and it does not seem right to even suggest going over something else first. I mean, he did come to the session wanting to get answers and if I have those answers I should help him figure things out, right?
I need to find ways I can have my own guidelines to create a stimulating and thought provoking atmospheres but also be able to switch back and forth from being general to more narrow issues. How do I do this?
Actually, the biggest question I have at this moment is how i can get the student to be interested in his own paper. I know in the past when I went to my writing fellow, the times I left feeling hopeful and that I needed to fix a lot of things in my paper was when I was the most excited. Maybe i need to try to get out of the writer more of what he does not understand and what he wants to fix and in this way help the student become excited about his paper.
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