Recap: Weeks 2 and 3

Very sorry for the lapse in postings. Following the assignments has been fairly easy since the majority of my weekly appointments are from Pegeen's class. I find that very little time each session is devoted to reviewing the previous week's work or re-reading the assignment, which is helpful.

Week 2 I sat in on the Thursday class and listened to the group revision discussion. I appreciated being invited to watch this process because it gave me further insight into what Pegeen's goals were for the class and it also allowed me to see how the writers were responding to her teaching style. After watching the group discussion I mirrored some of Pegeen's techniques in the cubicle, which the writers responded to positively.

After the group revision Pegeen broke up the writers into small groups to finish the revision process for everyone's essays. I was placed with three writers and Pegeen asked me to offer feedback on each essay. This proved to be a bit difficult because there was not much time available to give a full reading to each paper. Furthermore, when it came to sharing our views on the writing, I felt a bit pressed for time and ultimately had to provide bullet point-style feedback, which I do not like to do. The writers heard what the strengths and weaknesses were in their essays but we did not get to fully discuss how to begin the revision process. No doubt this was most likely covered with Pegeen in class, but I would have liked to give full feedback to each writer as well.

I feel very positive and optimistic about the program from my sessions in week 3. I noticed considerable revisions in some of the writers' final essays with better understanding of why they made their decisions on the page.

My only concerns are with the small group work. I felt a bit uncomfortable that Thursday when I attended class because I was alone and only one group of writers was able to meet with me. I know that scheduling has been difficult but I feel that a second tutor would provide more balance to the tutor-student dynamic in class. Also, the limited time affected the quality of feedback I was able to provide the writers. If possible I would like to sit in on the entire class so that my presence is not viewed as a disruption and there is no need to brief me on what the class has been working on before I arrive. This might also provide more time for feedback as well.

-Brian