So, because it is the first week of discussion groups, we’re going to approach this a bit differently than we normally will. As is explained on the page for Discussion Groups and Participation Notebooks, typically your groups will meet to talk about the readings and workshop various assignments. While some of that will be happening this first week, this will also be a chance for you to get familiar with the process as a whole. I’m also taking into account that it might take a bit more time to get the groups coordinated this first session as well.
Here are the tasks for this week’s group discussion (follow the links for a more detailed explanation):
- Group Icebreaker
- Talk about the course and your experiences “tutoring” on Monday
- Discuss the Reading
- Come up with one or two main takeaways to share with the rest of the class
- Don’t forget to complete your Participation Notebook
1. Group Icebreaker (approximately 15 minutes)
I’m hoping that we’ll be able to create a productive, supportive, and engaged writing community through this experience. So, to get that started, you’ll be doing a short icebreaker in your groups. (I know… but the awkwardness is worth it.)
You can find your group’s information here: Group Details
In your assigned groups, do the following:
- Everyone get together and in the appropriate folder in our shared Google Drive, create a new document with your names in the title.
- In your session, introduce yourselves and get to know one another. Your ultimate goal for this conversation, however, will be to find 3 things you all have in common and 1 thing that is unique to each of you. Keep in mind, the things you have in common should not be “We’re all students at UCSB” or “We like the beach.” Instead, really try to find out what you have in common, and don’t forget about figuring out what is unique to each of you in the group. (Again, my apologies if you’ve done this with me before… no need to reinvent the wheel 😉 )
- Be sure to write down what you come up with in the document.
2. Talk about the course (approximately 10-15 minutes)
- As I include on the schedule for the week you should individually read through the Course Assignment prompts (located on the drop down menu at the top of the page or linked on the syllabus) in their entirety. For this part of the group session, I’m asking that you talk about this with one another. We have talked about it as a class a fair amount, but I do find that trying to set up a plan for moving forward can be a great approach to relieve unnecessary anxiety or stress.
- What questions do you have?
- What concerns do you have?
- What are you looking forward to?
- What are you confused about?
- Are you thinking about doing Additional Work Options (for a grade higher than a B+)? If so, which ones? Why?
- How can you help one another?
Really take some time to talk these through and maybe even come up with plans for everyone as to which assignments you’ll do and when. This streamlined schedule of deadlines might also help with the process.
- Take some time to talk about your brief tutoring experiences on Monday. What stood out to you? What concerns did you have? What surprised you? Basically, just take some time to talk about and reflect on the experience.
3. Discuss Reading (at least 15 minutes)
This is the part of the group discussions that will happen every week. This is a chance for you to have an actual conversation about the material for the week. Ask questions about things that you are confused about, point out things you find interesting, talk about your experiences with the concepts… basically, have a conversation about any or all of the readings and help one another grasp the concepts of the readings.
As I mention above, I want the group discussions to be a productive space for everyone, so I’ve included some guiding questions about the readings below to help spark some thoughts. I want to emphasize, though, that these are optional. You can definitely talk about these in group (or in the dialectical journal), but you can also talk about other things as well.
Readings/Possible Topics for Discussion
This week’s readings are extremely accessible and relatively short, and they are all about the practical aspects of tutoring:
- Gillespie and Lerner’s chapter, “The Tutoring Process,” walks you through the entire tutoring session from start to end, offering strategies along the way. In particular, they contrast their approaches with those an editor would take – highlighting the differences between the two.
- Ryan and Zimmerelli’s chapter, “Inside the Tutoring Session,” similarly offers practical tutoring suggestions; however, they do so with online tutoring in mind. That is, they consider approaches that would work equally well in both face-to-face tutorials, as well as synchronous online tutorials that happen almost entirely through writing.
- The chapter, “Helping Writers throughout the Writing Process,” echoes some of the same advice as the previous two; however, it is framed in terms of the writing process specifically. You should find this article especially helpful for your own development as a writer.
After reading through these chapters, consider discussing with your group:
- What is your main takeaway from the readings this week? How does that align with your own experiences as a writer?
- What tips/strategies/advice do you think is intuitive and makes sense? Which surprise you?
- What strategies do you think would come rather easily or naturally for you? Which would feel less comfortable with?
- How might some of this work (or not work) in sessions conducted via Zoom? Why?
- What are you most concerned about for your own individual consultations when you are the tutor/consultant?
- How do you think your own writing process can be improved by taking some of this advice?
4. Come up with one or two main takeaways to share with the rest of the class (5-10 minutes)
So, just following group work on Wednesdays, we’ll reconvene as a class and talk (briefly) about what each group discussed. For this, try to come up with one or two main concepts, points, questions, etc. that you want to share from your group with the rest of the class. Be sure to write these down in the document from earlier.
5. Don’t forget to complete your Participation Notebook
By the end of the day Friday, 10/10, you should complete your Week 2 Participation Notebook entry. That said, it’s always easiest to just do it at the end of the group work session, if you have time. (It’s fresh in your mind and then you don’t have to remember later in the week.)