You can find a downloadable pdf version of this prompt here: Individual Consultations Prompt PDF
Why?
As applies to so many things, one of the best ways to learn how to tutor writing is to actually tutor writing. With this in mind, this assignment offers you the opportunity to experience what it’s like to help someone with their writing – to put into practice the theories, concepts, and approaches that we’ll be exploring throughout this quarter.
- Consultation & Reflection #1: Fri, October 23 (Week 4)
- Consultation & Reflection #2: Fri, November 6 (Week 6)
- Consultation & Reflection #3: Fri, November 20 (Week 8)
- Consultation & Reflection #4: Fri, December 4 (Week 10)
- You need to complete any 2 of these 4 consultations in order to pass the course.
________________________________ - Additional Work Option #1: complete all 4 consultations and reflections by their deadlines
- Additional Work Option #2: record one of your consultations and complete a 1200 word written analysis using the recording as part of your reflection/discussion
The Assignment
For this assignment, you will do individual consultations in which you are the “consultant” at least twice this quarter. Following your consultations, you will write an 800-word reflection on the experience. Furthermore, at least one of them needs to be in person.
The Consultations
- As it explains above, in order to receive credit for this assignment, you need to conduct at least two consultations. At least one of the sessions should be with another student in this course. The other(s) can be with anyone you want… a friend, family member, co-worker, or other students in this course.
- At least one of your consultations should be in person.
- The consultations can be focused on any aspect of writing – the writing itself, brainstorming, revision, etc., but they should be focused.
- These consultations should be approximately 25-30 minutes long.
- Note: If you are doing the AWO #2 for this assignment, you should record and upload at least one of your consultations – either audio or video w/ audio. (For this, I recommend that you record and upload a consultation that you have with someone else in the class.)
- If you have any questions about how to record and upload the session via Zoom, just let me know.
The Reflections
Following each consultation, you should complete an 800-word reflection about the session. While this can be written conversationally, your reflection should
- be in traditional essay format – using complete sentences and paragraphs for clarity and structure and to ensure your points come across to your reader,
- establish the context of the session – making clear what you worked on with your “tutee/consultee” and why,
- be analytical in nature – reflecting on the experience, pointing to specific moments as evidence, and ideally, drawing conclusions about what worked, what didn’t, and why.
* Note: While it is not required, it might be helpful for you to reference our course material and readings to help think through and/or ground your ideas.
Questions to consider for your reflection (you do not have to answer all of them):
- Who did you work with for the consultation? Why?
- What did you work on? Why? What aspect of the writing experience did you focus on specifically?
- How was the experience, overall?
- How did you feel during the session? What kinds of emotions were you experiencing? Did you feel awkward? Anxious? Judged? Excited? Proud? etc.
- Did it get easier as it went along? If so/not… how and why?
- How do you think the experience was influenced by the session being conducted online (if it was)?
- How did you view your role as the consultant/tutor?
- How did you present yourself?
- What was your ethos?
- What was the tone of the session? (friendly, professional, stressful, relaxed, etc.)
- What stuck out to you about the session?
- What was something that surprised you? Why?
- What is something that you remember in particular? What about it stood out to you?
- What approaches did you take and why?
- What influenced the choices you made throughout the session? How so?
- What worked in the session? What didn’t work?
- What specific moments do you think were productive? Most helpful? Why?
- Did the specific structure of the session work?
- What, if anything, just didn’t land?
- What, if anything, was confusing and/or unclear?
- What might you take away from this session for your future consultations?
- How could you implement similar approaches?
- How might you change your approaches?