Communicating with
Students
Since you have completed training as a database adviser, you have extensive skills for effective communication with students. You know the importance of being enthusiastic,warm and encouraging. You are used to replying with detailed information and examples presented in a suggestive rather than commanding manner.
These are the same skills you will use in our writing workshop threads. The only difference will be how much advice is given at once. For example, if you took a database advice template sent to a student, printed it, cut it into sections, (assignment requirements, thesis, intro, body paragraphs, conclusion, citations, grammar) and glued them in separate conference threads, you would have a typical writing workshop!
Breaking It Down
If you have browsed through the writing workshop threads in the NG conferences, you saw how our writing workshops break down essay writing into chunks or small steps. So, your advice in an "outline thread" will be about organization of the outline and whether it addresses assignment requirements. Your advice in a "thesis thread" will concentrate on an adequate controlling idea that fits the assignment. In an "introductory paragraph thread," you will focus feedback on employing an effective intro strategy. If the the thread presents information on citations and a small exercise on citations, you will provide feedback on citation format.
Surface Errors (Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling)
Regarding surface errors, when you see error patterns in a student's writing, it is important to comment on those, too, but limit comments to one or two error patterns only. By not commenting on obvious errors like sentence fragments, spelling, capitalization, comma misuse and such, we run the risk of reinforcing the errors for future submissions. If penalized later for such errors, the student may ask why these problems were not pointed out earlier. Not pointing them out can also damage our credibility with the professor and other students. So, when helping a student in this area, use the same technique as if advising a paper in the database: Pull an example from the student's writing, provide explanation and resources, then suggest revision strategies.
Reading Full Drafts in a Writing Workshop
During an in-class workshop, you are helping students prepare parts of an essay. If the student wishes the full draft to be reviewed, the student should be encouraged to submit it to our database service. Sometimes we look at full drafts within our workshops, but only in special circumstances and classes. The instructions at the end of each thread are what students should follow when submitting their draft "chunks."
Since you have completed training as a database adviser, you have extensive skills for effective communication with students. You know the importance of being enthusiastic,warm and encouraging. You are used to replying with detailed information and examples presented in a suggestive rather than commanding manner.
These are the same skills you will use in our writing workshop threads. The only difference will be how much advice is given at once. For example, if you took a database advice template sent to a student, printed it, cut it into sections, (assignment requirements, thesis, intro, body paragraphs, conclusion, citations, grammar) and glued them in separate conference threads, you would have a typical writing workshop!
Breaking It Down
If you have browsed through the writing workshop threads in the NG conferences, you saw how our writing workshops break down essay writing into chunks or small steps. So, your advice in an "outline thread" will be about organization of the outline and whether it addresses assignment requirements. Your advice in a "thesis thread" will concentrate on an adequate controlling idea that fits the assignment. In an "introductory paragraph thread," you will focus feedback on employing an effective intro strategy. If the the thread presents information on citations and a small exercise on citations, you will provide feedback on citation format.
Surface Errors (Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling)
Regarding surface errors, when you see error patterns in a student's writing, it is important to comment on those, too, but limit comments to one or two error patterns only. By not commenting on obvious errors like sentence fragments, spelling, capitalization, comma misuse and such, we run the risk of reinforcing the errors for future submissions. If penalized later for such errors, the student may ask why these problems were not pointed out earlier. Not pointing them out can also damage our credibility with the professor and other students. So, when helping a student in this area, use the same technique as if advising a paper in the database: Pull an example from the student's writing, provide explanation and resources, then suggest revision strategies.
Reading Full Drafts in a Writing Workshop
During an in-class workshop, you are helping students prepare parts of an essay. If the student wishes the full draft to be reviewed, the student should be encouraged to submit it to our database service. Sometimes we look at full drafts within our workshops, but only in special circumstances and classes. The instructions at the end of each thread are what students should follow when submitting their draft "chunks."
| Frequently Asked Questions Q: How long do writing workshops last? A: Usually as long as the professor requests. This can be anywhere from a week to an entire semester. The length of your workshop will be clear on the Master Schedule. A typical workshop lasts 7 days. Q: What is a typical turnaround time for feedback? A: Within 24 hours or sooner, if you have a dialogue going or a critical question being discussed. It's best to set aside a certain time each day to devote to a class. That way, you will be sure to provide feedback every 24 hours. Writing workshops exist to create a conversation about writing. For it to be successful, each participant must uphold his/her end of the conversation. We need to be available for back and forth interaction within the short timeframe we are in the class. Q: When are my days off? A: Your days off are usually the days students are still reading the workshop materials and not posting yet. This can sometimes be several days. If you are scheduled for other workshops simultaneously, you might not have the day off in another classroom. However, typically workshops run from either Sunday or Monday to Sunday or Monday. Some of the busiest days are often times on Saturdays and Sundays when students are posting at the last minute. Days off are more likely to happen on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays. Q: What if I need a weekend off? A: Just let Michelle (or David in her absence) know. We can work around it. I can watch your lecture while you are away or ask another advisor who is not busy to cover for you. If you are asking all the time though, you might want to consider whether guest lecturing is for you. Q: When are the busy times? A: Some of our busiest times are the middle of semesters. Some of our slowest times are in between semesters. There are always projects to work on while things are slow. Just email Dan, Aimee, David, Anna or me and we'll put you to work! :) Q: If I am paired up with a guest lecturer and we are both assigned the same workshop, how do we split it up? A: This is where some awesome learning takes place and students really get some extensive feedback. Usually both advisors answer all students. So, the advisors have to read each other's posts to be sure they are not repeating anything. This is especially useful to students in our resume and cover letter workshops. The more advice students can receive, the better. This pairing also gives advisors the chance to learn from one another and work in a team environment. Q: What if a student posts the completely wrong information in the thread? For example, what if a student posts an entire draft to the "virtual tour thread?" A: Gently, kindly steer them in the right direction. Tell them that this area is not for full drafts. Ask them to refer back to the instructions at each thread. Explain that you are excited to provide feedback when they do! Q: If I am guest lecturing, can I still help work in the database? A: If you have three or four guest lectures, no. If you are scheduled in one guest lecture and it is slow and you need the hours, definitely. Q: How can I make my presence known in the classroom if it seems like I am invisible? A: Email the professor and ask if he/she will announce your visit on their announcement page. David has a generic Writing Workshop announcement that you can provide to the professor. You can also e-mail the students by clicking on "Class Members." You will see all of their email addresses next to their names. Down at the bottom, place a check in "Email All Students." Let them know you are excited to work with them and encourage them to submit their work. Be sure to tell them where to submit it. You can also offer a live WebEx "office hour." This way you can meet with students and answer questions live. David or I can help you get set up and practice using WebEx. Q: Do you ever need help with videos or audio? A: Yes. David loves to get everyone involved in this! Email him and ask how you can contribute. Please respond here with any questions I didn't cover! :) |
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