Blog Assignment 9/28/09

During my tutoring session I learned the difficulty of being a student seeking help from a tutor. Playing the role of the student helped me to their position in a different light. I was able to empathize with the people who I help everyday. You have open yourself up and become vulnerable. You have to be able to accept your limitations and take advice and criticism. You also might feel unsure as to whether your tutor will be able to help you. I learned playing the role of tutor that not everyone fits a mold; different students have different needs that may deviate from what I'm used to. When I tutor I mostly focus on organization. I'm learning that some students may not have organization needs or other "higher level" concerns but just might need a good conversation to stimulate thoughts that they can transcribe onto paper. As a student I like to control the conversation and make sure that the tutor understands in which ways I need help. Overall, during the process I learned that there needs to be a give and take. I can't assume that I'm always right and even if I am, at the end of the day, its the students paper. This relates to the authors central purpose regarding collaboration and control. Its important to make sure that collaboration is really collaboration and control is shared and negotiated.