[Bkn-english-646-fall-2009] chapter7response

[Patia Braithwaite]

Patia Braithwaite
 
 
Chapter 7 directly relates to my experience with my student, Julia. We have spent the last few sessions working on her paper, and last week it was returned to her with a few comments. Her reactions to the comments mirror some of those outlined by 'The Practical Tutor.' 
 
Julia is an ESL student who toils for hours on sentences to make her papers shine. She often comments that her other classes suffer for a satisfactory grade on one English paper. She works very hard, and allows herself ample time for revision. In our most recent session, she received her first draft back with comments from her professor. Although most of the comments were good, the professor included a cryptic message of “Good work. Be sure to develop highlighted paragraphs further without losing your voice. It is distinct and beautiful.” Julia, came to me, and asked me what this meant. She was visibly confused and although she was happy with the comment, she did not understand how she could add to the paper without changing it. She was afraid to make any further revisions, fearing that she would taint her voice.
 
We looked at the passages marked by Julia's professor. I asked open-ended questions, and got her to think about how she could expand and further develop these ideas. Although she was annoyed by the task, it was obvious that she understood the value of developing her ideas. We also had a conversation about voice, and I was able to assuage some of her fears. As an ESL learner, it is important that comments from the professor are clear. Telling a student not to lose her voice in a paper can be confusing and even traumatic.
 
After reading this chapter, I would advise Julia to create a rapport with her professor. This will help Julia understand her teacher, and it will also allow her professor to provide feedback that is easy for Julia to understand.

--- On Mon, 10/19/09, tony iantosca <tonyiantosca at hotmail.com> wrote:


From: tony iantosca <tonyiantosca at hotmail.com>
Subject: [Bkn-english-646-fall-2009] chapter7response
To: bkn-english-646-fall-2009 at lists-1.liu.edu, hmalinowitz at yahoo.com
Date: Monday, October 19, 2009, 4:50 PM





 


Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:22:51 -0700
From: jcas888 at yahoo.com
To: bkn-english-646-fall-2009 at lists-1.liu.edu
Subject: [Bkn-english-646-fall-2009] Assignment 6





Peace!

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