As a writing fellow, one is expected to aid students in writing skills regardless of its subject matter, discipline, and form. This can be a problematic matter based on the fellows own writing strengths, discipline background, and time with tutees. Presenting a solution to this issue, I have found through class discussions and hands-on work that the writing process alone is a fundamental aspect of tutoring in writing. Peer led discussions have allowed me to see how despite our classroom placement, our experiences with writing were alike. Whether it be a research paper, artwork description, or a composition piece; it all related back to the writing process. If writing fellows are able to rely on the writing process, issues such as those listed above would be eliminated. Along with this, it allows us to be a multifaceted tool in terms of reaching student tutees. Through processes of writing we can better understand how students think about writing, their strengths and weaknesses, and how fellowes can help students improve their writing.
To understand how fellowes successfully use the writing process, we first must understand how students view and work through writing for academic purposes. In a study conducted by Maria Hegbloom and her colleagues, it was examined how students have a “meta-awareness about writing” meaning that students understand how to write in a certain way to receive good grades. Other factors that are considered in this are students’ prior knowledge of the writing process and their personal beliefs on their own writing ability. The students “general conceptualization of and beliefs about writing influence her beliefs about a specific writing task—how she represents the writing task to herself. This, then, influences her approach to that writing task, the strategies and tactics she adopts, and, in turn, the results she achieves” (Hegbloom 3). It can then be determined that the writing process is more student specific than it is discipline specific. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what students believe to be most important about writing processes. If we are able to understand students’ take on writing then fellows are able to understand how to aid in succeeding. This study splits student knowledge about writing and its processes into novice writers and expert writers. Novice writers tend to participate in “knowledge telling” where the student will draw directly from previously learned knowledge of the academic discipline and writing without any extensive planning or further learning. Expert writers will participate in “knowledge transforming” where the writer will look at their work to determine whether they believe the contents of their writing and that the writing conveys what they are trying to express. Based upon these descriptions, it can be concluded that writers who spend time critically thinking about their writing and the process of creating it yield better results.
Now that we have insight into the perspective of students in how they view and think about writing, we must explore the most beneficial aspects of the writing process to them. With this, writing fellows will then be able to apply those processes into their tutor sessions while also having an idea of the students’ understanding. In a similar study conducted by Hass and Osborn students were interviewed regarding their writing processes, specifically, processes they found most helpful and important to them while writing. They believed that “ discovering what students themselves believe constitutes good writing and which pedagogical choices they perceive as most helpful to them in producing high quality writing assignments widens the perspective on how this (meaning good writing) might be accomplished” (Hass and Osborn 2). After conducting their research, it was found that collaboration and external confirmation may lead to a better outcome of students’ writing. One student response to collaborative writing stated “I would want a lot of help from my peers and professors to critique my paper. I think feedback is an excellent way for me to improve my writing and learn from my mistakes” (Hass and Osborn 8). This is something that writing fellows are encouraged to and easily able to replicate in their sessions with tutees. It also allows the aspect of external confirmation to enter in. If a student came to my session to review a piece of writing, it calls for an open conversation about the process of writing and how to figure out the best methods for them. I would be able to provide feedback in a manner that was reinforcing their good ideas and guiding their improvement. Methods such as these are ways to not only reach students, but have students reach towards good writing skills. These are examples of things that writing fellows can do and accomplish without even the consideration of the discipline. It also reinstates the idea that helping students with their writing is specific to them, not specific to the subject. Now knowing this, it has made me feel more confident for the future of helping tutees with writing that I may not be familiar with.
With the understanding of both student views of writing and their preferred methods of doing it, the helping portion of writing fellowship can be accomplished. A key concept of working with students on the writing process is “finding out how students engage in the writing process…and they are trained to recognize the formulas on which students will rely” (Zawacki 2). In my own experience so far, I have admittedly not worked with tutees directly about writing. This is due to the fact that I was placed in a GUST (guided undergraduate studies program) and that most writing in the classroom was small informal reading questions or QCQs. Along with this, the one paper that they did have, I did not have any students attend a session with me. Even though I have yet to help with the writing process, I can envision how I may help tutees in the future. Since writing fellows “act as change agents in writing courses across the discipline” (Zawacki 1), I must remember to apply the key ideas described above in every classroom placement I encounter. To gain outside perspective on being a “change agent” I interviewed another fellow, Elia O’hara, on what it means to her, “ I feel that being a change agent is an interesting and unique way to think about our role as writing fellows. As we have learned, meeting students where they are in their writing abilities and perspectives is paramount to our ability to help them and taking into account this idea of a change agent, I feel that it could extend to all aspects of a tutee experience. Whether that be gaining a new outlook on a professor’s assignment, seeing the writing process in a new light, or even just becoming open to going to a tutoring session at all, can be ways we change even a small moment in a tutee’s academic life.” An idea of how I can achieve being a “change agent” in the future is during a first session with a tutee, asking how they feel about writing and the way in which they accomplish it. Asking these questions gives me intel on what I can then do to benefit them through the writing process. It also inclines me to achieve my purpose of being a “change agent”, adapting to the needs of each student encounter. If a student came to me and said they benefited most from collaborative writing, then I would be able to help them in said way. Not only is this a way for me to learn how a student writes, it helps the student achieve their goal of good writing skills.
The research I have done on this subject has changed my perspective of what it means to be a writing fellow. At the beginning of the semester I felt that writing fellows were a support system for students to voice their concerns about writing, and that I was meant to “fix” them. Now, I believe that tutoring is a much more in depth experience where you connect with both the students and writing. I believe I can truly help students regardless of their discipline in which they’re writing. If I can remain reliant on the processes of writing, and connecting with students, then I can achieve my purpose of being a writing fellow. Being a fellow, you are there not only to support students, but guide them through the processes of writing in order to lead them to success. You are the “change agent” and the multifaceted tool implemented into a classroom environment.
Works Cited:
Hass, Michael & Osborn, Jan. (2007, August 13). An emic view of student writing and the writing process. Across the Disciplines, 4. Retrieved from https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/atd/articles/hass_osborn2007.pdf
Hegloom, Maria, Ramsey, Laura R., Glen, Nicole J., Sabinin, Polina D., Litvin, Deborah R., & Veisz, Elizabeth. (2017, November 26). Student voices on writing. Across the Disciplines, 14(2). Retrieved from http://wac.colostate.edu/docs/docs/atd/articles/hegbloometal2017.pdf
Zawacki, Terry Myers. (2008, March 29). Writing fellows as WAC change agents: Changing what? Changing whom? Changing how? [Special issue on Writing Fellows]. Across the Disciplines, 5. Retrieved from https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/atd/fellows/zawacki.pdf
