Link For Electronic Portfolio

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Research Project

Jenifer Flinton

December 16, 2010

Eng 4070.01

Final Research Report

Introduction

       Walk around Kean University’s campus, and you are sure to find men and women milling about in suits, business casual attire, jeans, sweatpants, and occasionally pajamas. What you may or may not realize is clothes can say a lot about a person’s behavior and personality, level of academia and major, and how stressed the individual is. The same can be seen in Kean’s Writing Center. Someone’s appearance can say much about how each writing center session will go.

Dress, Behavior, and Personality

       Oftentimes, a person’s personality is reflected in how they are dress. For example, if a man dresses in all black, has multiple piercings up and down both ears and sprinkled across his face, has tattoos depicting war, and wears the same leather jacket to class every day, he is most likely not the type of guy who turns into a pile of mush when he sees kittens. Not saying that you can judge a person entirely off of their appearance, but generally the clothes me choose to wear reflect what we want to say about ourselves.

       One of the sessions I observed, the student (A) was wearing Uggs with sweatpants and a hoodie. The way she (student A) responded to the coach was in a very relaxed manner. She (student A) did not seem rushed nor did she seem overly tense. Her (student A) clothes reflected her demeanor.

Major and Level: What To Wear When You Are ‘All Grown Up’

       As you get older, your style of clothing changes. You begin to dress more professional. Again, if you take a look around Kean’s campus, you can begin to decipher the ages and potentially the majors of individuals (with the exception of during finals when everyone is so stressed out, they do not even bother to look pretty). You might see a senior woman in low heels lugging a tote bag with crayons, flashcards with the alphabet on them, and an over-stuffed planner. Most likely, she is doing her senior fieldwork to teach at a kindergarten level. You may see a man with a briefcase, wearing a lab coat and mumbling about forgetting to feed the hatchet fish. Most likely, he is an upper-level biology student.

       In another of the sessions I observed, there was a coach (C) and a student (C) who were dressed very casually. They made jokes often and neither seemed very concerned with the actual work. It turns out both were freshmen and went off on tangents often about adjustments to college life and critiquing shared (and not shared) teachers.

Stress and Dress

       Stress is very often reflected in one’s appearance (Philippot 2003). One session I observed (Coach A and Student D) was a prime example of stress being visible. The student (D) had written an article for the Cougar Bite that was due the next day.

       The student (D) came in looking rather frumpy and never even removed his heavy jacket. He (D) cracked his knuckles often when he was trying to plow through reading his paper and when the coach (A) was talking her time reading parts of the paper aloud. Also, as soon as the actual paper correcting was completed, his (D) demeanor immediately calmed.

Does Clothing Distract?

       One of the coaches (A) I observed was Muslim wore a Hijab. She was the reason I decided to write my paper on clothing. I wondered if she would have any problems or prejudices against her in any of her sessions because as far as I had seen, she was the only coach in the center who dressed in religious clothing. I observed her for two separate sessions and neither times did it seem as if her appearance affected the effectiveness of the session. It actually gave me a higher opinion of the students at Kean. I know we are diverse, but I also have found many seemingly diverse communities outcast people that are “too different” (Geller).

Closing

       Clothes can say a lot about a person’s behavior, personality, level of academia and major, and how stressed the individual is. Around Kean’s campus you can find different examples of each, as can be seen in Kean’s Writing Center. And, as you have seen, this has the potential to affect how each writing center session will go.

References

Amigone, Grace Ritz. “Writing Lab Tutors: Hidden Messages that 

Matter.” 2.2 (1982): 24-30.

Geller, Anne Ellen, Michele Eodice, Frankie Condon, Ebook Corportation. "Everyday

Writing Center: A Community Of Practice". Logan: Utah State University Press. 2006.

Philippot, Pierre, Ebooks Corporation. "Nonverbal Behavior in Clinical Studies". New

York: Oxford University Press. 2003.

Research Plan

Coach and Student Dress
   -clothing correspondence to behavior
   -level and major affecting dress
   -what clothing suggests about personality
   -does clothing distract (Geller 2006)
   -correspondence between stress-level and dress (Philippot 2003)

Amigone, Grace Ritz. “Writing Lab Tutors: Hidden Messages that Matter.” 2.2 (1982): 24-30. 

Geller, Anne Ellen, Michele Eodice, Frankie Condon, Ebook Corportation. "Everyday Writing Center: A Community Of Practice". Logan: Utah State University Press. 2006.

Philippot, Pierre, Ebooks Corporation. "Nonverbal Behavior in Clinical Studies". New York: Oxford University Press. 2003.

blog 16: Notes on Session Four

Coach A
Student D

student D wrote article for cougar bite and wanted to make sure it sounds alright
student D read through article while following with a pencil (corrected mistakes)
  -spoke fast, biology major
coach A read along while student read aloud
student D said it'll be a fast session, didn't remove his jacket
coach A leaned on elbow
as student D finished up (reading last paragraph), cracked knuckles as he stumbled over explanation
as student D explained, he took leaf he brought with him and explained using it as a prop.
student D cracked knuckles as coach A read part of paper aloud
when coach A coughed, student move away slightly
coach A pointed to places where student D should correct wording
coach A suggested using synonyms
  - student D said he'd check a thesaurus
coach gave verbal praise when student seemed unsure of self

changed to computer setting to check synonyms on thesaurus.com
student D leaned in to read screen
coach A countered student D's rapid movements/thoughts with a calmness and slower/casual movements

after paper completed, student D asked about writing in general and his demeanor calmed, didn't seem as rushed.
student D said goodbye to both coach A and myself.

Blog 15: Annotated Bibliography

 Entry:

Geller, Anne Ellen, Michele Eodice, Frankie Condon, Ebook Corportation. "Everyday Writing Center: A Community Of Practice". Logan: Utah State University Press. 2006.

Overview:

Discussion of disturbances in the writing center and how to effectively use them for your advantage

Use:

The distractions I noticed in the writing center and how the students/coaches responded to them nonverbally.

Entry:

Philippot, Pierre, Ebooks Corporation. "Nonverbal Behavior in Clinical Studies". New York: Oxford University Press. 2003.

Overview:

Examines nonverbal communication during regular clinical sessions, specific clinical conditions, and negative life events.

Use:

Communication of stress to coach (due dates, professor expectations, etc.) and how it effects the session.

Entry:
Amigone, Grace Ritz. “Writing Lab Tutors: Hidden Messages that 

Matter.” 2.2 (1982): 24-30. 

Overview:

Examines nonverbal communication during tutorials.

Use:

Comparing with some of the nonverbal communication I observed in the writing center.

Blog 13: Notes on Session Three

Coach C
Student C

everything on google docs.
coach C started off joking with student C while he searched for it.
student C is a finance major
read story - creative writing
coach moved closer to student
body language - relaxed for both student c and coach c

coach C stopped student to ask him to red more passionately
student C is feeling sick but did his best (coach C offered him tea)

student paused to answer phone call from his mom (who works at Kean)
   -coach C asked what she teaches, student C said she's in administration

coach C corrected grammatical errors as he went along.
coach C asked questions where appropriate
student C cleared throat often (possible due to being sick or nerves - he hit on me at the start of the session)
coach C had a laid back approach, almost as if they were having a conversation as friends
coach C had student explain certain part of the story so she could understand it better.
student C needed help coming up with a conclusion -writing a short story set on an island in a new world at an unrealistic time.
bith coach C and student C are freshmen.
coach C spoke to another coach while student was editing paper.
then, both student and coach went on a massive tangent.

Blog 12: Notes on Session Two

Coach B
Student B

Problem: student B (grad level history) needs to improve writing.
 had assignment sheet, coach B asked student B for a summary of her paper.
picked a side because it's an argumentative paper.
read through paper, coach B moved closer to student.

coach B is in revolving chair spinning side to side and moves a lot.
asked a lot of questions (questions much of student B's wording)
student B came into center with a loaded backpack and didn't take her stuff out until asked to do so by coach B
coach B offered solutions to student B's grammatical errors and sentence structure.
student B seemed defensive of her paper (perhaps slightly offended by coach B's approach)
Coach B had student write on her own paper while reading through it.
Coach B approached his critique of the paper in a very blunt way.
student B was very soft spoken while coach B was more vocal and animated
coach B suggested tossing the paper and starting over.
student B does not have to rewrite paper (professor isn't accepting it)
began working on another paper she could revise
needs to indent at beginning of paragraphs.
student B begins reading
  -coach b: what is civil religion?
  -student B does not know
student b does not know how to paraphrase
coach b kept saying her did not know what student b needed help with. student b didn't seem to understand what she needed help with either.
student B needs to do more research
new appointment after meeting with professors.

Blog 11: Notes on Session One

Student A
Coach A

Problem: narrowing down paper (7 to 5 pages)
  student A is at a grad level

coach A had student read paper aloud paragraph by paragraph
student A asked a lot of questions: possibly due to level in college or perhaps personality
coach A made a joke and laughed.
   -students demeanor relaxed visibly

worked on a lot of grammatical errors and rewording of paper
when correcting, student A clenched jaw often (specifically when coach was speaking)

at table sitting next to each other (same level) facing window (lots of people walking by. I'm surprised neither was distracted) room is brightly lit which seems to stimulate interaction and mood of both students and coaches. room was relatively noisy due to other sessions and conversations among staff. it didn't seem to bother student A or coach A.

student A made own correction on paper while she read
coach A made a suggestion that student A did not agree with, coach A backed down instead of pushing her opinion

spoke about reorganization four pages into paper

student is wearing uggs, sweatpants, and a hoodie with hair in ponytail (relaxed comfy clothes and hair)
student A made plenty of eye contact when coach A was speaking at end of session
coach A left developing the paper in student A's hand

Blog 14: Ideas For Project

Blog 10: Note Taking Practices

Blog 9: Writing Center Philosophy

   The Writing Center at any given college should be a place where students can go to improve the quality of their writing, regardless of academic level. It should also be where they learn the skills necessary to go about improving their writing, instead of a place where someone corrects their mistakes.

       Regarding the administration structure of a writing center, it would be beneficial to everyone involved if it had a hierarchal structure. There would be a clear chain of responsibility and command, allowing for the center to be run smoothly and much more efficiently.

       For the writing center coach, it is important to give the student the best help possible. There are two extremes: the minimalist and the therapist. The minimalist has almost no involvement in the students work. This coach takes the “hands off” approach and rarely provides answers. The therapist has extreme involvement in the students work so as to practically write the paper for the student. It is important for the writing center that that the coaches fall somewhere in the middle gauging each student’s level of need and providing the necessary help.

Blog 8: The Big Transition And How The Writing Center Can Help

       Seriously? Sarah thought. She gave me an F on this essay? I got straight A’s in high school. There must be some mistake. When students make the transition from high school to college, not only is it a completely different environment, but each student also has to drastically alter their mindset about what writing is. What was great there is not acceptable here, so this can be a scary transition for students. Fortunately, the university’s writing center can help with this process.

       The main focus in high school English classes is the mechanics of writing. So, when a student gets his or her paper returned, the teacher has marked all of the errors in grammar and how the paper is organized. High school teachers are still teaching students the basics of writing. They do not teach them the importance of focus and content. It is not the teacher’s fault; this is what is required of them. How can a student worry about the deeper issues of the paper if his or her surface still has issues? Like Peter Kittle says, it is not the teacher’s fault.

       The writing culture changes when a student goes to the university. Professors expect you to know the mechanics (you spent more than thirteen years working on them, so it is a pretty good point). The college level professor grades the student on focus, organization and content. But, the focus and content come first. Your organization really does not matter if you do not know what you are talking about. In The Novice As Expert: Writing The Freshman Year, Nancy Summers and Laura Saltz discuss why some students grow in their college writing and others give up on working to make it better. They argue that it is all about the changes within the student, not the actual paper. This can be seen in a writer’s choice to go to the writing center.

       The Writing Center can be scary in the mind of a freshman. Not only does the student have to get up the nerve to go there, but he or she probably has the misconception that doing so is going to be like one-on-one conferences with high school teachers where the teacher butchers the student’s paper and the student has to go home and make out what the teacher wrote in blazing red ink. This is not how the writing center works. The students who work there help the student who has walked in to develop the paper he or she wrote. It is no one else’s work but the students. The student works on developing his or her writing with guidance, nothing more or less

        In Kristin Walker’s “Difficult Clients and Tutor Dependency: Helping Overly Dependent Clients Become More Independent Writers”, she talks about how dependent a writer should be. Academic writing should never be done completely alone. There is something wonderful about collaborating with a classmate to improve one another’s writing. The Writing Center is a great tool to incorporate this theory.

       When students make the transition from high school to the university, the writing culture is often difficult to adjust to. Fortunately, the student has a partner during this transition. The Writing Center is a tool that incoming freshman can use to make this adjustment easier and to improve their writing throughout their academic time at the university.

Blog 7: Bouquet and North

Bouquet's Writing Center Philosophy
     -writing is a process
     -administration structure: collaborative
     -more student centered
     -coaching style in the middle between minimalist and therapist

North 1's Writing Center Philosophy
     -writing is a process
     -administration structure: hierarchal
     -in the middle between student centered and institution centered
     -coaching style in the middle between minimalist and therapist

North 2's Writing Center Philosophy
     -writing is a process
     -administration structure: hierarchal
     -more student centered
     -coaching style in the middle between minimalist and therapist

Blog 6: Writing Cultures Essay

focus:

     how the writing center helps students with the transition from high school to college writing.

identity:

     generally freshmen and sophomores in college

values/expectations:

     -get a good grade on the paper

     -pass the class

     -learn what the professors expect from you

     -learn what's wrong with their writing

academic writing is:

     just a means to get a decent grade.

problem:

     students who are experiencing difficulty understanding professors' expectations for their writing.

what they want:

     "fix my paper" (which he or she usually believes is due to grammatical or other mechanical errors in the writing)

what they need:

     to work on focus, organization, and content. (which is not stressed in high school writing)

Blog 5: Draft.. which is more of a collection of points

topic:
       how the writing center aids in the transition between high school writing and college writing.

  -expectations
  -difficulties
  -culture contrasts
  -grammatical focus vs writing as a whole

references:
       text book theory (p.316)
       kean's theory of writing
       high school syllabus

comparison:

high school
-main concentration is the mechanics of writing
-the grammar
-the organization
-they don't stress the importance of focus and content

college
-focus & content come first. your organization doesn't matter if you don't know what you're talking about
-they expect you to know the mechanics

Blog 4: Thoughts

We have a paper for class due where we are focusing on an aspect of the writing center. I thought about writing about the difference between coaches writing the papers in writing centers and the students learning to write their own papers.  I have pretty much settled on how writing centers help the transition from high school to college writing. I could touch on my own experiences during this transition and the students I have mentored who have done the same (including freshman).

Blog #3 The Culture of Writing

       I would love to say that the culture of writing at Kean is all about expression of the student's thoughts and individual advances in the classroom setting, however, I have found that this is not the case.

       Most of the classes I have sat through (with some wonderful exceptions) students have focused on validating the teacher's ideas and worrying about the grammatical errors throughout so that they each get the best grade possible. It has not always been the teacher's fault (though sometimes I feel as if I'm sitting through 7th grade all over again with the lessons on comma usage and run-on sentences). That is just how students learn to write in high school. They know the basics and they know what teachers have always expected of them and that usually doesn't include stating their own views in their writing. They often just want to get through this "major requirement" to move onto the classes that interest them more or to graduate and get out of here so they can support the family they plan on having or the lifestyle that suits their interest.

       It's really kind of sad, thinking about it. Writing has always been an expression of who I am. I use it to convey my innermost thoughts and to work through my problems. I use it to make points to my colleagues and encourage my friends. If others saw writing as an outlet instead of a requirement, the environment in the classroom (and daily life) would be much happier and relaxed.

Blog #2: My Writing Process

Regardless of whether I write for classes or for pleasure, I follow the same writing process. I still pre-write, write, then rewrite every time.

During my "pre-write", I usually just jot down thoughts I am having about the topic. I think about who I am writing to and why I'm writing before moving onto the next stage.

My original writing, I always do on lined paper. Regardless of if I'm writing a letter to my best friend, a research paper, or a journal entry, I like getting all of my thoughts written down on a scrap piece of paper before launching into my final project. That way, I can move everything around if I need to and change my wording if I don't like how my words flow together.

Then, I write my final draft. If it's a research paper, I type it. I always handwrite journal entries and letters, but my letters are done on unlined paper that reminds me of the person I'm writing to. My journal entries are in a leather-bound notebook that I bought earlier this year.

Each of my writing stages have been refined through years of teachers, mentors, and friends critiquing my writing.

Blog #1: Chapters 1-3

First we set up our blogs. tada! Then, Professor Chandler wrote...


The Question:
What did chapters 1-3 talk about that would be important for the writing center?"




My Answer:


One area discussed in chapters 1-3 is one on one discussion about what is written and anything that is difficult about it to understand (part of the Reader Response section). This is crucial to the process of writing because you are able to formulate your ideas and discuss them with someone else, bouncing ideas back and forth.
Another area discussed is Peer Tutoring. Here students learn by reaching their peers. Again, each student will discuss his or her writing and together they have the potential to come up with new ideas which they could not have thought up alone.
One point mentioned that I believed was important was this, a tutor doesn't offer the writer therapy, but advice on his or her writing. As a caring individual, I've always found this a hard line not to cross. Often, the writer is expressing his or her feelings through writing and it's important for a tutor to remind himself or herself of that often.


Group Answers:


We broke up into groups and discussed our answers. This helped me grasp a better understanding of the chapters because Benito, Angela, and I each had different important information to contribute.




Thoughts Into Words (know what's best for them)
     Writing versus Talking


     Writing                                                                                           Talking
     jog memory                                                                                    quiet - forced awkwardness
     increase understanding                                                             public
     find language                                                                                creates rivalry
     organize thoughts                                                                        confirmation - when someone shares your idea
     make connections (see titles)                                                   give & get - create new ideas
     ownership of ideas (in your own words)                               fluid
     limits what you can say
     actualizes ideas
     private