Michelle TS#12

Date: February 15, 2017
Time: Noon
Location: Hecht House Computer Lab
Topic/Skill: Writing, Prompt:Using a computer everyday can have more negative than positive effects on your child. Do you agree or disagree? Explain

 My tutee is a group three student who has proven his ability to speak generally about many topics. Overall, his goal has been to fine-tune his written and spoken abilities in speaking and writing. Last week, we practiced speaking and gained a lot of headway by developing brainstorming habits and flushing out our responses. This week, he opted to focus on his writing skills. To help him, I provided him with an IELTS specific prompt and gave him 40 minutes to complete it. Using the same brainstorming guide, I had the student allot 2 minutes of his time to brainstorming, 35 minutes to writing, and the additional 3 minutes for quick revisions.

Feedback provided: After he completed this activity, we sat together to go over the paper using the IELTS rubric. I noted frequently made errors such as subject/verb agreement, number agreement, and prepositions. I also noted organization and transitions. I tried to make sure to note the positive aspects in his composition. For example, his organization was well thought out, he made great points, and he used a variety of transition words. Once I noted the positive aspects of his writing, I would then follow with constructive criticisms as well. For example, I mentioned that he still needs work on transitioning between ideas. Often he was abrupt in how he presented his points, which did not allow the reader to naturally follow him.

Lesson learned: After this tutoring session, I could tell that my tutee was officially taxed. I am not sure if this was good or bad. He seems quite eager to prepare for the IELTS test and enjoyed receiving specific feedback. I guess, in a situation like this, I might choose to physically break down the task to make it more palatable. Maybe then he wont feel like he is taking another intensive English class.