Tutor Logs

Assignment to Write Up Observation Logs and Pink Sheets

for

English 377: Peer Tutoring & Composition Theory
Instructor: Karen D. Austin kaustin@shepherd.edu
Shepherd College, Shepherdstown, WV 25443

Assignment in Brief:

Observation Logs. Take notes on a tutoring session that you observe and type up these notes so that the teacher and other 377 students can read/understand them. They will average about 1 page. You will have to summarize and paraphrase to a degree, but try to pepper your logs with some direct quotes from both tutor and student if you can. Record date, time, your first and last name, tutor's first and last name, and student's first name only. Write a 1 or 2 sentence summary, and place this at the top of your log. Here is a sample:

Date & Time of Observation: Thursday 30 August 2001, 10:00-10:30 am
377 Student Observing: Chris McNeil
Tutor: Sarah Alouf
Student Writer: Matthew [Don't do last names for student writers]

Summary: Sarah and Matthew talked primarily about formulating a thesis statement. They go over the assignment sheet, and Matthew generates about 5 statements before choosing one.

Log: Matthew comes in at about 10, and Sarah asks, "Are you Matthew?" She invites him to sit down and asks him what he wants to work on that day. Matthew explains that he has been out of school for six years, and he's "very stressed" about taking English classes. (etc.)

Pink Sheets. Write a summary of the tutorial you just conducted. They will average about one half page. Give as much detail about the assignment, the student's paper, and the tasks of the tutorial as possible. Remember to be descriptive yet respectful since student writers sometimes have the opportunity to read these when the pink sheets are sitting on the table. You can look at one of the Pink Sheets in the wire basket in order to see how to fill one out.

Assignment in More Detail:

If you are observing another tutor's session with a student writer, you need to record in detail as much of the conversation as possible. You can write by hand or type on one of the computers in the Writing Center. Try to RECORD and NOT ANALYZE. It is important to observe as objectively as possible when keeping a log. Because people will talk faster than you can write (or type), you will have to summarize parts of the conversation, but when possible, try to include little snippets of actual conversation. Type them as you listen by using one of the WC computers or type up your notes afterwards.
If you are participating in a session as the tutor, try to write a few key words about the session. Then after the student writer leaves, write as much as you can remember from your conversation with the student. Describe the paper, the student, your comments and the student's comments. Again, record details, but avoid analyzing or making judgments in your pink sheets. You will interpret, analyze and judge in your praxis papers. Consider using a tape recorder for one session, but ask the student writer permission before doing so, and then when you create a log from this session, just summarize and take "snippets" of conversation rather than transcribing the whole tutoring session.

Grading Criteria: I will grade you primarily on your ability to "paint a clear picture" of the session through use of concrete detail. You also need to write clearly and avoid sentence-level errors. However, I will understand if your logs ramble a bit and if they at times lack transitions between paragraphs and even between sentences.

Rewrites: I am not allowing rewrites for logs that are poorly done, but you can do more than the required logs, and I will average their grades to come up with the points for this assignment.

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