Kayla TS #1

Date/Time: August 27, 2016/10:50 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Tutee's Home
Topic/Skill: Writing Skill
Feedback provided to tutee:I just told him I was going to review his writing samples, see where he is at, and come next Saturday with a lesson.
Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned:

Today was the first tutoring session with my child tutee, P.J.  I was very nervous about today because I have never tutored someone, let alone a child.  I was wondering if he'd take a liking to me, if he was shy, rebellious, and/or unresponsive, and if we were going to be a good match.  I was even more nervous because P.J. is Professor Kim's son, so I felt that there was extra high expectations (not implying that they were ever low).  As soon as I arrived to location, I was greeted by Professor Kim and her husband, and then P.J. came out and waved hey to me; everyone had a smile on their face.  My nervousness instantly went away; no one seemed to be too overbearing.

The first thing I wanted to do was build a relationship with my tutee.  I had prepared "get-to-know you" questions and activities for us to do for the first few minutes, but we actually didn't need any of that.  P.J. loves to talk, but also asks questions (thank god he's not a know-it-all), and we had a great conversation about school, FSU and FAMU, South Korea, dogs, and many other things.  So I believe we hit it off pretty good.

The second goal I had for today was to give a short writing diagnostic.  One problem I had was transitioning from the "getting-to-know you" stage to the "let's get down to business" stage.  I just need to better keep track of time, and just be a little more firm in the transition.  I had 3 prompts prepared, but was only able to get to two:

1) Compare and contrast South Korea and America (10 minutes).
2) Write a letter to a friend about an event last year that was most memorable to you. (15 minutes).

For the first prompt, I had to explain what compare and contrast meant.  I explained to him it's basically talking about the similarities and differences between South Korea and America.  I gave him 10 minutes (I should have given him more time), but he was done in three with two sentences.  So from that, I know we definitely need to work on how to brainstorm and structure essays.  The second prompt, I had to explain what memorable meant.  He was also focused on the friend aspect as far as which friend to pick (which could have been any friend), but he wanted to pick the right friend.  Lastly, he wanted to make sure he met the right length requirement.  So from these questions, I know I will need have him focus on the actual writing and structuring his ideas rather than the fine details of writing.  I need to write clearer prompts and be more explicit in my expectations.  Since it was a diagnostic, I tried to leave the prompts a little open so I can give him some free range.  

So my new goals are to focus on brainstorming/outlining, reviewing different types of essays, and fluency.  Overall, I believe today was a great session, and I look forward to the next one!