Blog Post #7 - Consuelo

Though I can agree with Ryan and Zimmerelli’s identified advantages of asynchronous online tutoring on the basis of time, collaboration, anonymity, and written record, the case can be made for the unique advantages of personal direct communication with the possibilities  of immediate rapport, feedback, negotiation of aims, reading of non-verbal communication, greater depth in the feedback for the possibilities of asking questions and immediate response.  However, I found striking Remington’s comments when emphasizing some advantages of email tutoring as providing an opportunity for tutors to assume the role of intended audience and with that the opportunity to highlight the idea that writers’ use of language influence readers’ experience with the texts. He notes, “I can say honestly what I as a reader feel is most needed from the author for her to accomplish her goal” (3). I ask: Is it not true that what we, as tutors always strive for is to be honest in helping the student to transform and better their writing in either situation, synchronous or asynchronous? And he continues, “[t]o the extent my suggestion about clarifying a thesis sentence doesn’t match the expectations of an author who feels all she needs is a quick grammar check, the tutor-as -reader dynamic allows this gap to be negotiated in a way that comes from a place of honesty..." (3) It seems that I fail at seeing the difference between our honest intent to negotiate a common writer’s desire to fix surface features and our desire to help with structural issues in the writers’ work, again as a tutor in general regardless of if the communication happens in real time or outside of real time.

Ryan and Zimmerelli’s consideration about providing similar feedback for both synchronous and asynchronous type of tutoring seems very relevant. Feedback that should include asking questions and providing statements that cover different priorities from global aspects to minor ones, both “big picture and sentence level concerns” (92). 

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