My fourth and final observation was again completely different from my previous three observations (Seems like I start each blog with the same theme). Firstly, the session was even shorter than my previous observation (3rd observation 30-35 mins), something I thought might-have been impossible to replicate. It lasted just under 30 minutes but that was in large part down to the student's particular reason for visit. The student came in for help regarding her thesis statement for a five-page essay comparing two novels. Furthermore, her primary concern was wanting to know if her thesis was applicable to the assignment instructions. Without being too negative, I thought this session was the least effective of the four sessions I observed. I was left very disappointed with how the session panned out, and I went away feeling a bit sorry for the student, as I was in a similar position just a few semesters back. The tutor displayed OK body language at best, as well as an OK attitude throughout. His tone was very loud, bordering on frustration and he seemed somewhat tired.
The student had not composed the 5 pages yet, as she wanted to know if the thesis would work, hence her reason for visit. The draft had just an introduction with her thesis and snippets of a first body paragraph developing, just over 1 page in length. The tutor firstly set about by silently reading the introduction to himself followed by highlighting the thesis. He then asked the student to show him the assignment instructions to see if it would applicable. He simply stated to the student it would not work, and that she will need add a supporting sentence or reconsider her direction/views pertaining to the topic. The student reacted by having initial problems as she didn't know which direction to set out. The tutor recommended her to do "Pre-Writing" instead of simply sitting at the computer beginning to construct the entire essay at once. He said writing down general ideas about both texts and planning the structure of the paper would help in putting the final piece together. The student simple nodded, and before I knew the session was over. It seemed to me though, the student went away still a bit confused as suggested in her expression, but that could be just speculation on my behalf. Overall, I was not impressed at all about the session. I thought the tutor could've done more in helping the student with simply throwing out some ideas or asking further questions. It just seemed meh....
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