Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Where are you coming from?
As the Writing Realized staff finishes up a second round of consultations with a group of nursing students, I'm reminded of a very important consideration when it comes to our students. It is easy to come to the table with big expectations for our students and there is nothing wrong with demanding excellence. In fact, we owe our students at least that much. It can be easy to forget, however, that each student may be coming from a very different place.
I reviewed a paper for an online student, today, who was kind enough to send me a note to say how much she appreciated both my comments and my approach. She felt less assaulted by the criticism because of the spirit and tone in which it was presented. Part of the process involves a Jing presentation, so the student actually heard my voice giving her guidance as she watched the computer screen scroll through her paper. It was very gratifying to hear that she was encouraged by my feedback rather than discouraged or overwhelmed.
I forwarded the exchange to her professor who then informed me that this student is a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling her kids while she finishes a graduate degree in nursing. Wow! She has a lot on her plate!
Learning and writing come together in a very personal journey. All week long, I have been working with students in the lab who really are confused by how to write scholarly papers. Some of them are traditional students and others haven't been in the classroom for years. It would be easy to make the jaded assumption that the traditional students have just been lazy and never bothered to learn certain things or that a non-traditional student might not be cut out for college or graduate work. The truth is, we don't always know where they are coming from or what goes on in the background of their lives.
The students who have really chosen to be here, to participate in their learning, will come with open arms and at least partially open minds. If they are in the lab, whether it is because the professor requires it or not, they are here for a reason. They have come looking for guidance in their journey. They willingly open themselves up to our criticism so that they may meet another milestone, conquer another challenge.
It is a pretty powerful thing to see a mind open up and see what is possible. It is even more powerful to have been invited to the show.
I reviewed a paper for an online student, today, who was kind enough to send me a note to say how much she appreciated both my comments and my approach. She felt less assaulted by the criticism because of the spirit and tone in which it was presented. Part of the process involves a Jing presentation, so the student actually heard my voice giving her guidance as she watched the computer screen scroll through her paper. It was very gratifying to hear that she was encouraged by my feedback rather than discouraged or overwhelmed.
I forwarded the exchange to her professor who then informed me that this student is a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling her kids while she finishes a graduate degree in nursing. Wow! She has a lot on her plate!
Learning and writing come together in a very personal journey. All week long, I have been working with students in the lab who really are confused by how to write scholarly papers. Some of them are traditional students and others haven't been in the classroom for years. It would be easy to make the jaded assumption that the traditional students have just been lazy and never bothered to learn certain things or that a non-traditional student might not be cut out for college or graduate work. The truth is, we don't always know where they are coming from or what goes on in the background of their lives.
The students who have really chosen to be here, to participate in their learning, will come with open arms and at least partially open minds. If they are in the lab, whether it is because the professor requires it or not, they are here for a reason. They have come looking for guidance in their journey. They willingly open themselves up to our criticism so that they may meet another milestone, conquer another challenge.
It is a pretty powerful thing to see a mind open up and see what is possible. It is even more powerful to have been invited to the show.
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