Episode 009: DO Talk to Strangers

The Minimal Pair: Episode 009

Show Notes: The Minimal Pair Title: DO Talk to Strangers Episode no: 009 Date: Recorded on 5/16/14
Topics in Language Learning Tutoring/student support

1. Inspired by the article “Minimalist Tutoring: Making Students Do All the Work,” by Jeff Brooks of Seattle Pacific University (https://docs.google.com/document/d/18iposMnhBlTZIKhZ_s2gpgtfnd5-XV_nBRabuv44o3w/edit?hl=en_US)
2. Talking points:

• Teaching students to fish
• Improve the student, not the paper
• Helping vs. editing
• Goal of writing a paper?
• Student ownership (both of their writing and their mistakes)

1. “Basic Minimalist Tutoring” Tips:

• Sit beside the student
• Have the student be closer to the paper than you are
• Position yourself so that it’s not convenient to try to write on the paper; don’t bring a pen
• Have the student read the paper (so they’re not excluded)

1. “Advanced Minimalist Tutoring” Tips:

• Concentrate on the paper’s strengths
• Ask “leading questions”
• Give the student a task, leave him/her alone, come back to check in

1. “Defensive Minimalist Tutoring” Tips:

• Imitate student body language to show deference
• Be honest: “This is your paper, not mine!”

[23:00]
Methodology Small talk

• Our experiences…
• Why should we teach it?
• “Making space for English”—shout out to Anna Loseva
• The Fine Art of Small Talk by Debra Fine 
• How can we incorporate it into our classrooms?
• 5 Tips for Students:

1. Do talk to strangers
2. Keep it light
3. Being engaged
4. Closing the conversation
5. Reflect

[40:40]
Culturally speaking… Group work

• Why group work?
• How do we determine groups? Factors to consider and why: skill level, confidence/personality, age, gender, language background, religious/cultural background…
• The importance of teaching students how to be students in an American classroom

SHOUT OUTS: Jeff Brooks of Seattle Pacific University & Anna Loseva @AnnLoseva