Jessi Towne

EDUG 547
Tutoring Reflection #7
November 9, 2015

Appendix H

Tutoring Reflection
Name: Jessi Towne Lesson: Drafts of Opinion Piece Date: November 9,
2015
Listen to your recording and reflect on your tutoring session by addressing
the following areas. Pay specific attention to the dialogue that you have with
the tutees and what insight you can gain from that. Write a short
paragraph for each section.
1. Identify and analyze strengths of the lesson, include reflections
about written and oral comments from the Coach and/or
professional peer and insights gained after listening to your
recording. [TPE 1A, 10]
One of the strengths from last weeks lesson was that both Kendy and Julian
were engaged with the game I was playing with them. Another one of the
strengths from the lesson was a comment made by my coach, when she said
that I had a great predicting question before reading the book. I had my
students look at the name of the book and the picture in the front of the
book in order to predict what it was about. I also made sure to model what I
was doing so that Julian and Kendy could see what I was doing and be able to
copy my behavior for the writing portion of the lesson. My coach also wrote
that the graphic organizer that I had for the students for writing an opinion
piece was a solid choice that would help the tutees see and understand how
to write an opinionated piece.
2. Identify and analyze problematic aspects of the lesson include
comments from the Coach, and/or professional peer and insights
gained after listening to your recording. [TPE 2,3]
My coach noticed a few problems with my word study. She did not think that
my word study was very clear in explaining what my objective was or why I
was doing what I was doing with the kids. She said, Is the goal to be able to
read the words or spell the words? Are these words that you have previously
noticed the students reading or spelling wrong? She has a good point. I
should have been more clear about why I was doing the specific word study I
was doing and verified the impact that it would have on my students for
what they are struggling with. Another one of the problematic aspects that I
deal with every week is that Julian and Kendy have is that they are easily
distracted by things in the room, the noise, and having the ability to talk to
one another and to me, which brings us off task.
3. Describe possible changes to lesson if implemented a second
time. [TPE 9,10]
I would definitely have a better word study that actually connected with what
the tutees need to know and what they struggle with, instead of just finding
general things that they need to know. I would change the opinion piece to

be whatever they wanted to write about, because they were having a really
difficult time finding what to write in their OREO outlines. Kendy had asked
me when I first presented the writing assignment if they could write about
something they wanted to write about, and I said that it had to be based on
the book. I should have let them pick something they wanted to write about,
because then they would have been a little more excited about writing if was
a topic that piqued their interest.
4. Discuss insights about tutees. Discuss and analyze tutees work,
describe tutees behavior/attitudes, etc. How did you differentiate
your instruction/materials to meet the different needs of your
tutees? What will you work on next session based on your analysis
of this session? [TPEs 4,5,7]
I gave Julian and Kendy outlines that break down how to write in an
opinionated way. It was in the format of an oreo, which gave a good visual for
the students to be able to see and remember how to write opinion pieces. I
should have written sentence frames for the students, because this
information was brand new to them and they had no idea how to start it. This
oreo opinion guideline sheet was a good way for the students to see how to
set up opinion writing. Kendy and Julian liked that it was in the shape of an
oreo. It was a helpful visual for them to be able to remember what needs to
be included when writing an opinion piece. Julian and Kendy could have
drawn out their thoughts better when explaining their opinions. All they had
written for stating their opinion was yes, saying that they agreed with the
question I had posed. It did not give any detailed information as to why they
chose that answer and why they stated that opinion. Julian and Kendy are
always excited and eager to get into our lessons and do what I have planned
for them. Although they may not always think what is planned is the most
fun activity, they always follow through and try their best. I know that Julian
is a poor speller and does not use proper grammar, so when they were
working on their oreo outlines, I made sure to let him know that spelling and
grammar did not matter for that particular activity. When he would ask me
how to spell words, I would just have him sound them out and write the
words to the best of his ability, because I wanted Julian to be a problemsolver and figure things out on his own without always having to rely on me.
Kendy is at a higher place than Julian, so I know that she sometimes finishes
her work before Julian. If she finishes before Julian does and we are waiting
until Julian is finished to move to the next activity, I have her practice
reading her part for readers theatre, because the more practice they get,
the more confident they will feel.
5. Discuss progress made toward becoming an exemplary teacher.
Refer to the RICA Competencies, TPEs, learning theories, etc.
One of the things that I have noticed about myself is that I am a perfectionist
and I like things to be perfect. The way to achieve perfection is to practice
things perfectly. I want my tutees to have confidence and be flawless readers

in their readers theatre scripts, because I try to have them practicing all the
time. According to RICA competency 1, Planning, Organizing, and Managing
Reading Instruction, in order for me to be able to engage and motivate my
tutees to want to learn, I need to make sure I have an environment that
promotes success, have appropriate materials, reading aloud to students,
and having book clubs. Well, in tutoring, we do not have time for book clubs,
but I have learned to do all the other things in order to keep my tutees
motivated and engaged in the material they are learning. I learned from
experience that I need to pick reading materials that are appropriate for the
developmental learning needs of my students, and not just because it is a
book that I find interesting. I read a few pages of a Harry Potter book to my
tutees because it was something I liked, but I was not thinking of my tutees
and how they are responding to what I was reading. I learned a lot from that
day. I now can accurately gauge my students and I know the books that are
most appropriate for my students in order for them to grow. I read aloud to
my tutees every week so they can hear proper English fluency. I definitely
have learned to have an environment that promotes success because my
tutees are looking up to me to set an example. I have learned to always
encourage them and to praise them when they do well. I do not scold them
when they do something wrong or tell them that they are stupid. No, if they
got something wrong, I then have the ability to turn it into a learning lesson
for both tutees.