English 0950, Sections 01 and 02

What To Do During Essay # 1 Conference Days

January 25-31, 2006

 

Before Your Conference:

1.) Study your two peer review forms again. Look for similarities and differences. If the peer reviewers agree on something, that might tell you something. If they disagree on something, you will need to make a decision about it -- or ask me about it at your conference. If they don't write about the same things, that's OK too. Seek to understand what they said, even if you don't agree with their comments. Ask them today if you have questions about what they wrote. It's your paper, so you have the final say on what you change and what you leave. However, be open minded to what they saw and said. Consider their comments carefully before rejecting them. Sometimes, we can be "blind" to our own writing, or we see what we "think" is there rather than what is actually there, or we're so "in love" with our writing that we hate to change anything. Maybe they saw something you didn't.

2.) Begin to revise your draft based on the peer reviewers' comments and on your own thoughts/feelings about your draft. You don't have to change everything they said. Remember, you make the final call.

3.) Be sure that you have an "advanced draft" ready for your conference. An "advanced draft" does not have to be a "completely reworked" draft, although it can be. An "advanced draft" means that you have begun to make some major changes to your first draft -- NOT just correcting editing errors. This is called "revision." Maybe you've added material. Maybe you've removed some stuff. Maybe you've rearranged some things. Maybe you've rewritten some paragraphs. Minor changes, such as correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, or mechanical errors do not count as "REVISION."

4.) Be sure that you have at least three (3) questions about your paper ready for your conference. By questions, I do not mean questions about grades like, "What sort of grade am I getting on this paper?" or very general questions like, "What do you think I should work on?" Ask specific questions about major things in your draft that matter to you, things that you are stuck on, things that are not coming out right, things that you are undecided about. This conference is our time to focus on "revision," not on "editing," so please don't ask questions like, "What do you think of my commas?" If you want to talk to me about editing, come to see me after conference week.

5.) Be sure you know the date and time of your conference. If you forget, the sign-up sheets are posted on my office door -- H 131 -- to remind you. Conferences will not be rescheduled if you are late or forget.

 

Attend Your Conference:

1.) Conferences will be held in my office: H 131. It is in the Humanities building, downstairs, down the hall from the women's restroom.

2.) Be sure you know when your conference is, and be a couple minutes early. Missed conferences will not be rescheduled. If you become sick, or if there is an emergency, call ahead of time and leave a message. (But I will not answer the phone during anyone's conference.)

3.) Bring along your "advanced draft" and your three (3) questions. If you forget these, or if you didn't do them, you will lose the majority of the points for your conference.

4.) Be prepared to ask questions and to talk about your draft. Be ready to tell me what you've been working on since your rough draft. You will be the one to "set the agenda" for your conference -- I will not simply tell you what to do to make your paper better. We can talk about the questions you have, the changes you've made so far, what you plan to do next, ideas from the peer reviews, or any problems you are encountering. I will be happy to help make suggestions or to brainstorm with you ways to solve problems. But, I do not see my role as telling you what to do and then you going to doing it.

5.) Be prepared to take notes about what we talk about during the conference. Bring a pen and paper. I will not take notes for you!

6.) Conferences are 15 minutes long -- no longer! I will have to "cut us off" if we're not done so that I stay on schedule for the sake of those after you. Be prepared so we can make the most of our time.

 

Other Things to Do Before and After Your Conference:

1.) Continue to revise your "advanced draft" based on the things we talked about during your conference, your own ideas, and ideas from the peer reviews. Maybe ask significant others, friends, and family for ideas -- but do not let them do your work for you.

2.) If you would like more feedback on your draft, go see a writing tutor in the Academic Support Center (ASC), located across from the Information Desk in the College Services building. The ASC offers free, trained writing tutors who work on a walk-in appointment basis. There are normally writing tutors available every day between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. -- sometimes more often (check the schedule). But, they are not an "editing and proofreading" service!

3.) We will meet again as a class on Wednesday, February 1, 2006.  BRING TO CLASS WITH YOU:

4.) If you have any other questions at any time, email me, call me, or stop by my office when I don't have conferences scheduled.