<I>

  <&>Wellington Corpus of Spoken New Zealand English Version One</&>
  <&>Copyright 1998 School of Linguistics & Applied Language Studies</&>
  <&>Victoria University of Wellington</&>

  <&>side one</&>
  <&>15:26</&>
  

  <WSC#MUL030:0005:WR>
      now what you've brought up today there are some common themes
      which i'm getting out of this

  <WSC#MUL030:0010:WR>
      first of all there's getting students interacting okay so i'm
      going to talk to you a wee bit about creating a safe environment
      for students to feel comfortable to do that

  <WSC#MUL030:0015:WR>
      er the other things i'm picking up is concerns about <.>the</.>
      about confidence about us going in and feeling confident in the
      classroom we're in <?>here</?> i'll be covering that

  <WSC#MUL030:0020:WR>
      er the other thing is the deathly silences

  <WSC#MUL030:0025:WR>
      now again this <&>16:00</&> comes back very much to creating the
      right environment but there are also discussion strategies that
      you can use which i'll talk about a bit later on

  <WSC#MUL030:0030:WR>
      now before you go i'm going to give you two handouts which have
      been developed for tutors in tutoring situations and don't go
      without those

  <WSC#MUL030:0035:WR>
      if anyone does have to leave early um just let me know and i'll
      grab those for you

  <WSC#MUL030:0040:WR>
      <.>now</.> what i don't cover today there will be some stuff in
      there which may give you some ideas which may help you right?
      <,,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0045:WR>
      okay <,,> now <?>yes yes okay then bye</?> i might just wander
      round a wee bit <,,><&>5</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0050:WR>
      just some tricks teacher tricks before i get <&>17:00</&>
      started <,,><&>3</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0055:WR>
      first things i want you to remember when you go into your
      classrooms the trick of good teaching is to make it LOOK EASY
      <,> all right

  <WSC#MUL030:0060:WR>
      even if you're feeling really nervous and your stomach's doing
      somersaults go in and make it look easy because if you're
      looking nervous or ruffled or hassled then the students are
      going to pick it up straight away and they're going to tune out
      very quickly so make it look easy even if you're not feeling
      like it is easy

  <WSC#MUL030:0065:WR>
      quite often you can um tell tutors who haven't tutored before
      because they come into their classrooms and they're sort of like
      this you know <.>and</.> and students pick it up <&>18:00</&>
      <,,> so make it look easy

  <WSC#MUL030:0070:WR>
      it's always okay to say that you're a new tutor because that's
      being honest but just don't <quietly>act like one</quietly> <,,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0075:WR>
      it's just confidence exuding confidence <,,><&>3</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0080:WR>
      the other thing which may help is if you ARE new to tutoring try
      planning tutorials with another tutor in the department
      PARTICularly if you're new to tutoring which some of you are <,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0085:WR>
      er when i first began tutoring i made all the mistakes <,> in
      the book

  <WSC#MUL030:0090:WR>
      the second year a friend became a tutor in the department i was
      working in which was the education department and we were <.>working</.>
      both working the first year course and <&>19:00</&> we both felt
      pretty isolated

  <WSC#MUL030:0095:WR>
      we had the same thing that some of you have brought up we
      weren't sure how we were coming across <,,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0100:WR>
      we weren't sure if we were doing the right thing or if students
      were responding to us <,> but once we began working together <,>
      and talking about what we were doing in our classrooms talking
      to each other about our ideas we began to develop our teaching
      practice much more quickly and it reduces that sense of
      isolation <,> so if there is someone who you know and who you
      TRUST in your department try working with them and planning
      tutes with someone else <,,><&>10</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0105:WR>
      the other thing that i want to mention to you <quietly>and if
      you go away with <&>20:00</&> absolutely nothing else today i
      want you to remember this</quietly> the secret of really GREAT
      teaching is eye contact so i'm gonna write it on the board and
      you can write it down <,,><&>8</&> eye contact

  <WSC#MUL030:0110:WR>
      now it is possible to go into a lecture theatre with three
      hundred first year students going ABsolutely berserk and having
      them ready sitting attentively quietly and ready to learn JUST
      by using eye contact <,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0115:WR>
      it's magic

  <WSC#MUL030:0120:WR>
      <?>there've</?> been a lot of research which has been done on
      the subject and you'll find that some of the most dyNAMIC
      lecturers and tutors at this university will tell you that the
      secret of their good teaching <&>21:00</&> is making eye contact
      <,,><&>3</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0125:WR>
      just remember when you're not MAKING that connection with your
      students they're not making that connection with you and if
      they're not making that connection they're not necessarily going
      to be listening to you okay so just remember eye contact

  <WSC#MUL030:0130:WR>
      it's magic <,,><&>9</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0135:WR>
      the other thing i want to say to you is <,,><&>4</&> always
      remember and never forget no matter how BADLY a class is going
      and sometimes classes can go really badly it doesn't matter how
      awful you're feeling keep smiling <,> okay not the sort of tense
      smile of the new tutor

  <WSC#MUL030:0140:WR>
      i'm talking about coming <&>22:00</&> across being relaxed
      appearing confident not over confident but keep smiling because
      occasionally you will have to deal with situations with students
      where someone is being quite obnoxious who needs to be
      challenged in some way

  <WSC#MUL030:0145:WR>
      don't let it show that you're angry or that you're ruffled or
      that you're upset <,,> okay

  <WSC#MUL030:0150:WR>
      you can challenge students when they need to be challenged but
      do it in a constructive way and DON'T let it show that you're
      feeling upset because your students will tune out very quickly
      if they feel that you've lost control of the situation <,> all
      right <,,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0155:WR>
      so remember try and handle those really yukky situations which
      do arise with a professional manner okay and keep smiling <,>
      <&>23:00</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0160:WR>
      all right now the role of the tutor this about <.>the</.> the
      environment that we create in the classroom and these in a sense
      these are the intangibles of classroom process

  <WSC#MUL030:0165:WR>
      a lot of people will tell you that tutoring is like going on
      stage it's like a performance in front of people you don't
      necessarily know very well <,,><&>3</&> and what some people do
      is they create a classroom presence <,,><&>3</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0170:WR>
      now when i say that i also meant to say to you that you must
      always be yourself when you're in a classroom

  <WSC#MUL030:0175:WR>
      it's no sense in imitating someone else someone who you know is
      a really good teacher <,,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0180:WR>
      be yourself because at the end of the day you're only who you
      are and students know when they're <&>24:00</&> being conned <,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0185:WR>
      classroom presence <,,> <O>tut</O> or creating a presence for
      ourselves is like putting on a set of clothes almost when we go
      into a classroom persona if you like <,,><&>5</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0190:WR>
      when i first began teaching i had to learn a lot of things about
      myself because we reveal ourselves when we're teaching in ways
      that we don't even think about at the time

  <WSC#MUL030:0195:WR>
      i had to learn for myself when i went into the classroom

  <WSC#MUL030:0200:WR>
      first of all i have a very sarcastic tongue

  <WSC#MUL030:0205:WR>
      now my family can handle that my friends can handle that but my
      students CANNOT HANDLE IT because it's a different kind of
      situation there are different vulnerabilities going on in that
      situation so i <&>25:00</&> had to learn to challenge students
      in ways that were constructive and it took some time
      <,,><&>3</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0210:WR>
      i had to learn to be less <?>blunt</?> and i had to learn not to
      put people down <,,> so remember try and challenge students
      always <,> challenge them into thinking in different ways where
      possible but find constructive ways of doing it <,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0215:WR>
      now the other thing about creating this presence this intangible
      thing <.>is</.> is about how we come across to our students when
      we're in the classroom

  <WSC#MUL030:0220:WR>
      now sometimes we don't have much of a sense of how we ARE coming
      across in a classroom situation and this isn't just people
      who've begun tutoring begun lecturing this is people who've been
      teaching for years they still haven't worked out what they look
      <&>26:00</&> like in front of a group of students <,,> so what
      we suggest that there are a variety of things that you can do

  <WSC#MUL030:0225:WR>
      you can practise it in front a mirror well that's what i do
      sometimes because <.>i</.> i enjoy doing things in front of
      mirrors <,,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0230:WR>
      <.>others</.> other ways that we cope with that is we get um
      staff to work in front of a video camera and they can play the
      tape back afterwards

  <WSC#MUL030:0235:WR>
      if you're not comfortable with doing that go into a room close
      the door close the curtains and practise your class before you
      go in so you get a sense of what you're doing <,> and be aware
      of certain mannerisms that you might have which are deeply
      irritating these sorts of things okay

  <WSC#MUL030:0240:WR>
      they <&>27:00</&> come across in a class <,,><&>6</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0245:WR>
      the classroom environment now that's really important <,,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0250:WR>
      you'll find that your students talk to each other and interact
      with each other much more when they feel safe <,,> so you've got
      <.>to</.> as a tutor we ALL have to find ways of getting our
      students to feel safe but at the end of the day it could be you
      know that there are going to be some students who don't and <.>it's</.>
      that can be intimidating for us but it's <?>a</?> challenge to
      find ways of breaking that pattern <,,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0255:WR>
      now every classroom has a different feel

  <WSC#MUL030:0260:WR>
      every time the students come together they'll be needing
      different things

  <WSC#MUL030:0265:WR>
      they've had a whole week since their last class and there's
      between <&>28:00</&> twelve and twenty five people depending how
      large your classes are who've lived lifetimes in that week so
      every time your class is going to be different <,,><&>5</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0270:WR>
      now that means that there is in some ways you can look at it as
      being a kind of inherent instability in classroom dynamics but
      there are things that you can do before you go into your class
      which will create <,,> a kind of safeness if you anticipate in
      advance what it is that you're wanting to get across so before
      any of you go into your classrooms just have a THINK <.>about</.>
      visualise in advance what's happening in that classroom

  <WSC#MUL030:0275:WR>
      think about where you've got the <&>29:00</&> seats

  <WSC#MUL030:0280:WR>
      are they in rows or are they in <.>an</.> a horseshoe shape <,,>
      or are they in a circle because <.>w</.> where your students are
      sitting is going to <.>ha</.> affect how they relate to each
      other

  <WSC#MUL030:0285:WR>
      if people are sitting in rows they can't each other's faces and
      if they can't see each other's faces then they're not going to
      talk to each other quite as easily as they would if they could
      see each other <,,><&>3</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0290:WR>
      think about what you're doing in the classroom

  <WSC#MUL030:0295:WR>
      are you standing in front of the class <,> and giving out
      information or are the students working in small discussion
      groups and doing some discovering for themselves <,,><&>6</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0300:WR>
      think also <&>30:00</&> about noise levels

  <WSC#MUL030:0305:WR>
      some people work best in a fairly formal environment where
      people are working quietly

  <WSC#MUL030:0310:WR>
      i prefer a slightly less formal environment where students are
      talking loudly if they need to

  <WSC#MUL030:0315:WR>
      i prefer working with noise

  <WSC#MUL030:0320:WR>
      whatever it is that YOU feel most comfortable with and most able
      to create in your classrooms think about it beforehand and then
      work towards creating that but it's got to be something that you
      feel good with <,,><&>4</&> so do what's best for you
      <,,><&>5</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0325:WR>
      the other thing is er remember to set limits with your students
      <&>31:00</&> always set limits with your students

  <WSC#MUL030:0330:WR>
      now that's in a whole lot of things

  <WSC#MUL030:0335:WR>
      first off you need to set limits on how much nonclassroom
      contact time you're going to put aside for students

  <WSC#MUL030:0340:WR>
      um you need to decide when they're going <.>t</.> to <.>cont</.>
      contact you how they're going to contact you and how much time
      you're going to put into doing that

  <WSC#MUL030:0345:WR>
      now the reason i say this is because particularly at first year
      level students come in and they have a whole lot of needs

  <WSC#MUL030:0350:WR>
      they're in an environment where they feel really uncertain a lot
      of them are feeling really anxious and they'll be looking
      towards you to resolve some of those anxieties for them <,,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0355:WR>
      now if students are approaching you with their concerns that's
      great because it means that <&>32:00</&> you've probably made
      yourself approachable but on the other hand each of you has got
      a lot of other commitments in your life

  <WSC#MUL030:0360:WR>
      you've got study commitments maybe work commitments research
      <&>32:15</&> <&>end of side one some overlap on side two</&> <&>side
      two</&> <&>0:19</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0365:WR>
      commitments you have family friends lovers and you need to keep
      a balance and what'll you'll find if you DON'T set limits with
      your students right at the beginning then your time is gonna
      suddenly feel like it's no longer your own

  <WSC#MUL030:0370:WR>
      i've had students ring who are working nights ringing at three
      in the morning cos that's the only time that they had to work on
      their essay so you need to be clear about when they can get in
      touch with you <,>

  <WSC#MUL030:0375:WR>
      what i do with my students now is i say as <?>they go</?> if
      <&>1:00</&> they DO have to ring me at home otherwise i i'll
      give them my office number but if they DO have to ring me at
      home it's got to be for a good reason and between the hours of
      seven thirty and ten <,,><&>5</&>

  <WSC#MUL030:0380:WR>
      so set limits on how much you can do and remember that your time
      belongs to you <&>1:23</&>
</I>
