Review of CATW essay on "Hype"

This essay makes a few good points, but is organized in a confusing manner. The writer awkwardly jumped between ideas, which were made even less understandable by a few cases of bad grammar. In paragraph two, the writer noted that advertisements “do not have a valid message” because the issue of obesity in America will be discussed on television followed by a fast-food commercial, video game commercial, then a weight loss commercial. The writer then claims that this is an example of the media “advocating to eat while playing video games or watching TV.” What they do not understand is that the commercials were most likely from all different companies; the order of their presentation is merely a coincidence. Assuming for a moment that the order of the commercials was intentionally designed to advocate eating, why would weight-loss follow McDonalds? The last thing that Mickey D’s wants is for its consumers to be health conscious enough to stay away from their food.

The author does not summarize the article well, and only briefly touched upon one of the author's ideas before going off on modernizing and suggested meaning of advertisements. Personal experience and outside knowledge were used, although the points that were made were not supported very well. The conclusion was one big run-on sentence that mentions the inescapability of advertisements, being brainwashed to buy more modern technology, and a claim that a person with modern technology attains a high acceptance in society because consumers have been brainwashed. If I were to grade this paper by the rubric, I believe this paper would lie near the border of passing and failing.

Projective structuring, retrospective structuring, and felt sense

Felt sense is an important aspect of the writing process. Writing based on what you feel, even if it is nothing, is the core idea behind felt sense. Even that nothing is something, and one must contemplate what exactly that nothing is. Using the felt sense helps one develop a genuine idea that they believe in and can elaborate on. It sounds like a confusing concept, but through its use, felt sense becomes a natural part of the writing process and helps a writer develop an idea based on how they feel about a subject.

Retrospective structuring is the organization of ideas and grammar used when developing an idea. Using this effectively helps provide a clear understanding of the subject to the reader. It is also one of the methods of discovery for the writer. Often times, an idea is inchoate until the writer puts their ideas into words.

Projective structuring is described as putting yourself into the reader's shoes. This is more important with certain types of writing than with others. For example, with research papers, when making an argument for your point, one more be aware that not all of the readers will be on the same side. Being too one-sided and biased may turn readers with opposing views against your ideas. However, neutrality will weaken your case because as a researcher, one must take a stance and develop arguments that support it.

What to do and what not to do when tutoring

DO
Make the student feel comfortable so that they can open up
Motivate the student
Explain all steps when guiding a student through something
Ask a lot of questions
Focus on student's trouble areas
Prioritize your focus areas (High and low-order concerns)
Be enthusiastic.


DON'T
Promise high grades
Give false praise (Cheer-leading)
Do the student's work for them (Usurping ownership)
Assume what they know
Discourage the student
Brag about your own knowledge
Eat or drink while tutoring 
Focus on low-order concerns if high-order concerns exist