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Ideas for How to Phrase Constructive Comments

I've got some ideas for ways to phrase constructive comments for those times when a reader just doesn't know what to say about a poem. Like my last blog post, this advice comes from a reading about writing centers and tutors from my job. The text isTalk About Writing: The Tutoring Strategies of Experienced Writing Center Tutor by Jo Maciewicz and Isabelle Thompson. 

Their strategies are designed for writing centers, meaning they are designed for teaching writing skills and helping students understand the goals of their writing or identifying concerns for their writing. Yet, I think they are useful for us as well.

Here's a scanned copy of the chapter for your reading (the chart of these strategies is around the last page). If you check any of my scans out, please keep them amongst only us here at Neopoet and don't share them elsewhere. I am sharing them for educational purposes only: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6cvyfeLYTmdRWUtamxRTnY4MjQ

Here is my Neopoet interpretation of it below: 

Telling: Commenter uses little or no mitigation to direct poet to lower the face threat of their advice (not really advisable)

Suggesting: Use mitigation to lower the face threat of their advice

Explaining & Exemplifying: Commenter offers reasons for and illustrations of their advice

Pumping (terrible term, great strategy): Commenters ask questions (or use inquiry statements) that get poets to think. Suggests reading aloud and thinking about the questions aloud

Responding as a reader or listener: Commenter tells poet what they take away as reader (or listener), paraphrasing what they think the poet has written or what it means

Referring to a previous topic: Commenter refers poet back to earlier occurence of idea or issue

Prompting: Commenter sets up responses from poet by providing partial responses or by leaving a blank for them to fill in

Showing Concern: build rapport with poet by demonstrating that they care 

Praising: commenter points out poet's success with postive feedback

Reinforcing Poet's Ownership and Control: commenter asserts the poet's ultimately makes the decisions

 

There are more options listed, but I feel like these are the most pertinent. I hope they help for anyone who gets stuck or wants to develop their commenting skills. 

Kelsey

Comments

excellent resource
was one of the tribe
but came from line of
heriditary leaders
mother was a hard ass
always was ambigous
myself....stone kicker
mumblings...but im
trying to get better
with comments...

and sometimes
poets need to get a pat
on the shoulder
for existing....
all the ones i read
had horrid pasts
mines long over but
im haunted...
like being in the trenches
anyone left standing has
felt the rush and dull
of the battles madness

still glowing over your comment
about the use of the word
'restless' prompting me and
making me feel good about the
work..as a poet and writer
u make me think more deeper into
my works and how i can expand
them....grow basically..

thank U very much Kelsey!

Mr Wolf!

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