You can probably guess why I chose this article. In fact, Cari Ann D., Ann Russell, and Ellen Harcourt are already working on a research project about the link between peer tutors' relationships with our lab-based students and those students' progress as writers.
We have such a smart and creative staff, and some--such as Marian and Susan--are already published academic writers. What would you like to find out more about? What would you be interested in writing about? Why not do a group article?
I'd love to hear some writing center-related topic ideas that would be general enough to apply to other writing centers. "Work in Progress" mentioned at least one that might be intriguing: How do we, as tutors, help change student writers' attitudes toward writing?
What else haven't we seen enough of in the Writing Center literature?
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One area I think would be an interesting research topic is the efficiency of the Socratic Method with ESL students. This method is the usual approach to tutoring in writing centers (WC) with mainstream students; however a review of the literature suggests that moving away from this method can be more beneficial to ESL writers. A research question could be: how efficient is the use of the Socratic Method in ESL writing tutoring?
ReplyDeleteA group article is a great idea. I think that a group research-article would show that a WC is personally involved (leadership) in researching the best strategies to tutoring student writers. Also, a group article could be evidence of a collaborative approach/philosophy within a WC.
Regarding Frances’s question: What else haven't we seen enough of in the Writing Center literature? I think I do not see enough research on the type population that goes to a WC, besides those who are required to go to a WC. With this in mind, I wonder if students who are required to do lab work in our WC (ex. ENG 1150), would use the WC when not required in other/future classes. This could be another research topic, I think.
I really liked Fatima's second suggestion. It would be interesting to gather more information on students who would not have come to the writing center if it had not been required. (as in ENG 100, or 1150) Then look at how many of those students end up continuing to get support from the Writing Center after they have completed their lab-based class. I think this information would help us to see how much of an impact we have on students.
ReplyDeleteThe article also mentioned tutors' columns. What kinds of topics are usually published there? Would this be an opportunity for even young tutors, like me, to participate?
Tangential to Fatima's post, I've always been interested in nontraditiional-age students. I worked with a man today who is in his thirties or forties and has just begun his college education. Last semester he bought a computer and began using it for the first time. We spent the majority of the session going over basic computer skills and worked a little bit on MLA citation. He was struggling with the use of a lot of knowledge and skills that traditional students find quite basic. I have always been interested in the struggles and issues related to tutoring these nontraditional students. At the writing center conference back in October I went to a session on how to effectively tutor nontraditional students, but many of the things discussed were more common sense--e.g. be calm and patient with them.
ReplyDeleteI have always found it odd that these students who have so many more work and life experiences than I are so nervous and unsure of themselves in a college setting. I think this would be a very interesing subject to research further...too bad I won't be around to do it...
I would love to see more about tutoring and technology. We live in such a technological world that at times we forget that there are people who don't know how to use that technology. I have learned so much about how to use Word, our blog, our Facebook, and Twitter from working in the Writing Center that I often forget that a lot of people don't know how to format a paper in Word (especially when it changes every few years). I love technology and the avenues it opens for the writing center.
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