When we were at the College of Composition and Communications Conference (4Cs) in Louisville, KY, last week, Harvey Kail (author of this article) was part of a panel presentation on this project. The presenters talked about a research kit online that schools can adapt for their own use.
After going to that session and reading the article, I realized that, although we solicit feedback from our student writers every semester, it never occurred to me to ask tutors to fill out evaluations. And we could certainly use your input. I hope we're providing the training (sometimes on-the-run), support, and flexibility you need, but is the Writing Center making a difference on a larger scale?
Kail reported very positive results from his surveys, but it did raise a question for me. Do students most interested in writing center work start out with a willingness to work collaboratively, read critically, become a better listener, and join the larger academic community? Those skills may well have been honed to some degree, but do Writing Center tutors already come to the job with those aptitudes?
Whether you're a peer or ESL tutor, what influence does working here have on you academically, professionally, and interpersonally? Has your experience here affected your choice of career? What impact has it had on your sense of yourself as a writer?
After I attended the session I mentioned, I thought about setting up a Facebook page so past and former tutors could keep track of each other as often or as rarely as they want. What do you think?
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I think it would be a great idea to have a Facebook page for tutors and former tutors. It would be fun to catch up on what everyone is doing. It would also be a great place to collect their reflections on how working in the writing center has affected them.
ReplyDeleteKail's observation that "the writing center experience redefines writing for [tutors] as a collaborative rather than an individual process" is very interesting. I've always thought of writing like this, but I'm not sure why. I do have some experience in publishing, and I think that, more than anything else, this experience made me realize how everything we see in print has been massaged, morphed, and managed into existence. Everything is edited. Everything is the work of more than one person. This has made me wonder about the meaning of the term plagiarism. How valid is the concept of stealing someone else's work if all writing is a collaborative?
In spite of my feelings on the subject, the majority of students I have in my classes seem to have a very restrictive definition of writing. For them, writing is something done one time by one person. As much as I've talked about the writing process, I still have students who persist in telling me they don't want to/can't revise their work. They seem to find any commentary on their work offensive or demeaning. They often talk about wanting their work to be "perfect." If it isn't perfect, they are deflated. This leaves me wondering where they got this idea. What in their past experience has cemented this concept in their minds? Is there an emphasis in our schools on perfection? Don't students work together in groups? Of course, there is an obvious cultural connection here. Maybe it's just so culturally ingrained....
I understand what you are saying Francis, and yes, I do think that, speaking for myself, I had some of those aptitudes and desires prior to working at the writing center. That said, working here has undoubtedly helped me become a better writer myself. As some of the tutors in the paper mentioned, I did not used to think about my writing nearly as much as I do now. I knew how to write a well organized paper, but I didn't put a whole lot of thought into purpose, audience, or things like that. Working at the writing center has taught me how to critically think about my writing more than I ever would have if I hadn't gotten this job. (Not to mention I wouldn't know nearly as much about APA format!)
ReplyDeleteI have learned so much by working at the writing center-- things that I know I will carry on with whatever I do in the future. I have expanded my knowledge about technology. A few years ago I knew nothing about how to format a paper in word... now I'm teaching others how to use it!
ReplyDeleteI've also learned a lot about myself. I've found that I like working with people and their writing. I have learned that revision is a necessary part of writing (one I still don't particulary enjoy). I have found that I actually enjoy writing and use it as an outlet now!
I know that I will be a better interpreter in the future because I have learned so much about nursing, social work, teaching, and a number of other subjects just by reading the papers that come in.
I think that anyone who works in the writing center continues to learn how to work with all sorts of people. Personally, I think the writing center is GREAT!
Thank you, Holly. I think you're pretty great, too, and I hate to lose you. I am glad the Writing Center has been a good experience for you. I think it could be even better if we included more structured professional development. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteAs a new tutor at the Writing Center, I have found that the writing skills I already possessed have, even in the short amount of time I’ve had on the job, been sharpened at the Writing Center. In the past, while I recognized the value of having someone else read my composition, I didn’t necessary read other people’s papers very often. By having the chance to sit down with someone and review their paper and figure out how to help them develop their thoughts, the entire writing process has become smoother for me.
ReplyDeleteI think that, as mentioned in the article, the sense of community at the Writing Center plays a major role in the quality of assistance that is provided. By having a laid back, accepting atmosphere, students bringing in their paper for the first time don’t feel intimidated, and I know that I feel a definite sense of collaboration and an ability to ask questions of my fellow tutors if I am having difficulty with a word or phrase.
I didn’t expect to have so much fun at the Writing Center, and I know that every Wednesday evening will never be dull!
Working at the Writing Center has helped me to grow in confidence, not only academically by also in my general interactions with people. I love to write, and I am comfortable working collaboratively with others, but I would say I have been able to hone both of those abilities as a peer tutor. Although I was drawn to the Writing Center because I enjoy writing, after having spent a few weeks tutoring I started to see writing in a very different way. Before I started working as a tutor I thought of the writing process as individual and private. I understood the usefulness of having another person review my papers, but I considered that the extent of any involvement of other people. Once I became a peer tutor this perception began to change, as I realized how the collaborative effort at each stage of the writing process can be tremendously beneficial. The article mentioned this improved understanding of the importance of community and “group effort” when it comes to writing, and as I read that I became aware of how much my thoughts on the matter have changed. One of the nice aspects of the Writing Center is that for both new tutors and new students it is quickly evident how important, useful, and non-threatening the community element of writing can be
ReplyDeleteWell, here’s my comment—a month late, but better late than never, right?
ReplyDeleteThe following quote from Harvey’s article resonated for me: “the most significant benefit that students take with them from their writing center experience is earned confidence in themselves. The combination of training and collaborative experience is a transformative experience for students.” This is certainly true for myself. Over the past few months especially, I have several times been working with a student and asked them a Socratic question or explained a concept in a way that just made it click for them. I always want to turn around and say, “Wow, who said that? It was great!”
I have noticed that writing has become much easier for me since I have been working at the writing center. I have a much more developed idea of what I need to say and how I need structure it in my papers. Tutoring—the act of thinking through and about writing so that I can explain it to others—has provided me with a very unusual gaze or point of view, just as Harvey noted in his article. I am able to see and conceive of writing on a deeper level because I have, in a sense, been forced to do so through my work.
As far as professional development, I think practice sessions in Socratic dialogue would be very helpful. Guiding the student through question-asking as opposed to telling them the answer is a difficult craft to master. Because it is one of the most challenging aspects of our job, I think extended sessions of just practicing guiding each other through a dialogue like this would really help.