"From the (writing) center to the edge: Moving writers along the Internet"

I know, I know: When considering computer technology, this article, by Muriel Harris, is ancient. But as we get more papers online, we're pushed to expand the ways and the media through which we tutor. I'd especially like to respond to three points that Harris makes:

1. She cites Coogan's reference to "epistolary education," in which students have to write via e-mail to get help with their writing. In our last post, Sarah Kosel made an excellent point about drawing student writers into conversation about their topic. She said (and I paraphrase) that once they become fired up about their ideas, they begin to focus on the message, not the possibility of a misplaced semi-colon. We can also do this online and, as Coogan writes, "infuse the act of writing with the sound of talking..." Ideally, our online students could get so caught up in the conversation that they'd forget they were writing.

2. I didn't check to see whether the Online Writery Harris alludes to still exists. I love its apparent philosophy of inclusion and egalitarianism, a sense that everybody has something worthwhile and important to say/write. There's a great generosity of spirit in that approach.

I was also struck by the point attributed to Crump: "Conversation itself is the thing, not a means to an end." It's like focusing on the journey more than the destination.

3. Although the "global information infrastructure" has been around for what seems like ages now (especially to you younger tutors), we still work with student writers who struggle to find legitimate sources through the Madonna databases. Anyone can Google for a quick fact check, but those who know where to look for scholarly, accurate, and reputable information sources are going to fare better than those who don't. We could use the gardening analogy (in honor of Marian, our Super-Duper-Master-Gardener) that healthy plants (brains) require healthy soil (high-quality information).

So what do you all think? Specifically, how could we use the Internet to expand our services and/or educational opportunities? What do you think about Crump's observation that "conversation is the thing"? How can we help our students find and identify more reliable online information?

"Voice Through Non-Belonging: Community Building and Writing Instruction"

Author John Poole makes a compelling point about "contingent identity": It's common among many adjunct faculty, part-time university employees, and students who live mostly in "the real world."

Like other universities throughout the country, Madonna's population of nontraditional students keeps growing. Many are returning students, many have families, many are part of an ethnic, racial, or religious minority. Most of them work.

In composition classes, we frequently make the distinction between "academic writing" and other types of writing. But after four years--or however long it takes to graduate--most of our students will never write another academic paper (and they'll be glad of it).

As present and former students, what do you think about this? How do we empower our cautious writers? How do we foster a sense of belonging in our academic community? How do we help our students discover their unique and powerful writer's voice?

"Work in Progress: Publishing Writing Center Scholarship"

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?

"Diagnosing problems: ways of reading student papers"

Karen Gocsik's article reminds us, once again, what a complex process we face when we tutor students. We are simultaneously reading as a tutor, responding as a "common reader," looking for higher- and lower-order concerns, and thinking of a sensitive but direct way to address a student's struggle with an essay. This is no mean feat, and I think we deserve a pat on the back for all this multi-tasking.

One aspect of this article that I liked especially was the list of questions we need to address when we're working with students (page 2). They all speak to higher-order concerns, and they help us connect with the student's needs. We certainly need answers to these questions first before we can effectively assess a student's writing strengths and weaknessese.

I also liked the response to the fabricated student essay (page 4). The author alluded to a point that Julia aptly made at the new-tutor professional development session this afternoon. Occasionally we read an essay that really offends or irritates us. How do we respond when an essay is really, truly awful? How do we encourage students and build confidence? How do we develop a "tactful and effective response?"

What did you think of this article? Did it make you re-consider your approach to tutoring in any way?

"You fix it for me: a lesson in women's work and cultural misunderstandings"

I give Kim Zabel, the author of this article, a lot of credit for keeping her cool. I think the situation she described would have been very difficult for any one of us. As a feminist, I would have been challenged to control my temper (but I may have been challenged even if I weren't a feminist).

Do you think cultural differences excuse the kind of behavior the author discussed? Of course, the Sudanese aren't the only culture that has (what seems to us) a sexist attitude toward women. We see it in our own culture, although it may come across in more subtle ways.

Have any of you experienced this dismissive attitude from any of our students, whether ESL students or native speakers? John, have you observed this? (I would ask you, Brandon, but you've only worked three hours).

MERRY
SEMESTER'S
END!!!!

"Making Writing Visible"

This article, by Mary B. Nicolini, represents what we're trying to do through this blog: use writing to learn rather than to show learning. Even though it focused on a specific high school, "Making Writing Visible" emphasized some of tenets that define our approach in tutoring:

1. "Writers need to get it down before they worry about getting it right." That's why fluency comes first for our lab-based students. I know some of these students have been initially frustrated that we haven't emphasized grammar and punctuation in that first week or two of the semester. But discovering what one has to say must take priority. Also, one of our former tutors pointed out that once she found her writer's "voice," she became a lot more invested in taking care of mechanical issues.

2. John Mayher was cited in Nicolini's article: "Teaching writing as a process can either lead to anti-writing in its commonsense domesticated version where the attention still remains focused on producing 'essays,' or it can lead into thickets of discovery." I like this distinction, and I suspect these "thickets of discovery" can and do occur during our tutoring sessions.

3. "Students learn to write by writing." To a certain extent, we need to get out of their way so they can charge into those aforementioned "thickets of discovery" without us as barriers. Of course, it can be a struggle to find that fine line between offering needed guidance and giving student writers the room they need.

What ideas did you take from the article? What fresh insights--or important reminders--did you glean from it?