Group items tagged

a discussion of distinctions between writing center tutoring and tutoring (English, writing, reading) that is offered by Learning Centers, Academic Skills Centers, etc.

from abstract: "in keeping with theory and practice of tutor training in inquiry-based pedagogy, ELL students and peer tutors vacillate between the linguistic dominant position, indicating that participants establish a collaborative and egalitarian environment. However, L1 tutors may experience dissonance because the agenda set by ELL students often focuses on surface features such as grammar and diction rather than on global revisions" (36).

From abstract: ncludes recommendations for "tutor preparation and in-service training" that "emphasize less idealized, more pragmatic conceptualization of tutor roles and actions and focus on behaviors demonstrated as constitutive of success"

should tutors who know a NNES student's home language work with the student in that language? discussion and resources

a discussion of "educational truths," aspects of writing center philosophy that generally go unquestioned

a discussion on how to train tutors who have been previously taught that essays don't require thesis statements

This video promotes Western Illinois University's Writing Center by demonstrating that the Writing Center is a place where tutors collaborate with students to teach them about writing.

This video was made by tutors in Oakton High School's Writing Center to show that any student can take advantage of the Writing Center.

Created by members of the University of Maryland's Writing Center, this video instructs tutors to ask questions that prompt student thinking but direct students when they are struggling.

ABSTRACT: "At the 2014 IWCA/NCPTW Conference, founders of the National Writing Centers Association (now International Writing Centers Association) came together to reflect on the organization's beginnings, its strategies for institutionalization, and challenges that may still exist. A significant anniversary such as the 30th provides the opportunity for reflection. Additionally, a timeline of the organization's history is included, which provides important information for historical research.

Joseph Hill University of California Davis From Praxis: "Being a philosophy minor and English major, I constantly look at interactions that take place between the different disciplines and ways in which life can be approached from a philosophical standpoint. Existentialism is a philosophy that piqued my interest with its reliance on the precedence of the individual and the consequentiality of man's choices."

"The Journal of Writing Research (JoWR) is an international peer reviewed journal that publishes high quality theoretical, empirical, and review papers covering the broad spectrum of writing research. The mandate of the Journal of Writing Research is: to publish excellent and innovative writing research drawn from a range of academic disciplines (e.g. psychology, linguistics, pedagogy, design studies, communication studies, information and communication technology, learning and teaching) to stimulate interdisciplinary writing research to be fully international to apply high academic standards, including double blind peer review to share knowledge through open access "

crowdsourcing a list of creative writing (stories, poems, films) that features the writing process

From Neal Lerner's July 2011 message to WCenter: Folks, the latest issue (July 2011) of the Journal of Writing Research includes a very impressive study by James Williams and Seiji Takaku of the relationship between college students' self-efficacy, help-seeking behaviors, writing center visits, and writing performance. Here's a link to a pdf of the study: http://www.jowr.org/articles/vol3_1/JoWR_2011_vol3_nr1_Williams_Takaku.pdf Here's a snippet to take to your dean: "The analysis showed that those students who frequently obtained writing center tutoring received higher grades in composition than those who did not, regardless of their ESL or native-English-speaker status. The frequency of writing center tutoring seemed to be especially valuable for the ESL students, who outperform their domestic cohorts, receiving significantly higher grades in composition."

"This article explores some important insights offered by second language acquisition research, focusing in particular on the findings of interactional and Vygotskyan approaches. Finally, it argues that writing centers may be an ideal place for second language writers to work on their writing."

The Cult of Pedagogy website with suggestions for discussion strategies that might be useful for tutor training classes, by Jennifer Gonzalez. Also available to listen to as a podcast

WriteLab is a web tool that helps students practice their confidence in their writing. The founders are Donald McQuade, a professor of English at UC Berkeley, and Matthew Ramirez, a Phd student at UC Berkeley.

Tutor training video that demonstrates best practices. Includes a mock tutorial session.