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Articles 1 - 25 of 25
Full-Text Articles in Education
Questionable Behavior In The Writing Lab, David Bates
Questionable Behavior In The Writing Lab, David Bates
Writing Center Analysis Papers
In the setting of a writing center tutoring world where calibrated questioning is typically a core strategy of connecting with, evaluating, and ultimately counseling student writers, my work is an attempt to discover by examination and evaluation the effectiveness of questioning tools and techniques used by writing tutors and teachers. My purpose is to offer potential refinements to common questioning methods so as to help tutors better facilitate student writers in generating their own solutions to writing quandaries, as opposed to being led to preconceived tutor-generated solutions. The content of this paper is based upon my observations of tutoring sessions …
Self-Discovery, Self-Sufficiency: Assuming The Role Of A Listener While Tutoring, Adrian Thomson
Self-Discovery, Self-Sufficiency: Assuming The Role Of A Listener While Tutoring, Adrian Thomson
Writing Center Analysis Papers
My discovery of the method of student self-discovery in tutor sessions established itself early on in my path of wearing the ‘two different hats’ of tutor and lecturer. By forming a spiel that represents my own personality within established Writing Center philosophy, I attempt to allow the student to control the session and discover improvements of their paper on their own. I do so by taking the role of a listener, which may lend itself as well to my teaching endeavors.
Hats: Being A Tutor, Teacher, Student, And Mother Learning When To Wear What Hat, Holly Vasic
Hats: Being A Tutor, Teacher, Student, And Mother Learning When To Wear What Hat, Holly Vasic
Writing Center Analysis Papers
“Chapter One” of The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors (Ryan & Zimmerelli, 2016) breaks down the ways in which tutors may interact with students with the metaphor of hats and “the many hats tutors wear” (Ryan & Zimmerelli, 2016). This paper explores the way in which these hats have been worn in the USU Writing Center, in my experience, as well as how they translate into other roles I play.
Forget Power Dynamics: Why You Should Be Bbfs With Your Students And Professors, Maygan Barker
Forget Power Dynamics: Why You Should Be Bbfs With Your Students And Professors, Maygan Barker
Writing Center Analysis Papers
This paper is half personal narrative and half reflection on the nature of power dynamics in the classroom and writing center. The paper examines the nature and nuances of the word “relationship,” how we interact with the concept of relationships and power, and the ways we limit our joys through limiting the types of relationships we engage in. From there it discusses how to challenge those power dynamics in the classroom and writing center, and the benefits of doing so.
The Wall Of Silence: Disrupting Kairotic Spaces, Victoria Jaye
The Wall Of Silence: Disrupting Kairotic Spaces, Victoria Jaye
Writing Center Analysis Papers
Every class has a balance of kairotic space where teachers have power and students accept that power within the confining space of the classroom. Power defines our world as well as our relationships to one another; without power there is no control which can be key to governing a classroom. Disruption of this power dynamic can open dialogue between teachers and students that might not have existed otherwise because students feel confined to the strictures binding their power creating a wall of silence. Using brainstorming and reflecting as well as peer tutoring, I experimented with breaking down the wall of …
High, Cry, Hesitant: A Lesson In Effective Teaching, Macy Marin Keith
High, Cry, Hesitant: A Lesson In Effective Teaching, Macy Marin Keith
Writing Center Analysis Papers
There are no rules or perfect structures when it comes to teaching, tutoring, or learning. To be concerned with them will inevitably create a wall between the student and the teacher. That wall eliminates the possibility of open communication which leads to effective discussions—a back and forth—that results in true learning. Sometimes we need to kick the rules, the guides, and the formulas out the window and instead, remember what it is to be a student first.
Successful Tutoring Sessions, Successful Student Conferences, Elsa C. Torgersen
Successful Tutoring Sessions, Successful Student Conferences, Elsa C. Torgersen
Writing Center Analysis Papers
Many students come into their writing center appointments and student-teacher conferences with largely negative “writing baggage.” These students often have the expectation that these sessions will be what they were like in high school—the teacher marks what they have done wrong and though there may be positive things said, the students often remember the negative. So how can tutors and teachers create a new environment to help students feel comfortable with their writing while still teaching? This paper explores two potential solutions: beginning sessions and determining a session’s agenda. Through treating students like they matter and letting them help determine …
From Statia To School, Frances Avery
From Statia To School, Frances Avery
Writing Center Analysis Papers
This paper discusses how marginalized voices in the writing center and in the classroom can be heard. The atmosphere differences in the classroom and in the writing center contribute a great deal to the differences in communication that occur there. This paper does not define the term marginalization; basically, it refers to the exclusion that occurs because someone or a group of people are different than the people or group of people who are spear-heading the conversation. The paper begins with a personal story of marginalization and then moves into how marginalization takes places in academia. At the end of …
Of Writing, Teaching, And Tutoring: Banishing The Presence Of The Inner Critic In The Writing Center, Andrew Romriell
Of Writing, Teaching, And Tutoring: Banishing The Presence Of The Inner Critic In The Writing Center, Andrew Romriell
Writing Center Analysis Papers
The inner critic is the internal voice inside all of us that impedes us with negative messages about ourselves and our own capabilities (Elliot 111). In this essay, I illustrate the impact an inner critic can have in Writing Centers for both students and tutors alike and structure strategies to silence that critic. Three specific strategies are provided: (1) to name the inner critic in order to grant control over it, (2) to practice freewriting and understanding poor first drafts, and (3) to assist the student in understanding the allowance for imperfection within writing. By implementing these strategies alongside awareness …
Well, How Do You Feel About That Semicolon? Striking A Balance Between Instruction And Discovery As A Tutor And Teacher, Mark Smeltzer
Well, How Do You Feel About That Semicolon? Striking A Balance Between Instruction And Discovery As A Tutor And Teacher, Mark Smeltzer
Writing Center Analysis Papers
The paper explores the relationship between experiences with teaching and tutoring in the English Department at Utah State University. It examines observations of a first-year graduate instructor; it also draws conclusions on how to navigate the different environments of the USU Writing Center and the 1010 classroom, incorporating strategies and lessons from both
Phd Technical Communication Writing Fellows: A Proposal, Rachel Bryson
Phd Technical Communication Writing Fellows: A Proposal, Rachel Bryson
Writing Center Analysis Papers
New master’s and doctoral graduate instructors in the English department at Utah State spend two hours each week during their first semester working in the campus Writing Center as peer tutors. This practice has many positive outcomes for new students, including building familiarity with composition theory, understanding Writing Center pedagogy, and working with student writers and their texts. These outcomes are particularly beneficial to new master’s students who are entering graduate coursework and university teaching for the first time. On the other hand, new PhD students in Technical Communication & Rhetoric are typically experienced students and teachers but may be …
Learning On Equal Grounds, Andrea Diamond
Learning On Equal Grounds, Andrea Diamond
Writing Center Analysis Papers
Utah State University welcomes students to its beautiful campus where they can achieve their potential in an environment where everyone is welcome and each is promised that their voice will be heard and valued. The “Diversity Statement” facilitates this by encouraging discourse in a “free and respectful exchange of ideas.” Certainly, the opportunity to collaborate with students, scholars, and instructors in such an environment would help each gain command of the English language and improve their writing skills. As a graduate student, graduate instructor, and Writing Center tutor, I looked forward to this opportunity from many angles. Navigating my campus …
Audience Awareness In The Writing Center: Guiding Introductory Writing Students With More Directive Comments, Samantha Clem
Audience Awareness In The Writing Center: Guiding Introductory Writing Students With More Directive Comments, Samantha Clem
Writing Center Analysis Papers
Looking at the demographics of the students utilizing the writing center (WC) at a university in the US mountain west, the author questions whether the commenting styles in which WC tutors are trained accurately address the needs of the user population. Data on what courses WC visitors are enrolled in shows that the majority of WC user are introductory English students, with 70% of users being enrolled in one of the two required introductory level English courses (ENGL 1010 or ENGL 2010). Tutor training focuses on facilitative commenting styles, tactics that may not be effective for this given population of …
Old Buildings Have Old Drafts, Emma D. L. Chadwick
Old Buildings Have Old Drafts, Emma D. L. Chadwick
Writing Center Analysis Papers
This is a reflection of my experiences as a tutor at the Utah State University Writing Center in comparison with my time at the Dixie State University Writing Center. Although both have provided opportunities for me to learn and practice pedagogy as well as improve my own writing, both have also provided entirely different experiences and atmospheres. The physical differences between the buildings and the departments that house each writing center are reflective of the processes emphasized in their instruction of writing. Consequently, they impact the way that students view the writing process and the role of the Writing Center, …
Wearing A Hat Or A Mask: How To Consolidate The Teacher/Tutor Identity, Tyler Hurst
Wearing A Hat Or A Mask: How To Consolidate The Teacher/Tutor Identity, Tyler Hurst
Writing Center Analysis Papers
What is a tutor and what is a teacher? What roles do they play in the construction of writing and the teaching of it? These identities, and their unique approaches to teaching, initially served as struggling points of my pedagogical identity. Many individuals who have ever tutored writing or taught composition can relate to this pedagogical trial by fire. So, then, while under the duress of identity how can a teacher/tutor consolidate these distinct practices? What may seem to be a crisis of identity is actually a crisis of self, best solved by identifying these frustrations and compiling the best …
Teacher Vs. Tutor, Brady Maynes
Teacher Vs. Tutor, Brady Maynes
Writing Center Analysis Papers
The goal of this paper is to explore the differences between the roles of a tutor in the writing center and a teacher grading their student’s papers. I discuss ways in which tutor and teacher are similar as they both evaluate student’s papers but the end goal is significantly different. A tutor does not nor should they assign a grade to any paper they read in a tutoring session. One of a teacher’s primary intentions is to assign a grade to their student’s papers that reflects the feedback given. There is also a barrier, whether purposely constructed or placed by …
Pedagogical Sandhi, Arie French
Pedagogical Sandhi, Arie French
Writing Center Analysis Papers
In both composition courses and writing center tutorage, concepts like organization and structure are frequently stressed. Despite this emphasis, students continue to have difficulty in understanding what organization entails. In this piece, I use the Sanskrit language and my experiences as both a teacher and writing center peer tutor, in order to argue that learning to draw connections in writing equips students to transform their papers from distinct sections and evidences to a radically-new whole.I propose several methods that instructors and tutors can implement to equip students with connection-making skills.
Praising Students’ Writing: How Compliments Encourage And Motivate, Emma George
Praising Students’ Writing: How Compliments Encourage And Motivate, Emma George
Writing Center Analysis Papers
How to praise students in either the role of a teacher or a tutor is daunting task. These two different roles require different techniques as to the amount and quality of praise that can be given to writers. As a teacher, it is difficult to give specific praise to every single one of your students due to time limitations and volume, but tutors can and should give specific compliments to writers to increase their confidence and motivation in writing. This paper outlines several tutoring practices that have been successful on an individual level in helping students gain confidence in their …
Imagining Across Disciplines For A Sustainable Future, Emily James
Imagining Across Disciplines For A Sustainable Future, Emily James
Writing Center Analysis Papers
At present, the words sustainable and sustainability tend to be associated with environmental issues. Yet, the word sustain comes from the Old French sostenier meaning, “hold up, bear; suffer, endure” and Latin’s sustinere that adds, “hold upright; furnish with means of support; undergo.” Latin’s sustinere can further be broken down into the elements sub and tenere, the root of which, ten, means, “to stretch” (Harper). This paper reflects upon the ways in which the concept of sustainability affects my role as a writing tutor and composition instructor as I seek to help students stretch their abilities to develop ideas …
Teacher In Training: On Tutoring Before Teaching, Alyssa Witbeck Alexander
Teacher In Training: On Tutoring Before Teaching, Alyssa Witbeck Alexander
Writing Center Analysis Papers
Graduate instructors often dive into teaching without extensive preparation or a teaching certificate. However, some graduate instructors tutored in university writing centers prior to their graduate work. Tutoring prior to teaching allows the graduate instructor to gain confidence with introductory coursework, cope with silence from students, and learn how to ask students questions before they ever have to step foot in a classroom. The relationship tutors have with students differs from the relationship instructors have with students, which adds a complexity for graduate instructors who are accustomed to the tutoring relationship. Although that relationship shift is difficult, this paper gives …
One-On-One In A World Of Twenty-Four, Brittney Allen
One-On-One In A World Of Twenty-Four, Brittney Allen
Writing Center Analysis Papers
As a long-time tutor, I was startled by the lack of individual time I got with my students as I took on the more powerful role of Graduate Instructor. I fear that I lose a lot of my effectiveness due to no longer being a peer to English 1010 students. I explore why that is and potential ways to fight back against lost face-time in what ways I can.
Quantumly Entangled: Cosmic Consciousness In The Classroom, Jack Daly
Quantumly Entangled: Cosmic Consciousness In The Classroom, Jack Daly
Writing Center Analysis Papers
The main problem with Western education is the dualistic perspective which separates the teacher/tutor and the student into two separate identities. However, modern physics, specifically the theory of quantum entanglement, is showing that the atoms which compose the false identity of a “self” are intertwined in a mutual state of causality. These quantum revelations are affirming the ancient wisdom teaching of “That art thou” which is found in religions and spiritualities across the globe which an individual arrives at in an ego death and rebirth experience. The system of cosmic consciousness in the classroom expunges the dualistic perspective of “you” …
Becoming A Tutor: Teachers As Tutors In One-On-One Conferences, Cree Taylor
Becoming A Tutor: Teachers As Tutors In One-On-One Conferences, Cree Taylor
Writing Center Analysis Papers
University Writing Centers are valuable tools for university students of any level: first-year undergraduates through doctoral candidates. Peer reviews and edits help students recognize possible flaws in their writing that they otherwise would not have seen. The climate of the Writing Center allows students to review their writing in a low-stakes, comfortable environment where their concerns are heard and addressed by an understanding peer instead of an all-knowing professor. Techniques used in the Writing Center such as making immediate connections with students, allowing students to drive the tutoring session, and continually asking about and focusing on student’s concerns with their …
You Matter To Me: The Necessity Of Validation In The Composition Classroom, Shaun Anderson
You Matter To Me: The Necessity Of Validation In The Composition Classroom, Shaun Anderson
Writing Center Analysis Papers
The Utah State University Writing Center works to create a student-centered environment that provides our students with the message that their voices matter, that they are cared for, and that they belong here. This same message needs to be carried on into our composition courses. This sense of validation enables our students to develop as communicators and leaders.
Smiles, Sighs, And Nods: The Power Of A Personal Narrative, Camille Sleight-Price
Smiles, Sighs, And Nods: The Power Of A Personal Narrative, Camille Sleight-Price
Writing Center Analysis Papers
As a writing tutor and composition instructor, each time I work with a student I am meeting and getting to know a stranger through their writing. Although each student comes to sit next to me with their own background, topics of interest and insecurities, in each case I get to accompany them on the journey of meaning-making through the processes of research and composing. This paper highlights one such instance of meaning-making with a student. It suggests that this meaning-making is not just about developing students’ academic skills like research, critical thinking and composition, but is an opportunity as a …