Writing+Center+Practicum

=Writing Center Practicum=

The Writing Center has wanted a designated course for consultants (new and experienced) for quite some time. We hope to be able to institute a one-credit-hour GEP course for consultants beginning Fall 2010, so we're running a pilot program of this course in Spring 2010. The purpose of the course is to provide ongoing training for our staff. These training hours will be used toward [|CRLA] certification for all of our consultants once that program is in place. From a practical standpoint, it also provides a chance for our rather large staff to get together in one place and discuss issues that come up during the week.

This page will house relevant documents and discussions, and we will try to document our experiences developing the course.

=Announcements=

2/22/10
I've posted a quick-and-dirty guide to the Rhetorical Analysis here.

2/11/10
I've started a page for Common Grammar and Mechanics Issues. Please contribute! If there are any strategies that you find work particularly well, feel free to add them or amend any of the instructions.

2/5/10
The Writing Center is having a Valentine's Day party! Check out the flier here:

1/21/09
Please check the course schedule, below, for due dates. We'll start doing peer observations soon. Due dates are posted on the course schedule for those who need them. These dates are not strict; however, it would be helpful (to everyone) if you spaced your observations throughout the semester. Guidelines for peer observation are posted in a document linked below.

Helpful Links for Consultants

 * [|Tutor.edu: A Manual for Writing Center Tutors]
 * [|Training for Tough Tutorials]

Working with ESL/NNS Writers

 * [|Ten Tips for ESL Tutorials], from UNC
 * [|English as a Second Language], from Dartmouth Writing Program. A very helpful and thorough site with lots of tips.
 * [|Tutoring ESL Students: Issues and Options]. (PDF)
 * [|The Role of an ESL Tutor], from University of Richmond. This site highlights the differences in rhetorical patterns and how to help ESL students understand American rhetorical patterns.

Resources for Consultants

 * Helping with the Graduate Thesis
 * Tutoring the Rhetorical Analysis

Week 1: 1/13/10
Because we're still trying to figure our Tutor Trac, we substituted the first week's meeting for a training session on the basic functions of the program. Hopefully we will make time for goal-setting in the next meeting. I will also be sending out an "assignment sheet" for the first written project within the next day or so.

- Sarah

Week 2: 1/20/10
Jessica Boykin gave us a refresher on APA and highlighted the changes that have been made since the corrected version of the 6th edition came out. Those changes are reflected in the APA cheat sheet and in the Powerpoint on the Writing Center's website.

- Sarah

Week 3: 1/27/10
This week's session was all about tutoring roles. We did a little roleplaying and discussed how we can help different types of writers. Sometimes it's just good to have a round-table discussion to address issues we see frequently within the Center.

- Sarah

Week 4: 2/3/10
This week was the session everyone looks forward to: how to help ESL/NNS writers. Most of us find it challenging and a little intimidating to help someone whose first language is not English, but I think we got a lot of good material out of this session and the discussion that followed.

- Sarah

Week 5: 2/10/10
Party! We had Valentine's Day treats. Today's session was about various proofreading strategies and how to teach them to clients. We often see the same errors over and over again, and it's a challenge sometimes to explain not only //why// the error occurs, but how to fix it. The wiki now has a new page for writers: Common Grammar and Mechanics Issues.

- Sarah