Blog Post #1

Reading: The University of Iowa Writing Center Tutor’s Guide
Question:

The University of Iowa Writing Center Tutor’s Guide starts stating the most important goal the Writing Center, “to develop strong writers with positive attitudes toward writing.” I clearly see how through the Writing Center’s writing practices students can grow in confidence to write. Are there any specific practices addressing that vital part of the WC goal of developing positive attitudes toward writing?


Reading: The Bedford Guide for Writing Tutors, Chapter 1 & 2

Given that a student’s version of what transpires in a classroom “may be incomplete or even inaccurate (Ryan & Zimmerelli, 2016, 3), how professional and even ethical is to facilitate and somehow promote procedures for registering a complaint (4)?

Comments

  1. Carol SeverinoJanuary 23, 2019 at 10:17 AM

    Question 1: Praise what they do well or improve in. Some students have a history of either no comments on their writing or mostly negative ones. Make your praise specific and act the role of the commentator. "Good job--this time you've come up with a thesis that is arguable."

    Or "I like the way you've started each paragraph with a topic sentence." "I like how your conclusion doesn't just repeat your thesis and answers the 'so what' question." "I like your word choices when you describe the main characters' personality."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carol SeverinoJanuary 23, 2019 at 10:23 AM

    To my knowledge, Writing Center tutors don't actually actively help a student make a complaint. They might just reiterate what's in the syllabus or the student handbook about the student's right to complain if the student thinks they have been treated unfairly by the teacher.

    If tutors hear something disturbing about what happened in a class or what was said in an instructor's office hours, or if they see rude, unhelpful comments on a paper, they should talk to Deirdre or me about it.

    ReplyDelete

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