Writing Center Class 2017

Suggested Questions for Blog Post #9 (based on  The Bedford Guide , chapter 8)  How important do you think it is for writing center staff to pursue writing center research? Why?   If you had more time and resources, what sorts of topics and/or research questions might you consider pursuing? This week we'll also discuss the blog question from last week about academic vs. creative renderings of case studies of writers and tutors and hear Neala's resource report.

Suggested Question for Blog Post #8: What are the advantages and disadvantages of the non-fiction “case study” (Loraine) vs. the more academic case study (Lin and Fei)?

Suggested Questions for Blog Post #7: Please respond to both questions as well as to each other.  What seems most challenging to you about asynchronous online tutoring?  What might its advantages be over face-to-face tutoring? Deirdre will be showing us how to do online tutoring.  We'll also schedule our case study or resource reports, so look at your calendars to see which of the remaining weeks, except for the last 2 weeks of class) work best for you.

For Wednesday, October 4, the John Bean and John Nordlof readings. In class, we'll also find out about any new students or new writing assignments and about your plans for your final course projects Choose one of these questions to respond to and also respond to the post of one classmate.  Thanks! Suggested Questions for Blog Post #6: 1) Comment on students’ reading problems, especially reading-to-write issues that you have encountered in the classroom and the WC. Make connections to the Bean chapter.   If possible, bring to class a sample page of student work with evidence of a reading-to-write problem. 2) How and when did you, OR, how and when could you, scaffold your writing center students’ skill development vs. the alternatives: using a sink-or-swim approach or doing too much of the work for them?   

For Blog Post #5 on "Northern Realities, Northern Literacies" and "The Doodles in Context."  Feel free to answer just one question and respond to just one colleague. What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of the idea of contrastive (intercultural) rhetoric?  Has the issue of contrastive (intercultural) rhetoric come up in your tutoring or teaching of second language writers?  If so, how?  Describe your reactions to Brice's narrative about Phillip.

For Wednesday, Sept 20: Chapter 4 in Ryan and Zimmerelli and Severino and Prim's case study of an online tutoring "frequent flyer" Blog Questions for Post #4: Feel free to choose just one and to make one response to a colleague: How does this material on diverse writing center populations shed light on the tutoring and teaching you have done either here at UI or elsewhere?   What does the case study of Fei teach us?   What are the strengths and weaknesses of this kind of case study as research and as applied to your own tutoring?