Basics of Writing Center Professional Development

Writing Center Philosophy

           

         The philosophy of the writing center focuses on different ways of making knowledge (Hobson, 1994). It also encourages us to work with students at their own rate so that they become better writers. If we nurture and facilitate them according to this assumption, students will be able to recognize their own errors (Clark, 1990). 

Writing Center Pedagogy

Writing center pedagogy is one of the important aspects of the writing center work and identity. It is an idea to offer the commitment for teaching writing in multiple spaces and create positive writing learning opportunities through tutors’ professional development (Jackson & McKinney, 2012).

Writing Center Theory & Practice

        Writing Center Theory and Practice (Hobson, 1994; Corbett, 2013) is a combination of multiple theories from multiple disciplinary writing practices. The idea of the writing center as a physical space is moving towards the space of theoretical and practical perspectives of the writing center (Corbett, 2013). Historically, the Writing Center theory and practice was related to the practice of error correction in students’ papers. There is no single theory that can accommodate diverse writing needs of  multidisciplinary writers. However, tutors must know both Writing Center theory and practice to study and critique these inconsistencies. Sometimes, tutors feel guilty about being more interested in the practice of writing center work than its theory. Tutor need to continue to understand, value, and critique, recognize and advertise the credibility of knowledge. Moreover, writing center practitioners need to share their experiences for fostering writing center communities and admit every tutor’s reflection for shaping a new writing center theory and practices (Hughes, 1991).

Writing Center Tutoring Pedagogy or Instruction

Writing Center Tutoring pedagogy (Harris & Silva, 1993) refers to the commitment of facilitating for becoming better writers, not better writing and creating writing knowledge during the tutorial session in the writing center. Writing tutors have the responsibility of prioritizing writing issues or errors in the writing draft through searching for the well written sentence, acknowledging the strength of the paper in the first few minutes of the tutorial session, discussing only two or three concerns, and suggesting writing tools for developing writing processes. The main vision of the writing tutorial pedagogy is to provide a descriptive feedback for every writer (Nakamaru, 2010).

Writing Center Evaluation

           

Writing Center Evaluation is the process of collecting and interpreting data to communicate writing center work effectively (Bell, 2000). It emphasizes on the meaningful self evaluation processes for advancing future writing center practices. Writing center practitioners must not involve decision maker in evaluation who are not knowledgeable about writing center research, process, pedagogy, and policy.

Writing Center Research

Writing Center Research is the systematic process of exploring information on the overall writing center knowledge making processes. Researching in writing center can offer a deeper understanding about students’ writing processes and development; and enrich pedagogies for facilitating writing processes. Most importantly, the primary elements of writing center research: 1) writing center as a site, 2) writing center’s practice, 3) writing center’s research methods, such as empirical, ethnographic, theoretical, and practitioner inquiry (Gillespie, Gillam, Brown, & Stay, 2002).

Writing Center Community

            Writing Center Community is a group of writing center practitioners, who have the common goal for making knowledge about writing center community (Liggett, et al 2011). Liggett et al (2011) offer a theory or taxonomy of methodologies for the writing center how the writing center community makes knowledge that would help us to reflect ourselves as researchers.

Writing Tool

Writing Tool is an instrument for both student and tutor to facilitate writing processes during the tutoring session. It is useful for planning, brainstorming, and clarifying the steps of the writing process to fulfill specific academic writing requirements. De Smet, Brand-Growel, Leijten and Kirschner (2014) suggested that the use of the electronic outlining was helpful for students to improve their planning and writing communication processes in argumentative text structure. Their performances in writing fluency were improved due to the repeated practice of the writing tool, electronic outlining.