Writing Center: how other Writing Centers support professionalism

Hi Readers,

I wonder how life would have turned out if I understood earlier that "professionalism" was jargon for tutor training.  Maybe my presentation wouldn't have been so abstract but rather more concrete.  Not only is it good to learn from the past, but also to learn from others.

Elise T. Bishop, director of the Center for Writing and Thinking at College of the Ozarks has a Professional Development (PD) program called "Reaching for the Stars" that includes:  "One hour of work on a PD project earns a student a star on the PD chart.  PD activities include the following: reading articles from professional journals and writing article summaries about them to present to co-workers at staff meetings; writing articles for "Writers' Bloc," our weekly column in the campus newspaper, and for publication in professional writing center journals; completing grammar exercises online to strengthen areas of weakness; visiting a writing center at a neighboring institution and recording observations; volunteering at the writing center we helped establish at the local intermediate school; attending or presenting at a writing conference; or proposing a topic of one's choosing for the director's approval.  When students accumulate fifteen stars in one semester, they are awarded prizes, such as a special edition CWT T-shirt or a $15 gift certificate to the campus bookstore." 

Jared Odd, Writing Center Coordinator at Lindsey Wilson College, includes readings in Writing Center history, theory, practice, and a regular handbook in his tutor training course.  He recommends "The Longman Guide to Peer Tutoring."  These readings, says Odd, help students "to contextualize their work within academia, giving them a larger sense of purpose." 

According to Odd, "It's important for the consultants to have a say in the policies and procedures."  Even if the administrator were to make the final decisions, the feeling of being heard first and having a voice are important, says Odd.  "We're currently revising our consultant handbook together," he says.

Star Coulbrooke, Director of the Writing Center at Utah State University, takes her tutors "to the Rocky Mountain Peer Tutoring Conference this month, having helped them prepare and rehearse for the excellent presentations they gave. [They] also help and encourage tutors, from the beginning of their employment here, to write papers to submit for publication. [They] promote [their] tutors to supervisory positions and to apprentice-directorship.  [They] help them find and carry-out internships in related fields-of-interest, the Helicon West Community Broadsides and Helicon West blog, for instance. [They] write letters of recommendation for them and nominate them for awards and scholarships. Along with all this advocacy and promotion, [they] keep up with training through semi-annual observations, monthly staff meetings, and yearly reviews."

If I were a WC director, assistant director, or coordinator, I would support consultants' professionalism by facilitating tutor-initiated dialog consisting of readings, reflections, and renderings of administrative tasks.  Like Odd, I would include readings in "Writing Center history, theory, practice, and a regular handbook."  However, tutors would shape the discussion ( from the clay of readings chosen for them ).  Like Bishop's tutors, they will "[read] articles from professional journals and [write] article summaries about them to present to co-workers at staff meetings."  They will reflect about what they have read in relation with their own writing process, tutoring practices, weaknesses, and strengths.  Lastly, tutors will render administrative tasks.  They will do observations of sessions ( for peer critiquing and for personal training ), and they will be encouraged to do presentations at conferences and to publish for professional journals.  Similar to Coulbrooke's methods, tutors will be promoted to supervisory and apprentice-director positions.