Hello Readers,
We continue to monitor our progress so we can learn from them in order to improve and be more efficient ( in meeting students' needs ). Here it is:
Hours and # of Students-
For March, the Writing Center was open for 80 hours, and we worked with 110 students ( dedicating at least an hour per student ). The students' attendance vacillated throughout the month. The week before spring break was crazy and then the week after we averaged 4 students per day. On the 3rd week we reached a record high of 48 students. The last week was the same as the week following spring break. Compared to last month's progress report, the proportions (students per hours) are very close. February's outcome tend to show a rising pattern, while March's outcome had an up-and-down pattern.
Outreach
We're refocusing on faculty. Their words tend to gravitate more with their students ( a quid pro quo in matters of extra credit/improved grades )
Project Facebook continues ( a presence and reminders for students online, a way to connect through instant announcement, comments, and birthday remembrances ) maybe good for internet presence but in terms of student participation outcome, it's not clear.
-As of March 2011 we have 112 friends ( 25 more than last month ).
Events/Workshops
-Resume Workshop
-In progress ( APA Workshop )
Mini-Projects
-In progress ( flyers, log-in sheet, website, handbook, research, journal article, questionaires, and conference presentation, Youtube video, April Fool's Day prank )
-Newsletter ( welcome note, mission, tips, student shout-outs, faculty, stats, events [past/future] )
Scholarship and Discussion
-The first couple of scholarship I read were very confrontational ( a la Muriel Harris ). The very existence of a Writing Center was in the hands of the Budget. Students' participation in writing center was mostly voluntary thus results- in terms of grades -weren't as concrete ( quantity emphasized rather than quality ). Conflicts didn't just exist with the administration but also with faculty ( who felt their authority threatened ). Thank goodness for Peter Carino to offer a less confrontational outlook; he reminded me that collaboration shouldn't only happen in the writing center with students BUT also outside the writing center with the University community ( administration, faculty, et al ).
-When my colleagues and I weren't busy helping students we had discussions. We talked about the resume workshop; we compared our sessions to get insights in other ways of tutoring ( Myers-Briggs personality test ) and to get perspectives about students. We discussed Muriel Harris's contribution to Writing Center scholarship plus her article about different situations ( we found her to be very confrontational ). Then we extended our talk in a larger context factoring in NCLB's impact and Brown versus Board of Education ( the advantages of individualized learning/teaching that avoids the danger of generalizing education and restricting students to standardized molds ).
Future Conferences/Journals
-NCET
-4Cs
-WCA
-IWCA
-Writing Lab Newsletter
-English Journal
-College English
-CCC
Future Collaborations
-Honor Students
-Peer Mentoring Program
-English Honor Society
-Residence Life
Classes to do Presentations
-English and Communication courses
-Writing Intensive courses
-Freshman seminar courses
Your post has opened my eyes to a whole new view of writing centers. I'm fascinated at how you've looked at the history of writing centers and connections to educational, sociological, and other theories.
ReplyDeleteI used the writing center quite a bit as an undergrad, and it was mainly because of my professors' encouragement. You mentioned in one of your posts that professors are probably the single most important motivator. That was definitely my experience.
Because of extenuating circumstances, I didn't get to be a graduate instructor or work at the writing center during my M.A. I really miss that opportunity to this day. However, at my current job as an instructor I'm seeing what it's like to coach students in their writing. It's been interesting reading about the various techniques and strategies you are using because they have a wider application than just writing centers.
I like how you emphasize that education should be aimed at the individual. I agree that standardized tests/methods alone give such a limited perspective on a student's potential.
Hello Liza,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you're learning some things in my blog articles. I'm also learning through the experience and the research. So far, the subject about NCLB is the most surprising to me ( but good to be informed ).
How's it like working with your students? What part of the writing process do they do well in? What are some of the topics they're struggling with? How are you addressing their difficulties?