September 21

We discussed Andrea Lunsford's "Collaboration, Control, and the Idea of a Writing Center". We started out by identifying terms that would need to be included in a complete summary of her text.

Although it is pretty hard to model how to coach a writer on careful reading stratgeies when you are standing in front of a classroom with a marker in your hand - I gave it a shot. I asked questions, and responded with further questions that took discussion in the direction your answers. I directed you to the text, and asked you to help me find the information in Lunsford that you were using to support your interpretation. We came up with a pretty solid list of terms and ideas from this article.

You then worked in pairs to strategize how you would organize this material into a summary. Groups came up with at least three different patters - all of which made sense. My teacherly comment was to point out that summaries are focused around the author's main point - so the summary needs to set up that point in the beginning, and come back to it at the end, and the material in the middle needs to connect to that main point.

We then talked about writing center philosophies. While talking about Lunsford's article, we identified features of each of the three models for writing centers(Storehouse, Garret, and Burkean Parlor). Those features were:
- an image or model to represent the exchange of knowledge;
- who "owns" or has knowledge;
- how learners gain knowledge;
- and a description of what knowledge is.

For example, in the Storehouse model, the writing center is like a bank (with knowledge stored inside); the tutor (as a representative of the university) has knowledge that the student needs to "get;" learners are "told" or given knowledge by teachers/tutors; and knowledge itself is fixed in that there is a right or a wrong - it has a form outside of context or the person who has it.

For Blog 3: write your writing center philosophy.

For this post, identify:
- your position on what a writing center should be like (an image or model such as storehouse, garret, burkean parlor - or an image of your own.)
- where knowledge is (who owns it, or has the right to say what it is)
-how learners gain knowledge
- and what knowledge is (is it fixed & objective? subjective and inside the learner? created through conversation?)

These are your assumptions about learning and teaching. After you've stated these - do some writing to explore what your assumptions imply for:

- the role of the tutor (how sessions should be conducted, what authority tutors should have within the center)
- the physical set up for tutoring sessions + the center itself
- power relations between the director & tutors, tutors and students, between the center and the University, teachers and tutors - and so on.

This is going to be a draft. These relationships are complicated. As stated in class - part of the purpose for writing a philosophy, now, at the beginning of the term - is for you to think about what your assumptions are, so you can be conscious of them, and watch for how the unconscious assumptions will sneak up on you and direct your sessions.

Also for class Wednesday: Read Coaching when the writer does not have a draft - McAndrew and Reigstad, 31-42.

In class on Wednesday we will look at your writing center philosophies (you are going to comment on one another's blogs), and you will coach each other on writing a response essay. To prepare for the in-class coaching, you can do any pre-writing, reading you would like - but do NOT write a draft response essay.

Great class tonight, and see you Wednseday.