ENGLISH 324 – PRACTICUM: TUTORING WRITING

Fall 2002 Karen Meyers

The purpose of this course is two-fold: to give you training and practice in teaching writing on an individual basis; and to give other UNCG students the benefit of your individual assistance in the University Writing Center.

The Practicum carries one semester hour of credit and requires a commitment of four hours per week. Your grade will be based on your attendance and participation in our weekly meetings, your reliability and enthusiasm as a Writing Center staff member, and your astuteness in recognizing and responding to the wide range of affective and cognitive issues that affect a writer’s performance.

Weeks 1 and 2: Initial Training

Introduction to Writing Center theory/philosophy

Your roles and responsibilities

Interpersonal communication skills

Affective issues related to writing instruction

What makes good writing?

Identifying sources of writing problems – and strategies for solving them

The art of facilitating

Acknowledging our limits

Week 3: Observation and Discovery

Observe graduate writing consultants at work in the Writing Center

Write one-page description of the session

Get acquainted with print and on-line resources available in the Center

Weeks 4 – 15: The Practicum

You will work three hours per week in the Writing Center (along with the graduate writing consultants), and we will meet as a group one hour a week for continued in-service training, which will cover such topics as the following:

Helping the ESOL writer

Dealing with learning differences in the Writing Center

Coaxing the reluctant tutee

Grammar instruction

Writing (and reading) arguments

Writing in science courses

Research paper and documentation issues

In our weekly meetings we will discuss questions or issues that have come up in your consultations during the previous week. You can expect to do a considerable amount of reflection and self-assessment. During the semester, you will observe each other conducting sessions, and you will each be observed by me or by the assistant director, Beth Carroll.

By the end of the semester, you should be able to

· Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication skills

· Read texts with careful attention

· Recognize strengths and weaknesses in your own and others’ writing

· Teach strategies for addressing a variety of writing problems

· Recognize errors in grammar and usage and teach methods of correction

· Demonstrate familiarity with MLA and APA documentation styles

· Analyze your own (and others’) tutoring style

Here are the “learning goals” that I identified at the beginning of the semester. Under each one, jot down a few ideas about how the Writing Center experience has (or has not) helped you to develop the skill.