The Proposal
The typical writing center session is a thirty to sixty minute time slot. In that time, we, as tutors, are challenged to help fellow writers improve their writing. This improvement might include forming a coherent and effective thesis statement, brainstorming new ideas, evaluating the relevance of evidence, restructuring overall organization, rephrasing and changing word choice, and whatever else the writer wants to tackle. Although some students have a narrow and achievable focus for the session, others desire the type of collaboration and assistance that takes longer than an hour to accomplish. I often worry that I am not able to adequately help my peers in the short increment of time we have to work together. For those individuals that desire more intensive help in improving the quality of their writing, can we effect much long-lasting change in thirty minutes?
A writing center strives not just to help students improve their papers, but to help students improve their writing as a comprehensive skill. For my project, I will examine how the limitations of time affect our ability to achieve this goal. First, I will research the scheduling and time allotment of writing center appointments at other major liberal arts universities. I will also interview fellow Georgetown writing tutors to identify the effects of time restriction on productivity during the session. To measure productivity more tangibly, I will log the goals and accomplishments of several of my own tutoring sessions. From these, and hopefully more (to be determined), research endeavors, I expect to discover that time does serve as a limitation to the holistic improvement of writing.
Engaging with theorists such as Stephen M. North, I will explore the dynamics of writing center appointment scheduling and writing tutor/peer writer relationships that can maximize writing improvement and productive learning. Fully analyzing several possible approaches, I will suggest an ideal system and propose concepts that can be applied more practically to the current time-structured system in order to maximize productivity. This research project will serve as an analysis of current practice in a time-structured model of writing centers and as a reflection for improvement in my own tutoring practices.
A writing center strives not just to help students improve their papers, but to help students improve their writing as a comprehensive skill. For my project, I will examine how the limitations of time affect our ability to achieve this goal. First, I will research the scheduling and time allotment of writing center appointments at other major liberal arts universities. I will also interview fellow Georgetown writing tutors to identify the effects of time restriction on productivity during the session. To measure productivity more tangibly, I will log the goals and accomplishments of several of my own tutoring sessions. From these, and hopefully more (to be determined), research endeavors, I expect to discover that time does serve as a limitation to the holistic improvement of writing.
Engaging with theorists such as Stephen M. North, I will explore the dynamics of writing center appointment scheduling and writing tutor/peer writer relationships that can maximize writing improvement and productive learning. Fully analyzing several possible approaches, I will suggest an ideal system and propose concepts that can be applied more practically to the current time-structured system in order to maximize productivity. This research project will serve as an analysis of current practice in a time-structured model of writing centers and as a reflection for improvement in my own tutoring practices.
The Study
time_and_productivity-_building_familiarity_and_transparency_in_the_writing_center.docx | |
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