Subtle Perceptions of Power in Tutoring
Who am I? Hi, my name is Kyle Choi and at the time of writing this blog post, I am a new tutor at DePaul University’s Writing Center. Working…
Addressing Vulnerability in the Writing Center
When approaching any new environment, especially while seeking help, the concept of vulnerability is a powerful emotion. Though it’s easy to forget, there are certain power dynamics and imposed…
Bridge the Gap: Introducing ALORA
By: Beach Keenan For my tutoring inquiry project, I decided to focus on how to observe and address obstructive behavioral patterns writers may have when scheduling and attending an appointment. An obstructive behavior is…
Accommodation Station
Overview Our project focused on the ideas of accommodations within the Writing Center, and how they can be implemented to better experiences for both writers and tutors. We delved into ideas surrounding how Writing…
Rethinking Reading Aloud: Exploring the Point-Predict Method
When we think about reading aloud in writing center sessions, the conversation often centers on who should do the reading: the writer or the tutor. This seemingly straightforward choice has long been informed by…
Multiliteracy and Digital Writing Center Theory
kinteract.com In recent years, multiliteracy has become a central idea in how we approach learning. Multiliteracy refers to fluency in not only spoken language like English, but across multiple languages, dialects, or even modalities,…
A Free-Standing Building: Defining Scaffolding for Equity and Justice Practice in Writing Center Work within Campus and Carceral Settings
I can still hear my ballet teachers, whether Vaganova devotees or Balanchine disciples, verbally harkening back to an earlier combination, movement, or place in the studio and saying “Remember…what you did then prepared you,…
Power Dynamics in Writing Tutoring
Power and authority seem to have nothing to do with writing tutoring or writing centers, the place well known for its three Cs: “coffee, cookies, and couches” (Carino 2003, 102). These three cozy and…
Providing Feedback on Creative Writing
Through our research on Writing Center pedagogy and creative writing tutoring, we established five main focuses that can help prepare and enable tutors to provide the best possible feedback. Creative writing tutoring stems from…
Multi, Multi, & Multi: Multimodality’s Place in the Writing Center
In my first year of being a Writing Center tutor, I can now proudly say I haven’t had a single synchronous appointment about writing. Those who know me have heard me say (many times)…
Proposing a Hierarchy of Concerns for Stories
Introduction As someone who loves to read and write stories, I know firsthand how subjective they can be. Personal preference alone can decide whether a reader praises a story as the best thing that’s…
The More You Grow: Cultivating a Growth Mindset Within the Writing Center
“I’m not a writer. I’ve never been all that great at writing and I probably never will be.” I’ve heard this phrase and others like it come from friends, coworkers, writers, and even myself….
Emotions in Academic Writing: A How-To and Why-Do Guide
Introduction Coming off last year’s workshops team presentations on navigating style guides, it became clear that certain academic ways of writing can appear to stifle emotions. APA style, for instance, is structured so that…
Collaborative Tutoring: Helping Writers Take the Lead
In my recent project for WRD 395, I explored how collaborative learning can improve peer tutoring. Collaborative tutoring aims to work with writers, not just help them. By learning together, both tutors and writers…