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Who is in control of students’ writing? From the perspective of students and writing centersKathleen Grace, Writing 300

The Great Divide

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In your opinion, what is the purpose of college writing?

+Students say:

“College writing teaches you to develop critical thinking and analytical skills. You also learn how to develop arguments and write longer papers.” a Notre Dame student

“The purpose of college writing is to expose students to a variety of writing styles to prepare them for reading and writing in the workplace and beyond.” a UMich student

“The purpose of college writing is to prove that the student is capable of translating their thoughts and ideas into a readable form.” a UMich student

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How do you know when you’ve written well or a paper is good?

+Students say:

“I know I've written a good paper when my thesis is supported throughout my paper. My professors will give specific feedback. Honestly, if I get a good grade on a paper, I think it was well written.” a Notre Dame student

“I know I've written well when I've fully processed a piece of work, meaning it has gone through. several rounds of self-revision and peer-editing. I also should feel comfortable reading it out loud to myself and to peers.” a Calvin College student

“I feel my best while writing when I am confident about the topic wrote about.” a GVSU student

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What is the end goal you have in mind while writing a paper?

+Students say:

“Most of the papers I write in college are for science classes, the end goal of the paper is to communicate to the professor I have understood the material- my ultimate end goal is honestly getting a good grade.” a UMich student

“It really depends on the class. If the paper is on a topic I don't care much about I just want to FINISH and get a good grade. Occasionally I will feel strongly about a topic and start out really wanting to write a good paper, but then I usually get burned out by the process of research and writing and the goal is again just to finish.” a UMich student

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How would you perceive your role in your college’s peer-tutoring writing center?

+Students say:

“My role in my college's peer-tutoring writing center would be that of the person being tutored, because I suck at writing!” a UMich student

“When I go, I expect to be able to get an educated opinion on how to better express my ideas in writing. I try to go with a legitimate draft, and then hope to get input on how I can clarify my message.” a UMich student

“The work our employed peer-revisers do is primarily as a facilitator. They demonstrate in a general sense how a writer can improve in the long-run, beyond simply editing the paper the students bring into the Rhetoric Center. It is about genuine improvement in voice and style.” a Calvin College student

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What does this all mean?

+Students feel:

+To simplify…

Purpose of writing – learn, prove yourself, prepare for workplace

Good paper – strong thesis, revision, peer-editing, comfortable with topic, good grade

End goal – communicate understanding to professor, good grade, finish

Role in center – “suck at writing”, educated opinion, improve

+Mission Statements

UMich - collaborative writing process, to instill confidence in fellow writers, to help them evaluate and revise their own texts, and to facilitate the future development of the student as a writer.

Notre Dame - by listening attentively in writing conferences, reading papers carefully, and asking questions that can help writers better express their ideas or construct their arguments.

Calvin - make students better writers, speakers, and presenters. Grand Valley - provide individualized writing support so that you

can improve your writing and grow as a writer.

Michigan Tech - learning to document source material, developing critical reading and thinking habits,

+So what?

Goals Students – get a good grade, finish, prove oneself Writing Centers – become better writers, develop student’s

ideas

Student’s role in center Students – suck at writing, get an educated opinion,

improve paper Writing Centers – collaborative effort, listening ear, help

grow as writer

+Power

Many students still emphasize: Deference to an “educated

opinion” Need to prove self to a higher

source i.e. professor Get a good grade on paper

Writing center: View as peers – not more

“educated Emphasis on collaborative effort

and developing students’ ideas Make better writers

Students do not seem as concerned about having their own voice heard.

+Finding student voices

Research on self-efficacy More empowered students = more empowered writers Overcoming writing apprehension and gaining confidence

Goals for students and writing center do not match. As tutors, we need to be cognizant of this divide and

find ways in which to empower students to write for themselves – not just for the professor. We can start by emphasizing collaboration with focus on student voice in the peer tutoring center.

+Mission Statements Websites

http://www.lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/forstudents/peertutoring/sweetlandpeertutoringcentermissionstatement_ci

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/rhetoric/ http://www.gvsu.edu/wc/ http://writingcenter.nd.edu/about-the-center/ http://www.hu.mtu.edu/hu_dept/facilities/

writing_center.html