The Writing Center Philosophy
The Writing Center has four guiding principles:
- See the writer in every student
- Consultants serve as facilitators who ask questions, offer encouragement and model the writing process to each student
- Help strengthen the student's own thinking and writing
- Assist the student in every aspect of writing, focusing initially
on global issues (invention, organization, content) and secondarily
on local issues (punctuation and grammar [although grammar and content
are not mutually exclusive]).
Overview of our Philosophy
Yes, there is a philosophy that drives the writing center. Do you want to know what it is? Of course you do (that's why you're here).
In writing center theory and practice, there is a simultaneous embrace of individuality and collaboration. Both are fundamental to creating good writers, good thinkers, and an intellectual environment. Writing Consultants are trained to address "global" issues first (invention, organization, clarity, etc) and "local" issues last. This way, creativity and originality of thought does not get lost or neglected and issues that are not implicit to a text's message can be dealt with afterwards.
One of the goals of writing centers is to create collaboration between consultants and students. Social construction and collaborative pedagogy are not only major influences in writing center theory and practice; they are best exemplified in a writing center environment. What's more, this is the writing center's major contribution to a true intellectual community. In fact, starting with Nietzsche, jumping to Mikhail Bahktin, Michel Foucault and Richard Rorty, and coming to the more contemporary James Berlin, Victor Vitanza and Diane Davis, a line of thought championing the social fundamentals of knowledge has been well articulated. However, it is composition and writing center theorists, specifically, who have written extensively on how to implement this, pedagogically. Thus, writing centers are the models of knowledge construction, from the initial stages of intellectual development to the academic banter often heard among seasoned scholars.
Although social construction (and the implementation of what James Berlin calls social epistemic rhetoric) is a strong part of writing centers, we have not forgotten about the individual. That is, there is an acknowledgement of the importance of addressing an individual, gauging the individual's development as a writer, and acting accordingly. That is, by taking the writer's own social construction seriously, writing center consultants can more effectively work with the student to improve his or her writing. The prior writing center directors choose a quote by Purdue Professor Muriel Harris to sum up the importance of the individual, and I think it's worth quoting now: “Purdue Professor Muriel Harris observes that "individualization means attending to individual differences and using what is appropriate to the particular situation. It means flexibility to adapt and denies the rigidity of absolutes. Collaboration is the process of working together, building together from what each can contribute"
So, what all this means is that writing consultants are here to work WITH you. We are here to help you become a part of a particular writing community while maintaining your individuality.
Our Goals:
- One major goal of Drew's Writing Center is to provide students with an individualized approach and support for their writing assignments, from the beginning of the process (getting an idea, formulating a thesis, collecting information) to the final draft and revision. The sessions are adapted to the student's particular needs, personality, and concerns.
Since we want to promote the student's own thinking and writing, the consultants will rarely supply them with polished sentences or content. Rather, the consultants will analyze what is happening, ask questions for clarification, offer opportunities for practice, and provide ample encouragement and support.
- Many student writers are apprehensive and uncertain about various phases of writing, so a second goal is to set students at ease so they can concentrate on their assignment.
The best gift the consultant can give the writer is confidence; the next best gift is an interested, non-threatening reader who can articulate his or her responses. The consultant's active listening and response develops a dialogue between writer and reader. In turn, the writer feels freer to test ideas on the reader and find out what she or he wants to say.
- Thus, the third goal is to create collaboration between consultants and students.
Purdue Professor Muriel Harris observes that "individualization means attending to individual differences and using what is appropriate to the particular situation. It means flexibility to adapt and denies the rigidity of absolutes. Collaboration is the process of working together, building together from what each can contribute" ("Solutions and Trade- offs in Writing Center Administration" in the Writing Center Journal . Vol. 12, #1 Fall 1991. p.64.)