This week is when we really start to get into the flow of things. The readings take a step back and offer more theoretical and research-based explanations of various practices and approaches of writing center work. Some of this might seem a bit dense, though, so that is where the group discussion and dialectical journals come into play–they are an opportunity to discuss the readings in your group–to make sure you have a sense of what’s being said and to really work through the texts and concepts they discuss. As is explained on the page for Discussion Groups and Participation Notebooks, this is a good portion of what group discussions are all about. That, and giving you a few more things to mull over in the dialectical journal for the week.
Just as a friendly reminder, you can find your group’s information here:
Here are the tasks for this first week group discussion (follow the links for a more detailed explanation):
- Talk about the material
- Touch base on the Lit Review & Annotated Bib Prompt
- Follow up on any lingering issues from last week
- Complete your Participation Notebook Entry for the week
1. Talk about the material
In your groups, I encourage you to talk about the readings–find connections, share your experiences with the concepts addressed-really think through the implications of it all. As I also mentioned above, I want the group discussions to be a productive space for everyone, so I’ve included some guiding questions below to help spark some thoughts. I want to emphasize, though, that these are optional. You can definitely talk about these in group (or in the dialectical journal), but you can also talk about other things as well.
Possible Topics for Reading Discussion
- In the readings this week, we’re considering various factors–particularly those surrounding identity–that might influence a tutoring session.
- In Allison Hitt’s, “Access for All: The Role of Dis/Ability in Multiliteracy Centers,” she discusses the importance of access, as she offers a brief overview of scholarship surrounding disability in writing center studies and considers ways we can rethink access in these spaces.
- In “Opening Closed Doors: A Rationale for Creating a Safe Space for Tutors Struggling with Mental Health Concerns of Illnesses” Degner et all discuss similar concepts; however, their focus is on mental health and how writing centers can become a space where students feel comfortable disclosing their own experiences with mental illness and hidden disabilities.
- The chapter, “Coping with Different Tutoring Sessions”, offers a more practical look at how these various factors might influence a writing center tutorial – how they might manifest in that space and suggestions for how to navigate them.
- What from these texts stands out to you? Why?
- What do you view as potentially problematic?
- What do you view as being especially important to keep in mind?
- Do any of your experiences either support or complicate the ideas brought up in the readings?
- Do you think the suggestions offered in the “Coping with Different Tutoring Sessions” are helpful? How do you view them as aligning with the issues discussed in the first two readings? What might the authors be overlooking and/or oversimplifying in their goal to offer practical suggestions for writing center work?
- Do you have any additional suggestions or approaches that you could offer in these circumstances?
- How do your experiences in education align with what you’ve read this week? How are they different? How are all of the concepts addressed in the readings this week influenced by the institutions and influences out of which they emerge? What material considerations do they elide? That is… what isn’t addressed in these discussions/articles?
2. Touch base on the Lit Review & Annotated Bib. Prompt and Initial Thoughts
At the beginning of class, you all went through and completed the initial thoughts activity for the Lit Review & Annotated Bib. For this part of the group session, I’m asking that you talk about this a bit more with one another. Do the following:
- Talk about it.
- Compare your rewrites of the prompt (#3 from the initial thoughts activity)
- Make sure you’re all on the same page, work through any confusion, help one another. Basically, this is your chance to make sure that you understand what the assignment is asking of you. Make note of any questions you all still have.
- This is also a great time to follow-up/start or continue talking about possible directions you might go in for the larger Research Project for the class.
- Write down any questions that you still have. We will talk about and clarify these toward the end of class.
3. Follow up on any lingering issues and come up with takeaways
So, with last week being the first week of group discussion, there are still a few loose ends that might need to be tied up for a few of you. This could be questions that went unanswered, thoughts in the Dialectical Journal that didn’t get addressed, and/or anything else. Just make sure that everyone’s on the same page about everything feeling good as we really get going with the course.
Also, you should have at least one person be prepared to share some takeaways from your discussion with the rest of the class. Just highlight what you talked about, what conclusions (or complications) you arrived at, and what questions you have, and be ready to talk about them with the rest of the class when we reconvene.
4. Complete your Participation Notebook Entry for the week
While not technically “due” until the end of the day Friday, I always suggest trying to complete your participation notebook entry for the week as soon as possible following your group discussion. As a friendly reminder, this is in your individual folder, and should be at least 150-200 words answering the following questions:
- What was your most meaningful moment of participation in your small group this week? Why?
- What questions or concerns do you have that you didn’t get to share? (This question is optional.)