The Writing Center's most recent event was the wild west themed Eat and Speak. Competing for front row seats as early as 12:35, tons of students flooded into the library to share tasty Village Inn pie and to watch their classmates perform. A great deal of people performed songs including a performance from the Mello Divas. Even our very own Mr. Brandt read an original poem. Our MC's for the afternoon, Morgan Brazel and Amanda Montgomery kept the crowd involved and laughing with corny cowboy jokes as they introduced the acts. As usual, our Eat and Speak was successful in bringing the Upper Division together and showcasing our classmates' talents.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing
Karaghen Hudson shares her thoughts on the conference:
Describe your favorite session:
I liked the first session I attended by the Edison student and a recent graduate about the WAC program she started. It was inspiring to see how one person made a difference and that her positive change continued to be implemented by current students. If I was to make one suggestion on how to improve the session, I would have liked them to lay out the steps of how they suggest starting the WAC program and how they continue to gain teacher support. However over all, the demonstration of a student’s effectiveness helped me see that what we learned during our self-study would be possible to create within its own environment and that our own mark could remain, even we ourselves are gone.
Describe your own experience presenting?
I enjoyed presenting immensely. Although there were only eight people in the audience, they were very engaged and responsive to what we said, unlike a few of the sessions we attended. Their positive energy combined with the commitment we had to this project got us through the session without any errors and helped ease the nerves any of us had beforehand. I presented with a big smile on my face. I was elated to be there to finally share the major aspects of our study. The forty five minutes went by quickly, and it’s hard to believe even now that it is over. But the neat thing is that the whole process has barely even started; it's just the beginning.
What did you learn from the conference as a whole?
From each individual session I learned about both effective and non-effective presentation techniques and ways to engage the audience. While meeting with the Glenbrook North students I realized how important the art of conversation truly is and how shyness can sometimes get the better of us. Although awkward at times, I felt the visit to the school was a very valuable experience. Actually being at the first place we Skyped with, from a heavily pixilated computer screen to actually standing next to their tea maker and seeing students in the room actually being tutoring, helped me see the bigger picture and the importance high school writing centers within their own community.
What did you learn overall?
The importance of long term planning and vision increased. I also learned that I could love the city, an unexpected gain from this whole process. My passion for implementation of neat ideas grew throughout this process.
Describe your favorite session:
I liked the first session I attended by the Edison student and a recent graduate about the WAC program she started. It was inspiring to see how one person made a difference and that her positive change continued to be implemented by current students. If I was to make one suggestion on how to improve the session, I would have liked them to lay out the steps of how they suggest starting the WAC program and how they continue to gain teacher support. However over all, the demonstration of a student’s effectiveness helped me see that what we learned during our self-study would be possible to create within its own environment and that our own mark could remain, even we ourselves are gone.
Describe your own experience presenting?
I enjoyed presenting immensely. Although there were only eight people in the audience, they were very engaged and responsive to what we said, unlike a few of the sessions we attended. Their positive energy combined with the commitment we had to this project got us through the session without any errors and helped ease the nerves any of us had beforehand. I presented with a big smile on my face. I was elated to be there to finally share the major aspects of our study. The forty five minutes went by quickly, and it’s hard to believe even now that it is over. But the neat thing is that the whole process has barely even started; it's just the beginning.
What did you learn from the conference as a whole?
From each individual session I learned about both effective and non-effective presentation techniques and ways to engage the audience. While meeting with the Glenbrook North students I realized how important the art of conversation truly is and how shyness can sometimes get the better of us. Although awkward at times, I felt the visit to the school was a very valuable experience. Actually being at the first place we Skyped with, from a heavily pixilated computer screen to actually standing next to their tea maker and seeing students in the room actually being tutoring, helped me see the bigger picture and the importance high school writing centers within their own community.
What did you learn overall?
The importance of long term planning and vision increased. I also learned that I could love the city, an unexpected gain from this whole process. My passion for implementation of neat ideas grew throughout this process.
Self Study Takes Chicago
After spending a few days in Chigago attending the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing Karaghen Hudson shares with us the
highlight of her time in Chigago:
Walking by Millennium Park and unexpectedly seeing the Bean for the first time, I was in awe. Reaching out to touch it, the interaction between the perceptions of myself and the setting made me feel like a little kid again. Walking underneath took my breath away. At these moments, I was taken aback that I was actually here in Chicago. I felt extremely happy and thankful that I was presented the opportunity to be here. I feel more apart of a bigger picture now....
357
The
writing center successfully completed 357 tutorials during the 1st semester. At
an average of 30 minutes per tutorial that means 10,710 minutes, or 178.5 hours
were spent tutoring students. The Writing Center thanks all of you who have
come to the center and all of the teachers who supported the center during the
1st semester. And last but not least, kudos to all of the tutors who take their
responsibilities as a tutor seriously and strive so hard to help their peers
through the challenges of the writing process.
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