ABOUT THE WRITING RESOURCE CENTER

    We are:

• located upstairs in Cook Library, inside the Media Center

• here to help you become a self-sufficient writer

• staffed by seven experienced student writing assistants

• a free service for all New College students

• able to assist you in any stage of the writing process (from brainstorming to revising)

• able to help with writing from any academic discipline

PHILOSOPHY & PRACTICE

The Writing Resource Center is dedicated to the belief that writing is a social, collaborative activity; in our view, writers are most successful when they have opportunities to discuss their ideas with others and to receive feedback from readers throughout the writing process. We believe that writing is thinking.  As such, we strive to engage students in productive conversations about the intellectual content of their  writing in addition to assisting them with such formal concerns as grammar and style.

As part of our commitment to highlighting the connection between writing and thinking, we seek to break down the dichotomy between teaching and learning, emphasizing the ways in which the WRC staff and the students we serve can learn from each other through conversations about writing. Finally, we seek to empower students as writers by providing them with strategies and resources to address their own writing concerns. To this end, we provide students with an opportunity to engage in conversations about their writing with a student writing assistant who is trained to provide helpful feedback and resources about all stages of the writing process. In keeping with our goal of student empowerment, the student writing assistants individualize their writing conferences, encouraging student writers to direct the conversation in ways that meet their particular interests and needs. The WRC further addresses the diverse needs of student writers by providing a variety of resources, including online information about the writing process, a library, and a workshop series.

Free writing handouts are available in almost any subject!

For more information, read "Collaboration and Individual Voice in the Writing Center," a Museletter article by Isabel Thompson, who worked at the WRC from 2001-02.

Our Philosophy in a Nutshell

• Our objective is to facilitate each student’s growth as a writer, not to "fix" papers.

• Our focus is on the writing process rather than the final product.

• We seek to empower student writers by providing them with the strategies and resources to address their own writing concerns.

• The writing conference is an experience of collaborative learning in which the student writer explains his/her understanding of the subject matter and the student writing assistant (SWA) provides feedback and suggestions to guide the writer in achieving clarity of expression.

• We ask questions to engage student writers in intellectual conversations about their writing and to help them examine their writing processes.

• We give student writers control over the direction of the conference.

• Student writers are responsible for their own writing; although SWAs may make suggestions for changes, student writers ultimately decide how to improve their papers.

For a writing conference to be productive, both the student writing assistant and the student writer must work actively towards a common goal. To make your writing conference as helpful and effective as possible, you can

• come ready to assume an active role

• bring whatever you have that pertains to your paper: the assignment guidelines, notes, readings, an outline, or just your thoughts and questions

• explain your concerns and needs

• ask questions about your paper

• try to answer your student writing assistant’s questions

• be open-minded; consider the possibilities for your writing

• focus on your writing process and the goals for the conference

• assume responsibility for your writing