Writing Across Curriculums

In this weeks readings it was about the knowledge or lack there of, of writing across curriculums. In Muriel Harris's reading, I understood where it was mentioned that the tutors had a more effective session when they were not so familiar with the topic than those who were. Tutors who have too much knowledge on a topic can tend to come off a superior in a session. The idea is to not to become so familiar with a topic that you lose sense of what should be entailed inside of a paper.

I have had experience with writing across disciplines when visiting the writing center. I had a psychology paper that was due, and my tutor wasn't a psychology major. That didn't hinder our session at all. It added the benefit that he wasn't familiar with the topic and had questions that he posed, if it wasn't understood.

In the paper "Connecting WID and the Writing Center: Tools for Collaboration", I felt that it might actually be a good plan to incorporate into training of tutors. While it may not be a one size fits all, any additional options that a tutor may have at hand to use can be of value to someone. I believe in the writing center the use of being a flexible tutor will have more value to the tutor and the tutee than following a structured routine for everyone that comes inside looking for help.

I had a sort of enigma moment when reading that so many have a misconception of what the writing center is. I know we have focused on the tutees and the English department. I just can't grasp why the writing center is shunned upon. It is a great place that offers students support and assistance they would not otherwise get from their peers or professors. Imagine trying to get your friend to look at your paper every time you wrote one for a class, it can become quite tedious and tiresome. Four to six classes 3-4 papers a piece, it is tiring even thinking about proof reading or peer reading this for 4-6 semesters.

I disagree that faculty should not be mandated to participate in writing center workshops or tutoring programs. Why shouldn't they? maybe it would help to avoid some of the misinformation and poor stigma attached to the Writing Center. In MCC they made it mandatory and I never felt as if the professor was pressured or in a bad mood. While I do believe the students should not be forced to go more than once, and once being the introduction to the resources offered, I see no pain in actually taking advantage of learning what a session actually entails and what they can expect. Yes, it will fill up gaps of time, but maybe it can help just one student. That to me makes it work it.