High School Writing Centers and Writing Tutors
Around the nation an educational reform movement is stirring and students are at the center … the Writing Center! Below you will find some initial resources related to creating, sustaining, and expanding a high school writing center. If you are interested in starting a writing center or have resources to share please contact us at contact@nvwp.org
On October 29th, 2011 writing tutors representing writing centers from 11 Fairfax County Public High Schools gathered at George Mason University for the Northern Virginia High School Writing Tutors Conference. Read more …
Articles
Getting it Off the Ground: A Look at the Wildcat Writing Center’s Inaugural Year
By Alison Grace
In this article from the Journal of the Virginia Writing Project (2011, Vol 32. No. 1), Alison Grace describes the work and benefits that go along with creating a High School Writing Center. Drawing on her own experience and the knowledge of NVWP TCs, the article treats practical issues of managing space, scheduling, training and recruiting tutors, and operating a writing center effectively. She also provdies additional resources for those interested in starting their own writing center, including a short bibliography, and three essential forms: a writing center post-tutor session evaluation, a tutor log, and a student cover sheet. ”The Writing Center isn’t a gimmick, it’s an institution we need to establish as a part of the culture of the school.”
A Rich Online Resource for High School Writing Centers
created by Jennie Tal Williams
This website hosted by the George Mason University Writing Center is both a compilation of research and resources aimed at encouraging and assisting in the creation of secondary school writing centers.
The Secondary School Writing Center: A Place to Build Confident, Competent Writers
by Pamela B. Childers, Dawn Fels, and Jeanette Jordan
In the fall 2004 issue of Praxis (Vol. 2 Issue 1) three secondary school writing center veterans discuss how writing centers benefit student writers, tutors, and the school as a whole.
Launching a High School Writing Center
By Peggy Silva
A behind-the-scenes look at how one high school developed a center that promotes and celebrates student writing from the the Writing Center Journal: Praxis (Fall 2004, volume 2 Issue 1)
Books
The Successful High School Writing Center
Edited by Mason Writing Center Director Dawn Fels and Jennifer Wells
This book highlights the work of talented writing center teachers who share practices and lessons learned from today’s most important high school writing centers. The authors offer innovative methods for secondary educators who deal with adolescent literacy, English language learners, new literacies, embedded professional development, and differentiated instruction. The Successful High School Writing Center demonstrates how writing centers help school communities grapple with the realities that come with literacy education. Depicting real-life writing centers as leaders in literacy education, the accounts presented will enrich the work of secondary educators, writing tutors, and student writers in socially significant ways.
Listservs
WCENTER: Writing Centers is the mailing list for writing centers around the world. To subscribe to WCENTER, contact Kathleen Gilli at kathleen.gillis@ttu.edu,
SSWC-L is a mailing list for secondary school writing center directors. To subscribe to SSWC-L send an email to listserv@lists.psu.edu with “subscribe SSWC-L your name” in the body of the message.
