North Texas Writing Centers Association

Newsletter

       Volume 10, Issue 1        Alice Newsome, Editor                  January 17, 2002
 

Notes from the PRESIDENT
By Sandra Beaty
 

Welcome back!  I hope that you enjoyed the holidays and are anticipating an
exciting beginning to the spring semester.  You can definitely look forward to
some interesting and informative meetings planned by the
NTWCA Executive Board.

   TCC Northwest will host our winter meeting on Friday, February 8. Many of you know
that Mike Matthews of Tarrant County College was instrumental in getting NTWCA
organized.  He worked closely with TCU to make this organization successful.  He has certainly
assisted me when I worked with him as secretary of NTWCA.  Then, as I
struggled with the duties of President, he was always
willing to help me organize and schedule meetings.
Thanks Mike.

     Another professional that I consult often is Dr. Randall Popken, director of the Tarleton Freshman English
program at Tarleton State University.  He, like Mike, is a person who gives specific advice,
positive reinforcement, and professional assistance.  In a paper he presented last year at
CCTE, he made the following points about writing:

1. Learning to write is very hard to do.

2. Faculty “Should assume little, care much, and keep open (their) eyes and
mind and heart” to their students’ needs.

3. Peer review and private conferences are important for students to develop their own writing style.

As we begin the new semester, as faculty, staff, and tutors in our writing centers,
these three points are valuable reminders as we work with students.

     If you are interested in reading this entire article, it is entitled
“LeBaron Briggs’s Composition Pedagogy” Dr. Randall Popken.
CCTE Studies, Volume LXV 2000

Have a good beginning to the semester, and please plan to join us at the winter meeting.
     Sandy Beaty, President
     sbeaty@tarleton.edu
 
 

Notes from the TREASURER
By Marie Schein

There is still time to renew your membership for 2001-2002. I encourage you to
continue your association with NTWCA, so please complete the membership form available
on our website and return it to me (Marie Schein) with a check
                 Web address:  http://www.tarleton.edu/~ntwca
 

NTWCA Winter Meeting

Friday, February 8, 2002
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Optimum Room, B2 Wing

Tarrant County College
Northwest Campus
4801 Marine Creek Parkway
Fort Worth, Texas 76179
817-515-7782 (Mike Matthews)
817-515-7715 (Vera Ornelas)

11:00  Registration and  Reception

Noon  Luncheon

12:30    Business Meeting

1:00          Program
 

Lunch will be provided compliments of the Northwest Campus Humanities Division. Please make
reservations by calling Mike Matthews and leaving a message or emailing him (mike.matthews@tccd.net).

Directions: Go to Northwest Loop 820, exit north on Marine Creek Parkway, turn left into the
campus, and park in visitor parking. Go to the B2 Wing, Optimum Room, which
overlooks Marine Creek Lake.

For a campus and area map, go to the TCCD website at www.tccd.net and click on
Northwest Campus, click on Campus Information, and click on Campus Map.

February Program

Standardized Testing

Changes in TASP and TAAS:  How the Changes Affect Writing Center
Policy and Tutors

      Panel Presentation
      Guy Litton - TWU
          Charlsye Smith - TWU
 

Newsworthy Notes
By Dave Kuhn

Fall 2001 Workshop at TCU

The William L. Adams Writing Center at TCU hosted the fall meeting and
workshop of the North Texas Writing Centers Association on Friday,
October 5, 2001.  The guest speaker at the meeting was Kurk Gayle,
Director of TCU's Intensive English Program.

Mr. Gayle made a presentation titled "If a Picture Paints a Thousand Words,
Then Millions of Words Paint Principled Patterns:  Some Insights for ESL
Writers."  This presentation focused on the latest theories of English
language acquisition and how these ideas can assist us as we work with
international students.  International students are increasingly seeking
assistance at writing centers across the nation, and writing tutors are
working to become more efficient and knowledgeable in their dealings with
students whose first language is not English.
 

TCU to Send Contingent to
  International Writing Center Conference

The entire professional staff of the William L. Adams Writing Center at TCU
plans to attend the International Writing Centers Association Conference in
Savannah, Georgia, next April.  Jeanette Harris, director of the writing
center at TCU, will chair and take part in a roundtable presentation
concerning the problem of how individuals can continue to be energetic,
productive writing center directors and tutors.  Consisting of five seasoned
writing center directors-- Muriel Harris, Jeanne Simpson, Kevin Davis, Lady
Falls Brown, and Jeanette Harris--the roundtable will focus on strategies
for remaining professionally active.

Margaret-Rose Marek will chair a panel presentation by Steve Sherwood,
Marie Schein, and Dave Kuhne.  This presentation will deal with
post-process theories of composition and their implications on writing
center work.
 

TCU Searches for a New Writing Center Director

Jeanette Harris, Director of the William L. Adams Writing Center at TCU,
has announced that she will retire at the end of the spring 2002
semester.  Harris has directed the writing center at TCU for the last five
years.  TCU is currently conducting a national search for a new director,
and those seeking more information about the position should contact Robert
Vann, the administrative coordinator of the writing center, at r.vann@tcu.edu.

Tutors’ Corner
 For New Tutors

By Barbara Offor, Rochelle Gregory and Molly Thornton
 

 Be sure to ask exactly what the student needs help on so time will be
utilized more efficiently.

 Don’t look for grammatical errors and problems with mechanics first; focus mainly on t
he organization and development of the paper initially.

 Don’t worry about giving yourself a little bit of time to digest a student’s
assignment sheet and writing project.

 It’s okay if you don’t know the answer to a question being asked by a student.
Tutors can ask for help from the Writing Center director or even the
students’ instructors or professors.

 Avoid writing on students’ papers. If possible have them make the changes on
their paper or on the computer as you discuss their writing with them.
 
 

  Barbara Offor, an undergraduate
        tutor at the Tarleton State University Writing Center, designed this issue of
  the North Texas Writing Centers Association Newsletter.

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