Talk About Writing: The Tutoring Strategies of Experienced Writing Center Tutors

Product Description


Talk about Writing: The Tutoring Strategies of Experienced Writing Center Tutors offers a book-length empirical study of the discourse between experienced tutors and student writers in satisfactory conferences. The study uses a research-driven, iteratively tested framework to help writing center directors, tutors, writing program administrators, rhetoric and composition researchers, first-year composition instructors, and others interested in talk about writing to systematically analyze tutors’ talk and to use that analysis to train new tutors.

The book strives toward two main goals: to provide an analytical research and assessment tool―the coding scheme―that other researchers can use to understand writing center tutor talk and to provide a close, empirical analysis of experienced tutor talk that can facilitate tutor training. The study details tutors’ use of three categories of tutoring strategies―instruction, cognitive scaffolding, and motivational scaffolding―at macro- and microlevels and results in practical recommendations for improving tutor training.


Review


TAW 2nd edition provides an inspiring model for writing center research and its application to tutor training. The authors take a careful and systematic approach to revealing the unique powers of one-to-one instruction and interaction. The book provides fresh insights I can share with my tutors, colleagues, and dean. I love this new edition.
Ben Rafoth, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA


About the Author


Jo Mackiewicz is an associate professor of technical and professional communication at Auburn University.
Isabelle Kramer Thompson is emerita professor of technical and professional communication at Auburn University.