The Writing Center recruits, trains, and hires its employees each Fall through enrollment in an upper-division English course entitled "Tutoring Writing."  Below is  a description of the course.  Contact Dr. Jay Sloan (jsloan@stark.kent.edu) with your questions and/or to discuss the possibilities:  

English 39895: Tutoring Writing

Of interest to all Stark students interested in becoming stronger writing tutors or consultants, all English and Integrated Language Arts majors, other Education majors, returning teachers, and other interested parties

Course Description:

Current writing center practice rests upon a substantial and sophisticated body of educational theory related to writing.  This course will introduce students to the contemporary idea of a Writing Center and to a tutoring pedagogy which embraces non-directive and collaborative methods as a means of developing stronger writers, and not merely of strengthening or helping to "fix" individual writing assignments.

Though the course is designed with the Stark Writing Center in mind--as a means of providing a trained, motivated staff--it would also be of real benefit to students considering careers in education.

The course will expose students to a wide range of pivotal readings in the field, encompassing the following topics:

<                    collaborative learning

<                    tutoring models

<                    the writing process

<                    brainstorming strategies

<                    drafting and revision models

<                    student "ownership" of texts

<                    tutorial ethics

<                    academic discourse

<                    issues of audience

<                    multicultural and ESL concerns

<                    negotiating tutor/student differences in the tutorial

<                    institutional politics and student writing

<                    error analysis

<                    the teaching of proofreading

<                    online tutoring strategies

For the course, students will be asked to:

Tutor's Manual

     For a full description of the mission, operations, and employment procedures of the Writing Center, consult the "Writing Center Tutor Manual" (as a PDF file) at this link:

Writing Center Tutor Manual