Coffee, Cookies, Cramming . . . and Cake! Sunday, December 8th, 6PM-1AM, Student Center Plaza Rooms

Having trouble getting started on your papers?  Want company as you edit and revise projects?  Need inspiration as you write those graduate and professional school application essays? 

Hofstra's Writing Center Tutors invite you to "Coffee, Cookies, and Cramming" -- a Sunday night writing extravaganza!  On Sunday, December 8th, drop by the Middle and West Plaza Rooms at 127 Student Center.  You bring your laptop (or pen and paper) and a writing project -- we'll bring snacks, good company, and writing tutoring help (if you'd like any).

Come early if you want cake!

Thanksgiving Holiday Hours

Tuesday (11/26): Open until 5PM in 102 Mason Hall. (Evening library hours are CANCELLED.)
Wednesday-Saturday (11/27-11/30): CLOSED.
Sunday (12/1): Open for our regular hours of Noon-9PM in 201G Axinn Library.

Have a great break, and if you want to improve your writing, try to read a good book!

Dr. Miller and Melissa P. are Blogging from the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing in Tampa Today!

At the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing

.

It was rainy in Tampa today (so no need to be too jealous!), but we had a great, even terrific, time at the NCPTW conference. Melissa P. presented “What’s in a Name?” at the roundtable discussion this morning.  It was wonderfully well attended with over 25 audience members composed of tutors, faculty, and writing center directors and administrators. The first group presenting came from Bucknell University. The four peer tutors talked about how their writing center provides a space for the intersections of competing student and tutor identities. Both are put in “boxes,” they explained: some boxes include “foreign student,” “engineer,” “writer,” “male,” and/or “fraternity/Greek.”

About to Present!

This was a perfect set up for Melissa, who was talking about student identity in term of the names we assign to them and to us. First, she offered her data from the surveys about student self-identification. With her beautiful pie charts in a Power Point, she explained how, before they come in for their first session, students expect the tutor to speak more than they do. Afterwards, however, they find that the conversation has been roughly equal.  When asked what they would like to be called, 50% of respondents say “students,” suggesting that they still desire a clearly defined identity that allows them to “learn” from someone with more knowledge. The specific data Melissa offered, reflecting student voices, provoked an extremely lively discussion among the attendees. In fact, for the next ½ hour, the audience asked questions and examined their own practices in terms of the naming conventions within their writing centers. The audience talked about different names they used for tutors, like “consultant” and “collaborator,” and the different names they used to refer to their center. One particularly notable and intriguing one was  “knowledge marketplace.” All of the discussion probed the implications of various names. What, people asked, does it mean if you send a student to a tutor as opposed to a “coach”?

The conversation ranged across many areas, and we discussed how to communicate to the larger university what our roles actually are. One thing to consider, a fellow tutor offered, would be to revisit our Mission Statement, make sure it says what we want it to about us, and then to disseminate it to faculty across the university.

After the panel, a number of writing center tutors and directors approached Melissa asking for her contact information, recommending readings, and advising that she turn this into a publishable article. All in all, it was a smashing success!

We celebrated by going to the Salvador Dali museum and having an ice cream sundae…and experiencing a one-of-a-kind cab ride (see Melissa for more information).  Has anyone seen Taxi Driver?  

Next year’s NCPTW is going to be at Disney World…  interested, anyone?

Tips for Teachers: Getting Better Writing from Your Students

--Give students written prompts for all assignments.  Don't assume that students have correctly processed your oral instructions about what to do or that they'll accurately remember what you've said.

--Don't assume that students will understand any complicated language in your assignment prompt.  Think about using the clearest language possible and/or defining any potentially unfamiliar terms in parentheses.  If students can't understand what you're asking, they're going to be unable to deliver a useful answer.

--Make essay prompts detailed, with guidance on any technical issues that may be important to you.  (E.g., don't assume that students will turn in an essay written in 12-point, Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins unless you list those specifications explicitly.)

--Include guidance on stylistic preferences in your field in your essay prompts.  E.g., if your field prefers the passive voice and eschews the use of "I" and "we," let students know!

--Provide students with written models of what elements of each assignment should look like.  Sample thesis statements, lists of arguments, topic sentences, and conclusions (and/or other important elements) can be very helpful to students who may not picture the same thing that you do when you discuss these elements.

--Include written models of what in-text citations look like in your field.

--Include written models of sample Works Cited/References/Bibliography entries in your field.  As undergraduates, students typically do work in several different disciplines.  Don't assume that they'll automatically know how to format their references correctly in your discipline, particularly not in first- or second-year courses.

--If you have any grammar pet peeves, let students know that you'd like them to focus on proofreading for these issues.  In your assignment, you can include links to online grammar resources, like those hosted by the Purdue Online Writing Lab at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

--If you're sending students to the Writing Center, please urge them to bring a copy of their written essay prompt so that our tutors can try to ensure that your students are meeting the requirements set out in the prompt. 

--If you plan to send many students to the Writing Center for help with the same assignment, you might want to e-mail us a copy of your prompt at engdsm@hofstra.edu and englmd@hofstra.edu so that we can distribute it to our tutors.

--If you're sending students to the Writing Center for help revising papers on which you've already commented, please encourage them to bring your comments with them so that our tutors can try to ensure that your students focus on the changes you want them to make.

Please don't hesitate to contact us (at engdsm@hofstra.edu and englmd@hofstra.edu) if you have any questions about how to make assignments clear to students -- we'll be glad to try to help!

Extra Grammar Help Now Available at the Writing Center!

Are you puzzled about grammar? Unsure of the rules? You can try an appointment with Kate, Ben, Sarah, or Jen M., who have all volunteered to provide extra grammar help to writers who wish to focus on these issues. If you have a particular grammar issue in which you are interested, note that on your appointment.

Keep an eye out for forthcoming grammar workshops as well!

More Good News About Reading: If You Read Good Literature, You'll Get Better at Figuring out Your Fellow Humans!

Reading won't just make you more empathetic and smarter (see post below).  According to Tom Jacobs's "Jonathan Franzen can help you read people: New research suggests reading literary fiction increases our ability to pick up on the subjective states of others," if you read literature, it will also help you understand what other people think and feel.  So pick up a good book, and you could start improving your real-life relationships at the same time!

Research assistance is now available from librarians at the Writing Center!

We now have research librarians available at the Writing Center on Monday and Tuesday afternoons to help with all of your research needs!  Look for appointments available with Research Librarians 1, 2, 3, and 4 marked "For Research Help ONLY."

Not sure whether you need a research librarian or a writing tutor?  Click here to figure it out!

For a sharper mind and a bigger heart, read!

Did you know that reading for pleasure can not only improve your mind, but can also increase your ability to put yourself in another's place emotionally?  In a recent Time magazine article, Annie Murphy Paul cites evidence from two Canadian studies that suggest, in the words of her headline, that "Reading Literature Makes Us Smarter and Nicer."  Interested?  Read more at http://ideas.time.com/2013/06/03/why-we-should-read-literature/

You can now get a Writing Center Online icon on the home screen of your smart phone.

Do you love the Writing Center schedule so dearly that you want it close to you at all times?  Now, you can get a Writing Center Online icon on the home screen of your smart phone/mobile device.  Just follow the instructions here: Writing Center Online App

Congratulations to Dr. Papper on her new grandson, Xavier Neil Papper!

Congratulations to our outgoing director, Dr. Carole Clark Papper, on the birth of her new grandson (and "tiny human") Xavier Neil Papper, who was born on July 30th.  We hope to get a picture soon, and we'll post it here.

Our Writing Center Made the New York Post!

Our own co-director, Dr. Daisy Miller is in the New York Post today, encouraging students everywhere to use their Writing Centers!

Reading for Pleasure Will Make You a Stronger Writer

Looking for a way to improve your writing for the rest of your life?  Get in the habit of reading for pleasure every single day.  The more you read, the better your writing will become!

Not sure what to read?  Try these strategies:

• Ask friends, family members, or teachers what books they have enjoyed the most.
• Go to your local library, get a library card (you usually have to bring a utility bill to show you're living in the area), and browse the shelves until you find a book that interests you.
• Browse the books-on-CD section of your local library and choose something fun to listen to during your commute.
• If you have children in your life, go with them to the library, help them pick out books that interest them, and read to them aloud.  
• Browse the magazine section at a newsstand, convenience store, or library until you find something that captures your interest.
• Subscribe to a daily newspaper or read an online version.
• Find long-form journalism sites on the internet and see if you enjoy their in-depth analysis of the news.
• Pick up the "What Can I Read?" handout outside the Writing Center's main location in 102 Mason Hall.

Remember, if you don't enjoy what you're reading, it's fine to stop and sample something else -- if you just keep trying, you will eventually find materials that you love to read!

Hofstra Undergraduate Peer Tutors to Present at the 2013 Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing

Congratulations to our undergraduate peer tutors Melissa P. and Melissa R., whose research presentation, “What’s in a Name?”--crafted with the assistance of Dr. Daisy Miller and Dr. Carole Clark Papper--has been accepted to the 2013 National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing in Tampa, FL!

Writers Need Readers!

First-year student? Grad student? Faculty? Staff member? Alum? All members of the Hofstra Community are welcome at the University Writing Center. You can meet face-to-face (or online in real time) with one of our qualified tutors. Wherever you are in your writing process—working toward a topic, developing your ideas, structuring your argument, revising and polishing drafts—we can help.

To make an appointment, go to our website: Hofstra University Writing Center 

On the light-blue menu bar, click on  "SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT."  (First-time users will need to fill out the required information to register.) Then select the date and time for your appointment.

We can also accommodate walk-in appointments if we have a free tutor.