The writing center where the authors were trained and currently work emphasizes the model of non-directive, writer-based peer tutoring in which, as Jeff Brooks puts it, tutors "make the student the primary agent in the writing center session." As undergraduate peer tutors, they recognize that some students come into their writing center with goals…

"The Function of Talk in the Writing Conference: A Study of Tutorial Conversation" is, the author thinks, an excellent example of what a well-designed analytical study of conversational narratives can reveal. People in this field have long made the claim--anecdotally, for the most part--that writing center tutors occupy a liminal space between…

Tutoring and conferencing have assumed important instructional roles as composition theory and practice have shifted from product-centered to process-centered approaches. The benefits of conferencing (Reigstad), of peer tutoring (Bruffee), of professional tutoring (Franke), and of group collaboration (Nystrand) have been presented and supported.…

Examines how art and design students' approaches to writing are potentially enriched by their creative approach to design. Suggests ways in which the art and design training could be exploited and used as a resource to produce strategies that work with all students. Concludes the key is to ask students about their creative preferences and build on…

Considers the nature of today's changing society in order to determine how writing centers can continue to be viable parts of academia. Discusses issues such as helping students integrate technology into their writing processes, and present and future demographic changes. (NH)

Offers perspectives of four different writing lab personnel, namely: (1) a new peer tutor with writing skills but no formal training in teaching; (2) a graduate teaching assistant in writing with no tutoring experience; (3) an experienced tutor reflecting on what he wished he had been taught; and (4) a director-tutor sharing her lab experience.…

Describes generic problem-solving model constructed by D. Koberg and J. Bagnall that can be used by writing center tutors and that progresses as follows: (1) accept situation, (2) analyze, (3) define, (4) ideate, (5) select, (6) implement, (7) evaluate. Provides tutors with coherent framework and with way of breaking larger framework down into…

Reports experiences and observations during a visit to a writing workshop where elementary school students were learning how to revise and edit their compositions. (NKA)

Notes that writing center teachers' responses to students depend on what the writers want to say (content), how the writers approached the writing (process), and the conventions needed to prepare the final manuscript (skills). Discusses effective ways to conduct these three types of conferences for each stage of the writing process. (HTH)

Recounts the author's involvement in a writing center, noting a dichotomy between composition theory and pedagogical practice. Asserts that writing center directors and teachers need to place their work in a theoretical context, building on theories of collaborative learning and theories of writing as a social process. (MM)

Discusses writing apprehension from the tutors' point of view, drawing on observations recorded in journals. Suggests that research and discussion about writing apprehension can form an important focus for developing a tutoring course. (MM)

Reprints an article originally appearing in "English Education" (v20 n2; May 1988; See EJ370079). Addresses problems currently faced by writing labs: training staff; incorporating usable word processing; and establishing working relationships with both academic and nonacademic communities. (JAD)

Concentrates on reviewing literature on the use of computers to assist the composing process and the teaching of composing in the writing center. Deals with the following categories of software: (1) general, (2) prewriting, (3) organizing, (4) drafting, (5) revising, and (6) proofreading/copy editing. (SKC)

Describes how the Writing Lab at Hazelwood West High School, in Missouri, was designed and initiated. Reveals that computers are used there: (1) in teaching whole classes, (2) with individual students, (3) to teach skills, and (4) for keeping records. (SKC)

Argues for the importance of letting students bring their own literacy networks into the writing center. Describes the benefits of social and cultural interaction between students and their tutors. (PRA)