SoCal-WCA-Tutor-Conference-2018-website

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Antelope Valley College Biola University California Lutheran University California State Univeristy, Channel Islands California State University, Fullerton California State University, Long Beach California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Marcos Claremont McKenna College Concordia University Irvine Crafton Hills College Harvey Mudd College Long Beach City College Marymount California University MiraCosta College Moorpark College Mount San Antonio College Nevada State College Oxnard College Oxnard Community College Pitzer College Point Loma Nazarene University Pomona College Riverside City College San Diego State University Scripps College Southern Utah University Southwestern College University of California, Irvine University of California, San Diego Woodbury University and the SoCal WCA Conference Committee 14TH ANNUAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WRITING CENTERS ASSOCIATION TUTOR CONFERENCE CONNECTING WITH PURPOSE March 3, 2017 | California Lutheran University | Thousand Oaks, CA 2018 SoCal WCA Tutor Conference Schedule of Events 8:50 AM - 9:50 AM Registration, coffee & tea, and light breakfast Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM Session Panel: Room: 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM Session 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 1:10 PM - 2:00 PM 2:10 PM - 3:00 PM 3:10 PM - 4:00 PM Panel: Room: Lunch Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center Session Panel: Room: Session Panel: Room: Community Hour Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center The consumption, possession, sale, or distribution of alcoholic beverages is prohibited Smoking is allowed in designated areas only Firearms and weapons of any kind are prohibited Session 10:00 - 10:50 AM Connecting Through Relationship: The Writing Centre as a Place for Pedagogical Change in the University [Location: Soiland Humanities 107] Iris J Brooke University of Toronto This presentation questions the current status of relationship in university education It focuses on how we as writing tutors have an advantage to fostering and developing connection with students in ways that enhance their educational experience specifically because relationship is at the centre of our work Building Bridges to the Real World [Location: Soiland Humanities 108] Koppany Jordan, Elijah Cohen, Sarah Stangeland Biola University This panel will discuss ways in which students engage writing center support for non-academic, beyond-college projects Preparing students for long-term success, we share different ways to build bridges between academia and the “real world.” Hospitality in the Writing Center: Developing an Openness to Difference [Location: Soiland Humanities 111] Song Mi (Michelle) Lee, Michelle D’Mello, Chenglin Lee, Carissa Sade Baird California State University, Fullerton This session will discuss how to ethically and practically approach differences in affect and identity that take place between tutors and tutees Collaboratively we aim to not only present our own perspectives but also engage with the audience to exchange other practices that are also effective during tutorials or at the center Connecting with Student Writers’ Native Language in Academic Writing [Location: Soiland Humanities 112] Cynthia Bazan, Jacqueline Robledo, Jessica Cossin, Guillermo Perez MiraCosta College Second language speakers are encouraged to adopt Standard American English exclusively in their academic writing process which reduces their writer’s voice In this workshop, we will facilitate a discussion exploring the academic atmosphere surrounding student voice and facilitate audience participation activities including delving into accented writing samples from both professional and student writers, reflective writing, and small group discussion Test Preparation and the Writing Center’s Purpose: How Writing Centers Can Help with College Level Standardized Testing [Location: Soiland Humanities 113] Nicole Barabas, Nicole Benson Nevada State College Standardized tests, most of which include reading comprehension and timed writing sections, have been shown to be a major obstacle in higher education for minority and low-income students This presentation will introduce test taking strategies in these areas to help all students, especially those in marginalized groups, adequately prepare for college level standardized tests, and break down that barrier between them and the program of their choice Building Bridges: Bringing STEM to Your Writing Center [Location: Soiland Humanities 114] Natasha Floerke, Sophie Ehlen, Flora Gallina-Jones Harvey Mudd College Participants will discuss the importance of writing in STEM fields and how to develop a relationship between the writing center and science departments They will use strategies for consulting thesis-driven writing to navigate technical papers Fun Fact: Vladimir Nabokov and Gertrude Stein both liked to write while sitting in a parked car More choices on the next page Linguistic Identity and the Value of Questionnaires [Location: Soiland Humanities 120] Crystal Inacay, Kieran Dosanjh, Samirah Martinez University of California, San Diego A well crafted questionnaire can be an effective tool assessing the vast diversity of linguistic identities among English Language Learning students in order to better cater to their distinct linguistic backgrounds Through presentation on the value of questionnaires, and interactive audience engagement with questionnaires and their own linguistic identities, we seek to demonstrate both their worth and challenges The University Writing Center as a Virtual Space [Location: Soiland Humanities 117] Sonia Cruz, Jessica Somers, Julie Guerreo, Cyrene Cruz, Sean Arenas California State University, Los Angeles What should a writing center’s online space look like? Come and visualize new possibilities for our writing centers From Writing to Community Connection [Location: Soiland Humanities 118} Giang Nguyen Pitzer College This workshop is about how academic writing can be isolating from writers’ real lives Participants will join building strategies to change that LMAO: Laughing, Motivation, and Opportunities for Humor in Tutorials [Location: Soiland Humanities 119] Emma Saturday, Emily Mosley San Diego State University Our presentation seeks to explore methods for using humor as an interpersonal strategy for motivating student writers We will encourage participants to reflect on their own practices with using humor in tutorials, and we hope to discover ways that humor can establish meaningful connections with students Fun Fact: The average No pencil can draw a line 35 miles long A ballpoint pen will only give you about miles Session 11:00 - 11:50 AM Connection Cultivates Confidence: How a Stronger Connection to Your Tutee Promotes Student Success [Location: Soiland Humanities 107] Chloe C Porche, Leslie Henson, Danielle Garcia, Mia Gordon Moorpark Community College The goal for our session will be to illuminate how creating a stronger connection to your tutee promotes student growth and agency By learning to appropriately assess and address your tutee’s underlying emotional state—nervousness, hyper-activity, overconfidence, excitement, etc.— and by learning to engage with your tutee on a person-to-person level you will be able to forge a connection that will intrinsically instill in them notions of self-sufficiency, competence and reassurance The Meaning of Support: Exploring Best Practices for Graduate and Professional Writing Tutors [Location: Soiland Humanities 108] Erica Bender University of California, San Diego Graduate and professional writing tutors face unique challenges in consulting with graduate student writers This session will explore tutors’ perceptions and practices regarding two broad themes: how writing tutors can best support graduate students’ writing struggles and how tutors can act as empathetic allies for students navigating the emotionally-taxing world of graduate school Language in the Cyberage: Connecting with Writers through Email Sessions [Location: Soiland Humanities 111] Oscar Bonilla Nevada State College In this cyberage of communication, dialogue is limited between a writer and tutor This session brings into discussion how new ways of communicating, such as emoji and memes, could be an effective way in which a tutor and More choices on the next page writer communicate in asynchronous sessions Cross-Cultural Connections: Helping Chinese ESL Writers Find Their Writing Voice {Location: Soiland Humanities 112] Christina Winters, Alyssa Shurtz, Lainey Cartwright, Addy Southam Southern Utah University Because of the increasing number of Chinese students attending American universities, writing center tutors need to identify the best approach to help these ESL students In this session, presenters will mentor attendees through group activities that illustrate four specific strategies tutors may implement to assist Chinese students, as well ways to adapt the strategies to other ESL populations Building Connections: Strategies for Community Building for NNES and Gen 1.5ers [Location: Soiland Humanities 113] Kristen Pringle (Lionheart), Janella Lee, Emilie Murgia Mt San Antonio Community College Explore strategies to help Non-Native English speakers (and Gen 1.5) to feel more incorporated in college life and in their own educations Sharing tutor tools and practices to help students feel part of the tutorial, the college, and the wider, global community of education Connecting Creative Compositions and Academic Arrangements: How Elements of Creative Writing Can Be Used Academically and How to Handle Creative Sessions [Location: Soiland Humanities 114] Tucker St John Nevada State College Creative writing elements can be used to develop more interesting academic papers, yet many tutors feel unprepared in handling such a genre The purpose of this session is to discuss the application of creative writing techniques and elements within academic composition, as well as to explore how tutors can handle creative sessions if they are unfamiliar with creative writing Fun Fact: The word ‘colygraphia’ means ‘writers block.’ Minding the Monsters: Creating a Positive Group Environment by Identifying “Group Vampires” and “Group Werewolves” [Location: Soiland Humanities 116] Donna R Phillips, William Acosta As tutors, we often work with groups and need to ask ourselves why the group dynamic can sometimes be dysfunctional, and how we can help tutees connect to one another in constructive ways to create a harmonious group experience In our presentation, we identify common negative roles such as the “Group Vampire” and the “Group Werewolf” and share how to gently handle these unruly characters by providing set of rules for positive group engagement Engaging Unresponsive Students [Location: Soiland Humanities 117] Nicole Cameron, Jay Knee, Emily Kane California Lutheran University This presentation outlines new and exciting ways to help uncomfortable, unresponsive, or international clients as effectively as possible, according to their distinct needs We address current strategies provided by Kristin Walker and Judith Power to counteract these concerns and discuss ways to use them in practice Faculty Fusion: Using Interviews to Gain Faculty Insight and Support in Our Writing Studio [Location: Soiland Humanities 118] Clara Weingarth, Kayla Biar, Emily Crosby Concordia University Irvine Faculty members are often a writing center’s most valuable form of advertising, yet, writing center staff members rarely have opportunities to ask faculty how they teach writing in their classrooms, their expectations for student writing, or what makes writing within their specific disciplines unique This session describes our how we engaged with the faculty on our campus and how their feedback changed the way we work with writers Fun Fact: When Dr Seuss was stuck writing his books, he would go to a secret closet filled with hundreds of hats and wear them till the words came More choices on the next page Connecting Nothing with Nothing: Mindfulness as a Means of Mediating the Emotional Labor of the Tutor [Location: Soiland Humanities 119] Mayra Alejandra Godínez Dávila, Joseph Honnold, Edward Ferrari California State University, San Bernardino Interest in the potential interaction of the Buddhist practice of mindfulness and Writing Center pedagogy has recently been revived (Mack and Hupp 2017; WCenter Listserv), yet studies critiquing its value for tutors are lacking This presentation therefore examines the connections between mindfulness and the emotional labor of the tutor Notes: _ Session 1:10 - 2:00 PM Appetizers for the Soul: Connecting with Students through Empathy and Non-Verbal Communication [Location: Soiland Humanities 107] Rebeccah Sanhueza Pasadena City College Students are often uncomfortable with the entire concept of tutoring Let’s learn the ingredients to alleviate those fears Building Tutor Self-efficacy Through Connections in Online Tutoring [Location: Soiland Humanities 108] Emily Christiansen, Regan Joswiak, Sarah McGinnis, Christopher Billings University of Houston—Downtown Come participate in a hands-on project to understand how scaffolding can build comprehension and increase both tutor and learner’s agency The discussion will cover helping online tutors assess how to support the learner without face-to-face interaction From SoCal to South Padre: Using the SoCal WCA Tutor Conference as a Springboard for National Collaboration [Location: Soiland Humanities 111] A.J Edwards, Kallin Raymond, Jayde Bertoch, Joshua Barton Southern Utah University In this session, we will share successful strategies that we have used for developing our SoCal WCA panels into individual presentations at IWCA and NCPTW conferences We will also share tools to help tutors stand out from the crowd in pursuit of graduate programs and employment by presenting their research at national conferences, such as the NCPTW in South Padre in 2018 Fun Fact: The inventors of the typewriter intended it to aid the blind More choices on the next page Connecting with English Language Learners Through Shared Linguistic Backgrounds [Location: Soiland Humanities 112] Why Do People Listen to Us? Bridging the Authority Gap Between Students and Professors [Location: Soiland Humanities 116] Sherry Zheng, Felipe Morfin-Martinez, Megan Friess, Pamela Ygrubay University of California, San Diego Since writing in American academic English can be daunting for English Language Learners, peer writing tutors need to connect with students’ complex linguistic identities both pragmatically and emotionally, when possible This session will discuss how revealing their own relevant linguistic experiences may help tutors better connect with ELL students, while also allowing students to more freely express their affective and academic needs Nancy Karreman, Hannah Hecht, David Cremins, Haley Ferguson, Drayona Denson, Ethan Kostishak Pomona College We as Writing Partners are in the unique position of being perceived as experts and authority figures, somewhere in the ambiguous space between students and professors What is our authority, if any, as intermediaries and “experts” to challenge the authority of professors, and how we navigate this tension between our desire to deconstruct hierarchies of knowledge and the very real and important needs and perceptions of our peers? Connecting with Hispanic Writers: Patterns and Strategies [Location: Soiland Humanities 113] Cynthia Castillo, Brianna Zaragoza California Lutheran University We will use surveys and samples of Hispanic students’ writing to discuss patterns present and provide fellow peer tutor strategies to address them In our activity, we will use written scenarios about what Hispanic students struggle with in their writing to facilitate conversation in groups addressing these patterns, and we will have the audience discuss similar situations in their writing centers Personalizing the Personal Statement [Location: Soiland Humanities 114] Rebecca Zimmerman, Emily Segal Claremont McKenna College ESTJ or INFP? Our session encourages attendees to consider how our personality types and individual experiences shape our work as writers The session will focus on connecting internal reflection to the process of writing personal statements Fun Fact: The longest word in English isn’t “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” but instead it is “Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis,” which is a kind of lung disease The Link Between Deaf Students and Writing Tutors isn’t Necessarily as Interperter [Location: Soiland Humanities 117] Keith Wasserstein-Monsanto Nevada State College As writing center training is revolved around working with hearing students, understanding how tutors can effectively support D/deaf students without interpreters perpetuates the growing inclusivity of writing centers By performing silent mock sessions, tutors will get a feel of what it’s like to work with D/deaf students, providing a foundation for discussion about best practices for working with D/deaf students without an interpreter The High School Connection [Location: Soiland Humanities 118] Caelyn Pender, Macie Gettings, Amanda Ju, Akhil Gutta, Katie Reul, Diya Sinha, Andy Jin, Sophia Brent Westlake High School Our session will examine the way a high school writing center is able to function despite certain limitations that not exist in college writing centers, as well as the importance of high school writing centers in building a foundation for college writing centers It will also explore how peers connect and make strides together despite the fishbowl environment of the high school and the stigma of asking for academic help More choices on the next page Find Your Groove with Group Tutoring (Undergrad) [Location: Soiland Humanities 119] Leah Ostermann California State University, Channel Islands My presentation explores best practices when tackling group tutoring This includes but is not limited to group dynamics, dealing with different writing and communication styles and being able to come to a common solution about a problem or prompt Notes: _ Session 2:10 - 3:00 PM Emotionally Intelligent Connections [Location: Soiland Humanities 107] Scott Davidson, Sara Reyes-Cruz, Antonia Taggart, Grisel Vargas, John Hansen Riverside City College This presentation will discuss the importance of emotional intelligence in establishing connections with students, therefore determining not only the course of the session but ensuring that safe and effective boundaries are created between tutor and student Then, we will ask attendees to participate in role-playing activities that will cover unique scenarios that could happen within a tutoring session to determine how emotionally intelligent connections with the student — or lack thereof — could help or hinder each scenario Stressful Connections: How Your Mindset Can Save Your Life [Location: Soiland Humanities 108] Melody Robinson, Nikky Eminzade, Jason Cannon Crafton Hills College Writing tutors work in an educational environment where they are required to constantly make a variety of connections and role-changes throughout the day This session will, therefore, explore why and how tutors potentially experience stress, the consequences of stress, and provide ideas and methods for reshaping tutors’ perception of stress Scheduling to Make Connections [Location: Soiland Humanities 111] Elinor Aspegren, Christine Leung Pitzer College In our workshop, we will engage openly with how different scheduling formats in writing centers impact the connections made between tutor and writer We will accomplish this by holding a space for both individual reflection and open discussion so that participants will feel comfortable in sharing their personal experiences about the many ways tutors make connections with writers More choices on the next page Patching the Connection: Providing Techniques and Strategies for Sessions with Multilingual Students [Location: Soiland Humanities 112] Melanie Croft Nevada State College All students should receive the help they need in order to be successful writers, yet there are unclear techniques for multilingual student sessions in writing center training literature To remedy this, I will provide techniques and strategies through the synthesis of existing tutoring based literature Metacognitive Connections: Connect the Thoughts [Location: Soiland Humanities 113] Charles Bordy Antelope Valley College In this session, participants will explore metacognitive strategies and behaviors, as well as how tutors model these behaviors Following a brief presentation, participants will be invited to play a game designed to reinforce metacognitive concepts, for a chance to win some prizes Creating a Sense of Belonging and Connection by Developing a Personal Writing Tutor Philosophy Statement of Approaches and Methods [Location: Soiland Humanities 114] Randall Searcy Oxnard Community College A collaborative, conversational inquiry into the role belongingness, awareness of emotions and other suggested connections and relationships embedded in the writing and tutoring process might play in development of an experientially derived and research supported personal Writing Tutor Philosophy Statement Cross-Web Connections: Recognizing Identity in Writing [Location: Soiland Humanities 116] Samantha Wilson, Ellie Andrews, Aaron Barlin, Javier Burdette, Jenny Le, Melisa Lu University of California, Irvine As tutors, we must understand that the student works we read are the products of complex webs of interconnections, influenced by factors in students’ lives By identifying the way these webs are shaped and function–– thus discovering our place within them––we as tutors can actively recognize and respond to these influences in an empathetic and constructive manner during a tutorial Connecting with Graduate Student Writers [Location: Soiland Humanities 117] Angela D Gee, Marcel S Young, Hazina Cain-Houston California State University, Los Angeles This presentation will discuss the forums used to make connections with graduate students and the services available to them, such as the Graduate Student Writing Consultations and Focused Workshops The goal is to demonstrate a few obstacles we encounter as writing consultants and how we deal with them in a manner that can be applied toward any student seeking help with their academic writing Bridging Literacies: Beyond Pen and Paper [Location: Soiland Humanities 118] Jaimee Horn, Cristal Gamez California State University, Channel Islands Our presentation will explore the concept of multiliteracy and outline the importance of tutoring across a wide range of mediums and disciplines Elements of multiliteracy include oral presentations and visual text elements, the understanding of which allows our center to create a better sense of campus cohesion Notes: _ Community Hour 3:10 - 4:00 PM Reflecting on the Conference [Location: Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center] What have you experienced today? What ideas will you incorporate into your tutoring practice? What thoughts you have for your own writing Learn about, interact with, and take fresh ideas and inspiration from staff at writing centers across our region We invite you to participate in the wrap-up session of our conference, which we’re calling the “Community Hour.” Writing Centers will present posters sharing their center’s philosophy, services, space, tutors, and/or some other defining feature so that others can learn about what they and ask questions We will also give out our SoCal Writing Center Association t-shirts to all conference presenters during this time and will have these shirts for sale, as well Notes: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _