Notes that writing centers have defined their goals and unique approaches and that they have gained a sense of permanence and a level of professionalism that has established writing centers as integral parts of writing instruction. Argues that writing centers have experienced growth and expansion but no major swings, shifts, or redefinitions of…

Describes a study of the differences between eight experienced writers who describe themselves as either one- or multi-draft writers. Considers advantages and disadvantages of their differences, including the point at which they begin writing, option-exploring behavior, attitudes toward closure, and writer-based versus reader-based early drafts.…

Examines the author's involvement with writing centers as an example of how educators can look at the choices made within their areas of expertise to see why the choices attract them. Notes that in her case, the flexible, collaborative, individualized, non-evaluative, experimental, non-hierarchical, student-centered nature of writing centers is an…

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)

Recommends borrowing the tools of protocol analysis and modeling from psychology as an effective way to teach writing as process. (JL)

Discusses the composing skills that students need to acquire on their way to becoming better writers. (AEA)

Discusses the special needs of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students within the context of writing laboratories. Considers the issues and options involved with training writing tutors to work with ESL students on their writing. (HB)

Draws on concept learning research to address the problem of grammatical explanations that may be perfectly clear to the teacher or textbook writer but that leave students groping for help. Describes problems that students have in learning grammatical concepts, and provides strategies to overcome those problems. (RS)

Discusses the advantages of conference teaching in writing labs. Provides several guidelines for conducting a teacher-student conference. (MM)

Offers an overview and schema for understanding frequently used network technologies available for Online Writing Labs (OWLs)--electronic mail, gopher, World Wide Web, newsgroups, synchronous chat systems, and automated file retrieval systems. Considers ways writing centers' choices among these technologies are impacted by user access, network…

Examines the differences between peer response groups and writing tutorials. Gives a brief history of each, and discusses them in terms of determining goals, setting the agenda for collaboration, and methods. Offers some cautionary reminders. (SR)

This book is designed to provide guidance on conference teaching for teachers who have not done much one-to-one teaching, for those who have but are looking for new insights, and for tutors in the writing lab. The first chapter offers a rationale for one-to-one teaching and discusses the role of the conference in teaching writing, what conference…

Argues that while the writing laboratory cannot solve all problems inherent in teaching writing, it is a rich resource for both student and instructor. (MM)

Describes several diagnostic tools used to determine specific problems of students referred to a writing lab, including structured interviews, protocols (asking a student to compose aloud for 15 to 20 minutes on a short topic), and back-pedaling (questioning what a student already knows about a given topic). (AEA)

Focuses on the tutorial function of writing centers. Describes the uniqueness of the tutorial relationship. Claims that this relationship makes possible knowledge about writing unavailable in more institutionalized settings. Analyzes extensive excerpts from student comments concerning tutorial experiences. (HB)