Presentation/Proposal Title
Self-Esteem in the Writing Process
Type of Presentation/Proposal
Workshop
Start Date
5-4-2019 3:15 PM
End Date
5-4-2019 4:15 PM
Keywords
self-esteem, motivational scaffolding, tutoring
Description
Many students who have the potential to benefit from writing tutoring describe themselves as “bad writers,” even “not writers.” Some might be so despairing about their abilities that they avoid writing centers, seeing any association with institutionalized writing as inappropriate for them. This workshop tests the idea that fostering students’ self-esteem as writers might be key to “getting them in the door” at the writing center, as well as to inspiring them to return, with the end of nurturing independent writers.
Scholarship on motivational scaffolding in the writing center is helpful in formulating a methodology for fostering self-esteem as part of the writing process. According to Isabelle Thompson and Jo Mackiewicz, in particular, the verbal and nonverbal feedback we give is crucial in terms of motivation, serving as support for students’ development. I am interested in focusing these techniques on global self-regard, which can determine a long-term outlook encompassing discrete writing tasks and encounters.
In the workshop, I will introduce a methodology through the lens of my own self-assessment, facilitate a reflective activity, and solicit ideas and anecdotes that speak to the role of self-esteem support in the tutoring of writing. As tutors, what methods do we use to nurture self-esteem in writing? How do we avoid “smothering” the student with affirmation? How can we foster self-esteem even before a student walks in the door? And how do we gauge the impact of our efforts? Ideally we will collectively construct tools we can all use in our practice.
Self-Esteem in the Writing Process
Auditorium
Many students who have the potential to benefit from writing tutoring describe themselves as “bad writers,” even “not writers.” Some might be so despairing about their abilities that they avoid writing centers, seeing any association with institutionalized writing as inappropriate for them. This workshop tests the idea that fostering students’ self-esteem as writers might be key to “getting them in the door” at the writing center, as well as to inspiring them to return, with the end of nurturing independent writers.
Scholarship on motivational scaffolding in the writing center is helpful in formulating a methodology for fostering self-esteem as part of the writing process. According to Isabelle Thompson and Jo Mackiewicz, in particular, the verbal and nonverbal feedback we give is crucial in terms of motivation, serving as support for students’ development. I am interested in focusing these techniques on global self-regard, which can determine a long-term outlook encompassing discrete writing tasks and encounters.
In the workshop, I will introduce a methodology through the lens of my own self-assessment, facilitate a reflective activity, and solicit ideas and anecdotes that speak to the role of self-esteem support in the tutoring of writing. As tutors, what methods do we use to nurture self-esteem in writing? How do we avoid “smothering” the student with affirmation? How can we foster self-esteem even before a student walks in the door? And how do we gauge the impact of our efforts? Ideally we will collectively construct tools we can all use in our practice.
