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How to Benefit Most from a Writing Centre Appointment. Adapted from the resources of Purdue University http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/index.html. What is a Writing Centre Appointment?. 45-minute one-to-one session with an Academic Skills Instructor Purpose
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How to Benefit Most from a Writing Centre Appointment Adapted from the resources of Purdue University http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/index.html The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
What is a Writing Centre Appointment? 45-minute one-to-one session with an Academic Skills Instructor Purpose • To help you become a better writer What Happens? • You ask questions. • We try to answer them. • We also ask you questions to help you approach the writing task. The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
An Instructor Can Help You at Every Stage of the Writing Process • Invention (brainstorming, outlining) • Research • Drafting • Revising • Editing (teaching you how to correct your own surface errors) The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
One Thing to Remember An instructor does NOT correct/proofread your paper because… that does not help you become a better writer. But the instructor can teach you HOW to proofread and edit. The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
“Dos” & “Don’ts” • Plan ahead: come when you start writing or with a first draft. • Before you come, set an agenda for the appointment • Do NOT come at the last minute because you will have little time for revision! • Do NOT expect to work on too many issues in one appointment. The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Setting an Agenda What do you want to work on? Why is agenda-setting important? • Writing Centre appointments are different from tutorials in a classroom setting. We do not teach you subject -specific material (i.e., how to solve a Chemistry problem or identify the factors leading to the conflict between the French and the English in Canada). • You know your own writing best. • Be realistic about what can be done in one appointment and set priorities. The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
HOC and LOC • What are HOC (Higher Order Concerns)? • What are LOC (Lower Order Concerns)? The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Higher Order Concerns • Focus/Thesis • Purpose • Audience/Readers • Organization • Development The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Lower Order Concerns • Grammar • sentence structure • punctuation • prepositions • articles • verb tense • Word choice • Spelling The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
The Need to Prioritize If you want to work on both HOCs and LOCs with a writing instructor, we suggest you plan to work on HOCs first because: • We have limited time in an appointment. • Starting with LOCs may distract you from global issues (HOCs) you may need to address. • After your work on HOCs, you may delete/add some parts. The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Five-Topic Agenda-Generator • Instructions for the assignment • Your familiarity with the writing task • Preferred textual patterns in the subject area • Development • Lower Order Concerns The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Instructions for the Assignment • Is there an assignment sheet? • Do you have notes taken in class? • Do you have any questions about the instructions? The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Lower Order Concerns • Grammar What are the patterns of grammatical errors I tend to make? • Word Choice What are the words I am using but uncertain about? Actually, there is a 24-7 teacher to help you with most of your lower order concerns. The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Your Best 24-7 Teacher The right dictionary! • Tells you the part of speech of words • Gives you examples of word usage • Provides related/similar words • Provides usage notes The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Recommended Dictionaries for Writers • The Canadian Oxford Dictionary • www.dictionary.com • Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English • Longman Web Dictionary www.longmanwebdict.com The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Dictionary Use Basics • Take the time to browse through the dictionary. • build your vocabulary • Learn grammar: • parts of speech • Learn usage: • Synonyms • phrasal verbs • usage notes The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
Questions to Ask Yourself Regarding Grammar What are my grammar questions? • Can I find the answer in a good dictionary? If you cannot: • What exactly is my grammar question? Can I write it down? • Can I underline the parts I have questions about? Then take your questions and your paper with the underlined sections to your Writing Centre appointment. The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
We Have Covered • What a writing centre appointment is • What an instructor can help you with during your writing process • Dos and Don’ts • A Five-Topic agenda-generator We hope you have learned more about writing centre appointments and benefit more from them in the future! The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005
For More Help with Writing • Call 867-5221 to schedule an appointment • Buy The Writing Guide at the campus bookstore • Attend the free Writing Centre workshops • Visit the StFX Writing Centre website at: http://www.stfx.ca/resources/writingcentre • Visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu The Writing Centre, StFX University 2005