Writing+Center+Theory

= =

Back to home page
North, S.M. (1984). The idea of a writing center. 2003.In C. Murphy & S. Sherwood (Eds.). //The St. Martin's Sourcebook for Writing Tutors// (2nd ed.) Boston: Bedford St. Martins.

In this essay, Stephen North expresses his frustration that so many members of academia do not understand the purpose of a writing center. He directs his essay to a more general audience, though, defining the term “writing center” and clarifying its purpose and intended participants. He criticizes professors who view a writing center as simply a place of remediation, a “proofreading-shop-in-the-basement” (North, p. 44), and chronicles his annoyance with students who refuse to take an active role in the revision of their writing, preferring instead to just “drop off” their paper and pick it up later.

North argues that a writing center is a place for active learning. The purpose is not to clean up a product by adding a few commas but rather to teach students how to be better writers and to think critically about their writing. He explains that the emphasis should be on the student and the process, not the product, commenting, “our job is to produce better writers, not better writing” (p. 37).

I can personally relate to the feelings North expresses in his essay. My students expect me, or their classmates when we have peer revising, to “fix” or “clean-up” their drafts. They do not always appreciate that writing is a process, nor do they realize that by discussing their writing, they can learn to make better choices and eventually become better writers.

Back to reference list

Back to home page