Start Your Own Writing Support Group:

Experiences from the Critical & Creative Thinking Graduate Program

Session at the Teaching for Transformation conference, Jan 22, 2010

Abstract: Students from the Critical & Creative Thinking Graduate Program convey insights about developing a writing support group from their experience in 2009. Participants will be led to experience some of the current processes used by the group.

Intro: The Critical & Creative Thinking (CCT) Graduate Program (http://www.cct.umb.edu; cct@umb.edu) wants to provide support beyond regular classes for students to develop their writing. It's not about whether students know the difference between it's and its. CCT sees writing improvement in broad terms as students conveying their distinctive voices and thinking through writing and developing their voices and thinking through writing, sharing writing, and revising in response to comments. The group behind this session derives from CCT's goal in this area for students to develop a long-term approach to helping themselves, understanding their weaknesses, and establishing professional and personal relationships that provide needed assistance.

1. intro: we're following the format we have evolved for our sessions, conveying not only some insights from students' experience in 2009 about developing a writing support group*, but also providing an experience that might motivate session participants to create their own writing support group.
[* See Report on first semester at http://cct.wikispaces.umb.edu/WritingSupportReport09]

2. freewriting exercise (for guests this would be about the experiences, ideas, etc. that led them to be interested in a session on Starting Your Own Writing Support Group; for group it would be about the experiences, ideas, etc. that we have to share in such a session)

• In a guided freewriting exercise, you continue where a sentence provided by the instructor leaves off. For today, “When I think about getting or giving support for writing, the experiences and feelings that come to mind include…

3. check-in (name, affiliation, hopes for the session)

• Peter Taylor (CCT director), Mike Johns (CCT student), Jeremy Szteiter (CCT assistant), Erin O'Brien (Grad. Writing Center), Meesh McCarthy (Grad. Writing Center), Judith Erdman (Instructional Design Program Director), Duncan Nelson (English), Beebe Nelson (http://www.iapdonline.com)

4. discussion
each of the group present says something about the experience and what we've learned -- 3-5 minutes
Erin O'Brien, UMB Graduate Writing Center, comments on what we've said
Question & Answer -> free discussion

• Themes that emerged:
  • A support group fits into a picture of trying to help students pull many different pieces together (other tings besids coures are important)
  • Give yourself permission to read your writing respectfully
  • Asserting legitimacy of time given to a focus on writing
  • Establishing institutional support
  • "Communities of Practice"
  • Bringing in insights from past experiene vs. the power for a group in inventing its own wheeels
  • Making an appointment with oneself to write
  • By not advising each other, it made it possible to listen to ourselves;
  • Emotionality
  • + more

5. ten minutes writing about steps to move forward based on what emerged during this session (on whatever it is each of us wants to move forward on)

6. closing circle: one thing we're taking away to work with, one thing that could be developed further if this kind of session were to be repeated.

• Form a support group for support groups; Be more active in drawing in participants from beyond UMB, More student voices, Supply snacks, Keep going "against the odds," Support group for business around writing, Is support group exclusive to CCT?