Proposal 1

Grammar as a High(er) Order Concern: Evolving to Better Meet the Needs of Non-Native English Speaking Clients and Writing Center Consultants

In writing centers, ecology can involve the maintaining of healty relationships and one of the most important but difficult to maintain are the relationships between non-native speakers of English and native English-speaking consultants. Both members of this partnership need to feel they have agency in the session, that the session has met each of their needs. if not, there are dissatisfied clients and frustrated consultants.

Differences regarding "doing grammar" is where many of the tensions that occur seem to be rooted. Arguments that as consultants we are not simply copy-editors gets pretty repetitive. Seeing a paper with a significant number of errors can be daunting, even scary. However, what if we meet the grammar-learning needs of our clients while we confidently and comfortably maintain our roles as teachers? This workshop will propose a method through which consultants can move beyond knowing the rules and forms behind grammatical structures and learn how to understand the meaning and use behind those structures. We will then propose how we can teach this knowledge to our non-native English speaking clients. Attendees will leave the session with a detailed example of working through the method for learning and teaching grammar that they can build upon and share with their fellow consultants.

Proposal 2

Relationships between clients, consultants, writing teachers, the writing center (this session is geared toward coordinators, directors and assistant directors), trainers for consultant, whoever runs outreach programs and workshops, people who can implement changes

maintain the tree metaphor here--big forest view

*In teaching we often use the metaphor of the teacher being a gardener. We can see consultants in this way, too. We need to know what nutrients our plants need at which point they are in the process, their understanding of English, their level of education, their major/program, etc.

What can we do to better inform everybody?