Call for Submissions: Digital Resource Toolkit for Secondary School Writing Center Directors
Submission Deadline: August 15, 2016 (priority), September 15, 2016 (regular)
Publication Date: On or before November 1, 2016
We invite secondary school writing center directors to contribute to an exciting, updated, and digital new version of the Capital Area Peer Tutoring Association’s Resource Toolkit for Secondary School Writing Center Directors.
The first versions of this resource, assembled in 2011 and 2012 by a team of four SSWC directors in Northern Virginia, were designed to support new SSWC directors by sharing artifacts from our centers and exemplars of the kinds of documents and materials we created to support our work and our tutors’ work. More than a theory-based description of writing center pedagogy (which has been widely published elsewhere), we envisioned this resource as a toolkit, which is what we named it, with practical examples, accompanied by explanations, of various documents and materials throughout the phases of establishing and maintaining our writing centers.
For the past five years, distribution of this resource has been in high demand, but unfortunately limited due to printing and shipping costs. This summer, with funding from George Mason University, we are developing a new digital edition of the toolkit which will be distributed this fall; it will be available in PDF and e-book formats, and we plan to make it downloadable for free. Not only does a digital edition allow for wider and more equitable distribution of the materials, but it also allows for more frequent revisions and updates, which is very exciting.
We are reaching out to the wider community of SSWC directors to invite your contributions to this resource. We invite you to consider the kinds of documents and products you are willing to share with other SSWC directors, including materials you have designed as a program administrator for tutors, teachers, administrators, and other audiences. These artifacts might fit into any of the following categories (described more in detail here):
- Planning and Proposal (planning documents, committee descriptions and roles, proposed budgets, administrative proposals, three- or five- year plans, etc.)
- Tutor Recruitment and Selection (nomination letters, tutor application materials, tutor selection criteria, selection committee roles, interview materials, etc.)
- Initial Tutor Training (training agendas, resource lists, materials designed for tutors to learn about tutoring and/or writing, etc.)
- Program Implementation (informational flyers or advertisements, teacher- or tutor-created PSAs for students, teachers, administrators, methods for keeping records on tutoring sessions, tutor reflection logs, tutor evaluation mechanisms, administration meeting agendas, etc.)
- Tutor Course Curriculum (syllabi for tutor training courses, writing assignments for tutors, assessment criteria, etc.)
- School-wide Writing Initiatives (partnership programs with departments, clubs, activities in the schools, special workshops or outreach initiatives, etc.)
- Gathering Evidence of Success: Data and Evaluation (monthly reports, quantitative and/or qualitative data on tutoring, etc.)
If selected, your materials will be included in Chapter 3 (“Implement a Successful Program”) and available in a shareable folder (like Google Drive or Dropbox) as a companion to the toolkit. Your name and school’s name, where applicable, will be included both on the submission itself as well as on the title page as a contributor to the book.
Guidelines for Submissions:
- Submissions must be original and legally yours to share; any portion of an idea or language that is borrowed or derived from an original source must be clearly credited.
- Submissions should be sent in editable Word document format, where possible. PDFs, PowerPoint slides, and even digital audio and/or video files are also acceptable; contact capta.connects@gmail.com if you have a question about the format of the resource you submit
- Submissions are best when they are 1-3 pages in length, but longer submissions will be accepted as well (including Tutor Handbooks, Course Syllabi, for example), especially if we can link to a digital version of the text. Contact me if you are wondering!
- Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis between now and September 15, 2016, with priority going to submissions received by August 10.
To Submit a Resource:
- Email the document as an attachment to capta.connects@gmail.com with the subject line: “SSWC Toolkit Submission.” You may remove any identifying information (names, email address, specific dates, etc.) – or it will be done by the editor prior to publication.
- Submit a Google Form that includes your contact information and a 200 word explanation about how you use the resource and how other directors might adapt it for their own context.
- You may send multiple attachments in one email, but you must fill out a new form for each resource you submit for the purposes of identifying and sorting submissions.
By submitting you agree that:
- You have ownership over the materials and the right to submit them for publication; you give permission for their publication in this digital resource toolkit to be distributed for free.
- Your name and the name of your school will be included on the document itself and on the title page of the book; including your contact information (e-mail address) is optional.
- You give the editor permission to edit or modify the content or design of the document, including deleting any identifying information (your name, student names, school names) on the document itself and altering the design of the document to fit within the design of the publication.
Attached is an example of how the page with your resource and explanation for its use will appear in the final publication. Please contact me at capta.connects@gmail.com or ajensen8@gmu.edu with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Warmly,
Amber Jensen
President, Capital Area Peer Tutoring Association