Re: ld, ad(h)d & tlc

[Sara Kimball <skimball@uts.cc.utexas.edu>]

On Thu, 8 May 1997, John Gibney wrote:

> hi,
> 
> i'm an english instructor and tutor at a very unique college. 
> landmark is the only accredited college for ld and attentionally 
> different students on--so far as we know--earth. as you might imagine 
> teaching and tutoring are rather differnt here than at most of the 
> schools you are working at. instruction begins with assessing the 
> point of breakdown in scores of skills in various skill areas. not 
> terribly different from teaching anywhere, but, perhaps, more 
> specialized to meet the unique needs, and attend to the unique gifts 
> of our unique students. most faculty teach classes and also tutor 
> individual students. in other words, our entire campus is sort of a 
> giant writing/learning center!
> 
> but our campus is growning and the needs of our students are 
> changing with landmark college itself. one of the most exciting 
> changes (and the reason for this post) is that we are building a 
> teaching and learning center (tlc) which will function very like many 
> of the writing centers you all are part of. though our staff will be 
> entirely composed of experienced instructors and professors, there 
> are plans to eventually offer credit internships to students.
> 
> i'm writing to ask for any suggestions any of you might be kind 
> enough to offer to help us answer some of the scores of questions 
> which seem to come up every time we meet to argue about what a 
> teaching and learning center is and what its going to do. 
> 
> a few of questions most recently raised were:
> 
>     drop in policy? who can and can't just drop in?

We work with undergraduates from all majors in a large state university
and use a mix of drop-in and appointments.  The emphasis is on drop-in,
but we urge students to make appointments during peak times at mid
semester and at the end. It works for us, though it takes some skilled
oversight on the part of the person at the reception desk. I guess I'd
adjust it to meet the needs of the students I worked with.  If you have
ADD students who need help developing a sense of organization and
chronological structure, for example, regular appointments at set times
each week might be more useful.


>     who can use the writing center's resources?

We work with undergraduates from all majors and on non-school assignments
too. Personally, I'd be concerned here if our services were restricted to
e.g. lower-division students or students in writing classes.  I think that
would seen unhelpful messages about writing here.


>     how can student (study) groups use the space?
If you were offering one on one tutoring as well as space for group work I
guess it would take a separate room.  We don't have one, but if too many
conversations are going at once, things can get very loud and distracting
(a problem we're facing).


>     should we plan to provide word processing stations for students 
>         when there are other stations and labs on campus?

Personlly, i'm glad I don't have any responsibilities for student-use
computers, but I know other centers do.  Do you have plans to use software
in working with students?

>     how do we staff the center?
What are your options, given your mission and the people around you?  

>     what should we look for in a director?

Endurance ;-)  And genuine respect for students as writers and thinkers.

Sara Kimball     



> if possible, please respond to my address...or the list if you think 
> that's best. thanks. j    
> 
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>                   @  John Gibney, English Department   @           
>                   @ Landmark College  Putney, VT 05346 @             
>                   @          802.387.4767              @    
>                   @    jgibney@landmarkcollege.org     @
>                   @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
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