Underlying Philosophy

Writing centers need to be places where students feel comfortable. The ideal situation is really a writing studio where students come to write just as art students come to work in art studios, music students come to practice in music studios, and science students come to learn in science labs. The atmosphere should elicit a relaxing mood where the students want to stay and work. Many contain comfortable sofas, tables, plants, refrigerators, and other items to create an atmosphere, like the kitchen table, conducive to writing. Centers should not only provide human resources, but should also provide the necessary tools such as computers, dictionaries, thesauruses, and handbooks. Writing centers need to have flexible hours and should be open most of the academic week. Students should be able to receive help when they need it.

Writing centers have come a long way. Irene Clark writes,

As the romantic concept of writing as a solitary act has been replaced by the idea of writing as a social process, writing centers are recognized as an appropriate environment for students to receive their first introduction to the academic discourse community. Thus, although writing centers remain eminently practical, flexible, and student oriented, they have moved beyond the realm of makeshift and the "whatever works" mentality. In fact, one might say that the writing center has now become a pedagogical concept as well as an actual place. (v)