OK, raise your hand if you think that Tiffany's being too hard on herself about that abstract. (ME!!) It's a terrific start! The first go-at-it is always hardest, as we all know, and I think the main pieces we need are here.
Right now my only "bigger" suggestion is that we make the first sentence or two more exciting. The typical writing center is pulled in multiple directions, lured by so many possibilities for "reaching out" right on their own campuses. Why would a center want to think about reaching out to the community -- what are the potential payoffs? I am not suggesting that we can answer that question in this abstract, let alone in the first couple sentences. But maybe we can liven things up so a reader thinks, Wow, I can do that! I want to do that!
Having made that suggestion, I'll now say that I myself can't think of the exact words to achieve that kind of opening. Not at the moment anyhow. What do others think?
Melissa
PS: Great job starting us off, Tif -- truly! I think the main thing the rest of the abstract needs is a little polishing.
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2 comments:
Hi Everyone,
Melissa brings up a point that has been really bugging me these past several months. Why would someone want to do this work? What are the motivations to do so?
I was concerned about this leading up to the presentation in Kansas City at MWCA. And, I continue to be concerned about it.
Perhaps we can start getting at that 'lively' sentence by answering for ourselves what the payoffs are for us, and try to figure out if these are generalizable or are too subjective.
My payoffs are simply deep interest in community writing and community literacy, the broad range of experiences I get to have in this work, and the rewards of challenging assumptions. What about the rest of you?
Tif
I'm glad Melissa said what I was thinking, that Tiffany's draft was pretty darned good.
I like Tiffany's new brainstorming and agree wholeheartedly. With apologies to Tiffany, I've cut/pasted/culled what I saw as the heart of what she is saying. So, could the opener be something along these lines (but more smooth than this):
A public institution is a part of the community and, therefore, should provide options for ALL community members to improve their knowledge and skills. The need for writing abilities transcends traditional educational programs. Writing centers are uniquely poised to respond to community needs and provide opportunities. We must be good neighbors to our communities.
Also, may I make a plea that whatever we change, we please keep the following section, which seems very lovely and important:
After an initial orientation and discussion session, participants will break into small groups to conduct a community assessment in order to explore where potential partnerships may lie. Then, participants will assess their own institutional asset assessment in order to determine strategies for developing support for the outreach.
Thank you all,
-Teresa
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