"Not the Wind, Not the Flag": The Gateless Gate and Writing Center Metacognition
Presenter Type
UNO Graduate Student (Masters)
Major/Field of Study
English
Advisor Information
gtadams@unomaha.edu
Location
MBSC302 - G (Masters)
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
24-3-2023 2:30 PM
End Date
24-3-2023 3:45 PM
Abstract
Feelings of self-doubt and incompetence are common in academia, even for people with clear evidence of their own accomplishments. In considering the writing center as a gateway to the academy, we should resist the dualistic conception of being either inside or outside. Such a mistaken view exacerbates impostor syndrome and complicates the work of helping writers by engendering anxiety in them around questions of belonging. Metacognition is a viable route to circumvent this toxic thought pattern, and mindfulness bears a strong relation to metacognitive states of mind, as shown by evidence from the fields of writing center studies and psychology.
Drawing from Jared Featherstone’s WLN article from 2019, “The Mindful Tutor,” this workshop asks participants to consider how metacognition already operates in their writing centers. Reflective writing—such as post-session reporting—aims to develop metacognition regarding experiences from the recent past, a skill for both consultants and administrators wishing to improve in their work. By contrast, mindfulness applies the same kind of cultivated, non-judgmental awareness to the present moment, which enables self-monitoring and self-regulation of thought patterns in real time. The process presents material benefits such as mental focus, stress reduction, increased empathy, and improved listening skills, which can directly affect the success of a consultation.
In short, happy tutors make good tutors.
To that end, the workshop offers basic training in mindfulness of breathing, sitting, and walking. Ellen Langer’s article, “Mindful Learning,” includes a definition of mindfulness as “the simple act of drawing novel distinctions” (220). Application to the breath suggests an intentional shifting of attention to the sensation of air going in and out of the nostrils or the rise and fall of the abdomen as the lungs fill and empty. Because each in-breath and out-breath is different in terms of length, depth, smoothness, and temperature, the number of possible novel distinctions is limitless. The activities of sitting and walking likewise present unlimited opportunity for noticing new aspects of present-moment experience.
Scheduling
2:30 -3:45 p.m.
"Not the Wind, Not the Flag": The Gateless Gate and Writing Center Metacognition
MBSC302 - G (Masters)
Feelings of self-doubt and incompetence are common in academia, even for people with clear evidence of their own accomplishments. In considering the writing center as a gateway to the academy, we should resist the dualistic conception of being either inside or outside. Such a mistaken view exacerbates impostor syndrome and complicates the work of helping writers by engendering anxiety in them around questions of belonging. Metacognition is a viable route to circumvent this toxic thought pattern, and mindfulness bears a strong relation to metacognitive states of mind, as shown by evidence from the fields of writing center studies and psychology.
Drawing from Jared Featherstone’s WLN article from 2019, “The Mindful Tutor,” this workshop asks participants to consider how metacognition already operates in their writing centers. Reflective writing—such as post-session reporting—aims to develop metacognition regarding experiences from the recent past, a skill for both consultants and administrators wishing to improve in their work. By contrast, mindfulness applies the same kind of cultivated, non-judgmental awareness to the present moment, which enables self-monitoring and self-regulation of thought patterns in real time. The process presents material benefits such as mental focus, stress reduction, increased empathy, and improved listening skills, which can directly affect the success of a consultation.
In short, happy tutors make good tutors.
To that end, the workshop offers basic training in mindfulness of breathing, sitting, and walking. Ellen Langer’s article, “Mindful Learning,” includes a definition of mindfulness as “the simple act of drawing novel distinctions” (220). Application to the breath suggests an intentional shifting of attention to the sensation of air going in and out of the nostrils or the rise and fall of the abdomen as the lungs fill and empty. Because each in-breath and out-breath is different in terms of length, depth, smoothness, and temperature, the number of possible novel distinctions is limitless. The activities of sitting and walking likewise present unlimited opportunity for noticing new aspects of present-moment experience.