Norms Document

Please discuss, edit, and add to this template to create a set of agreements that will work for everyone in our group. I have intentionally removed or made more generic some past norms so that we can rebuild or re-add as needed to share this group anew.

As a group:

• Sharing writing can be vulnerable. What happens in the Writing Group stays in the Writing Group (unless you have explicit permission to share). This applies to the intellectual/academic content of our work, and any personal content we share.
• Everyone should feel welcome and accountable to each other. Let’s let each other know if someone is hurtful (“ouch”), and acknowledge our mistakes and their impact (“oops”).
• Discuss and add here…

When participating as a writer/presenter:

• It’s ok to share in progress, unfinished, just-getting-started work (outlines, excerpts, questions, tables of data you haven’t written up, etc.)
• Please do your best to submit your writing to peers for review by: [TBD with group]
• Feedback on writing sometimes hurts! Try to remain open and listening, and remember our goal is to strengthen writing, clarity of ideas, and argument together.
• Discuss and add here…

When participating as a reader/critiquer:

• Be present. Read one another’s work each week. If we can’t, let the group know.
• Offer honest and constructive feedback from a place of caring, not competition.
• Think about the positives (the Yays!) and places for improvement or places you are wondering about items (the Hmmms…) and provide feedback about both
• Discuss and add here…

As a notetaker:

• Check in with the writer to see where (at the end of the document is common) and how (big ideas or details/transcription) to take notes
• Discuss and add here…

Back to the Syllabus…