EOU professor explores a more human way to respond to student writing

EOU professor explores a more human way to respond to student writing

LA GRANDE, Ore. — For many students, getting a paper back that is covered in corrections can be discouraging. Eastern Oregon University (EOU) professor Sheri Rysdam believes there is a better way to respond to student writing.

That idea is at the center of a new book by Eastern Oregon University’s Dr. Sheri Rysdam, co-authored with JT Torres, director of the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning at Washington and Lee University.

Nonviolent Response: Strategies for Responding to Writing, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, asks teachers, tutors, and others who work with writers to reconsider how they provide feedback.

Rather than focusing first on what a writer got wrong, the book encourages readers to understand what the writer is trying to say and accomplish.

“Writing can be incredibly personal,” Rysdam said. “When someone shares their writing, it can feel like they’re sharing part of themselves. I wanted to explore what happens when we take that seriously and respond in ways that honor vulnerability while still helping writers grow.”

Rysdam is a professor of English/Writing and director of the Writing Center at EOU. The ideas behind the book grew in part from her years of working with students, writers, tutors, and educators.

Those experiences led Rysdam and Torres to consider a basic question: What if feedback felt less like judgment and more like an opportunity to become a better writer?

Built around the idea of listening and understanding, the authors developed what they call “nonviolent response,” an approach that emphasizes listening, relationships, and respectful engagement while still helping writers improve their work.

For Rysdam, the work is closely connected to what happens in the classroom and Writing Center in La Grande.

“The questions I explore in my scholarship are always inspired by my experiences working with students,” Rysdam said. “Their insights and experiences shape my work just as much as the work informs my teaching.”

While the book is primarily intended for teachers, tutors, and writing center professionals, Rysdam said the ideas behind it can apply well beyond a classroom.

At its heart, she said, the book is about how we listen and respond to each other.

“We live in a time when people often rush to evaluate or correct one another,” Rysdam said. “This project asks what might happen if we slowed down, listened more carefully, and responded with greater care. Those are skills that matter not only in writing but in our communities and relationships as well.”

Nonviolent Response: Strategies for Responding to Writing is available through the University of Pittsburgh Press and academic booksellers.