Blog 5: BF Chapter 2, 3, and Bruffee

 Summary

    Chapter 2 of the textbook describes the process of a writing center session. It gives examples of how a tutor can conduct themselves to help the writer, such as introducing themselves, sitting side by side, giving the writer control, etc. The chapter gives almost a step-by-step process of a tutoring session, starting with the introduction of the writing center and the tutor, creating the plan, and then ending the session. Some of the most important advice this chapter gives, in my opinion, is 1) giving the writer control of the session, so they feel comfortable and can get the most helpful information out of the session, and 2) listening actively, so that the tutor can give adequate direction. 

    Chapter 3 discusses how the tutor can guide the student through the stages of the writing process, including the prewriting, drafting, and revising/editing. Prewriting consists of thinking and asking the writer questions to figure out the audience and purpose of the paper. Drafting includes planning out the paper, such as freewriting, creating an outline, or drawing a map of the points to include. Revising and editing focuses on making sure the message comes out clearly in various ways such as organization, and correct grammar and punctuation. More specifically, the text refers to global revision, which is the bigger picture of the paper, and sentence level revision, which is the technical aspects of the paper, such as grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.

    Bruffee's article discusses the value of peer tutoring from a more social standpoint. Some benefits are that peer tutoring is a collaborative effort and it's between two people of the same social / academic standing. A criticism of peer tutoring is that peer tutors may not be as experienced as professional tutors and therefore, are not fully capable of teaching other students. However, the article argues that because a peer tutor session is more of a conversation, the tutor and student work together to be successful. The article discusses Thomas Kuhn's argument that knowledge is a "social artifact" that is generated from other knowledgeable people, which further proves the value of peer tutoring. Lastly, Bruffee argues that learning is a social process and by using peer tutors, students can enter this collaborative social process to learn better. Peer tutoring is a beneficial model for writing centers because students feel more comfortable entering a collaborative process where there is no intimidating hierarchy.

Comment

   Chapter 3 discusses what seems like the standard process of writing and goes over the very basics that a tutor in the writing center should be teaching a client. I find it funny, however, that this standard, basic process was something I didn't learn until college. In high school, I was told that creating an outline and getting outside feedback might be helpful, but that was about it. It wasn't until my freshman writing class that I was taught and encouraged to follow these steps. I appreciated how this chapter made it clear to tutors that students need to follow this process because I know there are many students like me who were not taught it in high school.

Question

    Would it be safe to say that from a more social perspective, peer tutoring in a writing center would be more beneficial than using graduate or professional tutors? In what instances would professional tutors be more beneficial?