Reading Response: Writing Center Pedagogy

Writing Center pedagogy is different yet similar to classroom based pedagogies. They are similar in the goal they are trying to achieve; improve writing (even going so far as to consider higher order issues over lower order issues). Where they differ is the type of interaction and the nature of that dialectic relation. Student-tutor is much different than student-professor, and for several reason. Tutors are not grading the paper. Tutors likely do not have as many students whose work they need to evaluate. Tutors can often empathize better because they are likely also students. On the other hand, teachers will likely know more about the subject and thus NOT need to be taught the material as much. Teachers know what they are looking for as well, so the feedback can be more directly appropriate to that which will be graded. Teachers also have many more students whose work they must evaluate.

Writing Center pedagogy is important, particularly for students who seek out the writing center of their own volition. I agree, however, that the writing center cannot be forced on students and thus the pedagogy cannot be forced on students either. It is important to have a system in place for the students who use the writing center though, particularly ESL students (and thus some incorporation of ESL pedagogy). A combination of pedagogies that operate and develop based on the space in which they exist can only be good for those spaces. Pedagogies influence spaces and having separate pedagogies for separate spaces is logical.