Re: Arguing for a Peer Tutor Course

[Ann Green <agreen@mailhost.sju.edu>]

D'Ann,

	I'm teaching the peer tutoring course here for the first
time--Writing Fellows:  The Practice and Theory of Peer Tutoring.  It's a 3
credit course for English majors and counts as an area I (Writing/Theory)
part of their major.  We run it like a workshop course--15 students
max--and students must apply to get in.  Students then tutor 3 hours per
week in the Writing Center and are linked with faculty from specific
courses (although those relationships vary--and everyone tutors anyone).  I
would prefer it if the course had composition theory in the title, but
maybe that will change.  This is the first time the course is being taught
because we just opened the Writing Center (Building Better Writers One
Writer at a Time).  Prior to this, students did a practicum in tutoring and
were paid to act as Writing Fellows through the Learning Resource Center.
(I'll pay them, too, once they're done with the course.)
	What kind of resistance are you experiencing?  Should everyone just
*know* how to teach writing?  Would proposing something that sounds
different but achieves the same goals be a good strategy?

	I hope this helps!

Ann






Ann E. Green
English Dept.
St. Joseph's University
5600 City Line Ave.
Philadelphia, PA  19083
610-660-1889