Fighting for Peer Tutoring in Writing: Learning How to Respond to Scepticism

Authors

  • Ella Grieshammer Gottingen University
  • Nora Peters Gottingen University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18552/joaw.v1i1.9

Abstract

Scepticism about peer tutoring in writing expressed by university members outside the writing centre is a common problem for staff at several European writing centres. Our workshop at the 2009 EATAW conference focused on this issue by testing a short training to prepare writing centre staff for discussions with sceptical faculty members who reject peer tutoring.

This article explains the procedure of the workshop and, as a result of the workshop, gives a compilation and categorization of the pro and con arguments and demonstrates possible answers to typical statements of doubt. It is shown that counter-arguments stem from very different levels of argumentation. There are strategies of how to respond to these arguments, though it will be a great challenge to develop guidelines for argumentation that match the very different institutional conditions of different academic cultures, as they were represented in the workshop.

Downloads

Published

2011-09-28

How to Cite

Grieshammer, E., & Peters, N. (2011). Fighting for Peer Tutoring in Writing: Learning How to Respond to Scepticism. Journal of Academic Writing, 1(1), 120–125. https://doi.org/10.18552/joaw.v1i1.9