The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

equirement?” encourage students to create new approaches while acknowledging the structure of
academic writing. Students gain a better understanding of the relevance of their ideas by
contextualizing the assignment within its larger purpose.
� No matter what approach one takes to tutoring the question remains, how much should I focus on
grammar? While social constructivism does not offer a direct solution, it does suggest some useful
perspectives. This theory maintains that the primary function of writing is communication. Grammar
which interferes with this goal, then, comes as a priority over that which does not. Furthermore,
rather than simply “fix” errors, tutors can approach grammar from the point of view of how different
structures convey different ideas. While helping students come up with alternatives tutors can ask
questions like, “How do you think this style of writing will affect the reader?” By creating a
conversation about the way choices in writing style effect meaning students gain greater insight into
the options available to their task and the methods for assessing those possibilities.
Rather than focus on the “correct” interpretation of assignments, social construction theory maintains
that diverse ideas and expectations can be incorporated into new ways of understanding. Tutors model
the process of collaboration by encouraging a critical evaluation of the student’s own thought process as
well as the context of the discourse community, the teacher, and the specific assignment. Social
construction encourages students to recognize that the creation of knowledge is a continuous process of
collaboration and they are through active participants their writing.
Works Cited
King, Diana. “Peer Tutors: Coaches, Benevolent Dictators, Models, and a Barrage of Pedagogy” Writing
Lab Newsletter. 21.7 (1997) p.1-5.
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