The shift in literacy education has reshaped the perspective of writing instruction in its theory and philosophy of the writing center in the US. This study examines how the writing center tutors instruct themselves for the work of writing instruction through mock tutorials. The tutors demonstrate how they make sense of the collaborative process…

Describes how writing centers train their tutors to understand two important aspects of teaching composition: (1) the need for viewing writing as a process; and (2) the need for individualized and respectful attention to students' papers and ideas. Argues that the writing center is an effective training ground for composition teachers. (RS)

Until recently, the conventional wisdom about the conjunction of peer tutoring and writing in the disciplines was that a tutor unfamiliar with subject matter actually operated at an advantage. In spite of some of the theoretical advantages of ignorance, recent research suggests that it is difficult to ask probing questions and make useful…