Writing Center Theory #8

Peer Group Discussion

“Whispers of Coming and Going”: Lessons from Fannie by Anne Dipardo

I think that an important part of our discussion was explaining the Navajo culture to E. She didn't know what it was and it was difficult to explain because there really aren't any Navajo in NYC. At least not that I know of. Explaining the little Vika and I know about Navajo culture was a reminder of the great diversity of this country.

When a tutor encounters a tutee from a different culture, asking a few questions can be a great learning experience. Of course each situation is different and a student might feel that a tutor's questions are intrusive. Morgan definitely had opportunities to question Fannie about her culture and she just wasn't paying attention. This should remind us as teachers and tutors to pay attention to what our students/tutee say.

"Some members of our group shared their own challenging experiences of being bilingual and bicultural and could personally understand Fannie’s hesitations." This was another point we discussed in detail. All three of us speak more than one language and we have had experiences of learning in a different country. I think we all had great sympathy for Fannie.