“Maintaining Our Balance: Walking the Tight Rope of Competing Epistemologies” by Eric H Hobson
The first epistemological approach is the concept that “the truth is out there” and it is our job to boldly go where some man has gone before and learn the rules of grammar, punctuation, proper citation ect. While it is true we all must be aware of these rules in order to be successful as writing tutors following this model will lead the Writing Center to become a “fix-it-shop”. Students will simply come to us for answers and will not learn to be confident self-sufficient writers. The second approach embraces the idea that “the truth” resides within each person. In this approach the less experienced student gets guidance from a more experienced student and develops their skills for expressionism and self-discovery. This approach seems to focus more on Higher Order Concerns such as voice and method of expression rather than Lower Order Concerns like grammar and punctuation. Embracing the idea of different truths or realities can help us expand our understanding and compassion for students. The last epistemological approach Hobson looks at is one in which the community of people decide on what is true collectively, citing that writing itself is a social process by which truth is agreed on. While I like idea, it seems there is a problem with quantifying such ideas, ie students trying to get good grades. And a collective truth implies that all people agree on what is true, leaving no room for interpretation of behalf of the individual or situation. Each person lives inside their own truth, as tutors I think it is more important to help students develop their own process or discover their own truth rather than to reiterate rules.
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