The 1985 film Back to the Future introduced us to Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Dr. Emmett (Christopher Lloyd), who helps Marty travel back in time to save the future for himself and his siblings—ultimately making his parents’ life better in the process. Significantly, Marty serves as a peer tutor to his father, guiding him to become more confident to act and think for himself. Most notably, by the end of the film, we see the tangible results of Marty’s peer tutoring: George McFly grows up to be a published science fiction writer.
It is not merely coincidence that the year the film hit theaters, 1985, falls in the middle of a decade that gave rise to a wave of writing center publications, specifically texts about peer tutoring. As Harvey Kail noted in his editor’s remarks for the Fall 2008 special issue of The Writing Center Journal (dedicated to Kenneth Bruffee and the Brooklyn Project), “Bruffee publishes in the mid-1980s a series of essays that famously theorize peer tutoring as a paradigm of social constructionist pedagogy” (3). Moreover, Kail’s assertion about the essays is proved by the example of Marty and George from the film Back to the Future, who “Together and separately, …make a compelling argument for the value of organizing students to take each other seriously as writers and readers” (3).
As the end-note speaker at the joint IWCA/NCPTW conference on November 1, 2008, Harvey Kail spoke of how far our profession has drifted away from talking about what tutors do in tutorials and what they achieve and learn from being tutors. He issued a call to explore and recognize the contributions of our tutors. Thus, SWCA saw this year as the ideal one to return our focus to our tutors’ voices and experiences, and to look ahead to how their voices create our futures.
We issue a special welcome to high school writing centers and to writing centers, tutors, and scholars who have not yet participated in SWCA. Please join us!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Dr Itua cure my HIV, I have been a ARV Consumption for 10 years. i have been in pains until i came across Dr Itua on blogs site.I emailed him about my details of my HIV and my location i explained every thing to him and he told me that there is nothing to be scared of that he will cured me, he gave me guarantee,He ask me to pay for items fees so when i'm cured I will show gratitude I did and giving testimony of his healing herbs is what I'm going to do for the rest of you out there having HIV and other disease can see the good work of Dr Itua.I received his herbal medicine through EMS Courier service who delivered to my post office within 5 working days.Dr Itua is an honest man and I appreciate him for his good work.My GrandMa called him to appreciate him and rest of my friends did too,Is a joy to me that I'm free of taking Pills and having that fat belle is a nightmare.you will understand what i'm talking about if you have same problem I was having then not now though.I'm free and healthy Big Thanks To Dr Itua Herbal Center.I have his calendar too that he recently sent me,He Cure all kind disease Like,Cancer,Herpes,Hiv,Hepatitis B,Fibroid,Diabetes,Dercum,Copd ,and also Bring back Ex Lover Back..Here his Contact .drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com Or Whats_app Number +2348149277967
ReplyDelete