Making the Good Even Better: Len Podis and the Peer Tutoring Program By Sue Kropp
	The book jacket shows a drawing of the face of Shelly with a photograph of Len Podis's face peeking through a torn section.		NOVEMBER 3, 1999--Eighteen years ago, Len Podis was an English professor at Oberlin College. He was also a leading figure in the movement to define the process of writing. His growing interest in collaborative learning led to the creation of a revolutionary course at Oberlin that incorporated a peer tutoring program and paved the way for Oberlin's Expository Writing Program. After 15 years of overseeing these programs at Oberlin, Podis--now professor of expository writing and English--is leading the movement again with a book of essays that examine methods of teaching and tutoring. Podis became interested in the pedagogy of writing during the late 1970s. The increased admission of a more diverse group of students to colleges and universities that began then was forcing professors across the country to deal with a student population that needed help with writing skills. By developing Oberlin's peer tutoring program, Podis was able to give individualized and personal attention to a larger group of students. Student interest in Podis's program dovetailed with the nation's growing interest in alternative teaching methods. Not only was it necessary to teach the process of writing to students; it was also necessary to communicate the teaching methods to other professors and peer tutors. The field of writing pedagogy exploded, and teachers abandoned their former methods of instruction. Teaching and Tutoring Writing across the Disciplines remains a popular course in the Expository Writing Program, drawing an increasingly diverse group of students each semester. The multidisciplinary nature of the course engages participants in a discourse community by teaching them to explore a variety of ideas through language. Podis's newly published book, Working with Student Writers: Essays on Tutoring and Teaching, is a collection designed for tutors and teachers of writing. The essays originated as papers written by former peer tutors to clarify the techniques that most helped them help other students improve writing skills. The book is the first known of its kind to contain pieces authored exclusively by peer tutors. JoAnne Podis, professor of English and vice president of academic and student affairs at Ursuline College, co-edited the book. Both Podis and his wife contribute essays to the book, and a piece authored by their daughter, Lauren Podis '98, is included. When asked if he still enjoys teaching the discipline of writing to his students, Podis responds enthusiastically. The field remains challenging, he says, but the rewards outweigh the difficulties. "It's hard to meaningfully intervene with writers' established habits and patterns," says Podis. "But when you can help them improve their writing technique and make the good even better, then you improve their confidence, too."
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