{"id":2112,"date":"2012-03-26T11:25:30","date_gmt":"2012-03-26T16:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/?p=2112"},"modified":"2025-03-18T17:40:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T22:40:34","slug":"why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do You Ask?  Questioning the Question in the Writing Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-2116 size-medium\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_capdevielle-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Matthew Capdevielle in a blue collared shirt and black blazer. \" class=\"wp-image-2116\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_capdevielle-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_capdevielle.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Matthew Capdevielle, Director of the Writing Center, University of Notre Dame<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Matthew Capdevielle, Director of the Writing Center, University of Notre Dame<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cSo, what are you working on today?\u201d<\/em><br><em>\u201cWhen is your paper due?\u201d<\/em><br><em>\u201cAre you concerned about anything in particular in this draft?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the <a href=\"http:\/\/writingcenter.nd.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">writing center that I direct at the University of Notre Dame<\/a>, we spend a good deal of time asking questions.&nbsp; We pose questions about practical parameters of assignments\u2014length, due date, assignment requirements, etc.&nbsp; We pose questions about writers\u2019 goals, their concerns, and their hopes for their work.&nbsp; Most importantly, we pose questions with writers to help them discover and articulate their own ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This approach is common in writing center pedagogy.&nbsp; As a tutor in the UW-Madison Writing Center while in graduate school, I learned so much about the value of asking good questions from my colleagues and mentors\u2014but most of all from the writers I worked with at the tables on the 6th floor of Helen C. White Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s sort of a commonplace in the writing center community to describe this method of teaching as a Socratic method, and in fact, more than once in the literature, Socrates himself has been invoked as a kind of proto writing center tutor, having conversations with people about their ideas and helping them to develop a clearer understanding of things by asking good questions.&nbsp; Most notably, Stephen North in the \u201cIdea of a Writing Center\u201d back in 1984, described Socrates as a tutor who \u201cset up the same kind of shop\u201d in the agora offering, as he puts it, \u201ca continuous dialectic that is, finally, its own end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This comparison rings true on a number of levels, especially in terms of North\u2019s formulation that the <em>process<\/em> itself, the process of engaged dialogue, is not just a means of attaining insight\u2014it is actually its own end.&nbsp; Our primary purpose in the Writing Center is to engage writers in <em>conversation<\/em>.&nbsp; And this is not just a <em>means<\/em> of achieving something through the session\u2014it is in fact the <em>goal<\/em>.&nbsp; More than anything else, the tutors are working to encourage writers to <em>talk<\/em> about their writing.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-2121 size-medium\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_tutors-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"A tutor and student sit together, staring intently at a laptop in the Writing Center. \" class=\"wp-image-2121\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_tutors-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_tutors-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_tutors.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Collaboration in the Writing Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a special kind of talk that takes place in this environment\u2014Muriel Harris has called this <em>exploratory<\/em> talk, contrasting it with <em>presentational<\/em> talk, which is how we tend to speak when we think we\u2019re being evaluated.&nbsp; Exploratory talk is generative in ways that presentational talk is not. Given that, as North suggests, this is an end in itself, we would do well to attend very closely to what constitutes the exploratory character of effective writing center talk.&nbsp; I think that the <em>question<\/em> is an important part of this.&nbsp; For Socrates, the engine of dialectical inquiry is the question.&nbsp; The Socratic Method is <em>question<\/em> driven.&nbsp; Likewise, I would suggest, exploratory talk is question driven as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what makes a <em>good<\/em> question\u2014that is to say an effective or productive or generative question that can help us engage in collaborative and truly exploratory talk with writers?&nbsp; This is something I wrestle with continually in my work in the Writing Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Socrates himself didn\u2019t always ask the right question.&nbsp; In fact, one might say that it was asking the wrong questions that got him into trouble.&nbsp; But his method of questioning was not a monolithic pedagogy.&nbsp; It had important variations.&nbsp; The Socrates we see in the <em>Gorgias<\/em> gets himself in deep trouble by asking questions, primarily because he\u2019s not really asking questions at all.&nbsp; Rather, he\u2019s badgering Gorgias and Callicles, and he ultimately fails to persuade them of anything.&nbsp; In spite of Socrates\u2019 claim that what he\u2019s doing is posing genuine questions to help his interlocutor \u201cwork out his ideas,\u201d he ends up engaging in a sort of caricature of the method.&nbsp; The <em>form<\/em> of questioning and dialogue remains but the exchange is actually monologic, devolving into a lecture that Socrates gives at the end to Callicles\u2014Callicles who has simply given up and offers only perfunctory and sarcastic rejoinders, like, \u201cOh most certainly, Socrates\u201d and \u201cWhatever you say, Socrates,\u201d and who basically says, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you just finish up the conversation by yourself?\u201d&nbsp; At another point in the dialogue, Socrates even tells his interlocutor what his response should be.&nbsp; He says, \u201cAsk me what kind of craft pastry baking is, Polus.\u201d When Polus obliges, Socrates answers his own question and then tells Polus what to ask next.&nbsp; He is clearly talking to himself at this point in the dialogue. The method has failed here as Socrates ends up lecturing the person he might have persuaded.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-image-2127\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"529\" src=\"http:\/\/writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_question_whiteboard1-1024x529.jpg\" alt=\"A White board. Names surround the text: If you could have anyone as a writing center tutor, who would it be? \n\" class=\"wp-image-2127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_question_whiteboard1-1024x529.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_question_whiteboard1-300x155.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tutors&#8217; Question of the Week in the Notre Dame Writing Center: If you could have anyone as a Writing Center tutor, who would it be?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now there\u2019s certainly much to consider in this rich text, but one thing that strikes me is how similar this derailed dialogue looks to the transcript of a writing center tutorial that\u2019s gone off track.&nbsp; If you\u2019ve ever looked at a transcript of a writing tutorial that has gone awry\u2014or, like me, <em>experienced<\/em> a tutorial gone awry\u2014you might immediately note the similarities. There are interrogative statements to be sure\u2014questions\u2014but they are of the sort that accomplish just the opposite of what we might hope would come out in the exchange. In particular, we see questions that are not genuine attempts to engage in and foster exploratory talk but are rather leading questions that close off the dialogue and that constrain the field of possible ideas.&nbsp; Once a writer gets wise to this or senses that the questions are \u201cWhat have I got in my pocket?\u201d sorts of questions, then the writer very quickly defers authority to the tutor and waits to be told what to do, kind of like Callicles in the <em>Gorgias<\/em>. This is the opposite of shared inquiry or collaborative learning.&nbsp; This is appropriation of authority under the guise of the Socratic Method of engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Plato\u2019s <em>Phaedrus<\/em>, we see a very different sort of interaction between teacher and student.&nbsp; I would say that if we can find a writing center appointment anywhere in Plato, it\u2019s in the <em>Phaedrus<\/em>.&nbsp; Here, Phaedrus and Socrates sit down side by side to talk about a text together.&nbsp; They\u2019re far outside the agora, the marketplace, outside the site of <em>performance<\/em>.&nbsp; Phaedrus has a copy of a draft with him.&nbsp; Socrates has him read it out loud, just as he would in the Writing Center.&nbsp; They talk about it, with Socrates asking lots of questions.&nbsp; And they get somewhere, moving from playful banter to deeply engaged collaborative conversation.&nbsp; I\u2019d argue that what we witness here is a Socratic method that is much more exploratory than the version of the method that we see in the <em>Gorgias<\/em>.&nbsp; Phaedrus\u2019s comments definitively shape the dialogue. The direction of the dialogue changes as a result of his lengthy responses.&nbsp; And in his responsive engagement with Phaedrus\u2019 concerns, Socrates enacts his argument for a form of writing that doesn\u2019t kill the spirit of dialectic, moving forward in pursuit of a philosophical insight that can be reached only via interaction with another person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, what does this have to do with questions and exploratory talk in the writing center?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I would say that the question in the tutorial environment <em>dramatizes<\/em> a key feature of <em>any<\/em> rhetorical enterprise\u2014it dramatizes the encounter between two people in the shared project of understanding their world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the barest practical terms, we could talk about this in terms of \u201caudience awareness.\u201d&nbsp; This is one easy way of explaining to others why we do what we do in the Writing Center\u2014and why it works.&nbsp; We often say that when writers come into the writing center with a draft, they are compelled to respond to the questions and concerns of a real flesh-and-blood reader.&nbsp; This process helps hold them accountable, keeps them honest in their writing.&nbsp; And ultimately, it helps them internalize a more mature understanding of audience, of their readership. Understanding their readers, we claim, makes them better writers.&nbsp; This is all true, I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when we sit down together, as writers and readers, we might find that more is at stake, that it&#8217;s not merely a matter of gaining practice responding to an actual reader.&nbsp; The process of engaging face-to-face with a reader allows for a more direct experience of the deeply ethical character of writing. Writing&#8211;writing anything&#8211;involves us with other people in a way that holds the potential to change us, that bears upon our understanding of who we are. It is a subtly ethical encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-medium wp-image-2141\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"http:\/\/writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_colemanmorse-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"The Coleman Morse Center. A large grey-stone building with grey roof and green trees aligned across a large green lawn. \" class=\"wp-image-2141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_colemanmorse-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_colemanmorse.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Coleman Morse Center, Home of the Writing Irish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tutorial interaction is the experience of the ethical encounter of writing writ large, so to speak, and it highlights the transformative potential of rhetorical engagement. Writer and reader must face the wholly spontaneous and utterly unpredictable other <em>person<\/em> at the table, and they have to negotiate with one another. The locus of that negotiation is the question. The question is the rhetorical vehicle for this encounter, eliciting response.&nbsp; And because writer and reader are face-to-face, the imperative to respond is mutual and carries a special immediacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Socratic Method of the <em>Phaedrus<\/em>, then, might indeed be seen to lie at the heart of the writing tutorial, especially when the questions we ask are genuine questions that open us up to the possibility of, in Socrates\u2019 words, \u201ca writing on the soul\u201d that permanently alters the participants in the exchange.&nbsp; The question in the tutorial represents this possibility, this opening up of the reader and writer to the potential for transformation. The question is an invitation to a truly collaborative exploration in a more properly <em>shared<\/em> inquiry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what does a transcript of <em>this<\/em> kind of session look like?&nbsp; I\u2019m not sure.&nbsp; I\u2019d like to see it myself!&nbsp; While there\u2019s no easy formula for generating this kind of question, I think it\u2019s useful to consider the ethical weight of the opportunity that our conversations in the writing center provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Certainly, these thoughts toward a theory of the question are only a beginning, but I\u2019m interested in collecting something of a natural history of the question as it appears in our study and practice of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How about you?&nbsp; How do you use questions\u2014either as a writer or as a tutor?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Matthew Capdevielle, Director of the Writing Center, University of Notre Dame \u201cSo, what are you working on today?\u201d\u201cWhen is your paper due?\u201d\u201cAre you concerned about anything in particular in this draft?\u201d In the writing center that I direct at the University of Notre Dame, we spend a good deal of time asking questions.&nbsp; We [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,26,52,36,60,35,13,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-peer-tutoring","category-student-voices","category-tutorial-talk-and-methods","category-uw-madison-writing-center-alumni-voices","category-writing-center-theory","category-writing-center-tutors","category-writing-centers","category-writing-fellows"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center - Another Word<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center - Another Word\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Matthew Capdevielle, Director of the Writing Center, University of Notre Dame \u201cSo, what are you working on today?\u201d\u201cWhen is your paper due?\u201d\u201cAre you concerned about anything in particular in this draft?\u201d In the writing center that I direct at the University of Notre Dame, we spend a good deal of time asking questions.&nbsp; We [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Another Word\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-03-26T16:25:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-18T22:40:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_capdevielle.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brad Hughes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brad Hughes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Brad Hughes\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fd6b5a9be85420bb1dfad1105c48ab14\"},\"headline\":\"Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-03-26T16:25:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-18T22:40:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1809,\"commentCount\":10,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/notredame_capdevielle-300x225.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Peer Tutoring\",\"Student Voices\",\"Tutorial Talk and Methods\",\"UW-Madison Writing Center Alumni Voices\",\"Writing Center Theory\",\"Writing Center Tutors\",\"Writing Centers\",\"Writing Fellows\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center - Another Word\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/notredame_capdevielle-300x225.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-03-26T16:25:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-18T22:40:34+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/notredame_capdevielle.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/notredame_capdevielle.jpg\",\"width\":\"640\",\"height\":\"480\",\"caption\":\"Matthew Capdevielle, Director of the Writing Center, University of Notre Dame\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Another Word\",\"description\":\"From the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Another Word\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/AnotherWordlogo_Black2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/AnotherWordlogo_Black2.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":138,\"caption\":\"Another Word\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fd6b5a9be85420bb1dfad1105c48ab14\",\"name\":\"Brad Hughes\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6b9c6346f37f14069e8baa66bf2bf853bde812eb2cd7dd273726b504845cfe39?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6b9c6346f37f14069e8baa66bf2bf853bde812eb2cd7dd273726b504845cfe39?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6b9c6346f37f14069e8baa66bf2bf853bde812eb2cd7dd273726b504845cfe39?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brad Hughes\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/brad-hughes\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center - Another Word","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center - Another Word","og_description":"By Matthew Capdevielle, Director of the Writing Center, University of Notre Dame \u201cSo, what are you working on today?\u201d\u201cWhen is your paper due?\u201d\u201cAre you concerned about anything in particular in this draft?\u201d In the writing center that I direct at the University of Notre Dame, we spend a good deal of time asking questions.&nbsp; We [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/","og_site_name":"Another Word","article_published_time":"2012-03-26T16:25:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-18T22:40:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":480,"url":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_capdevielle.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Brad Hughes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brad Hughes","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/"},"author":{"name":"Brad Hughes","@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/fd6b5a9be85420bb1dfad1105c48ab14"},"headline":"Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center","datePublished":"2012-03-26T16:25:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-18T22:40:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/"},"wordCount":1809,"commentCount":10,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_capdevielle-300x225.jpg","articleSection":["Peer Tutoring","Student Voices","Tutorial Talk and Methods","UW-Madison Writing Center Alumni Voices","Writing Center Theory","Writing Center Tutors","Writing Centers","Writing Fellows"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/","url":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/","name":"Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center - Another Word","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_capdevielle-300x225.jpg","datePublished":"2012-03-26T16:25:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-18T22:40:34+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_capdevielle.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/notredame_capdevielle.jpg","width":"640","height":"480","caption":"Matthew Capdevielle, Director of the Writing Center, University of Notre Dame"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/why-do-you-ask-questioning-the-question-in-the-writing-center\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Do You Ask? Questioning the Question in the Writing Center"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/","name":"Another Word","description":"From the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/#organization","name":"Another Word","url":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/AnotherWordlogo_Black2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/AnotherWordlogo_Black2.png","width":600,"height":138,"caption":"Another Word"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/fd6b5a9be85420bb1dfad1105c48ab14","name":"Brad Hughes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b9c6346f37f14069e8baa66bf2bf853bde812eb2cd7dd273726b504845cfe39?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b9c6346f37f14069e8baa66bf2bf853bde812eb2cd7dd273726b504845cfe39?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b9c6346f37f14069e8baa66bf2bf853bde812eb2cd7dd273726b504845cfe39?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Brad Hughes"},"url":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/author\/brad-hughes\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2112"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15578,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112\/revisions\/15578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}