In her essay, Collaboration, Control, and the Idea of a Writing Center, Andrea Lunsford recognizes the efficacy of collaboration

in writing pedagogy. Her research shows that collaboration aids in learning by fostering critical thinking, promoting excellence, and inspiring active and engaged learning through the application of different types of skills (94-95). Her former student who was initially resistant to the idea summarizes her sentiments towards collaboration in a few words. Whats important is knowing that knowing doesnt just happen all by itselfKnowing happens with other people, figuring things out, trying to explain, talking through things. What I know is that we are all making and remaking our knowing and ourselves with each other Her students words acknowledge the main idea of my philosophy: ability isnt inherent; we develop by making mistakes and struggling. They also acknowledge that working with others is an effective way of creating understanding. Significant development happens when we engage with other people in purpose driven, risk filled, dialogue intensive activity. This recognizing of the value of collaboration by the processes that takes place in it reflects a theory of Lev Vygotsky: The Zone of Proximal Development (ZDP). ZDP is the conceptual space in which a person, through collaboration with others, achieves something beyond what he or she is individually capable of and drives forward his or her development (Wink & Putney 86). This is the space tutors and writers occupy when working together: Tutors collaborate with writers in the purposeful activity of creating a piece of writing; writers and tutors articulate and share their ideas and through the interaction create a piece of writing stronger than what the writer could create alone. This drives forward the writers development. The ZDP is a risk filled space where one must be willing to dialogue about their weaknesses. In order to enter the ZDP one must accomplish the internal tasks we explored earlier: move past impeding feelings of shame for ones weaknesses by

forgiving oneself for having such weaknesses and understand those weaknesses as a natural part of the learning process. In accomplishing these two tasks one uses mindsight techniques to acquire a dynamic understanding of ones abilities, an understanding that allows one to move into and engage with others in the ZDP. Ultimately, this mental progression results in one developing as a writer by working with a tutor.