Reading and writing tutors work from the perspective of dialogic education.

Dialogic education is a pedagogical approach that views learning as an active, open-ended conversation. Originating from the philosophical and literary theories of Mikhail Bakhtin and developed further by educational theorists such as Rupert Wegerif and Robin Alexander, dialogic education centers on the idea that knowledge emerges through dialogue. It places importance on listening, mutual respect, and the co-construction of understanding between teacher and learner. For reading and writing tutors, especially those working in creative writing, dialogic education offers a framework for supporting student growth through meaningful, reciprocal engagement.

At its core, dialogic education challenges traditional one-directional models of teaching where the educator delivers content and the student passively receives it. Instead, it asserts that understanding is deepened when learners are engaged in genuine dialogue—an interaction in which both tutor and student question, reflect, and explore ideas together. This is not simply a matter of talking more during lessons. Dialogic learning involves creating the conditions under which authentic thinking can occur. It is not focused on the transmission of fixed truths but rather on the exploration of perspectives, the formation of arguments, and the clarification of meaning.

One of the foundational influences of dialogic education is Bakhtin’s concept of dialogism, which proposes that all language is inherently dialogic. Every utterance, according to Bakhtin, is a response to previous utterances and anticipates further responses. In education, this view shifts attention away from monologic instruction—where a single authoritative voice dictates knowledge—toward a model in which multiple voices interact, overlap, and build upon one another. For tutors, especially in the realm of creative writing, this insight is especially valuable. Writing is never created in a vacuum; it is shaped by other texts, influenced by cultural context, and brought into dialogue with readers.

For tutors working with creative writing students, dialogic education encourages an approach that emphasizes responsive, thoughtful interaction over correction or prescription. Rather than telling a student what is wrong with their writing or how to fix it, the tutor asks open-ended questions designed to prompt the student to consider their choices. Questions such as “What effect do you want this character’s dialogue to have?” or “How do you want the reader to feel in this moment?” invite the student to reflect critically on their work. This approach does not eliminate the tutor’s expertise but repositions it. The tutor becomes a collaborator in meaning-making, not simply a gatekeeper of conventions.

Reading instruction also benefits from a dialogic approach. Rather than positioning texts as repositories of fixed meaning, tutors can help students see them as opportunities for dialogue. A reading becomes an entry point for conversation—between the student and the author, between different interpretations, and between texts themselves. In tutoring sessions, this might involve comparing multiple character perspectives within a story, reflecting on how a story's themes relate to current events, or inviting the student to write a response piece from another character’s point of view. These practices align with the dialogic goal of expanding understanding through multiple viewpoints.

A dialogic pedagogy in tutoring also demands that tutors remain open to learning from students. In traditional instructional models, the tutor’s knowledge is seen as complete, while the student’s knowledge is incomplete. Dialogic education disrupts this by proposing that all participants in the learning environment can contribute meaningfully to the construction of knowledge. When a student brings a fresh interpretation to a text or an unconventional narrative approach to a writing exercise, the tutor’s role is not to dismiss it as incorrect but to explore it further, asking questions that allow the student to clarify, refine, and expand their ideas.

Online tutoring, with its flexible formats and individualized attention, is especially well-suited to dialogic education. Sessions can be structured as a series of conversations that evolve over time, with tutors building upon prior discussions and student work. Technology can facilitate this dialogic process through tools like shared documents with threaded comments, video conferencing that allows for real-time questioning and reflection, and asynchronous messaging that gives students time to think before responding. These features support the dialogic goal of sustained, reflective interaction.

In adopting dialogic education as a foundation for writing and reading tutoring, tutors commit to a pedagogy of respect, inquiry, and shared meaning-making. They view each student as a thinker capable of original insight, and they structure sessions to nurture those insights through careful listening and thoughtful questioning. Rather than aiming to produce uniformity in writing, dialogic tutors seek to help students articulate their own intentions more clearly, revise with purpose, and engage with texts and ideas in a meaningful, personal way.

Dialogic education aligns closely with the aims of creative writing instruction: to help writers find their voice, refine their vision, and communicate with clarity and depth. For tutors, it provides both a philosophical foundation and a practical method for doing so—not by dictating answers, but by fostering the kinds of conversations through which real understanding grows.