a31a Writing Center | Become a Peer Consultant | Washington College
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Writing Center

Become a Peer Consultant

Our peer writing consultants are dedicated, successful student leaders who are interested in writing and enjoy working with others.

As a part of their position in the Writing Center, peer consultants work with writers from a variety of majors and classes in one-to-one and small group settings, and they often have opportunities to assist faculty with writing activities in the classroom.

If this experience sounds interesting to you, consider applying to take part in our seminar, Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy, a four-credit course offered each spring through the Education Department. The seminar is a prerequisite for working in the Writing Center, and students may enroll in the course only by invitation after completing an application and interview process. Once they have finished the seminar successfully, participants are invited to apply for work in the Writing Center for the following year.

We welcome applications from students of all majors and interests.

EDU 490: Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy: A Seminar in Peer Tutoring

Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy introduces students to contemporary perspectives on the writing process with a particular emphasis on the way writers develop in an academic context. In the class, we’ll think about the ways that language, thought, and writing are connected, and we’ll explore ways of interacting with writers that support and encourage their growth. As a result, students in the seminar will gain a foundation of knowledge for working productively and insightfully with their peers.

Through the seminar, students will also begin to take part in the activities of the Writing Center, first by observing and working with established peer writing consultants and then by conducting writing conferences of their own. Thus, the primary goal of the class is to allow students to connect the theoretical knowledge they gain in the classroom with the experience and practice of peer tutoring.

Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy is taught by John Boyd, Director of the Writing Center, and  Moriah Purdy, Assistant Director. The class meets during the spring semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-3:45.

Questions? Contact the Writing Center by email or drop by to see us in person in Goldstein 106.

Other Reasons to Become a Peer Writing Consultant

While our seminar most often focuses on ways of working with other writers and their texts, you’ll certainly gain insight into your own writing and thinking processes. What’s more, you’ll gain critical and interpersonal skills that will serve you well during your time as a student at Washington College and afterwards as you enter the world of professional work. Our peer consultants have gone on after graduation to use their writing experience in a range of careers, from publishing to teaching, law, and social work.

Being involved in the Writing Center is also an opportunity to challenge yourself by working with other motivated and accomplished students. Since 2000, four of our peer writing consultants have been recipients of the Sophie Kerr Prize, and many have received other awards and honors for their writing.

 

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