Peer Consultants at the Writing Center
As a part of their paid position in the Writing Center, peer consultants work with writers from a variety of majors and classes in one-to-one and small group tutoring sessions, and they often have opportunities to assist faculty with writing activities in the classroom.
Peer Writing Consultant
Becoming a peer writing consultant
Becoming a peer writing consultant
Fundamentally, the work of a peer writing consultant supports the academic success of students at Washington College. Not only do consultants share knowledge and guidance about writing, they learn about the writing genres and conventions of disciplines outside thier own fields. Moreover, they gain insight into their own writing and thinking processes, as well as critical and interpersonal skills that serve during their time as a student at Washington College and as they 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.
Want to be a peer consultant?
Students in any major or minor can work in the Writing Center. To become a peer consultant, apply for the Writing Center seminar, EDU 406: Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy, a four-credit course offered each spring through the Department of Education. Students must take the seminar to work for the Writing Center, and must be invited to enroll by the director after completing the application and interview process.
EDU 406: 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 think about the ways that language, thought, and writing are connected, and we explore ways of interacting with writers that support and encourage growth. As a result, students in the seminar gain a foundation of knowledge for working productively with their peers.
Through the seminar, students 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.