Joint Consultations: Strategies for Integrating Two Consultants into a Writing Center Session

Abstract

Within writing centers, it is common for a writing consultant to pull in a second consultant during a one-on-one session with a student. Yet there is currently nothing in writing center scholarship that discusses this practice or ways to do it well. So, how can we structure these joint consultations in productive ways that will benefit students? Is there potential in collaborating with peer library consultants in these sessions? In this paper, I argue that there is vast potential in joint consultations. They give students multiple perspectives on their writing, create an enthusiastic and supportive environment for discussion, and model the benefits of collaboration for students. Furthermore, joint consultations including a writing consultant and a peer library consultant better reflect the recursive nature of the writing process for students than our current model. I tested joint consultations in the writing center, and I examine this experience in the paper. This experiment informed the sections on strategies for making joint consultations effective, as well as solutions for potential obstacles. Additionally, I explain training techniques, furniture choices, and ways to overcome budget hurdles, so that any writing center can integrate joint consultations into their services regardless of finances.

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