Strategies for Successful Writing Consultation Sessions

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Strategies for Successful Writing Consultation
Sessions

• Created by Dr. Barbara Toth
• for BGSU Writing Consultants
• Fall 2006

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Strategies for Writing Consultants

• Successful sessions depend on writing
  consultants being well versed in consultation
  strategies.

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• Although each session is unique, there are
  strategies that writing consultants will use
  regularly.

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Keep the PQS Method in mind!

• P Note what is good about the students text.
  Communicating what is positive about her work
  thus far is important for a successful session.
  This step will make the student writer more
  receptive to your feedback.
• Q Ask the student questions so that you can
  situate yourself efficiently and so the student
  writer can express himself about his writing.
  This strategy sets up a dialogue between the
  consultant and the student writer.
• S Make suggestions about ways to improve.
  Prefacing the suggestions with the phrase As a
  reader will encourage the writers sense of
  audience. It will also keep your role as
  consultant, distinguished from teacher, clear.

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At the start of the session, ask the student to
explain her assignment and ask for the assignment
sheet.

• The session will be effective and likely to hit
  the mark if the writing consultant has a clear
  picture of the specific assignment and rhetorical
  situation.
• Effective consultants know that even comma
  placement is not an a-rhetorical act.

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Provide an informed session.

• Learn all you can about being an informed
  consultant.
• Participate in staff seminars, sharing techniques
  and strategies and learning from other
  consultants.
• Keep current with writing center theory and best
  practices.
• Present at writing center conferences.
• Be enthusiastic!
• Other?
• Being an effective writing consultant requires
  ongoing learning.

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Build a rapport with the writer.

• Be interested in the writers ideas and progress.
• Refer to the writer by name.
• Invite the student writer to use the writing
  center again.
• Demonstrate an ethics of care.
• Other?

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Focus on the student writers needs.

• You can begin your approach by
• Asking the student what specific concerns he or
  she has about the assignment.
• Noting what recommendations the teacher has made.
• As an experienced writer and consultant, you
  will often note other aspects that the student
  writer might work on. Discuss these with the
  writer as time allows and/or recommend that the
  student schedule a subsequent session.

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Identify patterns of error.

• Rather than commenting on or correcting every
  grammatical error of a particular type, point out
  specific instances of the error. Then direct the
  student writer to revise the errors, if possible,
  during the session.

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As much as possible, allow the student writer to
experience the joy of learning.

• Rather than giving answers, ask questions. An
  effective consultant asks many, many questions.
• Remember writing is a powerful means of learning,
  i.e., not only an end but also a means to an end.
• ?

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Avoid writing on the students text.

• The student writer is the author and responsible
  for his work. Put the pen in his hands.
• This strategy ensures academic honesty.
• It also allows the consultant to work smarter,
  not harder.

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Rhetorically analyze the text.

• You can provide efficient sessions by noting the
  texts
• Purpose
• Audience
• Arrangement
• Methods of development
• Genre-specific expectations and conventions
• Other?
• Analyzing the text rhetorically gives you the
  ability to proceed effectively--and efficiently.

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Encourage student writers to use the writing
center for feedback on research and prewriting.

• Sometimes students need help getting started.
  They may not have a draft in hand.
• Help them get off to a smart start by
• Questioning
• Brainstorming
• Using other relevant invention tools and
  heuristics

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End a session positively and with encouragement.

• Remind her of the progress she has made.
• Ask what questions the writer still has.
• Invite the writer to reschedule either with you
  or with another consultant.
• Send off student writers with
  renewed energy!

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Complete session reports--

• working from global level to sentence-level
  categories
• using non-evaluative language.

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Remember to ensure that session reports--

• effectively address audience(s)
• are correctly written
• are completed immediately after each session.

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Thank you!

• Upcoming topics/sessions
• More consultation strategies
• Online sessions
• Conference presentation ideas
• Writing Center theory
• Process theory
• Research tools
• APA, MLA, CMS

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QA