Consultation Protocol

All writing center consultations vary from session to session–even with the same writer! However, writing
centers implement consultation procedures support us to implement the standards of good teaching
recognized by our profession. While the elements of this procedure should always proceed the same,
beginning with agenda setting, focusing first on higher order concerns, etc.The ultimate goal of our sessions is
to help writers to identify their own challenges with writing and to develop solutions to writing.

I. Agenda Setting (3-5 minutes)

Work with the writer to set goals, in order for you both to work efficiently during the length of the
session.
A. Greeting
B. Registration/confirmation of appointment
C. Writer-described goals: Writer should identify what they would like to accomplish
during the session.
D. Scan paper to determine status: Take a few seconds to quickly look over their
paper. See if the writer’s goals correlate to what you’re seeing in the paper. Make a
mental note to address any additional issues at a later time.
E. Agreement of session goals: Consultant should affirm their understanding of the
writer-set goals and describe the process going forward. (There may be some
negotiation here, depending on where in the session hierarchy the paper requires
the most focus.)

II. Engagement (15-45 minutes)

Engagement should comprise most of the session. Below we provide an overview of supported
procedure for working with writers at The Studio. No single session will include all of these techniques,
but they exemplify the teaching philosophies The Studio supports.

The consultation hierarchy prioritizes how to approach elements of a writer’s work. It emphasizes
that once a writer comes to understand writing genres, they are more able to identify conventions
and respond to expectations for content, organization, etc. This strengthened ability to “take up”
and “transfer” writing competence to new situations has been shown to improve students’ long-
term writing skills (Bawarshi). Draw on your expertise as a tutor to help students work through
their writing concerns from high order concerns to lower order concerns.

1. Genre awareness
a. Ask the writer to describe the project. If a writer’s explanation of the assignment
is different than the genre conventions present, help the student to understand the
genre and then redirect their own writing.
b. Identify genre signaling terms in the assignment like claim, summarize, identify,
reflect, describe, explain, etc.
c. Review the assignment sheet together. Ask the writer to identify the expectations
and conventions as they are described. Have they performed these conventions
successfully in a similar kind of assignment? What past strategies can they use to
write effectively in this situation?
2. Collaboration
a. Writer as authority: The writer should lead the first go-through of an assignment
to emphasize that the session won’t be a “correction” of their work.
i. Self-monitoring during the session: Be aware of how much you’re talking –
encourage the writer to voice their ideas and give them room to verbally
process.
b. Brainstorming
i. Have the writer describe their thinking. Try not to lead them, unless they’re
lost.
ii. In some cases, it will be helpful to write down the exact words the writer
says so as to keep the ideas flowing without the barrier of writing it down.
Do not adjust what they say.
iii. In other cases, simply pause and ask them to write down the last few
sentences, ideas, examples or evidence they have produced, so that they can
take the progress forward to the next stage of writing.
c. Full or partial draft review
i. Have the writer read their writing out loud. Or, read the writing out loud to
the writer and have them to mark passages or organization they want to talk
about.
ii. Have them narrate the paragraphs, summarizing what happens in each.
3. Direction/Guidance
a. Nondirective consultation
i. Active Exchange: Aim for a back-and-forth between you and the writer–this
way, they are leading the session but still feel that they’re being heard and
receiving guidance. Some strategies (from The Longman Guide to Peer
Tutoring) include:
1. Interpretive paraphrase
2. Advisory directives
3. Directive questions
4. Open-ended questions
 5. Content-clarifying questions
6. Opposition-based questions
7. Echoing questions (see Socratic method)
ii. Socratic method: Bounce the writer’s questions back to them to help them
think through their concerns (ex: “What should I do with this paragraph?”
“What are some of your options?”) Challenge them to find solutions.
iii. Notetaking: Encourage the writer to take notes - avoid doing this for them.
Feel free to prompt them: “Write this down.”
1. Exception–Transcribing: Writing down what a writer says can help
those who prefer to think out loud. Avoid recording your own
ideas/observations. You can also use an audio recorder or a
smartphone to transcribe the writer’s ideas.
b. Directive consultation
i. Directive consultation, in rare cases, can be more helpful to writers (such as
ESL writers) who may not have the knowledge base to answer questions.
ii. Help the writer to see to see the applicability of the rule you’re calling on.
1. When possible, use the writer’s own work as the positive example of
the concept. “Topic sentences help a reader to follow your train of
thought in an essay. If you look in this paragraph, you’ll see that you
started with a specific topic sentence which tells the reader what the
paragraph will be about. How can you write a similar topic sentence
for the next paragraph?”
2. Provide samples of the concept.

III. Recap and Work Plan (about 5 minutes)

When closing the appointment, have the writer summarize the work for the day and set two to three
concrete, achievable goals for them to accomplish on their own. Discuss the process for follow-up
(additional appointments, if necessary, or independent work, etc.).

1. Summary: As you wind down, ask the writer to summarize the main points of discussion..
2. Next Steps: Have the writer write down two or three next steps for their work on this
project on a “Next Steps” sheet. Every writer should leave with a sheet they’ve authored.

IV. After the Session (5-15 minutes)

Session times are organized to reserve 15 minutes per hour for you to document session content and to
allow writers time to evaluate the session.

1. Invite the writer to take the online survey (at the bottom of the WC Online page)
2. Try to complete your session documentation before sitting down with the next writer.
3. Continued funding for the Studios depends entirely on how well we can demonstrate we
have served writers, not just how many we serve!