The consulting relationship is a bit different in that it places one student in an instructional role. Often, student consultants are attempting to help others work with skills that the consultants themselves have only marginally mastered. Consultation provides opportunities to revisit familiar material and move from a superficial level of knowledge to understanding. Explaining something to someone else, providing examples, and responding to questions requires a depth of understanding that students may not impose on themselves as learners. Even though the tasks they are helping other students with may be similar to what they were beginning to find boring last year, student consultants seem motivated by their role.
Consultation creates an authentic context for continued learning and thinking.
The consultant is now functioning in the culture of the teacher. Children learning through consulting.