To be a millenial compositionist…

As a dreaded “literature” scholar, I certainly ascribe a high value to the importance of words. I by no means, however, feel words need be the only and best way to communicate, especially given the capabilities afforded us by technology. It would be foolish to insist students only be textually literate — at least in [...]

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Word Cloud: “Responding to and Evaluating Student Writing” by Nancy Sommers

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Precis: “Responding to and Evaluating Student Writing” by Nancy Sommers

As teachers, we spend an extraordinary amount of time giving students feedback and comments on their papers, but we rarely think of how or why we do it – or if it even does any good. Are we really helping students or simply confusing the writing process and hindering their discursive development? A study of [...]

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Word Cloud: “The Pedagogy of Writing Across the Curriculum” by Susan McLeod

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Precis: “The Pedagogy of Writing Across the Curriculum” by Susan McLeod

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) pedagogy is over 25 years old, dating back to open admissions crisis of the seventies. Of primary concern for WAC proponents is the failure of composition classes to teach students writing skills that adequately translate to other academic discourses. Though instructors may be urging students to compose in their “authentic [...]

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Word Cloud: “Writing Center Pedagogy” by Eric Hobson

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Precis: “Writing Center Pedagogy” by Eric Hobson

The establishment of writing centers has grown tremendously since their inception in the seventies. A kin to writing across the curriculum and writing in the disciplines, writing center pedagogy provides a unique alternative to classroom writing instruction. Though often utilized as paper “clean up” help in the seventies, writing centers were finally recognized in the [...]

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Presentation: Collaborative Pedagogy

Please divide yourselves into groups of three and design a collaborative learning activity/project for your first-year composition class. Consider the following variables:
•Format – website, mailing list, discussion board, written project, etc.
•Timeline – decided by you, the students, or both
•Autonomy – How much freedom will you give students in designing, directing, implementing the project?
•Groups – Will [...]

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Word Cloud: “Closing My Eyes as I Speak” by Peter Elbow

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