I hope everybody is having a good semester. It is probably busy, but there are a couple things I would like to share with you. First, I went to a really good workshop on Writing Across the Curriculum a couple weeks ago. Second, we had our first Collaborative Assessment Conference this past Friday. Both of these have really helped me look at teaching writing in new ways.

Dr. Mezler, from Sacramento State University, put on a very informative workshop that focused on writing across the curriculum. There was a lot of good information, but what I took away from it was that sometimes we need to allow our students to work outside of the normal writing paradigms. His research showed that a majority of college writing is done to essentially regurgitate information, but regurgitated information doesn't always equal learning. So, instead of simply asking students to repeat information, we should consider allowing our students to look at writing as a way of exploring and expressing ideas about themselves, their communities, and the world. Yes, this might mean writing poetry, but it's not only for poetry. There are a number of ways for students to creatively explore and express their findings; and the ability to creatively and effectively communicate their ideas can be a difficult task. Email me if you want to discuss this further because it will take up a lot of space to discuss the possibilities here.

Pat Kelly, from ESL, created and hosts the Collaborative Assessment Conferences where teachers get together to look at student work. It sounds simple, but looking at the level of work that students produce in relation to our expectations as teachers is a rather daunting task. The thing I began doing immediately after our first meeting was to look for trends in student successes and errors. Again, this sounds simple, but as we grade the stacks of papers on our desks it can be easy to look at each piece of writing only as an individual piece, not as a reflection of class readiness or needs. I just sat with a notebook next to me while grading papers and took notes of what I was seeing; and it didn't take long to see some writing trends that need to be addressed. You might want to give it a try.

Well, I won't take up any more of your time today. Remember that we can all learn from each other, and as teachers we're usually pretty nice about our suggestions. So don't be afraid to get input from your colleagues; you might be happily surprised with the results.

Happy teaching.

NCTE Position Statements on Writing

NCTE Position Statements on Writing

During my insomniac Internet manderings and attempts to learn how to subscribe RSS feeds that I might find useful as an English teacher, I actually took some extra time to explore the NCTE website. Many of you know that the National Council of Teachers of English has a website. Some of you might even use it. What I have found over the past couple of years is that the NCTE is one of the few places that actually addresses our needs at the community college level.

Take some time and look around the site. I found more than things than I could possibly input in one morning.

Happy teaching.

Getting Back to Business

I know that you don't really want to see this email, especially if you check your inbox before the semester actually starts, but that's just the way it goes sometimes. Anyway, if you haven't already begun, it is about time to start thinking about your classes and what you're going to do this semester. But don't worry, I'll keep this one simple.

There are two problems that students often mention when we begin to discuss writing. The first is so simple that it is probably just an oversight by professors. The second can be a little more tricky, but is extremely important.

First of all, just give your students a format for anything they write. If your discipline uses APA, then have them format their writing assignments in APA. The same goes for MLA or any other style your students should use. Its good for them to know that different disciplines have different formatting styles, and it just might be a little easier on your eyes. We focus on MLA format in the English department, so you might even choose to use that as a default. Just make them format their papers please.

The second issue is that students are often at a loss as to where to begin an essay. This often starts with their topics, so just give them specific topics to write about. They are in your class for you to teach them, and that means you need to guide them. Some students need a gentle hand, others need more. Set the boundaries for the essay, including the topic and have them work within those boundaries. Allow them to create an alternative to your parameters if they don't like the assignment. Have those boundary-less students problem solve in a way that satisfies your requirements. Everyone else should be able to do the work you assign. Its alright to make them write about something they don't like because it forces them to consider something outside of their comfort zone. In the end, it will probably even make them better students.

As we begin to create our semester calendars and assignments remember that it is alright to give students formats and boundaries for their writing assignments. It might even make your job a little easier. Happy planning.

If you have any questions or comments about writing or Basic Skills please feel free to contact me anytime at mwickert@swccd.edu. I won't pretend to have all the answers, but together I am sure we can find a workable solution.

See you all next week.