Informed Choices
A Guide for Teachers of College WritingFirst Edition ©2015
Combining sound theory with rich hands-on activities, Informed Choices: A Guide for Teachers of College Writing is built on the premise that teaching writing is not about mastering a single best practice, but instead requires conscious reflection, as well as responsiveness to inevitable tr...
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A jump start to teaching composition
A jump start to teaching composition
Combining sound theory with rich hands-on activities, Informed Choices: A Guide for Teachers of College Writing is built on the premise that teaching writing is not about mastering a single best practice, but instead requires conscious reflection, as well as responsiveness to inevitable tradeoffs and paradoxes. Ideal for new TAs and experienced professors alike, it helps teachers navigate complex choices about course design, assessment, even professional growth--all within the context of trends in the field, institutional expectations, and their evolving pedagogical philosophies.
"A user-friendly toolkit for new teachers of writing."
–Michelle Sidler, Auburn University"A theoretically well-seasoned but practical guide to developing or reinvigorating a writing teacher’s identity."
–Christopher Diller, Berry College
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Table of Contents
Preface List of Activities Part 1 Establishing a Foundation for Your Teaching Chapter 1 Choices about Your Philosophy of Writing What is your "theory of writing"? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Mapping the terrain of teaching approaches How does one create "good writing"? TAKING IT FURTHER: Unpacking the theories in a teaching approachREFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your evolving philosophy of writing FURTHER READING Chapter 2 Choices about Your Philosophy of Teaching How will you help students create good writing? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Teaching as a reflective practice TAKING IT FURTHER: Popular conceptions about "good teaching" REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your evolving philosophy of teaching FURTHER READING Chapter 3 Choices about Your Teaching Persona What kind of teacher do you hope to be? What roles will you take on as a teacher? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Affective dimensions of teaching TAKING IT FURTHER: Your affective responses to students REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Integrating your persona, philosophy, and approach FURTHER READING Chapter 4 Choices about Your Authority as a Teacher How will you negotiate your authority in the classroom? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Negotiating authority as a developmental process TAKING IT FURTHER: Your beliefs about developmental writers REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Balancing chosen roles and institutionally imposed roles FURTHER READING Part 2 Designing Your Course
Chapter 5 Choices about Course Goals How will you set goals for your course? How will you navigate writing program and university mandates? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Putting your goals in conversation with the discipline TAKING IT FURTHER: Bridging the tensions between conflicting goals REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Anchoring key course goals in your teaching philosophy FURTHER READING Chapter 6 Choices about Writing Assignments What kinds of writing will students do in your class? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Goals and genres for your writing class How will you create effective writing assignments? How will the major assignments in your course fit together? How will you write effective prompts? How will your assignments build upon each other? TAKING IT FURTHER: Planning by "backward design" REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Explaining how you sequence assignments FURTHER READING Chapter 7 Choices about Reading Assignments What role will reading play in your class? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Reading, critical thinking, and multimodality How will you select readings? How will you integrate reading and writing? TAKING IT FURTHER: Writing to read and reading to write REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your approach to reading FURTHER READING Chapter 8 Choices about Big-Picture Planning How will you manage the complexities of course design? How will you achieve specific learning objectives? How will you map out specific teaching activities onto your course plan? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Planning with assessment in mind TAKING IT FURTHER: Examining alternative course designs REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Explaining your course design process FURTHER READING Chapter 9 Choices about Day-to-Day Planning How will you structure individual class periods? How will you effectively explain goals and activities?How will you plan for contingencies? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Planning across different modes of teaching and learning TAKING IT FURTHER: Planning for multiple class formats REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your approach to lesson planning FURTHER READING Chapter 10 Choices about Using a Textbook What role will textbooks play in your course? What can a textbook offer you and your students? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Analyzing writing ideologies in textbooks How will you decide if a textbook is right for you and your course? How will you adapt the textbook to better fit your philosophy? TAKING IT FURTHER: Working with a mandated textbook REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your approach to textbooks FURTHER READING Part 3 Supporting Student Writing Chapter 11 Opportunities for Writing and Writing Instruction How will your students use writing to generate ideas and explore topics? How will student writing build throughout the semester? How will you teach writing rather than simply assign writing? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Metacognition and flexible writing processes TAKING IT FURTHER: Incorporating writing frequently, consistently, and strategically REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your approach to ongoing student writing FURTHER READING Chapter 12 Choices about Peer Collaboration, Response, and Support in Your Class What kind of classroom community will you create? How will you use collaboration in your classroom? How will you use collaboration online? How will you structure effective peer review? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Best practices for peer review and group work TAKING IT FURTHER: Comparing face-to-face and online responses REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your approach to student collaboration FURTHER READING Chapter 13 Choices about Feedback and Revision How will your feedback strategies reflect your teaching philosophy? When and how will you give feedback to students? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Developing knowledge of conventions How will you avoid "feedback burnout"? TAKING IT FURTHER: Feedback on grammar REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your approach to feedback FURTHER READING Chapter 14 Choices about Assessment and Evaluation How will you navigate assessment mandates and requirements? How will you use rubrics in assessing student writing? How will you use portfolios in assessing student writing? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Using assessments to strengthen your teaching TAKING IT FURTHER: Thinking outside the traditional rubric REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your approach to assessment FURTHER READING Part 4 Engaging Twenty-First-Century Composition Chapter 15 Choices about Teaching Diverse Students What characterizes your diverse student population? How will you serve a diverse population of students? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Working specifically with linguistic diversity How will you deal with "error" in diverse students’ writing? TAKING IT FURTHER: Mapping the terrain of diversity terminology REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your philosophy about working with diverse students FURTHER READING Chapter 16 Choices about Writing in a Digital Age What role will technology play in your teaching? What role will electronic literacies play in your teaching?What role will course-management systems play in your teaching? What role will blogs, wikis, and other new media play in your teaching? TURNING TO THE FIELD: TurnItIn and anti-plagiarism technology TAKING IT FURTHER: Students as media consumers; students as media creators REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating your approach to technology FURTHER READING Chapter 17 Choices about Your Future Growth in the Profession How will you stay engaged as a member of the profession? How will you be a reflective practitioner? How will you represent your achievements as a professional? TURNING TO THE FIELD: Habits of mind for teachers TAKING IT FURTHER: Teacher self-efficacy REFLECTIONS FROM EXPERIENCED TEACHERS PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Articulating a professional development plan FURTHER READING Suggested Reading IndexAuthors
Tara Lockhart
Tara Lockhart is Associate Professor of English and Director of Composition at San Francisco State University. She teaches undergraduate writing and literature courses, as well as graduate courses in composition, literacy studies, and pedagogy. Her scholarship focuses on writing/learning transfer, graduate-level writing instruction, hybrid forms of the essay, and promoting writers’ rhetorical and stylistic awareness. Her published work has appeared in Enculturation and College English, among other places. Along with her co-researcher, Mary Soliday, she is the recipient of a 2013 CCCC Research Initiative Grant for her work on learning transfer. She is Senior Editor of the journal Literacy in Composition Studies.
Mark Roberge
Mark Roberge is a Professor of English and graduate coordinator of the Composition and Postsecondary Reading Program at San Francisco State University. His research focuses on immigrant education, second language instruction, program administration, and teacher training. He has given numerous presentations and faculty development workshops on teaching academic writing in linguistically and culturally diverse English classes at the secondary and post-secondary level. For the past ten years, he has served as co-editor of the CATESOL Journal. He is lead editor of the book Generation 1.5 in College Composition: Teaching Academic Writing to U.S.-Educated Learners of ESL (2009). Currently, he is working on an edited volume, Teaching US Educated Immigrant Students: Practices from and for the Classroom.
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