EngL5630 : Theories of Writing and Writing InstructionCOURSE SYLLABUSSpring 2006 Pamela FlashM, 3:35-6:15 10B Nicholson12 Nicholson 6-7639 / [email protected] hours: Monday 12-2 PM and by apptCourse Description: Participants in this seminar will consider major trends in post-secondary writing instruction (particularly those emerging from the Writing Across the Curriculum, or WAC, movement) and will develop a dynamic relationship between theoretical elements and course-specific teaching practices. The seminar will begin with an articulation of each participant’s disciplinary and pedagogical context and will end with the construction of brief philosophy of teaching statements that would be suitably included in teaching portfolios and job application materials. Between those two points, we will read theoretical positions on the concepts of written invention, revision, and assessment. We will also construct and discuss course-specific writing assignments and systems for responding to and assessing student writing. Other course activities include classroom observations, peer teaching, blogged responses to readings, and presentations on selected issues related to writing instruction. Texts:Incompletes: Incompletes will be given only in genuine emergencies, and must be arranged before the last week of the class. Generally, incompletes will only cover work assigned during the last two weeks of the course.ENGL5630 : THEORIES OF WRITING AND WRITING INSTRUCTION COURSE SYLLABUSSpring 2006 Pamela FlashM, 3:35-6:15 10B Nicholson12 Nicholson 6-7639 / [email protected] hours: Monday 12-2 PM and by apptCourse Description: Participants in this seminar will consider major trends in post-secondary writing instruction (particularly those emerging from the Writing Across the Curriculum, or WAC, movement) and will develop a dynamic relationship between theoretical elements and course-specific teaching practices. The seminar will begin with an articulation of each participant’s disciplinary and pedagogical context and will end with the construction of brief philosophy of teaching statements that would be suitably included in teaching portfolios and job application materials. Between those two points, we will read theoretical positions on the concepts of written invention, revision, and assessment. We will also construct and discuss course-specific writing assignments and systems for responding to and assessing student writing. Other course activities include classroom observations, peer teaching, blogged responses to readings, and presentations on selected issues related to writing instruction. Course Objectives:  Identify and interrogate theories that inform writing pedagogy Develop and/or revise personal philosophies for teaching writing in specific contexts Create and critique teaching materials and strategies applicable to those contexts  Develop systems of inquiry and resources that can support your future teaching endeavorsCourse Sequence:per contexts: disciplinary + pedagogical writing and learning revision assessmentsynthesized approaches + annotated artifactsInitial suppositions about writing, writing instruction, target course, studentsFoundations of writing pedagogy with emphasis on process pedagogyWriting and writing instruction in home disciplines Invention via informal, in-class writing activitiesFormal writing assignments involving researchWriting as a means to learningTexts:  Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom, SF: Jossey-Bass, 2001. (Available @ Coffman bkstore) EngL5630 Course Packet. (Available @ Paradigm Course Materials in the Dinkydome.)Course Format: EngL5630 emphasizes collective scholarship and its applications. Readings will be discussed online in a course blog and at the start of each class session. Class sessions will, as a rule, be dually devoted to the examination and application of theories. You’ll lead at least one group discussion, and, on occasion, guest speakers will join us for topic-specific discussions. In-class writing activities, peer teaching, and peer-response workshop activities will also contribute to the “studio” quality of the course. Major Assignments: (briefly described here, and detailed in additional handouts which will be distributed in class)Readings (weekly): The syllabus lists readings that you’re expected to have done for each class session. Although everyone will do all the assigned readings (they’re usually relativelyshort), you’ll rotate the responsibility of writing and posting brief descriptive summaries of theoretical readings. We will all react to each posted summary by posting comments on the article’s content, its application to the teaching we do, and on the posted summary (we mightnote, for example, missing elements, or interpretations with which we disagree).The individual who posted the reading’s summary is responsible for running our in-class discussion of the summarized article. This means giving a thumbnail synopsis, synthesizingposted reactions, and offering two or three provocative and guiding discussion questions.When, at the conclusion of the course, you create your Teaching Statement, you will be ableto reference your reading summaries as you discuss theories and thinkers who have influenced you.The elective readings are highly recommended, but might be most useful later as you continue to teach or when you go on the job market and wish to review the field of writing pedagogy.Instructional Observation (Write-up due March 6) Observing others’ teaching can be immensely valuable to your process of making “in the moment” teaching decisions and honing your own teaching style and strategies. You will conduct one instructional observation in a) a class within your discipline OR b) in a composition class OR c) in the Student Writing Support offices. This is not an evaluative observation; you will be collecting data by taking ethnographic notes that you will comment upon and turn in. I will assist in thelogistics involved with setting up observations.Presentation/Discussion (Sign up week 2): Although composition theory, Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC), and Writing in the Disciplines (WID) are relatively new fields, they have generated countless spin-off theories,