Chapter 7 Required Materials
Due July 16 Tuesday: Course Requirement–Course Syllabus
Due July 16 Tuesday: Required Readings on Teaching Multilingual Writers
- Lee, Yooyoung (2019). A comparison of writing tasks in ESL writing and first-year composition courses: A case study of one US university. Language Teaching Research, 25(3), 360-377.
- This article compares writing tasks between mainstream first-year composition courses and composition courses designed for English as a Second Language students
- Best, Karen. (July 29, 2019). How faculty in all disciplines can help ESL writers succeed (Part 1). Another Word. The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- This article explores many of the key challenges ESL student writers need assistance with in order to succeed at the college level
- Wilson, Jennifer S. (Summer, 2010). Engaging second language writers in freshman composition: A critical approach. Composition Forum 22.
- This article encourages composition teachers to view second language (multilingual) students as valuable members of a writing class who have much to contribute to the classroom community
- Riel, Shelynn. (August 19, 2022). Teaching writing to ESL/EFL students: Tips and activities at any level. Bridge Universe.
- This article offers basic advice on how to help multilingual students to successfully write in English
Chapter 7 Class Activities
Part 1. Poems about Language Learning (5 minutes)
- “Memory in a Foreign Language” by Anni Liu
- “Learning a Language” by Olivia McMahon
- “Learning a New Language” by Gabrielle Ciarann Roniyah Baer
- Figgins, Margo A., & Johnson, Jenny. (2007, Jan.). Wordplay: The poem’s second language. The English Journal, 96(3), 29-35.
Part 2. Journal Writing: Working with Multilingual Writers (15 minutes)
The CAL Program takes what I would call an advocacy approach toward multi-language learners. We want everyone to be supported in their study not only of English but any language they chose to explore. This position raises some questions for teachers which I would like you to explore in your journal writing.
- Spend a few minutes writing about yourself as a language learner. This can be in the context of learning your native language or another language.
- Thinking about your experiences as a language learner, what do you hope to achieve as a teacher when working with multi-language learners?
- What do you think is the best way to support multilingual students in your own classes?
- Do you think the university should offer specialized courses for multilingual writers or integrate multilingual students into regular classes? Why?
- We’ve discussed the outside pressures of the public/other faculty (i.e. Jenkins) who advocate for teaching Stander Academic English (SAE). How should we respond to concerns about SAE?
- How should we handle issues of grammar and style in the composition course?
Part 3. Small Group Discussion (30 minutes)
In a small group, discuss your journal writing and the following questions which emerge from the assigned readings:
- Should English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) take a regular FYC course or a specialized section of FYC (see the Yooyoung article)?
- Keeping in mind the CCCC Statement on Second Language Writing which you read earlier, what things are most important when teaching multilingual writers?
- Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). (May, 2020). CCCC statement on second language writing and multilingual writers.
- This statement from CCCC discusses best approaches for working with multilingual writers
- Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). (May, 2020). CCCC statement on second language writing and multilingual writers.
- Critics of FYC often talk about getting “back-to-basics” and teaching “standard English” (see Jenkins article); how should we respond to these critics?
Part 4. Full Class Discussion (30 minutes)
- We will discuss how to work with multilingual writers as well as how to address the back-to-basics critics
- From Youyoung’s article: “Compared with the objectives in ESL writing courses, the glaring difference is the presence of the FYC course objective of developing rhetorical knowledge, which enables students to analyze purpose, audience, and context of the writing and adapt their own compositions accordingly. This is contrasted with the writing tasks in ESL courses that do not impose these rhetorical situations or the focus on the deductive structure, namely, the five-paragraph essay (Costino & Hyon, 2011). Another difference is that the expectations of conventions are not universal; the FYC course curriculum notes that standards of correctness and appropriateness may differ depending on genre, discipline, and occasion (Council of Writing Program Administrators, 2014), whereas the ESL course curriculum discusses ‘common’ grammatical and mechanical errors.”
- From Youyoung’s article: “A part of the WPA outcome statement – ‘this document advises faculty in all disciplines about how to help students build on what they learn in introductory writing courses’ (Council of Writing Program Administrators, 2014) – implies that FYC courses are expected to lay the foundation for students’ writing in future content courses.”
- “ESL” by Muna Abdulahi
Part 5. Break (10 minutes)
Part 6. Language Assumptions (15 minutes)
Part 7. Full Class Discussion (15 minutes)
- We will have a general discussion of issues raised in the TEDx Talk
Part 8. Small Group Discussion (15 minutes)
- As a group, write a “Language Access/Global Englishes” Statement
- This syllabus statement should help welcome and acknowledge the language diversity of our students
- It should acknowledge the importance of helping English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students
- It might also take a position in regards to the use of translanguaging
Part 9. Full Class Discussion (15 minutes)
- Groups will share their Language Access/Globabl Englishes statement
- We will discuss how to make our classes more inclusive from this perspective
Assignments
Due July 17 Wednesday: Required Readings on Social Justice
- Fish, Stanley. (Jan. 23, 2003). Save the world on your own time. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- Famous Literary Scholar Fish challenges the teaching of social justice issues
- Bizzell, Patricia. (2009). Opinion: Composition studies saves the world! College English 72(2).
- Famous Composition Studies scholar Bizzell says it is impossible to separate our politics from our teaching
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- Blake offers practical ideas for making social justice a part of your teaching
- McCoy, Shane A. (Winter 2020). Writing for justice in First-Year Composition (FYC). Radical Teacher, 116, 26-36.
- McCoy talks about what it means to fully embrace the ideology of social justice teaching
Due July 17 Wednesday: Required Readings on Inclusion and Universal Design
- McIntosh, Peggy. (1989). “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”
- Classic article examining how race often provides often unrealized privilege to white people
- Sathy, Viji, & Hogan, Kelly A. (2019). How to make your teaching more inclusive. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- Useful advice on how to make classrooms more inclusive
- The Center for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD)/National Disability Authority (NDA). (Accessed 2022). The 7 principles of universal design.
- The basic concepts of universal design
- CAST. (Accessed 2022). Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines.
- Strategies for making classrooms more accessible for all learners
- National Center on Disability and Journalism (Aug. 2021). Disability language style guide.
- A helpful guide on how to talk intentionally about people with disabilities
Optional Materials
These materials are recommended but not required.