The Wild Rumpus: Building Successful Writing Programs

Through Professional Development

Our “double-whammy” Wild Rumpus consists of two sessions where ideas will come fast and discussion will

be exciting and energizing. Please join us and . . .

Homegrown Grassroots Professional Development in First-

Year Composition ProgramsMichael Day

Northern Illinois University

60 Graduate Assistants 25 Unionized Instructors No adjuncts Many people commute Strong self-governance: FYComp

Committee No obvious/tangible rewards for

professional development (such as stipends)

Not a matter of whether professional development will happen, but how

Ideas will grow, but are they what we want? Plant data seeds from:

Surveys about needs Assessment reports Journal articles and WPA-L posts

Have discussions and see what sprouts in FYComp Committee meetings Full program meetings

FYComp First Friday Colloquia Series Graduate Assistant Mentoring Program Showcase of Student Writing Student-authored essay collections

Contemporary Voices Y1Writes

Co-teaching opportunities ePortfolio Assessment Infrastructure support assignments

Stress less visible rewards Provide leadership opportunities Provide plenty of liquids and sustenance Weed and cull when necessary Get consensus when possible Delegate as much as possible Invite those who don’t attend to present Have fun!

How can we encourage participation? Do stipends or formal reward systems help? How to assess professional development? How to secure funding? How to publicize our efforts to

Administrators? Students/Parents? Media?

Can you share models for GA peer mentoring?

Stay in touch! www.engl.niu.edu/composition mday@niu.edu

July 16, 2011

It's Not Training: Seminars in Writing Studies for Writing Teachers

It's Not Training

Joe Bizup

Boston University

Council of Writing Program Administrators

July 16, 2011

Arts & Sciences Writing Program:Large independent program staffed predominantly by full-

time lecturers with degrees in a range of fields

July 16, 2011

Rank People(F10 / S11)

Courses Taught

Professorial 3 / 2 2%

Full-time lecturer

42 / 41 57%

Part-time lecturer

29 / 32 26%

Grad Student

29 /32 15%

Total 106 /97 100%

Faculty CompositionFull-Time Lecturer Demographics

• 75% have degrees in literature• 25% have degrees in other fields• 0% have degrees in

composition/rhetoric or writing studies• 47% have Ph.D.• 55% have M.A. or M.F.A.• 44% female• 56% male• Avg tenure: 5.4 years

Decision to hire teachers without degrees in rhetoric/composition or writing studies creates

professional development obligation for program.

It's Not Training

WP offers an array of professional development opportunities,

but these are skewed toward the practical

July 16, 2011

Formal

Scholarly /Theoretical

Practical /Applied

Informal

“First Friday” faculty

meetings

New faculty

orientation

Summer BBQ

Teaching colloquia

Teaching coffees

Teaching observations

Reading groups

Training courses for grad students

WP must provide its faculty with formal opportunities to engage scholarship and theory on

issues relevant to teaching writing

?

It's Not Training

To give faculty formal occasion to engage the scholarship on writing studies and writing

pedagogy, WP created faculty seminar series

It's Not Training July 16, 2011

Format•On topics of relevance to writing studies or writing pedagogy•Need not be immediately or directly applicable to teaching•Four 90-minute sessions over four consecutive weeks•Participants commit to attend all sessions•3-6 scholarly articles or chapters / session•Final response (500 words)

Compensation•$200 in research funds to full-time and part-time lecturers who complete all four

sessions•Credit toward Certificate in Teaching Writing for graduate students

Satisfies three constituencies: WP gets more informed teachers, FTLs and PTLs get research funding, graduate student teachers

get credit toward secondary credential

Seminar series successful in first year and growing

Expanded constituency for 2011-2012 seminars

July 16, 2011

Fall 2010•Research Writing.16 participants from WP faculty. Facilitated by WP Assoc. Director.

Spring 2011•Genre Theory. 24 participants (2 sections) from WP faculty. Facilitated by WP Director.• Scholarship in English as a Second Language. 18 participants from WP faculty.

Facilitated by Director of ESL.

Fall 2011•Information Literacy and Information Technology. Participants from WP faculty, College

of General Studies Rhetoric Division faculty, and library staff. Facilitated by Head of

Reference and Instructional Services (library).•Grammar and Style. Participants from from WP faculty, College of General Studies

Rhetoric Division faculty, and library staff. Facilitated by WP Director.

Spring 2012• Scholarship in English as a Second Language. Participants from from WP faculty,

College of General Studies Rhetoric Division faculty, and library staff. 22 participants

from WP faculty. Facilitated by Director of ESL.

It's Not Training

Program Ethos and the Mentoring of Composition

Teachers

Deborah Coxwell Teague

Florida State University

When professional development

becomes public relationsLaurie Cubbison

Radford University

Pedagogy and public relations

O Faculty development workshops can be used to foster more positive attitudes toward controversial programs.

SituationO A controversial Core Curriculum reform

depends on the willing participation of faculty from across campus to teach sophomore-level courses that integrate critical thinking, information literacy, and written and oral communication.

O But the controversy (prompted by a conflict over resource allocation) has limited faculty willingness to participate.

Status of Faculty Development on CampusO Our Center for Innovative Teaching

and Learning has emphasized technological programming over pedagogical programming.

O Few workshops on pedagogical issues were being held.

Into the GapO The coordinators of the Core

Sequence come out of the library, the writing program, the public speaking program, and the critical thinking program.

O Faculty teaching the sophomore-level courses need Across-the-Curriculum support in addition to the program-specific orientation workshops.

What WorksO The coordinators, working with co-

presenters from the broader faculty, present pedagogical workshops, primarily for instructors in the Core, but open to all faculty.

O The topics vary from subjects specific to the Core courses to others of wide interest to faculty, such as grading and disruptive students.

Bringing faculty together

O Workshops are attended by Core faculty and other faculty, so through discussion faculty learn about the program and how the courses are being taught.

Suggested readingsHill, L., Kim, S. L., & Lagueux, R. (2007). Faculty collaboration as

faculty development. peerReview 9(4) 17-19. McClure, A. I., Atkinson, M. P. & Wills, J. (2008). Transferring

teaching skills: Faculty development effects from a first-year inquiry program. Journal of the First-year Experience & Students in Transition, 20 (1), 31-52.

Meacham, J. & Ludwig, J. (2001). Faculty and students at the center: Faculty development for general education courses. Journal of General Education, 50(4), 254-269.

Moon, G. F. (2003) First-year writing in first-year seminars: Writing across the curriculum from the start. WPA, 26(3), 105-118.

Mullin, J. (2008). Interdisciplinary work as professional development: Changing the culture of teaching. Pedagogy, 8(3), 495-508. doi:10.1215/15314200-2008-008

Steele, S. (2006). Curricular wars. JGE: Journal of general education, 55(3-4), 161-185.

Willard-Traub, M. K. (2008) Writing program administration and faculty professional development: Which faculty? What development? Pedagogy, 8(3), 433-445.

Thinking Through Thinking Through PracticePractice::

An Interdisciplinary GraduateAn Interdisciplinary Graduate

Pedagogical Seminar at a Pedagogical Seminar at a Community CollegeCommunity College

2006-20092006-2009

Dr. Peter GrayDr. Peter Gray

Queensborough Community College, CUNYQueensborough Community College, CUNY

Nationally:Nationally:

Many graduate programs have not yet Many graduate programs have not yet responded to integrate pedagogical responded to integrate pedagogical inquiryinquiry

Over 50% of first year students attending Over 50% of first year students attending college today attend a community college college today attend a community college

Ph.Ds are increasingly required for Ph.Ds are increasingly required for community college hirescommunity college hires

MLA Job list: 2/3 of positions listed were in MLA Job list: 2/3 of positions listed were in non-Research I or II institutionsnon-Research I or II institutions

Why at CUNY?Why at CUNY?““Graduate students who study and teach at large Graduate students who study and teach at large research universities, it seems, learn only about research universities, it seems, learn only about one academic culture, one ‘world’ of higher one academic culture, one ‘world’ of higher education”education”

– Murphy, Sean. “Improving Two-Year College Teacher Preparation: Graduate Student Murphy, Sean. “Improving Two-Year College Teacher Preparation: Graduate Student Internships”Internships”

CUNYCUNY– 18 Campuses18 Campuses

2 year, comprehensive, and 4 year colleges2 year, comprehensive, and 4 year colleges adjunct model is primary mode of support for grad students adjunct model is primary mode of support for grad students

and teaching experienceand teaching experience

Doctoral Programs & General EducationDoctoral Programs & General Education– Bridge the teaching orientation of the colleges with the Bridge the teaching orientation of the colleges with the

rigorous research background of CUNY graduate rigorous research background of CUNY graduate programsprograms

CUNY Interdisciplinary Pedagogy SeminarCUNY Interdisciplinary Pedagogy Seminar– Integrated into course of study, not externalIntegrated into course of study, not external– Receive graduate creditReceive graduate credit– Rethink graduate education as Writing, Teaching, Rethink graduate education as Writing, Teaching,

ScholarshipScholarship

Queensborough CC Queensborough CC A confluence of interests and agendas:A confluence of interests and agendas:

QCCQCC– A new emphasis on pedagogical A new emphasis on pedagogical

researchresearch– A Center for Excellence in Teaching and A Center for Excellence in Teaching and

LearningLearning– Strong CUNY-wide and local WAC Strong CUNY-wide and local WAC

Program Program – CUNY General Education Initiative with a CUNY General Education Initiative with a

focus on graduation rates and transfer focus on graduation rates and transfer issuesissues

Practicum GoalsPracticum Goals

o Practicum participants should Practicum participants should become become reflective practitioners reflective practitioners who are open to changewho are open to change

o As they define their goals and As they define their goals and refine their practices, practicum refine their practices, practicum participants should become participants should become habitual scholars of pedagogical habitual scholars of pedagogical theory and practicetheory and practice

o Practicum participants should Practicum participants should become become pedagogical researcherspedagogical researchers

Fall SemesterFall Semester– Read scholarshipRead scholarship

TheoreticalTheoretical PracticalPractical

– Visit disciplinary Visit disciplinary classesclasses

– Teaching StatementTeaching Statement– Design research Design research

questions questions – Twice monthly Twice monthly

meetingsmeetings

Spring SemesterSpring Semester– Teach class in disciplineTeach class in discipline– Revision of Teaching Revision of Teaching

StatementStatement– Creation of Teaching Creation of Teaching

PortfolioPortfolio– Conference Conference

presentations on presentations on researchresearch

– Twice monthly meetingsTwice monthly meetings

The StudentsThe Students

MathematicsMathematics HistoryHistory Art HistoryArt History PsychologyPsychology EnglishEnglish Political SciencePolitical Science SociologySociology

Graduate students Graduate students with little teaching with little teaching experienceexperience

Selected by Selected by department as department as exemplary scholarsexemplary scholars

Some of our HopesSome of our Hopes

To prepare future college teacher-scholarsTo prepare future college teacher-scholars– Potentially more marketable Ph.D.s coming out Potentially more marketable Ph.D.s coming out

of the Graduate Centerof the Graduate Center

To contribute to teacher preparation that To contribute to teacher preparation that reflects the goals of the colleges where the reflects the goals of the colleges where the graduate students teachgraduate students teach– Capitalize on local expertise of the college Capitalize on local expertise of the college

facultyfaculty

Reflective Practitioners: Reflective Practitioners: – willingness to examine their own assumptions / willingness to examine their own assumptions /

understandings of learning; understandings of learning; – share how their disciplinary ways of thinking share how their disciplinary ways of thinking

revise/adapt assertions about student learningrevise/adapt assertions about student learning

Habitual scholars:Habitual scholars:– what is the enterprise of a discipline at a what is the enterprise of a discipline at a

community college without a major? What is community college without a major? What is GenEd?GenEd?

Pedagogical Researchers: Pedagogical Researchers:

– Evidence of learning: what are students DOING Evidence of learning: what are students DOING and why have they responded as they have?and why have they responded as they have?

Your questions and contributions, please.