Schedule

January 29 – Getting Started

  • Introductions, Expectations, and Nuts & Bolts
  • Creating a Blog and WAC/WID Portfolio in the CUNY Academic Commons
  • Homework
    • Read Chapter 14 in Rose (From “The Politics of Remediation” in Lives on the Boundary)
    • Make a blog entry in response to the Rose chapter.  Be sure to respond to two specific points or examples Rose offers. You might even quote a passage to help frame your response.
    • Read Chapter 1 in Gottschalk & Hjortshoj (“Integrating Writing and Learning in Your Course Design”)
    • Make a blog entry in response to the G&H chapter.
    • Conduct a small literature search on teaching and writing in courses in your general field. Find a published article that examines ways to use writing in courses in your discipline. Write a summary and critical review of the article as a blog entry.
    • Using the Course Design framework G&H offer, identify a specific course and prepare a Draft Course Design. (Bring 5 copies of your Course Design and draft Syllabus on February 19.)

February 19 – Digging into Our Courses

  • Share Draft Course Designs
  • Report on Research Findings
  • Discuss “The Politics of Remediation”
  • Homework
    • Plan to share with the group one marked student paper/assignment from a class this term (due April 30 for discussion, but if you want some help now take a look at Ch. 14 in Bean)
    • Read Chapter 2 in Gottschalk & Hjortshoj (“Designing Writing Assignments and Assignment Sequences”)
    • Read Chapter 5 in Bean (“Formal Writing Assignments”)
    • Read Chapter 8 in Rose (“A Sociology Assignment: The Phases of Culture Shock” from Critical Strategies for Academic Thinking and Writing“)
    • Make a blog entry that comments on Rose’s assignment (and the “Author’s Note” that introduces it), drawing on G&H’s points about assignment design
    • Using the internet, find at least one course (with assignments) in your general discipline that incorporates writing into it.  Make a blog entry that comments on what you find.
    • Submit a WI Course Proposal for Fall 2010 (Due February 26, 2010)
    • Develop a draft formal writing assignment in your course. Write a brief introduction to the assignment that explains why it fits the learning objectives and that describes the in-class  support you’ll provide (Rose is an example of sorts). Bring 5 copies to the seminar on March 5

March 5 – Developing/Designing Assignments

  • Discuss Revised Assignments and Sequences, as well as Framing Introduction
  • Homework
    • Read Chapter 5 in Gottschalk & Hjortshoj (“Informal and Preparatory Writing”)
    • Read Chapter 6 in Bean (“Informal, Exploratory Writing Activities”)
    • Make a blog entry in response to ideas/examples in both G&H and B
    • Read Chapter 3 in Thaiss & Zawacki (“How Our Informants Teach Students to Write” – on reserve)
    • Make a blog entry that explores which of T&Z’s three perspectives most closely align with your own. Are there elements of the other perspectives that interest you? Why or why not?
    • Find another published article in your general discipline that explores the teaching of communication (oral or written) in your field. Write a critical review of the article as a blog entry.
    • Choose a version of one of Bean’s informal activities and assign it in one of your current classes. Make a blog entry on the experience.
    • Identify three of Bean’s informal activities that you see fitting in your Writing Intensive course. Revisit the initial assignment sequence you developed, examine ways to include informal writing into it, and make the revisions you think are appropriate.
    • Select another of your formal writing assignment ideas. Develop it in writing as before, paying particular attention to the informal writing that can support learning leading to the assignment. As before, be sure to include a brief introduction to the assignment. (Bring 5 copies to the seminar on March 19)

March 19 – Roles for Informal and Writing-to-Learn Assignments

  • Engaging critically with ideas about informal writing
  • Discussing Thaiss & Zawacki, and faculty perspectives on writing in disciplines
  • Homework
    • Read Chapter 4 in Gottschalk & Hjortshoj (“Assigning and Responding to Revision”)
    • Read Chapter 13 in Bean (“Coaching the Writing Process and Handling the Paper Load”)
    • Read Chapter 3 in Anson (“Writing Intensity” – on reserve)
    • Make two blog entries related to drafting & revision, one that explores your perspective on peer review and one that explores ways to help students revise. For each entry, be sure to engage with specific points and examples in G&H and in Bean
    • Revisit the assignments you have already designed. What, specifically, do you want to do with those plans to incorporate insights from the week’s readings?  Revise the two draft assignments you’ve already designed. If you have a third writing assignment, design it this week. Bring 5 copies to the seminar if you want feedback.

April 9 – Drafting and Revision

  • Discuss Drafting, Revision, and Peer Review in Discipline-based Courses
  • Homework
    • Read Chapter 14 in Bean (“Writing Comments on Students’ Papers”)
    • Read Chapter 3 in Gottschalk & Hjortshoj (“What Can You Do with Student Writing?”)
    • Read Chapter 15 in Bean (“Developing and Applying Grading Criteria”)
    • Read the scoring rubric material for Task 1 of the CUNY Proficiency Exam (on reserve)
    • Revisit some of the comments you have made on student writing in the past, as well as your grading approach. Make two blog entries, one that relates your commenting approach and the readings and one that relates your grading approach to Bean’s suggestions.
    • Develop draft grading criteria (a rubric) for one of your formal writing assignments. (Bring 5 copies of the assignment and criteria.)
    • Bring to the seminar 5 copies of that sample marked student text set aside way back in Jan-Mar.

April 30 – Marking Student Texts (Comments & Grades)

  • Commenting and Grading? Commenting vs. Grading?
  • Gottschalk & Hjortshog and Bean alongside our student texts
  • Homework
    • By May 7, share with the entire group a completed portfolio for the course you’ve been developing.  Be sure to include the syllabus and major writing assignments, together with the key introduction or rationale that explains how each formal assignment is supported by both in-class and out-of-class activities.  Frame the entire portfolio with a statement that explains how and why it is important for writing to be embedded in the course.

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