Drew University Composition Program Instructor's Handbook & Guide

Drew University Composition Program Instructor's Handbook & Guide

This Handbook and Guide is organized around the twenty questions that I believe composition teachers need to ask in order to design and teach a course that best serves any specific group of students. In this case, the answers to those questions are specific to Drew. When you are hired to teach writing elsewhere, I recommend that you find the answers to these questions for that college and modifiy your course design and pedagogy appropriately. A list of further readings will help with this task. Those who are not currently teaching at Drew, and therefore not invited to the Summer Workshop for Teachers of Writing, may find the graduate course "Composition Theories and Practice" (ENGL 850S) useful.

Introduction Further Reading The Questions

1. What is my general
    philosophy of
    teaching writing? 2. Who will be enrolled
    in the course? (& how
    did they get there?) 3 What kind of writing
    instruction do these
    students need? 4. Why does this
    institution offer this
    course?

5. What are the
    programatic goals for
    the course? 6. How do I feel about
     teaching this course?
7.What are my goals for
   the course (& how do
   they mesh with #5)? 8. How can my syllabus
    best respond to #3,
    #5 and #7?

9. How can my course
    policies further the
    goals of the course? 10. How can my
     pedagogy further the
     goals of the course? 11. How can my course
      texts further the
      goals of the course? 12. How can available
       technology further
       the course goals?

13. How can my writing
      assignments further
      the course goals? 14. How can my reading
      assignments further
      the course goals? 15. How can my
      responses to papers
      further course goals? 16. How can my grading
      strategies further the
      course goals?

17. What problems do I
       anticipate as I teach
       this course?
18. Have I designed a
      course in which the
      students write more
      than I do? 19. Which composition
     theorists have
     influenced my course
     design & pedagogy? 20. Will this course
       allow me adequate
       time to have a life
       (academic & social)?

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This page is part of a handbook written by Sandra Jamieson for Drew University Composition Instructors. Please don't reproduce any parts of it without telling me. You are welcome to link to anything in this handbook that you find useful, but again, please tell me you've done that. Thanks!

Introduction	Further Reading	The Questions

1. What is my general philosophy of teaching writing?	2. Who will be enrolled in the course? (& how did they get there?)	3 What kind of writing instruction do these students need?	4. Why does this institution offer this course?
5. What are the programatic goals for the course?	6. How do I feel about teaching this course?	7.What are my goals for the course (& how do they mesh with #5)?	8. How can my syllabus best respond to #3, #5 and #7?
9. How can my course policies further the goals of the course?	10. How can my pedagogy further the goals of the course?	11. How can my course texts further the goals of the course?	12. How can available technology further the course goals?
13. How can my writing assignments further the course goals?	14. How can my reading assignments further the course goals?	15. How can my responses to papers further course goals?	16. How can my grading strategies further the course goals?
17. What problems do I anticipate as I teach this course?	18. Have I designed a course in which the students write more than I do?	19. Which composition theorists have influenced my course design & pedagogy?	20. Will this course allow me adequate time to have a life (academic & social)?