Syllabus for ENG 466:
Practicum in the Teaching of Writing
and ENG 316:
Internship in English
Teaching Writer’s Workshops
Department of English,
Foreign Languages and Journalism, Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
ENG 316/466
Instructor: Dawn Terrick
Fall 2008
TH 3:30-4:20 Murphy 103
Office: Eder Hall 222F
Office Phone: 816-271-4313
Office Hours: MWF 11-12, Thursday 1-3 and by appointment
Email: terrick@missouriwestern.edu
Required Texts:
·ENG 100 Writer’s Workshop
Fall Edition
·Answer Key/Manual
(booklet will be distributed)
·Teaching Developmental Writing. Susan Naomi
Bernstein. Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2007. Third Edition (will be
distributed)
Course Description:
“Academic writing, reading
and inquiry are inseparably linked; and all three are learned not by doing any
one alone, but by doing them all at the same time. To “teach writing” is thus necessarily to
ground writing in reading and inquiry.” -James
A. Reither
This course is designed to
help you both navigate your way through the ENG 100 workshops and provide you
with a solid foundation for your future teaching and writing endeavors. As a result, I would like this course to
function mainly as a “seminar” in which we will all read and discuss essays
regarding composition theory and pedagogy, while making connections between
these essays and our “real life” teaching experiences. I want you all to develop and refine your own
critical perspectives on teaching writing and the most effective way to accomplish
this is to truly discuss, debate and question the issues we read about and then
to discover your own place within and against others’ theories and approaches
to teaching writing. Please remember
that class discussion is the key component to your success in this course and
in the workshop, so feel free to ask questions of your instructor and your
classmates, both inside and outside of the classroom.
Most class sessions will
follow a similar format: In class we
will discuss workshop questions and problems and review upcoming workshop
lessons and exercises. In addition, we
will discuss the assigned readings and issues and concerns related to the
readings through student presentations.
**Important: All Student Assistants must attend
every weekly meeting for training sessions and discussions. You will also spend a minimum of two
additional hours per week as a Student Assistant, leading your assigned ENG 100
students in a Writer’s Workshop. All
student assistants must attend all workshop sessions, be on time for each
session and conduct each session for the full 50 minutes. If you cannot make a workshop session, it is
your responsibility to contact Dawn Terrick and, if possible, find coverage for
your workshop. If you cannot reach Dawn,
please contact Barb Scheidegger at 271-4577 or the EFLJ front desk at
271-4310. All students enrolled in ENG
316/466 are also required to attend every weekly meeting and successfully
complete all reading and writing assignments.
Course Objectives:
You should aim:
·to become knowledgeable
about writing processes, particularly heuristics and prewriting
·to deepen your
understanding of writing and of designing writing assignments
·to become a more skilled
and experienced teacher, particularly of composition
·to comprehend the
rationale for the MWSU ENG 100 course design
·to develop your own
critical perspective on teaching writing
Methods of
Instruction:
Methods of
instruction include assigned readings, lectures, class discussions, group
work/in-class workshops, student presentations, informal writing assignments
and formal writing assignments.
Policies:
Attendance and Class
Preparation/Participation: All students
are expected to attend every scheduled class meeting and every
workshop session. If you miss class
three times during the semester for any reason other than a legitimate,
documented emergency, you will fail the course and you may be removed as an
SA. However, please feel free to talk
with me about any extenuating circumstances.
If for any other reason any SA should simply fail to meet the minimal
requirements and standards for a responsible student tutor, that SA may be
replaced and will earn an F in any related class. If you are going to miss class due to a
school-sponsored event you must notify me in advance. Also, arriving to class late is
disruptive. As a result, chronic
lateness will likely affect your final grade.
Students are also expected to come prepared to every class meeting and
participate in class discussion for this is the only way we can all share
ideas, ask questions and learn.
Late Work: All writing assignments are due on the due
date stated on the assignment sheet and course schedule.
Grading: Your employment status and final grade for
the internship/practicum will be based upon your workshop performance as well
as your classroom observation/report, reaction paper, writer’s workshop
activity/materials, teaching log and final self-evaluation. Please remember that you must complete all
assignments in order to pass the course.
Also note that class preparation and participation are very important
and do affect your overall grade.
· Classroom
observation/report: 100 points all tutors/316 and 466 students
· Reaction paper: 100 points 316/466 students
· Presentation: 100 points 316/466 students
· Writer’s workshop model activity:100 points 316/466 students
· Teaching log: 100 points all tutors
· Self-evaluation: 100 points 316 and 466 students
· Class
preparation/participation:100 points all
tutors
Due Dates: Please be aware of due dates for all
assignments which appear on your assignment schedule.
All papers for
this course must be word-processed.
Please note that you must complete all major assignments in order to
pass this course. It is also important
to save all work, keeping back-ups if necessary.
Academic Honesty Policy: Academic honesty is required in all academic
endeavors. Violations of academic
honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for
another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records or any other
fraudulent classroom activity. Cheating
and plagiarism are not acceptable. You
must also honestly fulfill all responsibilities for your workshop
sessions. You will receive a grade of F
(0 points) for any paper/assignment/exam that shows evidence of cheating and/or
plagiarism. You have the burden of
proving that a paper/assignment showing evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism
has been in fact written by you. You
should keep thorough evidence of your writing processes for all papers so that
you can meet this burden of proof.
Please make sure to correctly document all borrowed information and
ideas, using MLA guidelines, on all of your writing assignments. Violations of academic honesty will be
reported to the Provost or the designated representative on the Academic
Honesty Violation Report forms. Please
note carefully the statement on plagiarism on the departmental website, found
at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/plagiarism.html,
and please see the Student Handbook for specific activities identified as
violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.
Students with
Disabilities: Anyone who has a
disability that prevents the fullest expression of his or her potential to
succeed in this course must notify me as soon as possible so that we can
discuss class requirements and accommodations.
You must also contact Michael Ritter, Special Needs Coordinator, and be
sure that all necessary documents are on file in his office.
Please feel free to come see
me if you have any problems or
questions and feel free to discuss workshop situations (both successes and
failures) both in class and in my office.
I believe communication is very important between an instructor and her
students and, as a result, I will make myself available to you for any reason.