Course Development
ESOL 120 - Technical Reading and Writing Skills: English for Speakers of Other Languages (in progress)
ESOL 220 - Technical Workplace Writing Skills: English for Speakers of Other Languages (in progress)
Reflection:
For many years, native-English speakers from the School of Applied Technology have had access to a technical writing course. However, due to low numbers, non- native speakers in applied technology programs were not given the same opportunity. In Fall 2014, this is changing, thanks in part to an increase in non-native speaker enrolment in applied technology programs, but also thanks to collaboration between the School of Applied Technology and the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Because of the close inter-departmental collaboration of Humber colleagues, non-native speakers will now have the same access to technical writing courses as their native-speaking counterparts. Moreover, the non-native speakers will receive an extra contact hour and a TESL-trained faculty member to provide the extra support these students need with their language development.
ESOL 220 - Technical Workplace Writing Skills: English for Speakers of Other Languages (in progress)
Reflection:
For many years, native-English speakers from the School of Applied Technology have had access to a technical writing course. However, due to low numbers, non- native speakers in applied technology programs were not given the same opportunity. In Fall 2014, this is changing, thanks in part to an increase in non-native speaker enrolment in applied technology programs, but also thanks to collaboration between the School of Applied Technology and the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Because of the close inter-departmental collaboration of Humber colleagues, non-native speakers will now have the same access to technical writing courses as their native-speaking counterparts. Moreover, the non-native speakers will receive an extra contact hour and a TESL-trained faculty member to provide the extra support these students need with their language development.
Course Redevelopment
WRIT 100 - College Reading and Writing Skills (completed June 2013)
Reflection:
Thousands of students take WRIT 100 every year. The previous version of the course focused heavily on forms of writing in an effort to prepare students to write the types of essays they would typically write in other classes. While this type of course served the purposes of teaching good writing structure, it missed the mark on providing students with the critical and transferrable skills they need to be successful both within and beyond the college. The revised WRIT 100 is now focused on skills rather than on forms. Students must engage critically with the texts they read by writing summaries, evaluative analyses, and well-informed responses. Students now leave the course with a core set of skills that can be applied to any situation in which they must grapple with a text that is presented to them. In an increasingly textual world, this skills set is critical to student success.
ESOL 100 - College Reading and Writing Skills: English for Speakers of Other Languages (completed June 2014)
Reflection:
ESOL 100 is the equivalent course to WRIT 100, but it is reserved for non-native English speakers. These students are put into a separate stream because they are still developing their language skills at the same time that they are working on critical reading and writing skills. When the course was first conceived, it focused a lot on the language development portion and less on the critical skills. However, it is apparent that students need more focus on the critical skills at the post-secondary level, so the new curriculum is shifting its focus. Students will still be given the language support they need, but now they will also be taught the same critical skills that their native-speaking counterparts are learning.
Click here for an example of an assignment intended to assess a student's critical reading, thinking, and writing skills in ESOL 100 (formerly ESL 200).
Click here for a rubric that corresponds to the assignment.
Click here for a student's response to that assignment.
The above example came from the pilot version of the course. Over the next few terms, I will collect more examples to benchmark students' progress throughout the term. I will use these benchmark assignments to reflect on the course itself as well as my approach to teaching it. Stay tuned . . .
WRIT 050 - Basic Writing Skills (in progress)
Reflection:
WRIT 050 is, for lack of a better word, a remediation course. Students who take this course are deemed to have writing skills that are below college level; therefore, they need to upgrade their skills in order to be ready to take WRIT 100. Up to this point, this course has focused on a form known as the "extended paragraph"; essentially, students were writing mini-essays to work on organization, development, and grammar skills. Unfortunately, this form has not brought about enhanced writing, not least because it is an artificial form not found in most other contexts. The revisions being made to this course are focusing on transferrable skills. As with the WRIT 100 transformation, there is movement away from a form-focused course toward a transferrable-skill-focused course. Students will now be engaging in reading comprehension, some light analysis, and informed responses. They will be given the groundwork needed to expand on these skills at the WRIT 100 level. They will also still be given the opportunity to craft appropriate, effective paragraphs. With this shift, students will learn to become not only better writers but also more effective, critical communicators.
Reflection:
Thousands of students take WRIT 100 every year. The previous version of the course focused heavily on forms of writing in an effort to prepare students to write the types of essays they would typically write in other classes. While this type of course served the purposes of teaching good writing structure, it missed the mark on providing students with the critical and transferrable skills they need to be successful both within and beyond the college. The revised WRIT 100 is now focused on skills rather than on forms. Students must engage critically with the texts they read by writing summaries, evaluative analyses, and well-informed responses. Students now leave the course with a core set of skills that can be applied to any situation in which they must grapple with a text that is presented to them. In an increasingly textual world, this skills set is critical to student success.
ESOL 100 - College Reading and Writing Skills: English for Speakers of Other Languages (completed June 2014)
Reflection:
ESOL 100 is the equivalent course to WRIT 100, but it is reserved for non-native English speakers. These students are put into a separate stream because they are still developing their language skills at the same time that they are working on critical reading and writing skills. When the course was first conceived, it focused a lot on the language development portion and less on the critical skills. However, it is apparent that students need more focus on the critical skills at the post-secondary level, so the new curriculum is shifting its focus. Students will still be given the language support they need, but now they will also be taught the same critical skills that their native-speaking counterparts are learning.
Click here for an example of an assignment intended to assess a student's critical reading, thinking, and writing skills in ESOL 100 (formerly ESL 200).
Click here for a rubric that corresponds to the assignment.
Click here for a student's response to that assignment.
The above example came from the pilot version of the course. Over the next few terms, I will collect more examples to benchmark students' progress throughout the term. I will use these benchmark assignments to reflect on the course itself as well as my approach to teaching it. Stay tuned . . .
WRIT 050 - Basic Writing Skills (in progress)
Reflection:
WRIT 050 is, for lack of a better word, a remediation course. Students who take this course are deemed to have writing skills that are below college level; therefore, they need to upgrade their skills in order to be ready to take WRIT 100. Up to this point, this course has focused on a form known as the "extended paragraph"; essentially, students were writing mini-essays to work on organization, development, and grammar skills. Unfortunately, this form has not brought about enhanced writing, not least because it is an artificial form not found in most other contexts. The revisions being made to this course are focusing on transferrable skills. As with the WRIT 100 transformation, there is movement away from a form-focused course toward a transferrable-skill-focused course. Students will now be engaging in reading comprehension, some light analysis, and informed responses. They will be given the groundwork needed to expand on these skills at the WRIT 100 level. They will also still be given the opportunity to craft appropriate, effective paragraphs. With this shift, students will learn to become not only better writers but also more effective, critical communicators.
Courses Taught
WRIT 100 - College Reading and Writing Skills
ESOL 100 - College Reading and Writing Skills: English for Speakers of Other Languages
WRIT 200 - Workplace Writing Skills
ESOL 200 - Workplace Writing Skills: English for Speakers of Other Languages
WRIT 206 - Professional Writing Skills: Law Clerk and Paralegal
WRIT 120 - Technical Reading and Writing Skills
WRIT 220 - Technical Workplace Writing Skills
ESOL 100 - College Reading and Writing Skills: English for Speakers of Other Languages
WRIT 200 - Workplace Writing Skills
ESOL 200 - Workplace Writing Skills: English for Speakers of Other Languages
WRIT 206 - Professional Writing Skills: Law Clerk and Paralegal
WRIT 120 - Technical Reading and Writing Skills
WRIT 220 - Technical Workplace Writing Skills