Christine Casanave
1 credit for Methodology; 2 Credits for Practicum for Groups 1-16;
3 Credits for practicum for Group 17.

Description:

In the Methods section of this class, we will do regular reading and discussion from Ferris and Hedgcock (1998) and 20-25 photocopied readings. A reading response journal on a minimum of 15 of those articles is an important part of the work in the Methods part of the class, as is a parallel discussion of those articles. Students need to write and present a critical review of one research-based journal article of their choice (outside their choices of articles for the reading response journal).

Some of the topics and issues covered in the Methods section of the course are:

• theories and models of first and second language writing;
• the process-product debate;
• types of writing and their purposes;
• connections between writing and other skills;
• issues in response and assessment; contrastive rhetoric and L1 influence;
• issues in instruction and methodology.

The Practicum section will focus on practical classroom issues that directly affect teaching. With concepts and theories from the writing literature as a backdrop, the group (students and professor) will become close observers of our own writing and that of our students. The purpose will be to better understand the many aspects of learning and teaching writing, and to experiment on a small scale with designing and implementing changes in our own classrooms. We will focus on what is possible, despite constraints, and on multiple ways of dealing with the goals and constraints of the writing class.

In the Practicum, a major issue concerns how to expand students' views of the nature and purposes of writing in the foreign language class. A second issue concerns how to identify aspects of students' teaching that are potential areas for development.

Activities include:

• discussion of readings and teaching experiences;
• keeping a teaching journal;
• planning and implementing writing tasks for use in your own classrooms and (experimentally) with colleagues in the writing practicum itself;
• responding to pieces of writing done by your own students;
• observing colleagues' classes and being observed by classmates andfaculty at least once;
• self-analysis of videotapes of your classes;
• writing a critical review of a writing textbook;
• doing an Action Research project.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Methods Portion:

• Participation in discussion
• Completion of a reading response journal
• Critical review of one scholarly article on writing (2-3 double-spaced pages, presented in summary form to the class, with 1-page handout)

Practicum Portion

Completion of in-class writing activities
• Maintaining a journal in which you record your observations of and thoughtful responses to what happens in your own classes, to be used as material for in-class discussion and as data for the action research project
• Critical review of a writing textbook (2-3 double-spaced pages, presented in summary form to the class, with 1-page handout)
• One or more videotapes of your own class(es), for written self-analysis and possible discussion in class
• Observation of and written reflection on two of a classmate's regular classes (OK to visit in groups)
• Action research project in students' own classes, in which a small change is planned, implemented, observed, analyzed, and written up.

ASSESSMENT:

Assessment for the course will be based on:

• Full attendance
• Preparedness for each meeting (readings completed; writing assignments done; thinking and reflecting in process; videos made)
• Participation in class activities (discussion, group work, in-class writings, oral presentations of reviews, video self-analysis and discussions)
• Participation in peer observations
Timely completion and quality of graded written work (response journal, textbook review, article review, action research paper)

Textbooks:

The main text for the Methods and Practicum courses textbook is:
Ferris, D., & Hedgcock, J. S. (1998). Teaching ESL composition: Purpose, process, and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Photocopied reading course packet for Methods portion, available from the TC office.

References

(reserved in TC Library):