TYCA-PNW.ORG

Here we are, once again. Another fabulous conference has come and gone, and we are all looking forward to the newest issue of Pacific View. There are many topics to consider and there is much to share as our conference sessions stimulated conversations about often difficult subjects. We request that all TYCA-PNW members and conference goers submit a paragraph or two, focusing on what they saw as the conference highlights.

If you have colleagues who would like to submit an article, session highlight, or something they think regional two-year college faculty, or graduate students should be aware of, please forward our submission guidelines: Submit an attached 200-500 word Word document to Lori Monnastes, lorimATspokanefallsDOTedu or Laura Read, laurarATspokanefallsDOTedu. The deadline is November 26th.

I'll be blogging the conference, so head over to my blog at bleckblog.org if you want to read about what I'm taking in.

Hello out there,

We're working on developing a mentoring program for all new full-time faculty here at the college, and I am hoping that someone in the wilderness might be able to provide some suggestions or even examples of successful models at their own college. Thanks!

Samm

Hey folks,

So, we're starting a new project here to further integrate our part-time faculty by putting together some sort of manual/web page/etc to convey what we see as the best way to teach composition. Of course, most colleges deal with the same dilemma of a consistently rotating part-time faculty, so I want to know how y'all handle getting all those contingent folks on the same pedagogical page. Do you even worry about it? Have meetings? Private mentoring? What?

Samm

For anyone interested, I'll be blogging the sessions I attend while in NY at the Conference on College Composition and Communication. You can read them here: bleckblog.org. I'd be happy to field any questions folks have, along with appreciating any comments you have if you're here. If you are here, email me at bradbATspokanefallsDOTedu and maybe we can hook up! If there are sessions you've heard about pertinent to community college's and you'd like a report, let me know and I'll try to get there.

Will Banks (East Carolina U), Martha Marinara (U of Central Florida), Samantha Blackmon (Purdue), and Jonathan Alexander (U of Cincinnati) would like to invite you to participate in a quick survey related to issues of diversity in first-year writing classrooms and programs.

While investigations into cultural and ethnic diversity continue to transform teaching practices in college writing courses, there remains a significant gap in our knowledge about whether or not lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) topics, concerns, or issues have become part of college curricula. Although a few scholar-teachers have told stories of their personal experiences of integrating LGBT content into classes, there has been no systematic, large-scale inquiry into the representation of LGBT topics, concerns, or issues in first-year writing classes. To gain insight into what kinds of exposure, if any, students in their first year of college have to LGBT issues and concerns, we are asking you to take 10 – 15 minutes to respond to the following survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=531123206826

Hey folks,

I've recently undertaken a new job coordinating our teacher's learning center (TLC) here at PCC. It's a very exciting job with lots of possibilities, and I'm happy to have it. However, I have found that everyone has an idea for the TLC coordinator, and that, for some reason, my knowledge about teaching and the faculty is in high demand for almost every committee that is formed on campus.

So, I've been feeling the pinch lately and that brings me to the subject here. I know it's one that faculty struggle with, so I'm looking for tips, tools, and techniques that might help us all to better manage the multiple demands on our life.

Samm

Does anyone know of a handbook for GTA's who will be starting to teach business writing? I have one for teaching composition, but cannot find one that addresses issues that are particular to the teaching of business writing. I would love to hear from folks.

Please email me at:

sara jameson

Thanks!

Hello folks,

One of our reference librarians here recently turned me on to this website. I don't know much about it, but I have found it useful for keeping the ever-burgeoning amount of web information corralled. Essentially, it's just a large system for organizing bookmarks through tags. It helps me keep both personal and private interests organized and is accessible through any computer I am logged in to (although I do think it doesn't quite work with Internet Explorer). Check it out at http://del.icio.us/.

Happy New Term!

Samm

Alexis really articulates our message well in her blog entry. Here are some take-home points from the conference:

1. The process approach (getting students to do the things that good writers do) works, but the teacher has to make it work, and that takes a lot of effort and time--we think too much.

2. Teaching specific skills using modeling, scaffolding, and repetition also works. Like the process approach, the teacher also has to produce results. The grading load, however, is lighter than the grading load using a process approach. Students generally have an easier time learning skills, as opposed to developing writing talent. For the most part, students like this approach. As Alexis states in her blog entry, “They [the students] enjoyed the exercise and said more such practice would serve them.”

3. You don’t have to stop doing what works for you to use this approach. This is just another tool--an underused and highly effective one--in the teachers’ toolbox.

Here is a breakdown of how to do “Guided Navigation”: