Thinking about Process

Two decades ago, my mentor, Sherrie Gradin, made the comment in English 617: Teaching College English that she wished teachers would stop referring to the process of writing as THE Writing Process, as if there were one magical process that would enable all students to write amazing essays.  What Sherrie wanted us to think about was that everyone has his […]

Narratives as useful Rhetorical Devices

We all love to tell stories. In fact, when we come together for the Transitioning to College Writing symposium, we are going to share many stories from our classrooms. These stories will range from frustration to joy, and everywhere in between, for we’ve all chosen a profession that’s as rewarding as it is taxing. The stories we share with one […]

Ghosts of Multimodal Past, Present, and Future

I recently reviewed a book called Remixing Composition: A History of Multimodal Writing Pedagogy by Jason Palmeri. Among other things, the book made me think about what “multimodal” actually means, why it matters to teaching writing, and what we’re supposed to do with it moving forward. One of the most important things I took away from it is that multimodal […]

Sounding Like a Writer

Next Monday, 8 a.m., is my favorite teaching moment of the year, the first class on the first day of college for my students.  They shine with bright expectations of the adventure ahead.  This year I will shine, too, with expectations of how I can help them see themselves not just as students, but as writers.  I started thinking about […]