Rationale:  As a teacher of writing, you will develop (or already have) opinions on what constitutes good writing and good writing pedagogy.  Teachers are sometimes asked to articulate those opinions and beliefs during interviews and for principals, board members, parents, and students.  Professionals are not only able to articulate those opinions on those occasions, but are also willing to share their opinions with others in the profession.  Scholarly publications and conference papers are mediums for sharing.

One of the ways you will be contributing to class this semester will be by facilitating discussion on a major issue in the teaching of writing.  The research you do for this discussion will help you write your own position statement on the issue in the form of a professional article.  I have envisioned an article for “Speaking My Mind,” a regular column in English Journal.  These articles are not lengthy (about 1500 words), but they are well grounded in theory, and the authors articulate their arguments fully, partially based on classroom experience. 

You will be working with a group in researching the issue, but each of you will be able to write a separate article based on your own dispositions on the issue.  For example, a group might work on writing assessment, but some of you might concentrate on responding to student papers (and have different opinions on that) while others might focus on the use of rubrics in evaluating writing (and again have different opinions).  So, I will anticipate an original, polished 1500-word article from each of you.  Suggested topics:  issues in teaching language/grammar, assessment, research, rhetoric and composition, state/national standards.  Ideally, you’ll choose a topic that you feel unsure of and would like to know more about before you enter a secondary classroom.  The research and writing you do will hopefully help you feel more confident in your teaching.

I will be reading and responding to drafts along the way, of course, so the final article will not be a surprise.  You will also present your papers to class members.

Along with your presentation/article, you should include a reflection that states the intended audience/forum for your work.  The reflection should also discuss how you have written your paper to meet the needs/expectations of your audience. See a sample reflection here.

Questions?  Please ask them in class so that everyone may benefit from the clarification.