July 6, 2010

High School Connections

The Writing Initiative at Passaic County Community College fosters connections with area high schools and other colleges. With a commitment to promoting writing across the curriculum, we offered our first small-group seminar sessions for high school teachers in all disciplines this summer.

How do high school teachers capture the attention of a visual, online, Net Generation of students in a time of fragmented instruction, high-stakes testing and the social and economic tensions?

We discussed with the high school teachers strategies to address these concerns and shared approaches and tools that they have found effective.

The Writing Initiative at PCCC works with our own faculty across disciplines to create varied opportunities in writing-to-learn rather than the traditional learning-to-write approach that might apply only to the English classroom.

Our wide-ranging discussions included these topics:
  • Conversation: What can PCCC gain? What can we share?
  • Teachers as Writers
  • Using writing prompts
  • Technology that works in the classroom
  • Using Word (summary, readability, templates...)
  • Effective Feedback
  • Sharing best lessons
  • About PCCC's writing courses
  • EN004, comp 1 & 2
  • Learning to write and writing to learn
  • Portfolios & reflection
  • Sharing lessons in progress
  • Information literacy vs. research
  • Using rubrics
  • Where does grammar fit into the disciplines?
  • Incorporating critical thinking
  • Second language learners as writers

This first Connections seminar was held June 28 and 29 in the Writing Center on the Paterson campus. Attendees receive a stipend of $500 for attendance at the two days, and also receive professional development hours for their participation.

The next Connections seminar for high schol teachers will be held August 23 & 24. Information on Connections is online at http://pccc.libguides.com/connection

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