Supporting Student Writing (When You're Not a Writing Instructor)
After reviewing this resource, you will be able to:
- Facilitate student analysis of the texts they will be asked to write in the context of a specific course.
- Discuss cultural context and reader-writer relationships that govern language use in writing.
- Scaffold student writing assignments with supportive learning activities.
- Provide feedback that facilitates learning
In the short video below, you’ll be introduced to the learning you can expect from this site.
You’ve been given the task of helping your students become better writers… but you’re not a writing instructor. If you’ve found yourself at this point as an educator, you might be feeling a little apprehensive, and maybe wondering how to proceed. This professional development program is designed to provide you with a theoretical framework and a set of skills for addressing students’ writing development within the context of your course. As you work through the materials in this program, you will learn:
- How academic literacies, genre pedagogy, and systemic functional linguistics form a foundation for teaching strategies. And don’t panic if this all sounds a bit complex – these are theories that can be applied using some relatively straightforward pedagogical practices.
- You’ll also learn a process to move students through an analysis of good writing in your discipline, on to supported writing practice, and through to independent writing.
- We’ll also explore considerations for navigating the complexities of supporting the development of writing skills while avoiding linguistic discrimination.
I came to learn about these theories and pedagogies in my training as an ESL instructor, and later in my graduate work in applied linguistics. I’ve had opportunities to teach adult learners from a wide variety of backgrounds, internationally, in community-based programs, and in postsecondary classes. I’ve also learned alongside colleagues in a variety of postsecondary disciplines, including those within business, sciences, and arts, as we’ve sought to support developing student writers. All of this learning has come together shape my own learning and practice, and informs the content and approaches you’ll experience in this resource.
Welcome to this learning journey.
Who is this resource for?
This resource is intended for faculty whose courses include writing assignments, but whose work is not primarily teaching writing. It is designed to equip you with a theoretically-grounded basis for developing student writers, and practical tools to scaffold writing assignments.