What students need to succeed as writers is the focus of a cross-discipline faculty discussion scheduled for Monday, Feb. 28, from 2-5 p.m. in the SUB Lobo Room.
The second step in a three-semester series of English Department colloquia on promoting effective student writing in the academic and professional arenas, this session will examine student language backgrounds and skills, how students succeed or struggle with college-level reading and writing, and how faculty can better teach writing at UNM.
Conceived and developed by English Department Professors Wanda Martin and Michelle Hall Kells, the colloquium will invite faculty members from diverse disciplines and perspectives to weigh in on these vital issues.
“Professor Kells brought her interest in the influence of language and culture on students’ success at college writing when she came to UNM this year. She proposed a colloquium on the topic,” Martin said.
Martin and Kells wanted the event to have impact. “We are bringing together the various campus stakeholders in undergraduate reading and writing,” Martin said.
Titled “Writing Across Communities,” the series seeks to investigate “how writing can be strengthened across the curriculum by taking into account language practices and backgrounds students bring to the university and regarding these ‘Writing Across Communities’ seeks faculty input backgrounds as sources of strength in a transnational, transborder world,” Martin said.
The faculty will address three questions:
· What do you know about students’ language background and skills?
· How do you see students struggling/succeeding with your expectations for reading and writing?
· What are your observations and suggestions about how we teach undergraduates to write?
Starting at 2 p.m., with new groups starting at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., the groups will meet to share views about writing at UNM. The information gathered from the sessions will be used to find better ways to respond to student academic and professional writing needs at UNM.
Faculty are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Beverly Gillen, barmygil@unm.edu or 277-7441.