PRWR 7800: TEACHING ASSISTANT PRACTICUM
Fall 2014
Tuesdays, 6:30-9:15, EB 235
Dr. Mary Lou Odom
CONTACT INFORMATION
Email: modom3@kennesaw.edu (the best and fastest way to reach me)
Office: EB 238A
Phone: 770/423.6795 (office/voice mail)
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays 2 PM - 3 PM and cheerfully by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
PRWR 7800: Teaching Assistant Practicum is a weekly course designed to support and
develop the pedagogy of second-year MAPW teaching assistants as they begin their first
semesters as instructors of record for the English department’s two general education
composition courses (ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102).
Building upon the theories and concepts introduced in PRWR 6300 and PRWR 6500, PRWR
7800 affords teaching assistants a forum in which to explore the application of a range of
methods in the field of rhetoric and composition, including peer review, writing and
researching in digital environments, multi-modal composing, visual rhetoric, and global
and local revision strategies. PRWR 7800 exposes teaching assistants to ongoing
scholarship pertaining to writing instruction and provides numerous opportunities for
both oral and written reflection in the ways the theories introduced in PRWR 6300 and
6500 are used in classroom practice. Additionally, teaching assistants work collaboratively
during PRWR 7800 class meetings by discussing common issues or concerns that arise in
their classrooms during the course of the semester, seeking solutions to those concerns
within the context of their knowledge of the fields of rhetoric and composition.
PRE-REQUISITES
PRWR 6300 and PRWR 6500
COURSE OBJECTIVES
 Students will develop assignments that enable ENGL 1101/1102 students to meet
programmatic objectives.
 Students will identify ways to address classroom management and administrative
issues.
 Students will establish criteria for grading their essay assignments throughout the
semester.
 Students will use written and verbal reflection to analyze their teaching.
 Students will complete a course syllabus and plan for ENGL 1102.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Bramblett, Anne and Alison Knoblauch. What to Expect When You’re Expected to Teach: The
Anxious Craft of Teaching Composition. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2002. Print. (WTE)
Glenn, Cheryl, and Melissa A. Goldthwaite, Eds. The St. Martin's Guide to Teaching Writing,
7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. Print. (SMG)
Additional online readings found in Desire2Learn (D2L)
GRADING and ASSIGNMENTS
Details for both the “Schedule of Assignments” (showing a daily breakdown of readings and
other due dates) and all graded assignments are found in D2L. If we need to adjust this
schedule, I will alert you either in class or via email (or both) and update the “Schedule of
Assignments” posted in D2L; this version will always be the most current.
Final Grade Breakdown
Below you will find a breakdown of your final course grade. Please remember to refer to
each Assignment Description in D2L for detailed information on what is expected of each
component, and note that penalties may be applied to your final grade for failure to meet
attendance requirements.
Teaching Blog
Observation
English 1102 Course Design
Teaching Final Reflection
Evaluation Reflection
20%
10%
30%
20%
20%
Grading Scale
A (90-100)
B (80-89)
C (70-79)
D (60-69)
F (Below 60)
Teaching Journal and Blog
A key part of successful teaching is successful reflection – both individual reflection and the
reflection that results from being a part of a teaching community. Your Teaching Journal
will afford you the opportunity to do the former, and our more formal Teaching Blog, in
which you will each share a teaching strategy, activity, or issue (and respond to each other)
will be a space in which you participate in the latter. In both spaces, you will use the
theories you have learned to analyze your own practice.
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Observation
Each teaching assistant responsible for an English 1101 course will be observed once
during the semester. You will select the date on which you are observed. We will discuss
the class period to be observed before your observation, and you will receive a letter
discussing your observed course and offering feedback within two weeks of your
observation.
English 1102 Course Design
Around mid-term, you will begin to look ahead and plan for spring semester, in which you
will teach English 1102. You will submit a plan for your syllabus and assignments to me,
and I will provide feedback.
Final Teaching Reflection
As your first semester in the classroom draws to a close, you will submit a brief reflection
on what you have learned about yourself as a teacher and the practice of teaching.
Evaluation Reflection
Another key part of the reflection process is to think critically about student evaluations.
After you receive these evaluations, you will write a brief reflection on how you will
consider them in your future teaching.
Expectations
Practicum expectations are higher than those for other graduate courses in part because
you are also the instructor of record for two courses. Your performance in and commitment
to this class are indicative of your overall success in fulfilling your TA obligations. I expect
all reading and writing you do to reflect your best, graduate-level effort. That means work
that demonstrates above-average critical thinking and is free of error, participation that is
engaged and consistent, and attentiveness to all course obligations that is beyond reproach.
Late Work
I do not generally accept late work of any kind. Should extraordinary personal
circumstances arise, you should contact me as soon as possible (preferably well before the
due date), and we will discuss your particular situation and any grade penalty that will be
assessed.
PARTICIPATION
Participation means fulfilling all online obligations as well as coming to class having done
all assigned reading and written work for that day. I take this very seriously: Attentiveness
and engagement are important parts of graduate education. The degree to which you
actively participate in our Practicum will determine what you get out of it.
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ATTENDANCE
Attendance is mandatory for all classes. The work we do in our weekly meetings cannot be
“made up” simply by getting notes or doing the reading on your own. Missing class more
than once lowers your final grade by one full letter. A fourth absence (the equivalent of
missing almost one third of our class meetings), means you automatically fail the course.
Excessive and/or habitual lateness also results in accumulated absences. Please inform me
as soon as possible should special circumstances arise, and alert me in advance if you know
you will be absent. In the event of an absence, you must contact a class member for
information on what was covered in class; due dates and deadlines will still apply.
KSU DIVERSITY STATEMENT
The KSU population reflects differing backgrounds and experiences including but not
limited to age, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, geographic region, language,
race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. It is our goal to foster a
community in which every human being is treated with dignity, respect, and justice. The
KSU academic experience will provide the opportunity to gain knowledge and experiences
necessary to thrive in a diverse, global environment.
KSU ACADEMIC INTEGRITY STATEMENT
Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of
Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the
Student Code of Conduct addresses the University’s policy on academic honesty, including
provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials,
misrepresentation/ falsification of University records or academic work, malicious
removal, retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/ intentional misuse of
computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of
alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the
University Judiciary Program, which includes either an “informal” resolution by a faculty
member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject
a student to the Code of Conduct’s minimum one semester suspension requirement.
In this course, a variety of actions can constitute plagiarism. Cutting and pasting a
paragraph or even a sentence (without quotes and documentation) from a website are
obvious examples. But including ideas or facts from a text, website, or from another person
into your work without indicating your source is also plagiarism. I take any violation of
academic honesty and integrity very seriously and will assess grade penalties and pursue
disciplinary action accordingly.
KSU DISABILITY STATEMENT
If you have a specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disability that requires
accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may
be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the
disAbled Student Support Services office, located in the Student Center, Room 267, and
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obtain a list of approved accommodations. DSSS helps students with disabilities participate
in and benefit from programs, courses, and activities on the KSU campus. DSSS can be
reached at 770-423-6443; their website is
http://www.kennesaw.edu/stu_dev/dsss/dsss.html.
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PROFESSIONAL WRITING 7800: TEACHING ASSISTANT PRACTICUM
SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS
FALL 2012
The St. Martin's Guide to Teaching Writing (SMG)
What to Expect When You’re Expected to Teach (WTE)
Online readings can be found in D2L.
August 21
Course Overview and Need-based Planning
August 28
READING: “Teachable Moments” (WTE)
“Breaking the Silence: A Study of Gender Specific Problems in the Writing Classroom” (online)
BLOG: post introductions
September 4
READING: “Teaching the Millennial Generation” (online)
Observation Sign-up: Bring your planners and the syllabi/schedules for your classes
September 11
READING: “Everyday Activities” (SMG Chapter 3)
“Teaching Delivery” (SMG Chapter 10)
BLOG: post #1 due.
September 18
READING: “Minimum Requirements” (WTE)
“Teaching Invention” (SMG Chapter 6)
“Responding to Student Writing” (SMG)
BLOG: post #2 due.
September 25
READING: “A Language in Letters” (WTE)
“Teaching Arrangement and Form” (SMG Chapter 7)
“Why I (Used to) Hate Giving Grades” (SMG)
BLOG: post #3 due.
October 2
READING: “Successful Writing Assignments” (SMG Chapter 4)
“Rethinking Diverstiy: Axes of Difference in the Writing Classroom” (SMG)
“Meaning and Development of Academic Literacy in a Second Language” (SMG)
BLOG: post #4 due.
October 9
READING: “BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research-Based Writing” (online)
ENGL 1102 Guideline, Expectations, Texts (First-Year Composition Website)
Discussion of English 1102 Course Design
BLOG: post #5 due.
October 16
READING: “My Imagined Community” (WTE)
“Teaching Style” (SMG Chapter 8)
Teaching Journals collected
BLOG: post #6 due.
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October 23
“Memory as Database: Teaching Research” (SMG)
Peer Review: ENGL 1102 Course Design
October 30
READING: “Forty-Eight Eyeballs” (WTE)
“Teaching Memory” (SMG Chapter 9)
“The Complexities of Responding to Student Writing” (online)
BLOG: post #7 due.
November 6
READING: “Silences in Our Teaching Stories” (WTE)
BLOG: post #8 due.
Looking ahead to end-of-semester reflections
November 13
Revisions of ENGL 1102 Syllabi, Assignment Schedule, and Major Assignments due
Peer Review
BLOG: Final post due.
November 20
Course Design Presentations
November 27
ENGL 1102 Course Design Project due
Teaching Journals due – discussion of Teaching Journals and what they teach us
Evaluations
December 5
Reflective Essay due
Evaluation Reflection due
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