ENG 621
August 1st-12th
M-F, 9:00am-1:00pm
Dr. Heather Camp
heather.camp@mnsu.edu
Introductory Workshop for new Teaching Assistants
Course Description
The summer workshop for new TAs is an introduction to teaching first-year college composition. Its aim is to
familiarize you with the theoretical underpinnings of the MSU, Mankato Composition Program and to assist
you with your ENG 101 course preparation. More specifically, ENG 621 is intended to:
Acquaint you with the course goals for ENG 101.
The course competencies for ENG 101 are a central focus of the summer workshop. The competencies
designate what first-year students are supposed to be able to do by the end of one semester of English
composition. During the workshop, we will explore theory and research informing the competencies and
discuss how to develop lesson plans and writing assignments that align with the course goals.
Introduce you to features of ENG 101 shared by new TAs.
During your first semester of teaching, you will teach a common set of assignments and rely on texts that have
been pre-selected for your course. You will also have some teaching materials provided that support the
assignments being taught. The summer workshop overviews the entire assignment sequence for the course and
provides a thorough introduction to the first unit you will teach.
Provide information about and opportunities to practice effective instructional techniques.
The workshop will teach you to design course documents (the syllabus, writing assignments, lesson plans),
respond to student writing, guide students’ writing and reading processes, sponsor reflection, run student
conferences, lead class discussion, grade and more. We will apply this knowledge through hands-on activities
that prepare you for the classroom.
Alert you to campus resources that can aid you in teaching ENG 101.
Individuals who serve in a variety of capacities on the MSU, Mankato campus will visit the summer workshop
to discuss how their services can be used by composition teachers to improve writing instruction. Campus field
trips will also serve this purpose.
Help you establish formal and informal networks of support for yourself as a teacher.
In full class, small group, and one-on-one settings, you will become acquainted with the Composition Director
and TA mentors, individuals who will see you through your first semester of teaching. Your interaction with
them will lay the groundwork for a productive professional relationship that will extend beyond your first year.
You will also meet other TAs enrolled in the workshop, opening up opportunities for you to pool knowledge
and resources to enrich your teaching experience.
Materials
ENG 101 Course Packet
Workshop Requirements
Pre-workshop assignment:
This assignment requires you to work through a selection of readings from the
first unit and compose a response to those readings.
Microteaching:
This activity requires you to develop a lesson that you will use in your first unit
and teach it to a small group of your peers.
Midterm Teaching Materials: This assignment requires you to develop a collection of teaching materials that
you will use in your first unit of ENG 101.
Final Teaching Materials:
This assignment requires you to develop a collection of new and revised teaching
materials that you will use in your first unit of ENG 101 and beyond.
Reflections:
You will reflect on your own teaching preparation and on the effectiveness of the
summer workshop.
Workshop Expectations
The success of the workshop depends on your engagement with readings, in-class activities and out-of-class
work. You are expected to complete all assignments and to fully participate in class discussions and group
tasks. The level of your involvement in the workshop will impact your teaching preparation and your peers’
opportunities for learning.
Attendance and punctuality are expected. Any necessary absences or tardies should be discussed ahead of time
with the Composition Director. As a reminder, workshop attendance is a condition of employment.
Schedule for Week 1
Monday, August 1st
In Class:
Reflection on Writing and Teaching Histories
Introduction to English 101 at MSU, Mankato
Course Competency c) Read Critically
MavCards and Keys
Homework:
Reading
Irene Clark, Concepts in Composition, pp. 7-9
Alastair Fowler, “Beginning”
Stephen Wilhoit, “Response Essays,” pp. 73-76
Resources on critical reading strategies
Writing
1) Familiarize yourself with the teaching resources dedicated to teaching critical reading
strategies. Determine which of these materials you will use, which you will adapt, and which
you will exclude. Drawing from these resources, prepare a second-day lesson on critical reading
strategies.
2) Select readings that you might assign for homework on the first day of class. Draft 4-6
questions that you could use to spur discussion over these readings during the following class
period.
Tuesday, August 2nd
In Class:
D2L (Jeff Henline)
Competency a) Develop a Flexible Writing Process
Homework:
Reading
Angela Provitera McGlynn, Successful Beginnings for College Teaching, pp. 81-88 (on leading
class discussion)
Mel Silberman, Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any Subject, pp. 1-9 (“Introducing
Active Learning”)
Resources on teaching with the writing process readings
Writing
1) Familiarize yourself with the teaching materials intended to help students explore the writing
process readings and prepare for their first writing assignment. Determine which of these
materials you will use, which you will adapt, and which you will exclude. Drawing from these
resources, fully prepare for your third day of class.
Wednesday, August 3rd
In class:
Homework:
Lesson Planning
Teaching techniques: leading class discussions, lecturing, active learning strategies
Optional: PowerPoint presentations
Reading
Fiona Paton, “Approaches to Productive Peer Review”
Writing
Create a 4-8 slide PowerPoint presentation in which you help students:
--engage with assigned readings in some way and
--learn about and apply a critical reading, idea generation, or
drafting strategy within the context of the first assignment.
Thursday, August 4th
In class:
Classroom Technology (Matt Clay)
Office Procedures (Kate Voight)
Peer Review
Homework:
Reading
None
Writing
Practice your PowerPoint presentation in preparation for microteaching.
Finalize your teaching materials for days two and day three of Unit 1. Submit them to the
Dropbox.
Friday, August 5th
In class:
Microteaching
Competency (b) Practice Rhetorical Awareness
Composing Course Documents
Homework:
Reading
Nancy Sommers, “Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers”
(from The Possibility of Revision, p.45, to Revision Strategies of Experienced Writers, p. 49)
Nancy Sommers, “Responding to Student Writing”
Writing
1) Fully prepare for your fourth day of class.
2) Review Deanna Spear’s list of “good reader” moves (in the Critical Reading PPt) and the
“Guidelines for Annotating a Text” handout. Apply these critical reading strategies to your
assigned reading. (Keep in mind that you may want to use your annotated texts as a model for
your own students. Demonstrate the kind of textual engagement that you want from them.)
3) Other assignments TBA.