Past Seminars and Workshops

Past Workshops

The Grammar of Necessity: Generative Grammar Lessons Through the Experimental Essay

With Nico Peck 

Nico PeckNico Peck
Communication Studies Department

This workshop offers a new approach to teaching grammar, in the tradition of Gertrude Stein's "grammar of invention." Writing instructors will receive a lesson plan for a grammar lesson disguised as an experimental essay and strategies for successfully teaching it, including sample student essays and ideas for how to frame it in a 100W course. The lesson invites students to deconstruct the dictionary, delve into the very problem of meaning making, see the parts of speech in a new way, and create new words and word forms. Not only do students discover that writing is inventive and creative, rather than a "go fish" activity of finding the right word, but their writing is significantly better after completing this project, no matter what their baseline or language background.

Working with Multilingual Writers

With Ching Ching Tan

Ching Ching TanChing Ching Tan
Communications Studies Department

The workshop explores new possibilities for supporting multilingual students’ writing. Participants will actively contribute to our dialogue, share experiences, and suggest ideas on how to be an ally of English learners in a 100W classroom. Our discussions will center on ways to assist students to be agents of change. Please consider attending one or both sessions of this workshop, as collaboration with different participants will create very different outcomes.

Providing Feedback on Student Writing: The Sequel

With Sara Cook

Sara CookSara Cook
English Department

Participants of the original "Providing Feedback on Student Writing" workshop are encouraged to attend this follow-up, hands-on workshop.  Over 150 faculty from 14 departments attended the "Feedback" workshop, and this is an opportunity to practice providing feedback on your own students' work in a group setting.  We will review, troubleshoot, and collaborate.  Meet colleagues from your department, make friends in other departments, get ideas for writing assignments, or just eat the chocolate. 

Handouts and Notes From Our Seminars and Workshops

Sara West's "Document Design"

Sara Cook's "Providing Feedback on Student Writing"

Here you'll find a copy of workshop booklet.

Sara Cook's "Designing Effective Writing Assignments and Assignment Sequences"

Here you'll find a copy of the workshop PowerPoint, a checklist for designing assignments, and two sample assignments. 

Tom Moriarty's "Teaching Writing in the Disciplines"

Here you'll find a copy of the presentation PowerPoint and the Genre Analysis handout.

Michelle Hager and Tom Moriarty's "Working With Embedded Writing Tutors"

Linda Lappin's "Making Friends with Canvas and Writer's Help"

An Introduction to What is Possible

Here you'll find a copy of the workshop PowerPoint, documentation on how to compare drafts of student papers in Word, a Writer's Help Checklist, and a List of Links (with URLs) to topics in Writer's Help.

Nico Peck's "The Grammar of Necessity"

Generative Grammar Lessons Through the Experimental Essay

Here you'll find a copy of the assignment overview, the lesson plan, and Randall Mann's pantoum.

Amy Russo and Tom Moriarty's "Designing and Hosting Graduate Writing Retreats"

Ryan Skinnell's "What We Talk About When We Talk About Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum"

Readings for The Seminar

Mary Anne Sunseri's "Ethnography in the Writing Classroom"