RISKS AND REWARDS OF REDESIGNING FYC CURRICULUM FOR THE MULTILINGUAL REALITY Christine Gregory Patricia Warman-Cano Nick Vagnoni Enzu Castellanos Kacee Belcher Florida International University, Miami Florida

Florida International University One of the nation’s largest Hispanic Serving Institutions #1 in the nation awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to Hispanic students 54,000 students as of Fall % of FIU’s undergraduate students are Hispanic/Latino, according to the National Center for Education Statistics 85% of students are in-state, largely from the Miami- Dade county area 57% of FYC students could be considered resident ESL

Florida International University source: NCES

Redefining the Mainstream National trends of Hispanic population growth indicate that the nation is becoming more like what we see today at FIU Hispanic population currently 17% of the US population Expected to reach 31% by 2060 This is despite a decline in foreign-born Hispanics. Native births are driving this growth.

Redefining the Mainstream source: Pew Research Center

Redefining the Mainstream In a university like FIU, what is a “mainstream” composition class? Separate ESL sections for FYC are implausible at FIU Under a Title V grant, our ultimate goal is to involve the whole Writing and Rhetoric instructor staff in using the principles of universal design to address the needs of all students without singling out those whose first language is not English. As our faculty expertise in ESL grows, and new curricular changes are achieved, we can use our faculty's Title V experience to revisit the first year writing curriculum more generally, and to address multilingual issues in the rest of our Writing and Rhetoric curriculum.

Redefining the Mainstream In a university like FIU, what is a “mainstream” composition class? This presentation shares FIU’s efforts to redesign our curriculum through a philosophy of Universal Design with the hopes of a diverse and inclusive classroom for a multilingual student population

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Problem solving with Paulo Freire Promoting global citizenship and improving critical- thinking skills through themed, research-based projects Patricia Warman-Cano

Problem solving with Paulo Freire When working with students, especially multilingual and minority students, encourage them to celebrate and assert their own unique voices, even though they may also need to learn the “dominant syntax” to bring change in their world. Teach critical theory in FYC courses through low-stakes writing activities and themed research assignments to maintain ample time for other skill-based instruction outlined in course outcomes. By sharing Paulo Freire’s critical theory with students, they will learn to fight oppression within their own (often, global) communities and become empowered writers and citizens.

Adapting Writing Projects for a Multilingual First-Year Composition Class Nick Vagnoni Major Writing Projects: Observing communication in a specific environment or discourse community Analyzing advertisements within multilingual or multicultural contexts Analyzing opinion pieces about communication and language-related issues Synthesizing texts about communication and language- related issues

Adapting Writing Projects for a Multilingual First-Year Composition Class Focusing issues of communication, and specifically multilingualism, a topic of conversation can help multilingual students develop a sense of agency for their own writing projects and also help them develop a heightened sense of rhetorical sensitivity within their university, their homes, and their communities.

Rephrasing the obvious questions Why we research ideas instead of subjects to push past the obvious answers Enzu Castellanos

Entering global discourse through a translingual lens Helping students find their voice through a universal approach Kacee Belcher

Entering global discourse through a translingual lens As Paulo Freire states, "Being tolerant is not being naive." How can we better communicate higher standards in critical thinking and writing while being sensitive to specific needs of multilingual writers? How can we help students overcome what Dana Ferris refers to as "roadblocks" by including more multicultural texts into our assignments? Expand acceptable sources to those in other languages during the research process to encourage a more complex and meaningful research project.