Reading Relevance: The Adult Reader as Writer Teaching Adults in Diverse Contexts SIG at CCCC 2011

Exploring possibilities for developing a text for adult learners in composition classes Prepared by Michelle Navarre Cleary, Karen Uehling Sonia Feder Lewis

Goals for 2011 SIG Share and brainstorm ideas for reader/rhetoric for adult students. Decide if want to proceed. If we decide to proceed, leave with clear next steps.

?s to consider Why? For whom? What? How? When? Should we or shouldn’t we?

Why? What needs would it serve? What is already out there?

What needs would it serve? Highlight and validate adult student experience Provide relevant readings Connect forms of reading and writing adult learners might not otherwise encounter Offer approachable and appropriate discussion/instruction on writing Coach faculty in how to engage these students

What is already out there? See handout, pages 1-3 Recommendation: Focus on a reader rather than a rhetoric

For whom? See handout, pages 4-6 Recommendation: People in Transition Secondary audience: Teachers of people in transition

What? Organize by Genre Subject Life/task/problem Possibilities Criteria

Organize by genre Focus on what we are trying to write? Unification and diversity—illustration of many ways to do this. Literature on transfer talks about difficulties adults sometimes have with distinguishing academic from work or personal genres

Organize by subject Advantages—continuity of discussion about a subject? Knowing what we are reading before we read it? Preparation? Possibly focused around common challenges

Organize by life/task/problem Adults are characterized in educational research literature as highly motivated, having practical reasons to learn, and bringing to the classroom a wealth of life experience. Consequently, scholars argue that such students need instruction which is life ‑, task ‑, or problem ‑ centered rather than subject ‑ centered, instruction which values adults' life experience and sense of self; this educational philosophy, usually credited to Malcolm Knowles, is termed "andragogy," or the teaching of adults, as opposed to "pedagogy," or the teaching of children (The Adult Learner, 53 ‑ 60). -- Uehling, article in The Writing Instructor

Possibilities See handout, pages 7-8 Recommendation: Develop workgroups to identify suggested readings/content

Criteria Relevance Timelessness—problem of “getting stale” Demonstration of task Surveying Volunteering—can we ask people who we want to “place” their essays with us? Defining diversity—how do we want to address this issue, since publishing of essays is dominated by white, middle-age, middle-class writers?

How? Custom texts Group sourcing

Custom Texts Find a publisher that does custom texts Develop a set of readings the Adult Learner SIG “approves” or “recommends” that people can pick and choose from depending on their audience, then create their own tailored text Look for items that publishers already own copyright for or are out of copyright

Group Sourcing Example: SNL indispensable essays: /Indispensable-Essays /Indispensable-Essays What if we surveyed teachers nationally for a similar list? What if students help us identify sources also? Could have feedback from teachers and students about what “works” for them. Could be a wiki, an app, e-reader?

When? Next steps: Agree upon purpose, audience, organization, criteria for inclusion Assign tasks Establish work plan and timetable Explore methods for publishing What would we want done by next year? Should this continue to be the focus of the SIG or a separate project?

So.. should we or shouldn’t we?