Teaching English in the Two-Year College (TETYC). September 2007.

Some ikdeas on teaching English from the journal, Teaching English in the Two-Year College (TETYC), September 2007, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

What is the mission of the two-year college?
Part liberal arts, part occupational training, part remedial education, part general-equivalency-diploma preparation. J Andelora. TETyC (Sep. 07), 6.

What should be the focus of two-year-college English instructors?
Learn how to teach grammar effectively. M Blaauw-Hara. TETYC (Sep. 07), 30-40.

What do we know about how instruction in writing classes meets the needs of the students in the disciplines?
"However, little is known about how instruction in writing classes meets students' needs in the disciplines." D. Becket, et al. TETYC (Sep. 07), 63.

What types of writing must students learn in other disciplines?
We need to learn what kinds of writing and specialized writing skills are needed in the disciplines and we, therefore, need to broaden our instruction in writing classes to take these needs into account. D Becket, et al. TETYC (Sep. 07), 63-72. [RayS: I was always under the impression that Writing Across the Curriculum people thought English instructors needed to teach instructors in other disciplines how to teach writing. The suggestion in this article assumes that instructors in other disciplines already assign specialized writing and the ones needing to learn how they do this are the English writing instructors. Probably the solution to meeting the writing needs of students in disciplines other than English is mutual understanding of what all disciplines do in writing. Interesting.]

How help students attend class more regularly?
Students must write a narrative which they read to the class in order to persuade the class that their excuses should be excused. Having completed the exercise, the teacher excuses the absence. K Dirk. TETYC (Sep. 07), 74-75. [RayS: The idea is so unusual I think it makes sense.]

How help students learn the language of grammar?
Students select a slip of paper with a grammatical term on it and then must write an explanation of the term. R Pourteau. TETYC (Sep. 07), 75-76. [RayS: Good idea. I would try it.]

How help students understand and enjoy poetry?
They write parodies of stanzas from famous poems--like, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Rough Draft." M S Stewart. TETYC (Sep. 07), 76-78.

Other topics: On the role of scholarship in the mission of the two-year-college faculty. Using films to sensitize white American students to injustice against minorities, including African-Americans. Changing nature of the college classroom in which the mainstream culture now consists of minorities.