Composition

Our Teaching Philosophy
We value writing that is meaningful and challenging and that provides opportunities for students to make genuine connections among their academic lives, personal and professional worlds, and community. We promote collaboration and communication; foster student-centered learning environments, which at times extend beyond the traditional classroom; employ active learning techniques; incorporate cultural awareness and understanding; and build a sense of community, often through a thematic approach that unifies the course. Furthermore, we strive to help students understand writing as process (which is sometimes messy), with emphasis on the role of reflection and self-exploration as students develop rhetorical awareness about audience, purpose, subject, and self.

Teaching and Learning Methods and Activities
collaborative groups	peer response
diverse readings	students teaching students
guest speakers	films
service learning	field trips
multigenre writing	I-search writing
learning communities	appealing to learning styles
technology	multimedia
collaboration with Writing Center	collaboration with librarians
portfolios