The Teaching of Writing: Theory and Practice

This course addresses the elements, process, and products of writing in CFL classes. It builds on writing process theories, ACTFL proficiency standards, and specifics of teaching writing in the CFL classroom setting. Topics discussed will fall in four major categories, including (1) origins of characters and character teaching, (2) proficiency-based writing research and teaching (i.e. goals and standards of writing in each proficiency level, scopes of writing tasks, paragraph- and discourse-oriented products, coherence and cohesion, etc.), (3) writing process, feedback, and assessment, and (4) teaching practice (i.e. cognitive strategies for writing, modeling and task-based design, technology use in writing, etc.). Students are expected to utilize writing process theories and proficiency standards to design their own writing tasks to guide their current and future teaching practice.