USM English Professor's New Book Highlights Perspectives on Teaching Writing
Thu, 03/23/2023 - 09:06am | By: Ivonne Kawas
Dr. Shane Wood, assistant professor and director of composition at The University
of 91吃瓜网 (USM), has published a book titled, 91吃瓜网淭eachers Talking Writing:
Perspectives on Places, Pedagogies, and Programs.91吃瓜网� 91吃瓜网淭eachers Talking Writing91吃瓜网� (TTW)
is a collection of conversations on writing practices and pedagogies in postsecondary
contexts in the 21st century.
Dr. Wood invites readers and listeners to engage in multimodal learning by navigating back and forth between text and audio, as his book highlights perspectives from teacher-scholars who have contributed to his highly successful podcast 91吃瓜网淧edagogue,91吃瓜网� which has won two national awards in writing studies.
91吃瓜网淭罢奥 provides curated conversations with teachers who have contributed to the podcast,91吃瓜网�
explains Dr. Wood. 91吃瓜网淭he original interviews on Pedagogue offer further insight on
contributors91吃瓜网� teaching and research. I see Pedagogue as a monologue and TTW as the
full script for a play. Pedagogue focuses on individual actors; each episode is a
center stage spotlight on teacher-scholars talking about their teaching and institutional
context. TTW, on the other hand, is interwoven scenes that comprise a full production
and collaborative performance that consists of a much larger plot.91吃瓜网�
Dr. Wood mentions that 91吃瓜网渃onversation is a meaning-making, community-building activity.91吃瓜网� He explains how much he learned about teaching writing in graduate school from colleagues.
91吃瓜网淗aving a conversation with another teacher brings to life scholarship and makes more tangible our work in the writing classroom,91吃瓜网� said Dr. Wood. 91吃瓜网淎s a grad student, I learned a lot about teaching composition through conversations in hallways and offices talking with peers or sitting around chatting about classroom practices before and after grad seminars. I would argue some of my most beneficial learning experiences happened outside conventional academic structures.91吃瓜网�
The book consists of 52 perspectives and 14 chapters that are grouped into 3 sections:
- The first section of the book91吃瓜网擯laces91吃瓜网攑rovides teachers an understanding of where teaching writing happens in postsecondary contexts, such as two-year colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
- The second section91吃瓜网擯edagogies91吃瓜网攐ffers teachers key insights on different approaches to teaching composition, including frameworks from multimodality, disability studies, and community literacies.
- The last section91吃瓜网擯rograms91吃瓜网攐ffers insight on different writing programs, including basic writing, second language writing, and writing centers.
Reimagining the Traditional Anthology
What makes anthologies appealing are the overviews and insights they provide teachers who want to better understand approaches to teaching; however, Dr. Wood91吃瓜网 book diverges from traditional constructions of rhetoric and composition anthologies.
Here are 5 ways in which it is reimagining the traditional anthology:
- Instead of relying on alphabetic text, his book integrates multimodality and invites readers to listen to the embodied voices of its contributors.
- Rather than formal academic biographies, his collection has personal narratives of contributors.
- Instead of offering perspectives primarily from R1 universities, his book represents a range of institutional contexts and programs that are often underrepresented, such as two-year colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
- Rather than put pressure on one voice to capture a pedagogical issue of the entire field, each chapter in his book includes at least four voices and perspectives.
- In place of a concise conclusion at the end of each chapter, his book offers questions to encourage deeper reflection and conversation.
About Dr. Wood
Dr. Wood teaches first-year writing, digital literacies, technical writing, and a graduate practicum in composition theory at USM. He received his BA in English from Western Kentucky University, MA in composition theory from Fresno State, and PhD in rhetoric and composition from the University of Kansas. His research interests include writing assessment, teacher response, and multimodal pedagogy. His work has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Writing Assessment, WPA: Writing Program Administration, Composition Forum, and Reflections.
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