Although college is a place of extensive interaction, most faculty know very little about what their
colleagues do in the classroom. Instructors "invent" their own approaches and techniques that often
turn out very similar to the ways they were taught. These faculty value opportunities to see how
others operate and to learn from each other.

4. And they did some writing—to experience the achievements and challenges (and frustrations) of
writers at work, as seeing growth in their own writing is the most persuasive reason for encouraging
their students to write.

People who haven't written in a while have forgotten how demanding it is—they need to realize that
before they assign overly-ambitious projects to their students. They have forgotten how threatening it
is—and they need to remember to create assignments that enable students, not discourage them. Most
importantly, they need to recall how satisfying writing is—how useful it is in studying and learning
and how much it can build confidence.

At the end of the project, faculty became available as resources for Writing-Across-the-Curriculum
programs in their colleges. As a result of their very positive experience, they are quick to encourage others
on their campuses to try using writing and to give them some ideas about how to do it; in effect, they serve
as "witnesses" to its value for students and for teachers. They bring new enthusiasm to existing programs
that renews their commitment to improved learning through writing; to campuses without programs already
in place, they bring the impetus for a confident beginning for such an effort.

We would like to see the Writing Project continued as an annual program that would invite district-wide
participation of faculty from every teaching field. We believe it would greatly benefit teachers who are
interested in encouraging the development of their students’ general learning strategies, teachers who realize
that a lack of skill in critical thinking is probably their students’ greatest shortcoming. Knowing that those
who continue to respond to problems and situations with automatic or unconscious reactions will not
become independent thinkers and purposeful learners, these faculty welcome information about effective
techniques for helping students develop these important skills.

We also think an annual writing project would serve those faculty who want to help students meet the
expectations for advanced work. Many teachers recognize that their students will have difficulty in upper
division studies—and they want to help those students develop skills that will increase their chances of
success. These ‘instructors know that students who can command a useful repertoire of writing strategies
and techniques have a significant advantage.

The Maricopa colleges are committed to student success, and we believe that this kind of faculty-developed,
faculty-implemented project can contribute immeasurably to that success. When 25 faculty participate in a
summer writing program, well over 3000 students will be affected in just the following semester. Over a
five-year period, as many as 30,000 students could learn how to purposefully use writing to improve their
learning. Even more could benefit when involved and enthusiastic faculty share their techniques for using
writing across the curriculum with their colleagues. The Writing Project, established as an annual program,
would extend and renew this work each year.

This year’s project was articulated with the Greater Phoenix Area Writing Project, the local branch of the
National Writing Project which serves the teachers of the public school system of Maricopa County. The
plan for our local program was endorsed by the Executive Council of the Faculty Association—reemphasizing
the faculty’s value for writing and their belief that students truly need to be adequate writers. It is quite
reasonable to believe that their future success may depend upon their ability to control language—in other
words, to write.

Julie Bertch, Director
The Maricopa Writing Project

For further information, contact the author at Maricopa County Community College District, 3910 E.
Washington Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85034.

 

 

 

Suanne D. Roueche, Editor
May 8, 1987, Vol. IX, No. 15

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS Is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, EDB 348, The University of
Texas at Austin, Austin, texas 78712, (512)471-7545. Subscriptions are available to nonconsortlum members for $35 per year. Funding In
part by the UW K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation. Issued weekly when classes are In session during fall and spring
terms and once during the summer.

© The University of Texas at Austin, 1987
Further duplication Is permitted only by MEMBER Institutions for thelr own personnel. ISSN 0199-106X

 

 

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