In this teaching tip, we--a literacy professor and two K-12 teachers--encourage a rethinking of the baseline writing assessment by sharing our experiences with "The Paper Selfie," an activity that juxtaposes the arts and young people's personal writing. By centering students' identities, their hopes, beliefs, dreams, and realities,…

Introduction: In the past decade, use of screen media has increased dramatically among young adults. Statement of Problem: Mounting evidence suggests that high levels of media use are associated with a range of negative psychological outcomes. Literature Review: We present instructions for a four-day electronic media fast assigned in a course…

Writing and Rhetoric 3326: Legal Writing is an introduction to legal analysis and writing. It is offered at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, a Holy Cross liberal arts university of approximately 4,300 students, mostly undergraduates. This course focuses on applied rhetoric, and is designed to give undergraduate students experience in…

In the field of rhetoric and composition, literacy narratives are sometimes framed through the idea of "inventing the university"; this, unfortunately, creates a trope of literacy as success. I argue that the success trope limits student expression of "outlaw" emotions in literacy narratives--like loss, pain, and anxiety--and…

As a teacher of struggling and resistant readers in high school, I searched for instructional practices that provided relevance, motivation, and engagement for my students as well as presented opportunities to become more aware of their challenges and priorities outside of school. Technology needed to be a part of the project to allow students…

Because Dominique (or D-Mon, as he liked to be called) had drill before class, he would sometimes come in late in the author's class, his army boots silently moving across the tile as though he were trying to sneak by a sentry. The army fatigues that he wore were supposed to help him blend into a desert landscape, a tan-and-brown world of sand. In…

Describes a written assignment designed to help students develop a framework for understanding the meaning of the concept of social imagination. Defines social imagination as a pattern of questioning and understanding the world. Suggests that students must develop a mindset that allows them to understand the intersection between personal biography…

A great deal of research on multiculturalism looks at different approaches to multicultural education and visions of multicultural teaching and learning. Though some research theorizes about how preservice teachers might learn about race or gender, there is very little work that helps teacher educators understand what learning about diversity more…

Describes a research project for high school students in which they write to an important figure in psychology to ascertain their contributions to the field. Students sent letters to 113 psychologists and received replies from 72 of them. Reports students were enthusiastic about the project. (NL)

Describes one assignment particularly effective not only in illustrating some of the principles of schema theory but also in the preparation of prospective teachers. The assignment is to plan and carry out an experience students have never had before. (HOD)

Teaches an introductory course on issues of prejudice and discrimination. Assigns a two-essay autobiography and analysis of other student biographies. Encourages students to use their life experiences to articulate sociology's theoretical, conceptual, and substantive materials. Finds course effective in reducing ethnocentrism. (NL)

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

Describes a ninth-grade class project where students were asked to recall a specific sense memory involving smell and foods. They wrote a brief narrative reflecting on the experience and created a recipe card for the food. These were combined with a pictorial representation of the food for a final project. (MJP)