The principle of athletic coaching is applied by analogy to first year community college writing instruction. The role of the coach and five essential elements are discussed: practice and drill (nongraded exercises); fouling out (assessment); playbooks and plays (resources and strategies); big games (formal research papers); and postmortem (review…

Universities often fall short in dealing with college freshmen and sophomores. The community college succeeds at educating students and provides a humane environment in which to teach and learn. Despite its inherent drawbacks, it offers faculty collegiality and opportunities for professional and curriculum development. (Author/MSE)