Many Basic Writing students have stories which are informed by traumas, othering, and marginalization. Finding pedagogies which address students' stories, in addition to meeting academic goals, is crucial. Sometimes, students question how improving their reading and writing skills can help them navigate other areas of their education and…

This essay describes the process of reassessing our BW program at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in order to cultivate a more deliberate, transparent negotiation among stakeholders toward a "transcultural ethos." Informed by Bruce Horner's argument that leading-edge work on language and language difference can take place in BW, we…

The notion that today's students are constantly exposed to information technology has become so pervasive that it seems the academic conversation assumes students are "tech savvy." The proliferation of apps and smart phones aimed at the traditional college-aged population feeds into this assumption, aided in no small part by a growing…

It has long been established that self-assessment and goal-setting are regular features of the writing process of experienced writers. It has also been demonstrated that students develop more power and control over their writing when they are encouraged to become their own evaluators. Therefore, to help beginning writers think and act more like…

Argues that, especially in culturally diverse classrooms, students' stories can be a rich source of information about their worlds, values, and linguistic styles. (RS)