Tara B. Johnston, PhD is an assistant professor of education at York College of Pennsylvania. She is a former elementary school teacher, reading interventionist, and literacy specialist. Her research interests include content literacy practices, teacher knowledge and beliefs in relation to literacy, and pre-service teacher training in literacy instruction. Tara JohnstonImage Credit: Emily Rund The …
Continue reading Rereading and Annotation to Support Secondary Reading and Writing
There is a plethora of advice out there to help instructors design courses and teach in ways that reduce student academic and learning anxiety and support student mental health. But what about instructors and our levels of anxiety and distress?
Retirement is looming. Each day ticking by comes with a thought that I might not ever give that specific lecture again, and with a nagging feeling that I still—after more than 30 years—didn’t perfectly nail it. And with that thought, each day ahead becomes even more important, bringing butterflies to my stomach, and questions like: What can I do differently this time? What can I do to really make an impact, to help make the next class even more effective?
Susan Pagnac is the assistant dean for learning enrichment and director of writing at Central College in Pella, IA. Her work has appeared in Journal of Business and Technical Writing, Praxis: A Writing Center Journal, WPA: Writing Program Administration, and Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture. She has presented at the …
Continue reading Structure Isn’t Spoon-Feeding—Providing Students with Models and Support
Isis Artze-Vega serves as college provost and vice president for academic affairs at Valencia College in central Florida, a Hispanic-serving institution long regarded as one of the nation’s best community colleges. She provides strategic leadership in curriculum, assessment, faculty development, online learning, career and workforce education, and partnerships for educational excellence. She is the lead author …
Milton W. Wendland (J.D., Ph.D.) is a professor of instruction in the Department of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at the University of South Florida, where he specializes in equitable and inclusive online education. He regularly teaches Queer Film & Television; LGBTQ+ Cultures; Gender Sexuality & the Law; Intro to Women’s & Gender Studies; and …
Continue reading Now More Than Ever: Humanizing Online Courses in the Post-COVID Era
Joshua Barsczewski is director of the writing program and assistant professor of English literatures and creative writing at Muhlenberg College. He’s recently published in Peitho and Composition Forum and is the co-editor of an upcoming collection on labor practices in writing studies, due out in late 2024 or early 2025. Joshua BarsczewskiImage Credit: Joshua Barsczewski …
Milton W. Wendland (J.D., Ph.D.) is a professor of instruction in the Department of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at the University of South Florida, where he specializes in equitable and inclusive online education. He regularly teaches Queer Film & Television; LGBTQ+ Cultures; Gender Sexuality & the Law; Intro to Women’s & Gender Studies; and …
Continue reading The Midsemester Slump . . . or a Time to Revitalize?
Kate Hoffman has taught for 25 years across public and private schools and at many levels—middle school, high school, and college. For many years she taught AP® Literature and Composition, and she currently teaches in Central Pennsylvania. In her spare time, she enjoys going to thrift stores, antique stores, and independent bookstores. She writes regularly …
Continue reading Don’t Teach in a Vacuum: How Literary Nonfiction Prepares Us for Major Works
Erin Baumgartner is an award-winning teacher and biology education researcher. She earned her PhD in zoology at the University of Hawai’i-Manoa, where she remained for an additional six years as a science curriculum developer and researcher. In 2008, she joined Western Oregon University, where she coordinated introductory biology and taught courses in vertebrate evolution and …
Continue reading How to Teach the Process of Science to Promote a Growth Mindset