Workshops and Events

Teaching & Learning with Multilingual Writers

The Vassar College Mission states, “Vassar is now open to all and strives to pursue diversity, inclusion, and equity as essential components of a rich intellectual and cultural environment in which all members, including those from underrepresented and marginalized groups, are valued and empowered to thrive.” Do our individual and disciplinary expectations of student writers and speakers align or contend with the College’s mission to pursue diversity, inclusion, and equity? To what extent do our values and standards for writing promote or prohibit linguistic justice and nurture diversity?

In this conversation-based workshop, faculty will contemplate sociolinguistic concepts including: accent & accentism, code-meshing & code-switching, linguistic justice & translanguaging. We will consider the implications of Standard Written English on a student’s right to free expression and how we as writing faculty can help students navigate the double-bind of either excluding themselves from educational success and social power by resisting the forms of the dominant discourse, or, adopting them and thereby losing or compromising an essential aspect of their individual and communal identity.

Resolution on Affirming the CCCC “Students’ Right to Their Own Language” - National Council of Teachers of English. The NCTE/CCCC’s 2003 reaffirmation of their 1974 position statement on students’ having the right to their own language.

Feedback Strategies

The Vassar College Mission states, “The College makes possible an education that promotes analytical, informed, and independent thinking and sound judgment.” How can faculty feedback on writing assignments best support students as they work to develop these interpretive skills and develop the confidence to make independent decisions?

In this workshop, faculty will consider the differences between evaluative, prescriptive, and descriptive feedback. Together, we’ll read a sample student essay and practice a range of revision-based feedback strategies aimed at improving the draft rather than justifying the grade. Faculty will leave the workshop with multiple techniques for efficiently and effectively grading papers.

Scaffolding Assignments

Scaffolding writing assignments means breaking down a larger writing task—like a research project or seminar paper—into smaller, more manageable steps to support students through the writing process. The goal is to guide writers at each stage, helping them build their skills and confidence as they advance from reading and research to drafting and revision. 

In this conversation-based workshop, we will learn from one another by sharing sample assignments and insights, collectively considering questions, and proposing new strategies for teaching process-based writing. Faculty will leave the workshop with a menu of options for scaffolding and scheduling longer, independent projects.

Office Hours: Chat with the Director of First-Year Writing

These informal conversations about teaching writing and teaching with writing are facilitated by Matthew Schultz, Director of First-Year Writing & the Writing Center. Whether you’ve been teaching writing regularly or are thinking about offering your first FYWS, drop in with questions, ideas, or simply to learn more about the program’s values, goals, and pedagogical methods. 

FYWS Office Hours are held once per month on Fridays from 1:00–2:00 p.m. in the Writing Center (Thompson Library, room 122). No registration is required.

• Friday, March 7th (1:00–2:00 p.m.)
• Friday, April 4th (1:00–2:00 p.m.)
• Friday, May 2nd (1:00–2:00 p.m.)

For any questions regarding FYWS Workshops and Events, please contact Matthew Schultz, Director of First-Year Writing & the Writing Center (maschultz@vassar.edu).