What is teaching 1010?

Teaching 1010

English 1010 is a reading/writing course designed specifically to teach students how to read and write for an academic audience. As you can see from course goals and objectives as well as the text, the course focuses on learning how to read and write academic essays and to think critically and discuss objectively the assigned and self-selected topics. For a majority of 1010 students, this class is their first experience in a college classroom. They still have lingering ideas of what school should be based on their recent high school experiences. English 1010 is designed to immediately challenge their conceptions of education while giving them the tools to succeed in their college experience.  

The goal of English 1010 is to help students understand the difference between thinking and writing in their home discourse community and the ways of thinking and writing within an academic community. This is not to say that the home discourse community is not valid. It is to make the point that different cultures (such as the academic community of the University) require different ways of dealing with information. Upon learning a secondary discourse (college) many 1010 students find acculturation very difficult. By utilizing their primary discourse to understand their secondary discourse, you as a teacher can better help them transition while learning a lot about how amazing these students are. 

Your Teaching Schedule 

You will not receive your teaching schedule until the week of August 22nd. All English 1010 classes are taught throughout the day on MWF. We randomly assign new GIs to these classes and then encourage the GIs to trade classes among themselves so each person can make a workable schedule. Graduate classes are usually offered in the evenings on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday or online.  

Your Students

Most of your students are typical first-year college students: 18 years old and fresh from high school. For many, this is their first time away from home, with all the freedoms and problems this entails. Few of your students will have written or read academic essays in high school, so your job is to teach them how to do this. However, most students have written quite a bit in high school, but typically in English classes and typically more creative and poetic types of writing. We work hard to help students understand the differences between essays and "stories." We also help students to develop their creative side by giving them liberty on certain writing assignments. The job of English 1010 is not only to differentiate between creative and academic writing but to show how both can be used to come to a greater understanding of writing as a craft.  

We spend little time directly teaching "grammar" in English 1010. However, if students cannot demonstrate standard written English, we need to help them out through a combination of individual instruction, trips to the Writing Center, and work on online modules.  

Students who earned a 3 or higher on the AP exam or who scored a 29 or higher on the ACT are automatically given credit for English 1010 and are not required to take it. Some students may have taken English 1010 as seniors in high school through concurrent enrollment courses. So the students you'll be teaching are (for the most part) average just-out-of-high-school kids who have little experience with academic writing and the kinds of critical thinking it requires. But they are generally delightful students who are interested in learning and being successful. You will enjoy working with them very much and be amazed at the progress they make during the semester. The average USU first year student has a composite score of 24 or higher on the ACT, so they are truly ready for an intense, intellectually challenging experience. 

 If you successfully teach your students to read and write academic essays, they will be eternally grateful to you, bless your name, and call you their best teacher in all the world. They will be like goslings: they will imprint upon you, and you will have the opportunity to help them become successful college students for which they will always thank you.  

Here are the kinds of comments from students we want to see on your teaching evaluations:

 The teacher's teaching methodology was A+. She performed the incredible feat of making English fun! In junior high and high school, this was unheard of. But she used many diverse tools to bring me a meaningful and exciting English experience. The teacher showed personal interest in each of us, had a great sense of humor, and knew the course content seemingly flawlessly. The teacher gave excellent writing examples, debates, activities, and discussions. I'll give her a 4.1 GPA for this course!  

I was overly impressed at the way the teacher was willing to help us after class with any thing that we needed. I went to the teacher's office countless times for help revising my papers. The teacher would go over my paper with me so I understood why something needed to be changed, or if I did well in a certain aspect of writing.

 I really enjoyed having this teacher. He has always been approachable, and gives me confidence as a writer. He never makes anyone feel dumb because of the questions that they asked. He wasn't necessarily a hard teacher, but he challenged everyone on his or her individual skill level. He always made me feel welcome when I came to talk to him in his office.