Course: SED 653. Issues in the Teaching of Composition and Language (3)
Prerequisite: Enrollment is restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Secondary English Education program or with department permission. This is a required course for the Master of Arts degree in Secondary English Education. Students learn about effective composition and language instruction and how to apply those instructional practices in their classrooms. Seminar discussions, readings from the professional literature and course activities provide students with both the theoretical background and practical applications for teaching composing in many genres. Additionally, students develop nuanced understandings of conventional language and how it changes. Readings and discussion include attention to the development and influences of dialects, creoles and pidgins. Students examine linguistic topics such as register and code-shifting. Finally, students examine effective pedagogies to help their students develop conventional and academic language use as appropriate.