As writing teachers, we are all taking stock of how the pandemic years have affected our students emotionally and academically. National reading exam results are showing major deficits in students’ reading proficiencies, and teachers of all levels are noticing this shift in our classrooms as well. While we have grown in our understanding of meeting students’ emotional needs as a result of the pandemic, it is essential to have focused discussion on how to strategically address students’ literacy needs now and in the years to come. This increased concern has made the need for greater communication between high school and college English teachers even more essential.
For over four decades, Old Dominion University’s annual Spring Conference on the Teaching of Writing has invited secondary and post-secondary teachers from the Hampton Roads area and beyond to come together on ODU’s Norfolk Campus during the spring semester. This year’s conference theme highlights this history by inviting substantive discussions of what is going on in both high school and college English classrooms so that we can effectively support students as they navigate this crucial academic transition. We look forward to highlighting and celebrating what we do in our writing classrooms and learning from one another during the conference.
We invite conference proposals that explore topics like:
- How do you teach, compose, and/or assign reading/writing with the purpose of encouraging transfer, whether from high school to college or first-year and beyond?
- What assignments, projects, activities have been particularly effective at either preparing students for college reading/writing or transferring high school experiences with reading/writing into the college classroom?
- What typical worries do students share with you about transitioning to college?
- What do you wish college professors knew about teaching high school students?
- What do you wish high school teachers knew about teaching first-year composition?
- What are the skills that some new college students seem to lack? What activities or assignments have you designed to help them develop those skills?
Proposal Types
We invite you to submit a 150-word proposal for interactive workshops, presentations, and teacher-to-teacher roundtable discussions that connect with the conference’s theme. Submissions will be selected based on their merit, innovation, and relevance.
Interactive workshops may be assigned to 45 or 75 minute time slots. They should provide a hands-on approach to some topic or assignment and can have as many facilitators as is necessary to adequately carry out the proposed activities.
Presentations or panel discussions may be assigned to 45 or 75 minute time slots. There is no limit on the number of presenters in a given panel or roundtable, but please realize that the time limit remains the same regardless of the number of speakers, so time should be allocated accordingly. The final 10-15 minutes should be open for audience Q&A. A short 15-minute presentation is also an option, which the committee can combine with other presentations based on theme.
Accessibility
We endeavor to make our conference more accessible every year, and we ask that you make your presentation as accessible as possible to a wide range of bodies and minds. Presenters may consider passing out access scripts of their talks, describing the images in their PowerPoint presentations aloud, and using common language throughout–such simple moves can powerfully expand the reach of our work to people who see, hear, and express in different ways. Visit our website for more information and guidance.
