1. Preparing the Two-Year College
Instructor of English
an argument for specialized teacher preparation
e-poster by Sarah Spangler
2. ARGUMENT
• Pedagogy courses for post-secondary
instruction in English Studies are necessary.
• A "one-shot" teacher preparation course is
not enough.
• Teacher preparation should address cross-
institutional learner diversity and needs.
• Universities should take responsibility for
preparing MA students for cross-institutional
teaching.
3. BACKGROUND
• We need to more overtly acknowledge and teach toward a slower, more
recursive, and more extended learning process for new writing teachers.
(Estrem & Reid, 2012)
• [O]ne graduate pedagogy seminar is not and cannot be a one-shot
teaching inoculation. (Estrem & Reid, 2012)
• MA and PhD programs in English need to foster cross-institutional dialogue
among many types of higher education institutions so that graduate
students have some idea of the varied world of higher education before
they seek entrance into these worlds. (Murphy, 2001)
• [R]ecent graduates of master’s and doctoral programs…have not been
appropriately prepared by traditional English graduate degree programs to
confront and address effectively the needs of two-year college students.
4. RECOMMENDATION
• A specialized, master's/doctoral-level course
emphasizing the unique instructional setting and cultural
diversity of the two-year college.
• Alliances between graduate degree-granting institutions
& local two-year colleges.
• Graduate internships at local two-year colleges (see
Buck & MacGregor, 2001; Murphy, 2001; Murphy,
Aiossa, & Winter, 2010)
6. COURSE OBJECTIVES
Course Objectives Based on TYCEA's Characteristics of Effective Two-
Year College English Faculty
• Are reflective practitioners and flexible teacher-scholars
• Center their classrooms on the student
• Understand diversity and teaching to diverse ethnic, economic, and
ability populations
• Ground their teaching in theory and research
• Participate in professional community through conferences,
presentations, publications, and ongoing scholarship
Also...a module addressing the culture and learning needs of local
context.
