FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: SARAH PRIESTER
COMPOSITION PEDAGOGY FOR THE STUDENT-READY HBCU’S
Imagine Frederick Douglass as a student in today’s HBCU composition classes. Would these classes produce the same kinds of well-crafted writings we so proudly applaud today? Would today’s instruction meet the tremendous demands of his needs? Furthermore, would this instruction catapult him into the prolific writer he ultimately became? Such lofty possibilities can be
50 | HBCU Times 2020 Winter Issue
realized but only if our HBCU composition classes operate as student-ready classrooms. So, what exactly is a student-ready classroom? To understand this concept, a student-ready college must first be understood. The book, Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success, uses the language student-ready to mean practices that “ensure student success by working strategically and holistically to advance students by reversing perspectives on college readiness and working tirelessly to educate all students…..” (McNair, Tia, et al. 5). This idea challenged institutions to ask new questions: Rather than asking, “Are students ready for college?” The real question should be, “Are colleges ready for students that are coming to them?” In the same manner, compositionists should ask themselves if they are indeed ready for the students entering their classrooms. Are their composition classes ready to bear the deficiencies most students bring to college? Are they capable of addressing and eradicating those “marked disadvantages,” that Douglass so poignantly used to define his circumstances? One may but imagine the possibility of student-ready pedagogy eliminating the weaknesses of Frederick Douglass especially after witnessing his amazing transformation. He evolved from a weak, incapable writer to an eloquent, effective communicator. By implementing this revolutionary idea, along with other effective strategies, the legacy and future of our HBCU’s are sure to be preserved. Like the priceless instruction Douglass received, today’s composition classes can produce competent, authoritative writers when the tradition of student-ready instruction is adopted to meet the very real needs of all students. Here is what that instruction looks like: Since success comes from consistently practicing good habits, composition instruction should habitually incorporate embedded tutoring and justin time support (Remediation: Higher Education’s Bridge to Nowhere 2012). Just as highly effective people practice good habits, effective compositionists practice the habit of organizing their classes into three distinct sections, sections that navigate students through the learning cycle to address and meet their needs. Let’s call these sections the pre-learning, learning, and post-learning stages. During the pre-learning stage, time is spent (approximately ten to twelve minutes) addressing and eliminating deficiencies revealed through diagnostic testing. Embedded tutoring in the form of mini lessons is designed to give deliberate attention to these deficiencies. Weaknesses in grammar, mechanics, content/ development, voice, and organization, just to name a few, can be eliminated if this technique is properly engaged. This is also an excellent time to address Praxis Core grammar skills in a focused, strategic manner for Education Majors. Consider the limited time young Frederick had with his playmates. Think about the enormous risks he took to learn; mini lessons were obviously effective and efficient in laying the foundation he would later build upon.
