Center for Teaching & Learning

In this interactive session, we will explore how to design, scaffold, and respond to writing assignments in ways that are in line with our commitments to equity and inclusion. We will see examples of writing assignments across disciplines that draw out the assets of multilingual and international writers, and will review strategies that can ensure that all of our students are set up for success throughout the writing process. We will then consider how to respond to and evaluate student writing in ways that are both effective and affirming for writers of all language backgrounds. Throughout the discussion, we will reference the framework of Critical Language Awareness, an approach to writing instruction that prioritizes students’ self-reflection and rhetorical agency, and promotes social justice in the academy and beyond. There will be opportunities for Q/A at multiple points in the session.

This workshop is facilitated by Shawna Shapiro, associate professor of writing and linguistics and Director of Middlebury College’s Writing and Rhetoric Program. Her research focuses on college transitions and innovative writing pedagogies, especially for international and immigrant-background students. Her 2022 book, Cultivating Critical Language Awareness in the Writing Classroom, is published by Routledge.