Southeast Missouri State University: Department of English

teach beginning composition and/or ESOL courses,
- Teaching assistants participate in a four-part program of training and supervision throughout their tenure at Southeast
- Part I: Orientation (EN600)
  - New teaching assistants are introduced tot he theories of composition that form the foundation of teaching practices, with emphasis upon the cognitive development of the composition students' thought processes as manifested in their writing.
  - The introduction to theory is followed by application in classroom practices.
  - TAs have access to a videotape library of one section of first-year composition taught by one teaching assistant.
  - TAs are introduced to the role of technology in the composition classroom, preparing them for computer-assisted instruction in their professional careers.
  - The manual for teaching assistants, Dr. Staff, is discussed in detail. This manual provides guidelines for professional conduct and classroom management; sample essays; and various documents relating to teaching practices, campus resources, and university policies.
  - At the end of the orientation, each teaching assistant produces a syllabus and a course outline based on the departmental syllabus, the rhetoric text, and the theories and applications presented during the orientation.
- Part II: The First Semester Seminar (EN651)
  - The first semester seminar introduces assistants to the professional literature regarding some of the basic concerns of teaching, such as making assignments, setting up and conducting peer workshops, conferencing, and evaluating essays. Specific activities include
    1. Writing informal research papers
    2. Discussions of immediate issues arising from the assistants' experiences within their classrooms
    3. Creation of a personal "Teaching Journal"
- Part III: The Second Semester Seminar (EN652)
  - The second semester seminar examines the history of the teaching of composition, profiles of master teachers, and commentaries by practicing professional writers. Specific activities include
    1. Informal oral reports on the history of teaching composition
    2. Informal oral reports on teaching profiles and professional writers
    3. Discussions of immediate issues arising from the assistants' experiences within their classrooms
    4. Creation of a revised "Teaching Journal"
- Part IV: Ongoing Supervisory Activities
  - Each Teaching Assistant meets with the supervisor throughout each term to discuss various activities and map strategies for improvement of instruction. Activities include
    1. Examining student evaluations and grade profiles
    2. Arranging and discussing classroom observations
    3. Discussing self-analysis of videotaped class sessions
    4. Analyzing samples of essay responses and grading techniques
    5. Discussing end-of-term self-analysis
    6. Discussing summative evaluation
tutor for the Writing Center,
- TAs have the opportunity to tutor in the Writing Center, a unit of the School of University and Graduate Studies. Tutoring in the Writing Center is not only valuable professional experience, but also provides classroom teachers with greater insight into the students’ perspective than may be gained by conferring with students in their own courses alone. Training sessions conducted by the director of the center focus on topics of practical interest to tutors: conferencing technique, writing across the curriculum, ways of addressing technical concerns, and the special needs of international students and students with learning disabilities.
serve as a research assistant in the Faulkner Center,
- Teaching Assistants who are concentrating in literature have the opportunity of serving as a research assistant for at least one semester in the Faulkner Center. The Center was established to serve the Louis Brodsky, Jr., Faulkner Collection, one of the three major collections of Faulkner materials in the world. RAs have “hands-on” experience with the original materials, first editions, and correspondence received and created by Faulkner. Recently, RAs participated in creation of the Faulkner Encyclopedia. Thus, our RAs have a rare opportunity to work with a major collection of a world-class member of belles-lettres.
and/or serve as a research assistant in the Southeast Missouri State University Press.
- Teaching Assistants who are concentrating in writing and publishing have the opportunity of serving as a research assistant for at least one semester in the Southeast Missouri State University Press. The prerequisite is either prior experience in literary publishing or a 3 hour Independent Studies in Small-press Publishing prior to the assistantship. The RA has the opportunity to work with our award-winning literary journal Big Muddy, with the production and marketing of full-length book manuscripts, and with writing professional book reviews for publication.

For teaching assistant applications, contact

Dr. Missy Nieveen-Phegley

Supervisor of English TAs

English Department

MS 2650

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

Phone: 573.651.2633

FAX: 573.651.5188

mphegley@semo.edu

http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/mphegley/

Applications due February 15th, 2009

Last Updated 20 February 2004 by Dave Reinheimer

Last Updated 12 September 2008 by Michelle Crosnoe