The Sound of Silence: When Students Don’t Respond to Thoughtful Questions There’s a moment every instructor dreads—the moment when you pose a question, one designed to invite engagement, self-reflection, or critical thought, and instead, you are met with silence. Not just a pause for thinking, but an enduring, uncomfortable quiet. Eyes drop to notebooks, a […]
Inquiries for Dissensus by Lisa Blansett and Marie Nour Nakhle
“Inquiry” is one of those words that you encounter almost on the daily if you teach for First-Year Writing. You’ve probably been told over and over that our program foregrounds inquiry. But what do we mean? And why? For our purposes, an inquiry is a question that grammatically and socially invites a response. An inquiry—the […]
My Student’s Voice by Anh Le
I wanted to be as men wanted that I was: an attempt at life; a game of hide-and-seek with myself. But I was made of presents, and my feet, flat on the promising land they couldn’t resist walking backwards, And they kept going, going, mocking the ashes to reach the kiss of the new paths. […]
2024 Conference on the Teaching of Writing
UConn First-Year Writing presents the 19th annual Conference on the Teaching of Writing Counterstories, Co-Conspirators, and Composition Saturday, April 20, 2024 University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut
Assistant Professor in Residence Position Open
The Department of English at the University of Connecticut invites applications for one position teaching first-year writing at the rank of Assistant Professor in Residence, renewable annually based on funding and performance. This position will begin on August 23, 2024, and will be located at the UConn Storrs campus. Click to learn more about the […]
Ask @UConnFYW: Letters of Recommendation
During the spring semester, FYW began a new social media initiative called Ask @UConnFYW to create a space for informal dialogue and information exchange across our community. Our first post solicited questions and comments about letters of recommendation. Now, check out responses to those questions from Ellen Carillo, Professor of English and Writing Coordinator at the […]
Welcome from new Assistant Director, Marie Nour Nakhle
Hello, FYW Community! I am thrilled to be taking on the position of First-Year Writing Assistant Director for the next two years, and I’m looking forward to working closely with all the members of our wonderful community. I want to start by giving a big thank you to Luisana. I have to admit, I am […]
UConn Waterbury Students’ Bad Ideas About Writing
by Ellen C. Carillo On February 29, on the Waterbury campus, I hosted an event titled “Bad Ideas About Writing Live!” The event featured the writing of students in ENGL 2013W: Introduction to Writing Studies. Students developed their own “bad idea about writing” and presented them before an audience comprised of staff, students, and OLLI […]
Re-Engaging Students
by Kelly Coons Let’s set the scene. You’re midway through the semester—one or two projects down, so two or one project to go. Most of your class is along for the ride. Key word: most. One of your students has disappeared over the course of the semester. You reached out to the student over email, […]
Transforming Feedback Practices with Screencast Video
By Sarah DeCapua & Heon Jeon On February 28, we had the pleasure of co-leading a workshop for FYW instructors called “Transforming Feedback Practices through the Use of Screencast Video Feedback in Second Language (L2) Writing Classrooms.” This workshop came about as a result of our investigation into using screencast video feedback to respond to […]