Collaborations Galore!

Cathy Fleischer

Is writing in math anything like writing in art? Does science writing in high school help students write in college biology classes? In order to seek answers to questions like these, EMWP is venturing into some new ground this summer—co-sponsoring a Disciplinary Literacies Institute.

For three days in June and five meetings over the next academic year, middle school, high school, and college teachers from across the disciplines will come together to explore what we mean by literacy in specific disciplines and how we might help students make smoother transitions from middle school and high school to college—particularly in the area of writing. We’re particularly excited about this work because of the partners who have joined together to create this multi-level, cross disciplinary conversation: EMWP, the Eastern Michigan University Writing Across the Curriculum Program, and the Washtenaw Writing Collaborative. In addition, we’ve been fortunate to be supported in part through a grant from the Dean’s office of EMU’s College of Arts and Sciences.

The workshop will be facilitated by Sarah Andrew-Vaughan (EMWP TC and Ann Arbor Huron High School teacher), Steve Pernecky (chemistry professor and WAC Fellow at EMU), and Cathy Fleischer (EMWP co-director and English professor at EMU). Look for reports on our work—including some web-based materials—as throughout the 2012-13 academic year!