[Margaret W. Ferguson]

Convention Sessions and President’s Column

As many of you know, I focused on the Common Core Standards Initiative in my recent column.

Members of this group may also be interested in the following sessions at the 2015 convention in Vancouver:

Session 160: The End of Remediation?

Thursday, 8 January, 7:00–8:15 p.m., 224, VCC West

Program arranged by the MLA Committee on Community Colleges

Presiding: Frederick L. De Naples, Bronx Community Coll., City Univ. of New York

1. “The End of Mere Remediation: Successful Developmental Education,” Eleanor Sumpter-Latham, Central Oregon Community Coll.
2. “The Accelerated Learning Program: A Bridge to Somewhere,” Susan Gabriel, Community Coll. of Baltimore County, MD
3. “Remediation: The Eleven-Letter Dirty Word,” Tracy Daraviras, Guttman Community Coll., City Univ. of New York

Session 202: Who Defines College Readiness? The Common Core State Standards and the Future of English Studies

Friday, 9 January, 8:30–9:45 a.m., 109, VCC West

Program arranged by the Office of the Executive Director

Presiding: Patricia Howell Michaelson, Univ. of Texas, Dallas; Donna L. Pasternak, Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Speakers: Barbara L. Cambridge, National Council of Teachers of English; Elizabeth Gonsalves, Abington High School, MA; Kelly Mays, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas; Louann Reid, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins; Catharine Roslyn Stimpson, New York Univ.

Session Description:

Stakeholders discuss the role of university faculty members in addressing the CCSS. How will the CCSS affect both literature and English education majors? Do the concepts of reading taught in the CCSS prepare students for college-level work? What is missing from the CCSS? How can we reach out to colleagues in secondary schools to support their work in preparing students for college?

Session 478: Reading, Complexity, and the Common Core

Saturday, 10 January, 10:15–11:30 a.m., 109, VCC West

Program arranged by the MLA Executive Council

Presiding: Margaret W. Ferguson, Univ. of California, Davis

1. “The Common Core: Are Forensics Enough?” David Steiner, Hunter Coll., City Univ. of New York
2. “The Common Core and the Evasion of Curriculum,” John David Guillory, New York Univ.
3. “The Many Colors of Complexity,” Michael Holquist, Yale Univ.

Session Description:

As the Common Core State Standards are about to be implemented nationwide, several aspects of the guidelines remain controversial. Framers of the new program have insisted they are aware improvements might be made, and they have asked for broader discussion. In the materials devoted to the English language arts standards in the Common Core, no subject is addressed at greater length than “complexity,” particularly as it relates to reading. This session explores that concept from a range of perspectives and aims to foster discussion among secondary school and college teachers in the MLA about strengths and weaknesses in the Common Core as it goes forward.

Finally, if you are a member of the Delegate Assembly, please read DAOC Chair Julie Rak’s letter (sent September 25) inviting members to tell her if they are interested in working on a new Delegate Assembly Committee that would partner with the current Executive Council planning subcommittee on K-16 education to share ideas (and action plans) brainstorm about ways in which the MLA could support collaborations among high school and college teachers. Such collaborations could focus on Common Core issues as these affect teachers in your local area; or the collaborations could focus on issues that concern us as teachers of the humanities.

Yours cordially,
Margie Ferguson
President, MLA

[Stacey Lee Donohue]

Found via Twitter: Doug Hesse’s Powerpoint presentation on the Common Core from a recent conference at the University of Maryland: http://portfolio.du.edu/dhesse

[Don H. Bialostosky]

I hope session papers will be linked to this discussion group.  Can’t attend but very interested in furthering this discussion,  “Close reading” as well as complexity is a topic that warrants our attention.  A colleague and I have begun planning a book for teachers that makes a rich and accessible version of that practice available for the schools.  We need to think about how to reach English teachers in the schools and in training with whatever help we can muster.

[Charlotte Pressler]

I’d like to second  Don H. Bialostosky’s request that session papers be linked to this discussion group.

[Author]

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