Teaching Writing Certificate Program

Chairperson
Dr. Daniel R. Bronson

Certificate in Teaching Writing: Why?

The Graduate Certificate Program in Teaching Writing is designed to familiarize students with the guiding research, theory, and practice of composition studies, a discipline devoted to developing successful pedagogical practices for teaching writing across age, background, and ability.  As many new teachers discover when they enter the classroom, English teachers are often under-exposed to theories and practices of writing instruction as part of their graduate or teacher preparatory programs.  This certificate program aims to address this gap in teacher preparation at a time when national and state mandates for effective writing instruction are at an all-time high.  The curriculum for the program bridges the secondary and college divide, responding to persistent calls for better communication between secondary and higher education faculty, and greater support for students transitioning from high school to college.

Consonant with recent thinking in the field, the program holds the following objectives:
◦  Students will learn techniques for teaching planning, drafting, revision, and editing
◦  Students will learn how to conduct one-on-one conferences and implement peer review models in the classroom
◦  Students will understand and apply various methodologies for teacher research on writing and writing processes
◦  Students will explore the challenges of marginalized writers and learn how to facilitate their writing development
◦  Students will study methods of evaluation and assessment of writing
◦  Students will gain a foundational understanding of rhetorical theories and their impact on writing techniques and pedagogies
◦  Students will be prepared to meet, or will become familiar with, the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standard in Writing, specifically Standard 3.2 (Writing).

Teachers and prospective teachers of middle school, high school, and college are especially invited to apply for this program.   The faculty who teach the required courses are engaged with work at these levels, and have designed courses for which the interchange between college, high school, and middle school teachers enables greater understanding of where our individual students have been, and also to where they need to go.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM

The certificate program consists of four courses taken over a one- to two-year period, depending on individual student pace.  All graduate level courses are credit bearing and all will be taught on campus through the English Department.

FACULTY

The faculty are part of the regular English Department faculty, all specialists in composition, rhetoric, teacher education, and/or writing.  Core faculty in the composition/rhetoric sequence include Emily Isaacs, Melinda Knight, Jessica Restaino and Bob Whitney.   Additional faculty with specializations in literature, writing and English Education who have taught the core courses recently include Rita Jacobs, Sharon Lewis, Jim Nash, and Laura Nicosia.

ADMISSION

While we would like the program to be accessible to interested students, we are committed to a thoughtful admissions process.  Certificate students should be active participants in our graduate courses, capable of sophisticated reading and thinking. Accordingly, we will require prospective students to submit the following materials to be eligible for admission: undergraduate transcript; a writing sample (either a paper written for a college-level course or a teaching philosophy statement); one recommendation letter from a professional familiar with their intellectual abilities.  GRE scores, if available, may be submitted, but are not required.

DEADLINES

Applications are processed within one month of when they are received.  This program does not have a specific deadline; however, we recommend that student submit applications as far in advance as possible for the semester they plan to begin their studies to ensure a timely review of their application.

TO APPLY TO THIS PROGRAM, PLEASE VISIT http://www.montclair.edu/graduate/prospective/app.shtml