"Generation 1.5 Students in the Composition Classroom."
Presented by Evelyn Posey and Kate Mangelsdorf
Evelyn Posey and Kate Mangelsdorf's podcast discusses one important trend in composition studies which is the increasing numbers of second-language students in composition classrooms. The fastest growing segment of this population are immigrants who typically come to the United States with their families as children or adolescents. Another segment are students who were born in the U.S. but speak a language other than English in their homes. They graduate from U.S. high schools, but sometimes they struggle in college composition classes due to textbooks and curriculum that are usually aimed at modeling a Standard American usage that may not be as familiar or commonly used in the students' homes. These students are sometimes called Generation 1.5.
However, these students have much to offer composition scholars because they know how to use language in a variety of domains, making them very rhetorically savvy. Like almost all college students, they are also proficient with technology. Communication technologies are at the center of students' lives. As Generation 1.5 students enhance their technological communication skills, they develop their Standard English reading and writing skills. There are numerous advantages to using computers in composition classrooms. Word processing programs relieve some stress in the drafting process due to the availability of spelling and grammar features as well as online dictionary access. Computers also give students access to online peer review and instructor feedback opportunities. MyCompLab as well as social networks are examples of how technology can provide Generation 1.5 students with a community of resources outside of the classroom. Technology is available 24 hours a day, so students can spend hours working on their skills without the limitation of a class meeting schedule.
One strategy that Posey and Mangelsdorf discuss is called strategic redundancy. The basic principle of this strategy is to say the same thing in as many different ways or modes as possible. Not only is this helpful to Generation 1.5 students who are often struggling with the idiosyncratic nature of Standard American English, the technique is also beneficial to those native English speakers and writers. Key concepts are listed in the classroom, in notes, and online. Use slightly different terms in each mode allows for greater understanding across the entire spectrum of modes. Additional online resources such as the writing centers from Purdue University and the University of Colorado, as well as your campus's own writing center, are excellent tools to utilize as well.