- Reagan Henderson, Sr. Lecturer at Eastern Washington University: teaches required composition classes, primarily English 201, which is an advanced composition course involving reading, doing research, and writing a researched argument paper.
- Denise Lambert, English Instructor at Spokane Community College: teaches both developmental and college level writing classes(English 096, 097, 099, 101, and 102)
- Frank Newman, ELD teacher at Lewis and Clark High School: teaches low intermediate English Language Learners who have typically been in the United States for 4 years or less.
Professional Experience
Reagan Henderson: I am in my eighth year at EWU. Although I primarily teach advanced composition now, I used to teach English 100 often, which is our developmental class. I also work with the EWU College in the Classroom program as a faculty mentor, which involves visiting high school teachers who teach our curriculum, and I hold a secondary education teaching credential in English. All of this is to say that I am highly interested in bridging the gap between high school and college. Additionally, many of my students are nontraditional; some are veterans, immigrants, parents, and first generation college students, and they have diverse struggles. Through observation and discussions in my cohort, it became clear that all of our students struggle with close reading and comprehension. Students leap to offer their opinion on what may be a misinterpretation of a text, so we thought focusing on reading comprehension could benefit students at all levels.
Denise Lambert: I am in my 31st year of teaching English at Spokane Community College. I have devoted most of my career at SCC to teaching our developmental writing and reading courses. Our campus is centrally located in Spokane and draws students with a wide range of abilities and skills. Many need to sharpen their writing and reading skills before they can be successful at the college level. This population is interesting to work with because a teacher can see very clearly the gains the students make in just 10-11 weeks of classwork. Over the years I have noticed that reading is a most essential skill for college work and many students lack reading experience and reading skills. The template we designed and implemented was intended to help students identify the thesis , or central point, of a document and distinguish other aspects of the piece that aid in the development of that central point.
Frank Newman: I am in my twenty-seventh year of teaching English Language Learners. I have taught at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. I am primarily interested in how best to educate English language learners. To that end, I have tried my best to keep up with current trends in ELL pedagogy. Currently, I am focused on how educational technology, 21st education, and globalized education can influence current teaching practices. I am most bothered by how institutions do not understand how to work with and best support immigrant and refugee students. This is why I joined this project. Since reading is the most important factor in college success, our focus on close reading seemed natural and most appropriate.
