ESL 100 Spring 23 Syllabus-CNguyen
ESL 100: ESL College Composition-Open for Antiracism (OFAR)
Overview
The Open for Antiracism (OFAR) Program – co-led by CCCOER and College of the Canyons – emerged as a response to the growing awareness of structural racism in our educational systems and the realization that adoption of open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy could be transformative at institutions seeking to improve. The program is designed to give participants a workshop experience where they can better understand anti-racist teaching and how the use of OER and open pedagogy can empower them to involve students in the co-creation of an anti-racist classroom. The capstone project involves developing an action plan for incorporating OER and open pedagogy into a course being taught in the spring semester. OFAR participants are invited to remix this template to design and share their projects and plans for moving this work forward.
Action Plan
Describe how OER and open pedagogy help your class to be antiracist here.
Previously, I required students to purchase a textbook called Rereading America. A new edition of this textbook would cost them anywhere from $60-$90. This was inaccessible for many students. This was a financial barrier that prevented my students from succeeding in my classroom, and OFAR helped me realize that.
This semester, I've removed this financial barrier and have provided students with access to free readings. I provided PDF's and web links to articles. I also printed out physical copies of the readings.
Another change I made was the essay prompts I assigned. Before, my class focused on unpacking and analyzing ideas surrounding race, class, gender, and education. I received negative feedback from my students that my assignments felt "heavy" and "sad and depressing." Instead of empowering them, as I had hoped, I was reminding them of the struggles they have faced and continue to face in their everyday lives. My students are second language learners--and so they are members of a marginalized group that struggle to thrive in a society that was not built for their success.
This semester, I decided to focus on mental health. We began the semester by talking about procrastination, which is something anyone can relate to. People procrastinate largely because they are struggling with regulating negative emotions. The second essay was focused on the importance of having access to natural spaces. A large benefit of having access to natural spaces is improved mental health. The final essay prompt required students to research a self-care strategy, have them practice it, and record their experiences in their essay. During the last few weeks of class, I taught my students different mindfulness practices which I practiced with them. Students responded positively.
Course Description
ESL 100: ESL College Composition
Course Description
This course is for second-language learners and is equivalent to English 100. The emphasis is on in-class essay writing (thesis, body, and concluding paragraph development), applying analytical and critical thinking into research-based papers, as well as using annotated college-level readings as supporting evidence. An additional focus is on second-language grammar, syntactical structure, and academic vocabulary.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of ESL 100, the student should be able to:
- Articulate clear, logical and adequately supported ideas in an in-class essay that is effectively organized and satisfactorily edited, using correct sentence structure
- Demonstrate comprehension of college-level readings by annotating and using them in essays and research-based papers.
Antiracist Assignment
Describe your antiracist assignment or module.
The following essay prompt asks students to reflect on why it is important for everyone to have access to natural spaces. Leading up to the due date, students were asked to complete lower-stakes assignments and discussions that helped them build and complete their essays. We discussed how marginalized groups and low-income communities have less access to nature, and how that affects their mental, emotional, and physical health. Here is the prompt:
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Using cited ideas from at least 3 reputable sources, write a thesis-driven essay that responds to the following question:
Why is it important for humans to have access to natural spaces?
- For this essay, we will all be using "Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health" by Jim Robbins as our main source and it should be used in at least one of your body paragraphs. You must also use at least two other sources, and one must be from the databases.
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This essay prompt was written by Stefani Okonyan, an English professor at Fullerton College, who has given me permission to share this prompt. You may contact her: sokonyan@fullcoll.edu