Are we doing enough for the students in Developmental Writing Classes?

Developmental Education: Criticisms, Benefits and Survival Strategies
Research & Teaching in Developmental Education, Fall 2005 by Shields, Darla J

Benefits of Developmental Education

"Developmental education benefits students, institutions that provide it, and society at large. Developmental education's goal is to develop a student's skills in order to prepare him or her for college-level courses. Developmental education utilizes a variety of academic and psychological support services to prepare students. Support services often associated with developmental education include assessment, placement, orientation, tutoring, advising, counseling, peer support, early intervention programs, study skills training, learning assistance centers, Supplemental Instruction, support groups, freshman seminars, and learning community clusters. These services provide under-prepared students opportunities to compete for skilled positions in the workforce" (Shields).


After teaching in a learning community for over five years, there are benefits to a student who is enrolled in developmental writing classes as part of a learning community. One of the elements that needs focusing in the developmental classroom is study skills, particularly with critical thinking skills and reading skills. Even though these fundamental strategies are taught in introductory seminars, it is vital to help the students in a writing class read as writers, rather than looking for generic material.


And more from the Shield article, with heavy emphasis placed on our role as developmental writing instructors:

Survival Strategies for Developmental Education
In order for developmental education programs to survive, institutions must take proactive measures. Recruiting, hiring and developing the best faculty may be the single most important element (Smittle, 2003). Important attributes of successful developmental educators include command of the subject matter, knowledge of adult learning theory, the ability to vary instruction, the ability to implement technology, the skill to integrate practical classroom and laboratory exercises, and a true desire to teach developmental classes. Instructors need to understand subsequent curriculum in order to adequately prepare the students for upcoming courses and they should assess students in a variety of ways based on knowledge of future course work. Effective teachers should also communicate high expectations for all students and respect diverse talents.


So the question remains, are we doing enough as teachers?

Developmental students often require more support (affective and cognitive) and structure than other students (Rouche & Rouche, 1999) and they often suffer more insecurities and anxieties. They need instructors who can foster a supportive, nurturing environment and relate material to them in ways that teach them to not only learn the material, but to learn how to monitor their own learning, to think critically and strategically, and, most importantly, to appreciate the subject.

The developmental instructor should make every attempt to build relationships with each student. Developmental students often demand much more from instructors than other students, thus requiring a strong, compassionate, supportive instructor who has a genuine desire to teach developmental classes to diverse students.