catesol22_plenary-ruecker
Friday Plenary
Enacting a Critical Pragmatist Approach in our Programs and Classrooms
Todd Ruecker, Associate Professor and Core Writing Program Director, University of Nevada, Reno
Friday, September 30, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
This presentation describes how enacting a critical approach in the classroom while also teaching privileged varieties of English does not have to be an either/or affair. The presenter will begin by providing an overview of important scholarship in applied linguistics, TESOL, and composition studies, including work on translanguaging or translingualism, labor-based grading, and critical language awareness. He will also critique state-level policies and mandates, especially around assessment, that pressure K-12 teachers into avoiding a critical approach in their classroom. Finally, he will draw on his work directing and teaching in a university first-year writing program, referencing his own experience as a teacher, examples from student writing, and data collected via surveys and interviews.
Todd Ruecker is Associate Professor of English and Director of Core Writing at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research is primarily focused on investigating issues surrounding the increasing linguistic and cultural diversity of education worldwide and working to transform educational institutions and writing classrooms. He has published a number of book chapters and articles along with several collections and a monograph.