Beth L. Hewett consults in online and traditional writing programs and writing center development. She is co-author of Preparing Educators for Online Writing Instruction: Principles and Processes (NCTE, 2004), co-editor of Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, and co-editor of English Studies: Innovative Professional Paths (Erlbaum, 2006). She recently has completed extensive research into asynchronous and synchronous conference-based online writing instruction from which she has developed a book for secondary and post-secondary English and WAC educators who teach in online settings. Beth was an initial developer and first director of the online writing program for Smarthinking, Inc. She has special interest in the articulation between high school and college English programs and how to help students succeed as writers and readers during these years.
View Beth Hewett's Resume/Vita, Publications and Workshops.
Level: 9-16
- Preparation and delivery of online writing instruction
- Training program and writing center administration and/or training in traditional and online settings
- Research/evaluation of online writing programs
- Assignment development and scaffolding
- Cross disciplinary writing at secondary and college levels
Technology and English Studies: Innovative Professional Paths
Preparing Educators for Online Writing Instruction: Principles and Processes
Working with Writers Online
Ideal for WAC or English professionals, this workshop uses the principles of investigation, individualization, immersion, association, and reflection to help educators respond to student writing in online settings. Beth introduces some of the characteristics of writing instruction through asynchronous and synchronous online platforms, and she provides examples and suggestions for responding to student writing in a variety of settings. Using models and providing online practice with the host institution’s software, she enables participants to work both individually and collaboratively to develop outcomes and to practice useful instructional responses.
Variations of this workshop can be developed for both secondary and post-secondary audiences:
- Teaching through Text
- Conferencing in Tutorial Settings
- Subject-Specific Strategies for Online Writing Instruction (for example, architecture, biology, or psychology)
- Aligning the Goals of an Online and Traditional Writing Program
Maximal Feedback in Minimal Time
Research has shown that giving students formative feedback helps them to become better writers. However, particularly in secondary school settings, teachers have limited time to comment on student writing drafts. Using contemporary research, Beth will review some of the most useful ways to provide and maximize formative feedback using minimal time: strategic marking; focusing on “HOCs” and “LOCs”; commenting from the “inside out”; and addressing fluency, form, and correctness. Teachers can employ these strategies through comments on student papers, in individual conferences, within writing groups, and among peer response groups in both traditional oral and online settings. Participants will have opportunities to practice these strategies, with time for discussion of their experiences. Beth will individualize this workshop for either secondary or post-secondary settings.