The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) held its annual convention on April 3-6 in Spokane and six of our wonderful colleagues were there to enjoy fellowship and enriching conversations on writing pedagogy (the whole group is pictured above).
A unanimous highlight for the group was Lisa Swan and Tesla Schaeffer’s standing room only panel presentation on their “Mining Reading” approach. Employing a metaphor and play on words, mining reading captures, in Lisa’s words, “the uncomfortable and productive tension between reading for understanding and reading for use value,” or “between ‘mining’ or digging into existing conversations and ‘mine-ing’ [possessive sense] or cultivating agency in interpreting texts for a rhetorical purpose.” Emphasizing that students need to be aware of why they are reading a text when they engage in research, Lisa and Tesla presented findings from their study that explored students’ approaches to and experience of their mining reading approach.
“Arguably the talk of Cs,” praised Valerie Kinsey.
“I've already incorporated the concept of ‘mine-ing’ into the TiC in PWR1!” said Katherine Rothschild.
“Lisa and Tesla's focus on reading prompted me to reflect upon under-examined assumptions I have about students' absorption in, experiences of, and engagements with texts,” said Alexander Greenhough.
Lisa shared, “The presentation was a fun full circle moment. Sarah Pittock, Tesla, and I were set to present on reading at the Cs in March 2020 but ended up writing papers and not presenting at all because of Covid…It was such a positive experience to return to researching and presenting.” In hearty agreement, Tesla added, “We learned so much from the other presenters as well!”
Indeed, the program featured several illuminating presentations. Kath Rothschild spoke on a panel on combating linguistic bias, offering strategies to engage in difficult conversations about problematic terminology and more linguistically just options. Alex said, "Kath's focus on language use, in and outside the classroom, was a critical reminder to consider the impact of word choice on perceptions and constructions of shared social realities."
Coming to his first 4Cs, Alex attended a range of sessions to learn more about current teaching practices and research in rhetoric and composition. He described one titled, "Autoethnography Alongside: Inviting Relationality into Ethnography," that featured both free-writing and small-group discussions. “The presenters modeled an invitational, collaborative approach to thinking through the relationships and connections between research, composition, and writers' identities and life experiences.”
Returning to 4Cs for the first time since Covid, Valerie reflected, “It was good to be back…I attended multiple strong panels covering student absenteeism, academic integrity, and human composition practices. I learned a ton and came back energized.” In addition to invigorating conversations about writing pedagogy, our colleagues had fun exploring the town and connecting over lunches, drinks and dinner. “Lisa, Alex and I had a lovely dinner together Wednesday evening at a local Mexican hotspot,” said Valerie. “We liked it so much, we brought everyone back the next night (Tesla, Christine, Kath)."
Kath recalled, “We found a speakeasy and it was very 1920s feeling. I wish I'd had a flapper dress. Spokane also has a shop called Boo Radley's, a toy shop echoing Boo Radley's character's gifts for Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Spokane’s natural beauty was yet another highlight. Check out Alex’s photo of Spokane Falls:
Toward the end of the trip, Valerie was struck by a surreal surprise: “The weird but true moment came on Friday morning when I awoke to a light snow.”
No doubt this year’s 4Cs was packed with positive vibes and teaching inspiration. Considering attending Cs in the future? Kath summed up the benefits this way: “CCCCs is a great place to find writing community beyond our colleagues and with them as well!” Next year’s convention will be in Baltimore, Maryland on April 9-12, on the theme, “Computer Love”: Extended Play, B-sides, Remix, Collaboration, and Creativity. You can read the CFP here.
