Writing in the Discipline
Community and Public Health Promotion
1. Why or in what ways is writing important to your discipline/field/profession?
Writing is foundational in community and public health promotion. It is used to communicate from professionals to individuals and groups at both the local and population levels, as well as between professionals. It also allows professionals to meet the responsibilities and competencies stipulated by accrediting and licensing entities such as the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.
2. Which courses are designated as satisfying the WID requirement by your department? Why these courses?
The Community and Public Health Promotion (CPHP) program has designated the following courses as satisfying the WID requirement:
HPE 202 Community/Public Health and Health Promotion
HPE 303 Research in Community and Public Health
HPE 426 Internship in Community and Public Health
HPE 202 is typically taken in year one. It is required both for the major and for admission into the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development (FSHED). This course has been designated as a WID course because its writing requirements are designed to serve as a foundation for assignments in subsequent courses in the major. Students must practice and show competence in writing skills that will be applied in their Community and Public Health professions and to be accepted into the FSHED. HPE 202 provides writing opportunities to build these skills.
HPE 303 is a required course for the major, typically taken in year three. It has been designated as a WID course because in it students write a comprehensive research and argumentation paper that directly builds upon the skills from HPE 202 and prepares them to meet writing expectations in their Practicum and Internship courses (HPE 419, 426, and 429), as well as in their field.
Because HPE 426 is the culminating course of the program and requires students to show comprehensive evidence of their consolidated writing skills, we have selected this course to be the final WID class for CPHP majors. Taken during the final semester, in HPE 426 students write a capstone report that incorporates multiple formats used in the discipline, including formats not practiced in other WID courses. Students must be in the field in order to complete this assignment.
3. What forms or genres of writing will students learn and practice in your department’s WID courses? Why these genres?
In CPHP WID courses students acquire skills and practice in academic writing, professional writing, and reflective writing. Professionals in community and public health promotion write grant and other funding requests, papers for academic journals, policy papers, needs assessments and program evaluation reports, translational writing (interpreting scientific information for the public and for specific demographic groups), and advocacy statements. These genres allow professionals to obtain program funding, disseminate critical health information, implement effective health promotion programs, share research findings and build theory, provide instruction on program implementation, and engage in shared advocacy and other actions.
Academic Genres: epidemiological descriptions, literature reviews, research proposals, scientific reports, presentations, posters
Professional Genres: community needs assessments, program designs and descriptions, evaluation reports. promotional materials, employee policies and guidelines, grant proposals, policy proposal and support statements, posters, presentations
Reflective Genres: journals, response papers, philosophy statements, informal writing
Integrating genres within courses and across the program allows students to gain and demonstrate proficiency in content knowledge, professional application of skills, flexibility in audience targeting, and personal growth.
4. What kinds of teaching practices will students encounter in your department’s WID courses?
Writing is a reflexive and iterative process. The CPHP program recognizes this and employs best practice teaching models by scaffolding and looping writing assignments. As noted above, there is a focus on skill development across the curriculum: Skills are initially taught in HPE 202, and then reviewed and built upon, first in HPE 303 and then in HPE 426. To do this, we use the following sequence:
a. Initiating the writing process in class and/or collaboratively
b. Starting with low-stakes, informal writing and progressing into more technical high-stakes writing
c. Working with students on drafts and revisions, using techniques such as “fishbowls,” peer reviews, and qualitative comments
d. Utilizing varied forms of feedback: Peer editing, scoring guides, qualitative comments, and/or one-on-one consultations
5. When they’ve satisfied your department’s WID requirement, what should students know and be able to do with writing?
Upon completion of our WID courses, students will have developed the habits of self-reflection and learning through writing. In addition, they will be able to
- Report on assessments of community and health needs
- Propose and implement health-related policies and procedures
- Evaluate and describe health promotion efforts and their impacts
- Advocate for the health of communities and populations, especially in situations of inequity
- Demonstrate proficiency in applying theory and content knowledge
- Communicate health information to multiple, varied audiences
- Submit grant proposals and other funding requests
- Convey health information to the public
- Compose clear and fair workplace policies and procedures
- Communicate professional ethics
- Disseminate findings of empirical research and policy outcomes
- Further develop practical skills essential for the profession
- Use writing both as a form of reflection and as a tool of inquiry.
Health Education
1. Why or in what ways is writing important to your discipline/field/profession?
Writing in health education is vital in communicating between students, families and the community. Writing is an essential skill in building health literacy in PK-12 students. Health educators use writing to describe their school community context, and to create rationales for units they need to teach. Health educators use writing to describe unit and lesson plans, to create assessment and evaluation tools, and to craft reports of student learning outcomes. Writing is used to communicate between teachers and their professional organizations when presenting research and pedagogical strategies. Writing is used between teachers and administrators for many types of professional communication tasks.
2. Which courses are designated as satisfying the WID requirement by your department? Why these courses?
The Health Education (HE) program has designated the following as its WID courses:
- HPE 200: Promoting Health and Well-Being in Schools
- HPE 418: Practicum in Secondary Health Education
- HPE 422: Seminar in Health Education
- HPE 424: Student Teaching in Health Education
HPE 200 is taken in the first year and is a required course for admission into The Feinstein School of Education and Human Development (FSEHD). It is a WID course because students must practice and show competence in writing skills that are a foundation for their work in future courses and their teaching profession (National Health Education Standards [NHES]), and in order to be accepted into the FSEHD. HPE 200 provides these writing opportunities.
HPE 418 is a WID course because in this course teacher candidates are required to write a comprehensive unit plan applied in the school setting. This is the Teacher Candidate Work Sample (TCWS) and it is a requirement for the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development Preparing to Student Teaching Portfolio for entrance into student teaching. The TCWS is a teaching unit plan and is composed of multiple parts that must be implemented in a school, and since HPE 418 is a practicum, teacher candidates must use this course for this applied writing assignment.
HPE 422 is a WID course because student teachers must show competence in writing in several genres associated with teaching in order to be successful in student teaching and their future profession. The course requires students to be implementing their writing skills with students and families, and therefore this course is suitable as WID.
HPE 424 is a WID course because student teachers must be in the field in order to write the Teacher Candidate Work Sample, once again showing growth in their writing from when they first wrote it in parts in HPE 417 to the first full writing in HPE 418, to HPE 424 when they demonstrate mastery of all Parts of the TCWS.
3. What forms or genres of writing will students learn and practice in your department’s WID courses? Why these genres?
In our WID courses students will learn and practice a range of different kinds of writing. Genres include persuasive writing (rationales in HPE 200, 418 and 424), reflective writing (observation and teaching reflections in HPE 418 and 424), procedural writing (lesson and unit plans in HPE 418 and 424), analytical writing (the TCWS and video analysis in HPE 418, 422 and 424) and professional writing (letters to families, administrators, presentations, etc.). These genres align best with skills the students will need in the health education teaching field and provide depth and breadth to best prepare them for tasks in the profession.
4. What kinds of teaching practices will students encounter in your department’s WID courses?
The Heath Education Program provides opportunities to develop writing skills by giving students both low and high stakes writing assignments. Many low stakes assignments not described here support the skills that are evaluated for high stakes assessment purposes. In order to develop competent writers in the HE program, the following strategies are used in our WID courses:
- In-class demonstrations with examples of both the sources and the process of where and how to find and use information in written work
- In-class demonstrations with examples of completed work samples
- Provision of in-class and homework practice of writing tasks
- Provision and explanation of exemplars
- Provision of feedback from instructor and peers
- Revision opportunities
- Encouragement and, when necessary, added support from Writing Center
- Explicit prompts aligned with the evaluation tool
5. When they’ve satisfied your department’s WID requirement, what should students know and be able to do with writing?
Upon completion of our WID courses students will be able to use writing:
- In-class demonstrations with examples of both the sources and the process of where and how to find and use information in written work
- to write in a way that clearly communicates lesson and unit plans
- to demonstrate health literacy
- to communicate effectively to families and their professional community
- to incorporate a variety of writing tasks into lessons for multiple intelligence students
- to engage in useful reflection leading to professional growth
- to seek opportunities to share writing with professionals in the HE field
Physical Education
1. Why or in what ways is writing important to your discipline/field/profession?
Writing in physical education is essential for communicating as a teacher and plays a critical role in teacher preparation. Educators use writing as a form of communication with teacher candidates, parents, colleagues, school staff, and the community. They frequently use writing as a form for planning, assessment, reflection, analysis and interpretation of data to drive instruction as well as collaborative writing on all different levels. Since educators are a model for our future generation, writing is a crucial component of our field.
2. Which courses are designated as satisfying the WID requirement by your department? Why these courses?
The Physical Education (PE) program has designated the following as its WID courses:
- HPE 301 Methods in Teaching Physical Activity
- HPE 414 Practicum in Secondary Physical Education
- HPE 423 Seminar in Physical Education
- HPE 425 Student Teaching in Physical Education
HPE 301 is taken in students’ second year and is a required course to move on into the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development (FSEHD). It is a WID course because teacher candidates must practice and demonstrate proficiency in writing skills that are a foundation for their work in future courses and their teaching profession (Society of Health And Physical Educators [SHAPE]), and is a prerequisite for all practicum courses.
HPE 414 is a WID course because teacher candidates are required to research and report on a variety of elements related to the district they were assigned as well as write a comprehensive unit plan. This is the Teacher Candidate Work Sample (TCWS) and it is a requirement for the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development Preparing to Student Teaching Portfolio for entrance into student teaching. The TCWS is a teaching unit plan and is composed of multiple parts that must be implemented in a school, and since HPE 414 is a practicum, teacher candidates must use this course for this applied writing assignment.
HPE 423 is a WID course because student teachers must demonstrate competence in writing in several genres associated with teaching in order to be successful in student teaching and their future profession. The course requires teacher candidates to be implementing their writing skills with K-12 students, families, and administrators, therefore this student teaching course is appropriate for WID.
HPE 425 is a WID course because student teachers must be in the field in order to write a comprehensive unit plan once again, showing growth in their writing from when they first wrote it in parts in HPE 413 to the first full writing in HPE 414, to HPE 425 when they demonstrate mastery of all parts of the TCWS.
3. What forms or genres of writing will students learn and practice in your department’s WID courses? Why these genres?
In our WID courses teacher candidates will learn, practice and implement various types of writing. Genres include procedural writing (lesson and unit plans in HPE 301, 414 and 423), reflective writing (observation and teaching reflections in HPE 301, HPE 414 and 423), analytical writing (the TCWS and video analysis in HPE 414, 423 and 425) and professional writing in all the WID courses (letters to families, administrators, creating a resume, cover letter, presentations, etc. HPE 423 and HPE 425). These genres align best with skills the teacher candidates will need in the physical education teaching field and provide depth and breadth to best prepare them for tasks in the profession.
4. What kinds of teaching practices will students encounter in your department’s WID courses?
The Physical Education program recognizes writing is an on-going process that is practiced using both low and high stakes writing assignments. We prepare teacher candidates using best-practice models in the following ways:
- In-class demonstrations, examples and practice
- Writing with multiple iterations (revise their work)
- Peer discussions about writing samplesMultiple forms of feedback including rubrics, qualitative comments and discussions
- Revision opportunities
- Reflection of own writing
- Keep track of PK-12 student growth over time
- Provide professional insight on the next steps in the unit, based on data
5. When they’ve satisfied your department’s WID requirement, what should students know and be able to do with writing?
Upon completion of HPE 423 and HPE 425, teacher candidates will use writing to:
- to write in a way that clearly communicates lesson and unit plans
- to develop habits of analysis and reflection to drive instruction
- to demonstrate an understanding of developmentally appropriate content utilizing proper progressions
- to demonstrate knowledge of student growth
- to reflect on the strengths and areas of ongoing growth
- to develop professional skills essential for teaching, learning and advocating for teacher candidates
Wellness and Exercise Science
1. Why or in what ways is writing important to your discipline/field/profession?
Writing plays an integral role in both the wellness industry and exercise science. It is used to communicate between professionals and their clientele, patients, athletes, and colleagues. Writing allows professionals in these fields to record athlete and patient progress, construct personal and professional philosophies, and advocate for policy change. Professionals use the scientific manuscript to disseminate research findings in an empirical and objective way.
2. Which courses are designated as satisfying the WID requirement by your department? Why these courses?
The Wellness and Exercise Science (WES) program has designated HPE 309: Exercise Prescription and HPE 427: WES Internship as our WID courses. HPE 309 is typically taken during the fall semester of year three. In this course there is a written report where students practice assessing and programming on an individual basis. This comprehensive report demonstrates critical thinking, evidence-based practice, and an introduction to APA formatting. The nature of this report allows for explicit writing instruction with multiple drafts and peer-editing.
HPE 427 is taken during the final semester of the WES program. In this course, a capstone research project is required. This project contains a major writing component, with multiple revisions, peer-editing, and class time dedicated to writing. For these reasons, this course was chosen to be the final WID course in the WES major.
3. What forms or genres of writing will students learn and practice in your department’s WID courses? Why these genres?
The range of written genres in which students engage and practice in the WES WID courses include academic writing, professional writing, and reflective writing. Professionals in these fields write research manuscripts, policy papers, individual/program plans and evaluations, and advocacy statements. These artifacts allow professionals to disseminate ideas and research findings and to communicate guidelines, recommendations, and industry standards.
- Academic - literature reviews, research proposals, scientific reports, presentations
- Professional- individual evaluations, community needs assessments, plans and programs, promotional materials, posters
- Reflective- journals, philosophy statements, informal responses
Engaging with these genres allows students to demonstrate proficiency in content knowledge, professional application, and personal growth.
4. What kinds of teaching practices will students encounter in your department’s WID courses?
The WES program recognizes writing is an iterative process. We strive to meet best practice models by scaffolding writing assignments in the following ways:
- Initiating the writing process in class and/or collaboratively
- Starting with low stakes, informal writing and progressing into more technical high-stakes writing
- Working with students on drafts and revisions
- Utilizing varied forms of feedback: peer-editing, rubrics, qualitative comments and/or one-on-one consultations
5. When they’ve satisfied your department’s WID requirement, what should students know and be able to do with writing?
Upon completion of our WID courses students will be able to use writing:
- to develop the habit of learning through writing
- to demonstrate proficiency in the application of content knowledge
- to make informed decisions about evaluation and program planning
- to develop practical skills essential for the profession
- as a form of reflection
- as a tool of inquiry
