Meet Dr. Naomi Norman

Associate Vice President for Instruction

Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor

Naomi Norman has been teaching in the Writing Intensive Program since 1997, the first year of the program’s existence, and nearly every year since then she has taught at least one WIP class. She has developed six different courses around WIP principles and is always on the look-out for new ways to engage students through writing.

Naomi was attracted to the program because she recognized it as a way to address “the poor state of writing” in the university, even among highly self-motivated Classics majors. Having a specially trained WIP teaching assistant made the decision even more of  “a no-brainer,” she says, because “good TAs make the whole thing a breeze.” Because the WIP TAs are trained to coach students through the writing process, especially low-stakes writing assignments, she can devote more time to researching and teaching what she loves: classical archaeology.

When asked if her experience in the WIP has changed her teaching practices, Naomi says, “Yes, absolutely!” She says her teaching used to follow a very traditional model of assigning a term paper and expecting students to know how to get through the stages of writing on their own. She’s “100% convinced” that the WIP principles of including “low-stakes” writing assignments and guiding students through the writing process significantly improves their “being students” because they come to “own” their writing and thinking in more concrete ways than they do in traditionally-taught classes. By the time students arrive in her 4000/6000 classical archaeology classes, for example, they have worked through most of the mechanical issues in their writing, so the difference the WIP makes is reflected mostly in an increased level of engagement with concepts. Rather than improve their ability to memorize “facts,” WIP classes encourage students to wrestle with ideas in “broad, deep, more active ways.” She requires students to participate in workshops where they have “written conversations” about what they’ve covered in class. These have gone “remarkably well,” Naomi says, because in the course of writing out their questions, students go well beyond the requirements of the assignment and discover new ideas of their own and new questions they want to pursue.

The success Naomi has had with Writing Intensive classes is made possible, in large part, by  the support of well-trained WIP TAs. The training seems to be getting better and better every year, she says, which allows her to focus on research and teaching. She recommends choosing TAs with a good working knowledge of the course material and the ability to participate in WIP classes. It makes a big difference, she says, if students know the TAs (or at least their faces) and feel comfortable asking for their help. Because she entrusts the WIP TA with most low-stakes writing assignments and guiding students through stages of drafting and revision, she says it’s also essential to choose TAs whose writing and scholarship she already knows well.

Naomi also advises faculty to take advantage of WIP workshops and fora, where they can share ideas about teaching and learn how others use writing in the classroom. She always comes away from these sessions with great ideas and the inspiration to try them out herself.Wishlist

Wish List

More WIP TAs and a deeper commitment to writing-across-the-disciplines throughout Franklin College, possibly through a writing requirement.