Building Better Bridges: Making Connections in Writing Across the Curriculum

Transfer occurs when learning in one context enhances (or undermines) a related performance in another context. (Perkins and Salomon, 1992). In other words, transfer is what we, as teachers, want to happen with student learning. We want to encourage students to pull from prior experiences and knowledge, and we aim for them to use what they learn in our courses in other, future contexts. Successful writing transfer occurs when a writer can transform rhetorical and process knowledge into performance in contexts beyond the walls of a classroom context.

This interactive workshop breaks down strategies from teaching for transfer, providing specific examples of how instructors from across the disciplines have integrated ideas from teaching for transfer to promote meaningful learning in their courses. Workshop participants will leave with:

• An overview of transfer and enabling practices for promoting transfer of writing skills,
• Specific examples and strategies for teaching to transfer in a variety of disciplines, and
• Ideas for integrating such strategies in your own classroom.