Hi, I'm Professor Durian. Welcome to my ePortfolio!

Expand a section below to learn more about my experiences and values as a college composition instructor. 

Letter to the Viewer

Dear Viewer,

My name is Erica Durian, and I am an experienced college English instructor, with an emphasis and special interest  in rhetoric and composition.

In order to stay current with best practices and the most effective strategies, I make minor updates to all of my course materials each semester and make major updates every year or two, as needed. I also make minor changes each semester, and I update my ePortfolio to reflect the most current materials every year or so. I’m excited to share improved materials with my site viewers, as these revised components have been so useful for helping my students engage, learn, and grow as writers and researchers.

I am passionate about teaching and enjoy working with a diverse range of students, both in terms of ability and background. I believe that all students are writers, whether they realize it or not, and I encourage my students to explore topics that they are interested in so that they can see that rhetoric and composition is more than just “schoolwork” and that it matters in the “real world,” too! After making the decision to return to school to pursue a degree that would allow me to pursue my dream of teaching full-time, I finished my M.A. in Literature and Rhetoric/Composition. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to tech First-Year Composition at both community colleges and four-year institutions (public and private) over the past several years.

But nothing speaks to my teaching ability and devotion to my students more than their own voluntary feedback, such as this from my student, Lorraine, at Joliet Junior College:

One of the “best TOP Three Professors” in my 98 credit hours so far. Professor Durian loves her job and is an excellent teacher; she teaches “writing “as a step by step Process, analyzing and reflecting every step along the way. She provides her students with many essential tools and readings to help her students meet their full potential. She gives proper guidance, critiques when needed and praises when called for, helping students to find and achieve their best writing abilities. I cannot say enough about the high level of professionalism and respect Professor Durian exhibits. She is politically correct and leads the lost to find their way by giving them the foundation and frame for them to build upon. Our colleges and universities need more instructors like her teaching our students the fundamentals of English/composition I and II.

As a dedicated teacher, there is nothing better in the world to hear that from my students that I have helped them to improve and succeed!

I believe that sharing and collaboration are very important for educators. Please borrow and modify any course materials you like to suit the needs of your own classes and students. I hope that you will enjoy looking at the materials in my portfolio!

Sincerely,

Erica L. Durian

Teaching Philosophy

I take a student-centered approach to teaching composition in order to focus on the needs of the students and ensure that they are engaged with their learning while (hopefully!) enjoying the course.

Principle #1: Write Early and Often

A few years ago, one of my students approached me after her class’s final exam and told me that, back on the first day of class, I had told her and the other students something that had stuck with her all semester, something that she would carry on to other classes and never forget. I asked her what that was, and she responded: “Writing is a process; it doesn’t happen overnight. So, remember to write early and often!” Since then, I have always made a point of beginning the semester with these words and reiterating them throughout the term. This play on the saying about voting truly summarizes my teaching philosophy and how I teach writing to my students. I value being honest about the difficulties that accompany learning to writing well and tell my students that writing is hard work because skills will not appear or sharpen suddenly but gradually unfold. We practice that in the assignments and projects I carefully design to encompass that necessarily gradual development. From the moment a new project is introduced, I have students start free-writing or mapping out their ideas. Each day, we write a little more, using different strategies, until the final project is due.

Principle #2: Everyone Is a Writer

I believe that all students are writers—whether just budding or already blossomed—and that in exploring different genres through reading, discussion, and their own writing, they will discover critical thinking, communication skills, and modes of expression within themselves that they previously did not know existed.

Principle #3: Interaction Matters

I enjoy working with students from all backgrounds at all levels in order to see what new skills I can teach them, what hidden or half-forgotten abilities I can draw out of them, what they can learn from discussion and review with their peers, and (perhaps obviously) what each of them can teach me from our interactions together.

Principle #4: Teach Transferable Skills

My courses are designed to teach students transferable skills, which they will practice throughout the semester in completing writing assignments from a variety of genres, in order to prepare them for more advanced courses (particularly in their majors) and even in their future careers.

Principle #5: Empower Students

I believe that empowering students to learn is the key to their success in the classroom and beyond. The units of assignments in my portfolio are designed with John Bean's "Best Practices in Assignment Design" in mind, including: interactive components, a meaning-constructing task, and clear explanations of writing expectations.[1]

Principle #6: Promote Student Engagement

Students learn best when they are actively engaged in their experience, which is why I strive to incorporate elements such as individual conferences, exploratory writing, peer and self reviews, and activities performed in small groups in the composition classroom.

Principle #7: Reading and Critical Thinking Invite Writing

I also believe that students who are better readers are better critical thinkers and, therefore, better writers. As such, there are no reading lectures in my courses--only reading discussions. One of the best ways to empower students and engage them in their education is to reward them for reading and thinking critically about texts (even when they are difficult) and calling attention to the deep connection between reading, writing, and critical thinking.

Principle #8: Get Students to Talk

Just as I do not lecture over readings, I also do not assign reading quizzes, but students are still help responsible for reading materials completed outside of class.[2] When students realize that they need to apply reading material in class discussions, they take the reading assignments seriously.

Principle #9: A Positive Learning Environment Encourages Students to Choose

Overall, I want my classroom to be a positive and encouraging learning environment for all students. By allowing individual customization of assignments (i.e. topic choice, precise focus), not only are students empowered, but the sense of fairness is also enhanced; though the same standards and expectations are applied equally to each student, no student is "stuck" writing an assignment that they feel is impossible or completely uninteresting.

Principle #10: Clarity Is Key

I provide detailed explanations, responses, comments, and feedback to all of my students to make it clear that I care about their success, appreciate their hard work, and am dedicated to helping them learn.

Principle #11: Respect

Mutual respect is also important, and one of the best ways to demonstrate respect for students is to listen to them and be available to them.

Principle #12: Willingness to Listen and Help

I make sure my students know that I am available to help them, both during class time and during office hours--scheduled or requested. Even if separated by physical distance, I am always accessible to my students via email and the class website to answer their questions and help guide them through any problems or concerns they may have with the current assignment.

Principle #13: Discovery

To reiterate, I teach so that students can learn the necessary writing skills to succeed in both their academic and professional lives. I believe that the philosophy I have described above both encourages and empowers students to write and to learn, discovering their natural voices and writing styles along the way.

[1] from Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom.

[2] from Bean, John C. "Suggested Strategies for Helping Students Become Better Readers." Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom.

How My Background Prepared Me to Teach Composition

With a BA in Linguisitcs and an MA in Literature/Rhetoric and Composition, I have a fairly diverse background and variety of research interests. I feel quite lucky that this is the case because all of my experiences and interests have come together to make me a more effective composition teacher and to give me unique ways to connect with my students.

My Literature Research and the Composition Classroom

Some aspects of literature and poetry that I find compelling are innovation, authenticity, authors who have broken through barriers or overcome tough obstacles, and timeliness versus timelessness. Two authors in particular that I admire, Beatrix Potter and Dora Hill Read Goodale, certainly have achieved all of these ends, as well as being authors who wrote during a period of transition (from Victorian/Realist to Modern). Achieving publication success during a time when the definition of “good” writing itself is changing speaks strongly to the idea of timeliness versus timelessness; I tell my students that the best writing will be valued and useful not only (if even) in the author’s own time but for generations to come. I also emphasize the unique perspective that each author can bring by using their own voice and own ideas instead of always sticking to what is popular or commonly believed, which are encompassed within innovation, authenticity, and overcoming obstacles. Just as many of our beloved poets and authors of the past (and present!) deal with these issues, so do students in the composition classroom. I find that one of the best lessons about writing that comes from literature is that in order to be a successful writer, one must follow his/her passions.

My Rhetorical Situation Theory Research and the Composition Classroom

My modified theory focuses on the dynamic nature of rhetorical situations. Especially in the modern world with the internet and mobile devices giving news and words the ability to travel across the globe in a matter of seconds, nothing is in isolation. In the past, the rhetorical situation has been treated as static. Bitzer and Vatz saw it this way, as did all of those who wrote articles to expand or refute their ideas. Rubin and Boring Rubin are among the few authors who explored the idea of an ongoing rhetorical situation, though one that is still relatively static. Yet I find it crucial to bear in mind that all things are connected—any speech, any text, any conversation—will always be brought back up again. When a politician makes a speech, it is not an isolated incident but rather discussion carries on for days, weeks, months. When we have personal debates or discussions, we often find ourselves facing another iteration later on. Even famous speeches of the past are constantly being re-examined and reanalyzed; we are always ready to re-enter the situation. Students may enter my classroom with a “static” mindset—that is, believing that what we do and what they learn in class applies only to composition. But I want them to leave knowing that that is not true, that rhetoric and composition is dynamic because it is based upon the rhetorical situation. The skills that they learn will transfer; problems that they face with reading or writing or research will come back up in other classes. I want my students to learn “fitting responses” to the situations that they face in writing that they can use over and over again.

My Linguistics Background and the Composition Classroom

Having majored in linguistics s an undergraduate has given me invaluable knowledge of how language works that I use every day in my job teaching composition. With a good range of diversity in each class, I know that I will have students who have different language skills and levels of English fluency. Being aware of the challenges that bilingual, ESL, or other non-native English-speaking students may have allows me to offer so much more help to my students. Because of my background in linguistics, I am able to better assess the grammar/language use problems that many of my students have. I can easily recognize when they might need extra help and whether they are more likely to benefit from the ESL Center, the Writing Center, one-on-one help from me, extra practice with a particular skill (e.g., subject-verb agreement), or some combination of the above. When I know what language the student speaks natively—or even what dialect of English!—and I see a particular error in their writing, I can often determine why they are making that error by knowing how Standard Written American English (SWAE) compares to their native language or dialect and offer advice on how to remember the SWAE convention for the future. Aside from this, my students also love when I tell them that we all have accents and no one speaks perfect SWAE in daily life—not even their professors, including me!

Improvement through Inquiry: Teaching Like a Researcher

I value making connections between my research and teaching so that I continuously have the opportunity to grow as both a researcher and instructor. Even when not directly related, I constantly evaluate my research through the critical lens of a composition instructor and my teaching methods from the perspective of a research/learning experience, as well as striving to see through the eyes of my students.

While doing research, aside from the usual questions of hypothesis, outcome, personal benefit, and scholarly benefit, some questions that I frequently ask myself as I research, read, and write on topics that interest me are:

And while teaching, aside from the usual questions of whether I’m meeting course objectives, whether students are engaged, whether I’m being clear, how I’m doing on time, etc., some questions that I frequently ask myself as I teach, grade, and plan are:


Curriculum Vitae

Below is a selection of key experiences. Please see my LinkedIn profile for a complete resume.

College Composition Lecturer Experience

Penn State University 2019-Present

Joliet Junior College, 2016-Present

University of Houston-Downtown, 2017-2018

Rice University, 2017-2018

Moraine Valley Community College, 2016-2017

North Central College, 2016

Northern Illinois University, 2014-2016

Tutoring Experience

Pearson Smarthinking OWL, 2018-2021

Private Tutor, 1999-Present

Education

Master of Arts: English Literature and Rhetoric/Composition

Northern Illinois University, 2016

Bachelor of Arts: Linguistics

The Ohio State University, 2010

Numeric Teaching Evaluations

The Pennsylvania State University

Spring 2020 ("COVID-19 Semester") Rhetoric and Composition Courses ENGL 15-013, -021, and -030: 6.1/7.0

Fall 2019 Rhetoric and Composition Courses ENGL 15-022, -032, -034, and -051: 6.3/7.0

PSU uses a scale of 1.00 (poor) - 7.00 (excellent).

University of Houston-Downtown

Fall 2017 Composition I Courses ENG-1301-10389 and -10394: 4.8/5.0

UHD uses a scale of 1.00 (poor) - 5.00 (excellent).

Rice University

Fall 2017 First-Year Writing Intensive Seminar Course FWIS-100-009: 1.8/1.0 (= 4.2/5.0)

Rice uses a scale of 5.00 (poor) - 1.00 (excellent).

Joliet Junior College

Spring 2017 Composition II Course ENG-102-020: 4.54 / 5.00

JJC uses a scale of 1.00 (poor) - 5.00 (excellent). 

Moraine Valley Community College

Spring 2017 Composition I Course COM-101-591: 3.94 / 4.00

Fall 2016 Composition I Course COM-101-591: 3.71 / 4.00

Fall 2016 Composition II Course COM-102-591: 3.55 / 4.00

MVCC uses a scale of 0.00 (poor) - 4.00 (excellent).

North Central College

Fall 2016 First-Year Writing Course ENGL-115-12: 3.2/4.0

Rice uses a scale of 1.00 (poor) - 4.00 (excellent).

Northern Illinois University

Spring 2016 Composition II Course ENGL-203-10: 4.63 / 5.00

Fall 2015 Composition I Course ENGL-103-03: 4.59 / 5.00

Fall 2015 Composition I Course ENGL-103-06: 4.76 / 5.00

Spring 2015 Composition II Course ENGL-104-04: 3.82 / 5.00

Spring 2015 Composition II Course ENGL-104-05: 3.93 / 5.00

Fall 2014 Composition I Course ENGL-103-38: 4.42 / 5.00

NIU uses a scale of 1.00 (poor) - 5.00 (excellent).