RDG 020 (improved College Reading) is a required course under placement policy. GE 101 (Strategies for Academic Success) is paired and team-taught with RDG 020 at Jefferson Community College. The following is a list of suggested shared communication, content and instructional links between the courses, which instructors can use to develop strategies for team teaching. These suggestions came out of a brainstorming session following Barbara Nicholl’s workshop on GE 101 at the General Butler Reading/Study Skills Program Retreat.

Participants: Barbara Nicholls, Dan Kesterson, Sara Lose, Fran Warren, Pat Case, Sally Spurr, Candace Albers, Sandy Dean, Ann Kennedy, Carlyn Altman, Linda McDonnell, Judy Roberts

GE 101 is designed to teach the student how to have a successful college experience both academically and personally. The focus is on the development of practical knowledge and skills to assist the student toward that goal.

RDG 020 is designed to improve the enjoyment of reading while improving comprehension and vocabulary/concept development skills. Instruction at JCC usually revolves around the Reader Workshop approach.

Suggested Shared Communication, Instructional and Content Links

Suggested Communication Links:

1. Student/Instructor Conferences: clearly the most noted communication link between the two courses was frequent student/instructor conferences. It was the retreat participants’ experience that the paired student/instructor conferences created the quickest shifts in student instructor relationships and community building within and between the two courses.
2. Know Paired Course Content: essential to paired team teaching of the courses is that both instructors know daily the content of the paired course. This meant that instructors must meet frequently to discuss course content.
3. Student Progress: also essential is knowing the progress and status of students in both courses by both instructors, which also meant that instructors must meet frequently.
4. Sit In Paired Class: instructors sit in on the paired class.

1. Student Planner: due to the content of GE 101, student planners provide one of the most informative communication links between the courses. The student planner provides a strong instructional common ground for GE 101 content skills such as time-management, goal setting, etc. and their related content with RDG 020 instructional strategies such as reading journal writing, reading goal setting, test-taking, etc.
2. Shared Course Assignment: the skill taught in one course is transferred to a learning activity in the paired course. This can be done with any skill taught. The combinations are endless, for example, the GE 101 course students search the internet and report on time-management skills and then in class brainstorm how to apply those skills to their novel reading and reading journal assignments in RDG 020. Or the RDG 020 students could search online and report on how to write a reading journal and in the GE 101 courses the above time–management search and report information could be applied to writing reading journals.
3. Outside Activity: GE 101 may give points or bonuses for outside campus activities, such as attend the college play. RDG 020 may make reading the play a reading assignment and discuss charter, plot, setting, etc.
4. A Shared Course Journal: could be used for exploring the student’s perception of the transferability of the given daily content of GE 101 to the activity or content of the RDG 020 course or any other course they are taking.
5. Guest Speakers: a guest speaker in RDG 020 (writer, journalist, editor) may talk on what they feel contributed to their being successful and then the content of the talk can be transferred to GE 101 activities such as time-management, goal setting, note taking, critical thinking or career goals.
6. Teacher/Student Expectations: expectations can be discussed, and reinforced across both courses.

1. Critical Reading: (determining the value of information) underlies every instructional component of both GE 101 and RDG 020. Is the information valuable and how can I use it?
2. Memory Strategies (Vocabulary): Memory strategies learned in GE 101 can be used with any RDG 020 skill, but is usually especially effective with vocabulary/concept development. Almost any mnemonic which incorporates imagery transfers to improving vocabulary development in RDG 020.
3. Learning Styles: Even though writing has become a very popular mode of expression for reading activities, reporting on novels read in RDG 020 using Howard Gardner’s various multiple intelligences or other learning styles used in self-assessment activities in GE 101 can be used for expressing comprehension. A student may, for example, chose to express his book report by acting out the novel, creating a poster, through a painting or using any of the strengths identified in the GE 010 course.
4. Organizational Strategies: GE 101organizational strategies such as mapping have natural transferability to RDG 020.
5. Characteristics of a Successful Student: early identification of at-risk students, skills and behaviors, are identified quicker with paired / team taught courses.
6. Test Anxiety: strategies taught in GE 101 for overcoming test anxiety can be transferred and reinforced in RDG 020.
7. Getting to Know Your College: many of the academic support services on campus explored in GE 101 are resources used specifically by RDG 020 students – library, learning resource center, study skills center, tutoring and counseling.

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