In her talk, Dr. Sarah Creider (Teachers College, Columbia University) suggests that "genre" can be a useful tool for understanding, analysing, and teaching the many texts that make up our lives – from math worksheets to lab reports, and from professional emails to WhatsApp messages among friends. Focusing on genre analysis in STEM classrooms, Creider will discuss using genre to explore often unexamined topics, including what we mean by "good" writing; the relationship between author and audience; and who has the power to break genre conventions. Using real-life examples from mathematics and science classes, she will also offer practical tools for working with struggling students, and for using genre analysis to create classrooms where linguistic and cultural diversity are seen as a gift rather than as a burden. The talk will end with an open discussion of teaching for thinking in the STEM classroom, as we explore how genre awareness can help prepare our students for a transnational, computer-mediated world where the human skills of connection and creativity are more important than ever.
The event on 11 June 2025 at 17:30 is aimed at student teachers, lecturers and teaching staff who study or teach one or more STEM subjects. After input and discussion in the plenary session, there will be an opportunity for informal dialogue on the HSE terrace.
Further information can be found at www.hse-heidelberg.de/veranstaltungen.
About the Heidelberg School of Education (HSE)
The HSE is a cross-university academic institution of the Heidelberg University of Education and Heidelberg University. Its central task is to further develop the cooperation between the two universities in the field of teacher education in studies, research and transfer. Future literacies such as digitalisation, critical media education, democracy education, sustainability and values education are important cross-cutting topics.