The dissociation these rivers create is not necessarily bad, as long as there are plenty of strategically placed bridges up and down the channel. I enjoy building and maintaining those bridges. I teach English, and one way I have found to engage students from each bank is to create meaningful classroom activities, which require them to experience both sides of the river. By far, the best activities involve collaboration with instructors from the technical programs. It follows freshman composition in a two-course writing curriculum.
Students have a wide variety of writing skills and very eclectic goals.
The first half of the semester is spent writing basic memos, business letters, reports, and polishing their writing styles to create clear, effective documents. Depending on the scope and content of our project, students may work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. However, even when working individually, each writer constantly communicates with other class members to maintain unity in style and format of the class project. Instructional charts demonstrating the use of exercise equipment for our college physical education department. Automotive Service Technology Safety Instruction Booklets Automotive Technology instructors, Dennis Palmer and Russell Knodle, brainstormed a list of tools and equipment with inadequate written safety instructions and provided instructional booklets and videotapes so that students had relevant research materials.