Although he teaches a traditional English curriculum, his students aren’t producing typical five-paragraph essays or even research papers. Take the case of “ Tilman ,” a writing assignment a struggling freshman produced a couple of years ago. “Tilman” is a moving video that tells the story of Patrick Tillman, the NFL player who quit football to fight in Afghanistan and came back in a body bag. The video moves seamlessly back and forth from the student’s own thoughts on the case and CNN coverage, atop edited pictures and news footage.