The English Department at Robert College contributes to the students’ intellectual development by teaching them a spectrum of essential to more sophisticated, nuanced language and literature skills. As English is an additional language for our students and their facility varies greatly, fluency is a primary goal. We have expanded our understanding and aspire to encompass 21st Century Fluencies within our program: creativity, information, media, solution, and collaboration. To make English fluency an achievable learning outcome, our faculty members put an emphasis on the skills of insightful thinking, imaginative and academic writing, collaborative discussion and creativity and careful, close reading in each class. A range of literary and non-literary works are used in our courses as a springboard to hone the students’ skills that include information and media fluency and conceptual understanding. We value thoughtful reading for class-specific needs and for the larger good of exploring the complex human experience with an open mind. We teach essential elements of good writing such as grammar and essay structure, but we also emphasize that writing is a way of exploring and developing one's ideas. We ask that students refine and articulate their ideas through authentic production: discussions, debates, presentations, performances, published written work, film, multi-media text, and blogs.
Ultimately, we hope our students fluently use and appreciate the English language on a level that resonates personally, that serves them academically, and that sustains their passion for life-long learning.
We have identified certain learner behaviors that can ensure student achievement if evidenced. These behaviors are taught, modeled and expected of all Robert College students by our department members:
● Demonstrating academic honesty and integrity
● Assuming responsibility for their own learning and actions
● Developing awareness of their own learning needs and utilizing appropriate study skills
● Cultivating intellectual questioning and curiosity
● Taking risks in learning and following individual interests
● Persevering in the face of adversity
● Balancing independent and collaborative learning
● Writing, reading, speaking fluent English as a choice
● Using technology to research and produce rigorous academic work
