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Coursework Helps First-Year Students Gain Confidence in Writing and Public Speaking

October 25, 2022
Submitted By: Mary Ingarra
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Hillyer College English and Speech Instructor Maria Johnson is known for her fun and interactive class activities. This fall, Johnson assigned her English Composition and Speech students a writing prompt and speech project that included visits to campus radio station WWUH-FM and the Joseloff Gallery at the Hartford Art School.

Prior to their visit to the radio station, students prepared an essay about something that delights them. This writing prompt was inspired by essayist and poet Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights, which Johnson’s colleague English Instructor Leslie Johnson selected for Hillyer’s Summer Bridge writing sessions. Students recorded their essays, as well as public service announcements supplied by the radio station staff. The recorded essays will be compiled into half-hour WWUH episodes to be called The UHart Book of Delights.

First-year student Iqra Adil said she wrote about her cat Misty, who has been her “rock” for the last five years. “It did push me out of my comfort zone, and I know it will teach me to be more outgoing and open with people,” she says about the experience. Iqra says she believes the exercise will also help her improve her communication skills and boost her confidence.

Jessica Bello, also a first-year student, says at first, she was uncomfortable recording her essay. “I’m not that good at public speaking, so it was nerve-wracking. But as I went on, I was able to correct my phrasing and become more comfortable.” 

When it came time for the gallery visit, Johnson instructed the students to examine the work there and to choose a piece they either liked or disliked and to write a follow-up essay about it. Johnson has been incorporating the art gallery writing prompt exercise into her course for 20 years, and the radio station visit for the past five years.

“Both offer students an opportunity to gain experience and inspiration outside of the classroom,” says Johnson. “It's a basic tenet of my teaching philosophy that, since both writing and public speaking require an audience and involve an element of performance, students gain confidence about expressing their views—to say nothing of the value of learning that the university actually HAS a radio station and art galleries!"