The 2022 issue of The Utah English Journal was unveiled at the February 11th Utah Conference for Teachers of English (UCTE), an annual convening of statewide K-16 English teachers, which was held in Salt Lake City. This latest issue features two USU English Department faculty. 
Assistant Professor Jessica Rivera-Mueller contributed “Practices for Professional Learning When Composing Teaching Materials.” Although the pandemic had an impact on teaching preparation and practice, Jessica found that “applying a writing to learn approach” to her own process of developing materials created a context for reflection and professional learning. In the article, she shares three practices to help teachers develop their own writing to learn approach.
A second article, “FANBOYS, POW, and Mount Plot: Mnemonic Devices Used in Teaching Writing” was the result of a project by students enrolled in English 3470, a research methods course for English majors, which included several English Teaching emphasis students among the 14 authors. According to course teacher, Joyce Kinkead, Distinguished Professor of English, the study arose when it became apparent that college students continued touse mnemonic devices although those might be considered elementary school lessons. The students found that memorization dates back to Ancient Rome when students used wax tablets and needed to retain information. They studied literacy narratives of currentstudents that recalled such devices and then surveyed and interviewed informants to arrive at conclusions.
The Utah English Journal has been honored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) twice with its Affiliate Journal of Excellence Award.
Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed is a graduate student in his second year, pursuing a doctorate in sociology at USU. He recently helped survey Utahns to see if environmental concerns affect the decision to have children.
Utah State University President’s Office recently held receptions for this year’s round of inaugural lectures. Three recently promoted faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences presented thoughtful reflections on their research and the even...
