Multilingual Writing Specialist

ABOUT GRINNELL COLLEGE

Grinnell College is a top ranked Liberal Arts institution that values diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, intellectual freedom, and social responsibility. We seek candidates that align with these values and have the ability and desire to advance our values and belonging within our community and the communities we engage. Ideal candidates will be prepared to collaborate and contribute to the mission and values of the college across all constituencies.
 

POSITION SUMMARY

The multilingual specialist will collaborate with the Writing, Reading, and Speaking Center’s other professional staff and with other offices on campus to support multilingual international and domestic students through individual consultations, courses, and workshops. People of color and members of groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy are particularly encouraged to apply.
 

Please submit your CV, letter of application, and names of three professional references. Candidates selected for first-round interviews will also be asked to submit three letters of recommendation. In letters of application, candidates should discuss their readiness to teach in an undergraduate, liberal-arts environment that emphasizes student-faculty interaction and values a diverse student body, including minoritized and first-generation students, international students, and students with disabilities. To be assured of full consideration, application materials should be received by January 2, 2023.
 

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Teach writing, reading, and speaking skills and processes in sessions with individual students.
• Teach writing, reading, and speaking skills and processes in credit-bearing courses and in workshops and presentations across the disciplines.
• Plan and conduct trainings in multilingual writing pedagogy for Writing Center instructors, undergraduate writing tutors, and faculty.
• Collaborate with offices and staff across campus to develop and promote academic resources for multilingual students.
• Collaborate with faculty teaching writing.
• Consult with individual faculty and with campus committees about supporting multilingual students.
• Create and maintain initiatives to support multilingual students.
• Communicate clearly with students, faculty, and staff.
• File session reports describing one-on-one sessions with student writers.
• Participate in writing assessment activities.
• Pursue professional development in writing center pedagogy and the teaching of English to multilingual students.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in TESOL, Second Language Acquisition, Linguistics, or related field.
• Experience teaching writing, reading, and speaking for academic purposes to ELL students at the college level.
• Skilled at guiding and encouraging college students at any stage of the composing process—preparing, planning, drafting, revising—to develop, organize, and effectively convey ideas and arguments.
• Familiar with a range of academic subjects and conventions of writing and speaking; able and willing to learn the basics of unfamiliar conventions and genres.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Strong writing and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficient personal computer skills, including electronic mail, record keeping, routine database activity, word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, etc.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience teaching or tutoring in college or university writing centers.
• Experience working with students from a range of racial, socioeconomic, cultural, national, and linguistic backgrounds.
• Familiarity with writing center pedagogy and scholarship.
• Demonstrated ability to work under minimal supervision and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with colleagues, faculty, and campus staff to support multilingual students.