College Writing Class Essentials

In six years of teaching, there are a few things I've learned are essential in the college writing classroom. These are things I've learned I must do:

1. Create reasons for students to come to class. If I don't, they won't.
2. Post minimum word counts for assignments. I do this for just about every assignment. It gives them an idea of what I'm expecting and offers easy justification for taking points off. (Short assignments usually haven't done what was needed anyway.) In my experience, a requiring a minimum number of pages just doesn't work. It ends in me spending too much time either trying to enforce the page standards (font, size, margins) and later trying to figure out how much they've really written when they haven't met those standards (and what I should do about it).
3. Utilize modern technology. Our students do; if I want to reach them, I need to too.
4. Incorporate visuals into your lessons. I am a visual learner, so it surprises me when I think back and realize how long it took me to learn that I needed to use visuals in my classroom. Many--if not most--of our students are visual learners too. (Perhaps its the influence of technology?) It does take a little longer to plan lessons when I'm constantly coming up with visual aids (media clips, web references, or PowerPoints), but it comes with an extra advantage: it takes some of the attention and pressure off of me in the classroom. And even though I've had plenty of practice at it, I still get nervous teaching. But having the visual aid brings students' eyes to the front of the class--but not just on me--giving me the attention and confidence I need to get message across.