Eat a grape and make a wish! Have a competition of nativities. Wear yellow pants to ensure good finances in the coming year! These are just a few of the cultural traditions Moraine Park’s English Language students shared during our end of the semester holiday-themed classes. We kicked off the holiday conversation with a trip to Regner Park’s “Enchantment in the Park” lights display where the students learned about the United States’ holiday traditions including Christmas lights, Santa Claus, carolers and hot cocoa. Continue reading

My name is Rob Heyrman, and I have been a communication instructor at Moraine Park since 1990. I started as an adjunct and was hired in a full-time capacity in 1993. I teach English composition, oral and interpersonal communication, and speech in both a traditional and online capacity.

Over the last 27 years, I have seen a lot of changes in the field of general education as well as in the discipline of communication; however, my approach to teaching remains the same. Continue reading

Bruce Forciea, anatomy and physiology instructor here at Moraine Park Technical College,  just released his second novel, Alan 2 – an intense, thrilling sci-fi tale filled with action, espionage and thrills. Continue reading

Many scholarship applications will require an essay or a personal statement. Check out these tips to write an effective essay!
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This week, students in our English Language Learner (ELL) class enjoyed coupling language learning with team-building skills through “The Marshmallow Challenge.”  Modified from an activity discussed in Mark Wujec’s TED talk, the students were tasked with working together in teams to build the tallest structure in a limited amount of time, from a limited set of materials.

They did a wonderful job creating some very unique free-standing structures! Continue reading