In the video my group is producing, the purpose as I see it is to explore the "end of composition" from the different perspectives of the "branches" of the English department: Literature, Linguistics, Technical Communications, and Creative Writing.
We have already interviewed four professors, one from each department:
Dr. Borshuk, Lit
Covington, CW
Locke Carter, TC
Dr. Hurst, ling.
We have also interviewed four students from Vicki Ronn's 1301 classes.
We still need to interview four CIs, one from each department: (These are the ones we hope to interview.)
Kristen Jones, Ling
Ruben Quesada, CW
Bob Schaller, TC
Lacy Harvey, Lit
4 DIs
We also think an interesting perspective could be to interview the Dean of A&S to see what she believes that the role of 1301 is in the "big picture" of the university education. Another interesting perspective could be to talk with students that have already moved on into other aspects of their education in different departments. How well did 1301 prepare them for the type of writing they are currently doing? These interviews could serve as bookends to the thoughts of people in the English department.
The questions we have asked our interviewees are:
1. What is the purpose of composition? (What do you, as a professor, hope to get out of your students?/What do you, as a student, hope to get out of the class?)
2. What constitutes a good piece of composition?
3. Realistically, what do you want to get from a composition student/class?
4. How do you know if you are successful as a teacher/as a student? What serves as a guideline for success?
I think our finished product will provide an interesting look at how different people expect different things from the same class. So far, I have been intrigued at the answers we have heard to our questions...
If anyone has an interesting question to add to our list, please share it!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Learning Curve
Earlier today as I was getting ready to write my blog based on my observations at a local restaurant last night, I was confronted with the opportunity to really have a meaningful learning experience for myself. I need to give a little background to help you understand how I was taught some important lessons tonight.
I live in an apartment complex. For the past 20 years, though, I have lived in a house in a nice, mid-upper middle class neighborhood. The kids in my neighborhood were from two-parent families that had good, steady jobs. They put their children in piano lessons and Little Dribblers basketball. They stood on the front porch at night and called the kids in to dinner. The kids were respectful, clean, and fairly literate. In this small town, they knew everyone in the neighborhood, and we all knew them. Actually, we only started having kids on the block in the past 12 years. When families began "populating" the local schools, some of us contacted the comissioners' court to have a "Children at Play" sign put up. We all took responsibility for raising the children of our town.
Now, in my apartment complex, there are a couple of young girls that always say "Hi" to me. They think my scooter is pretty cool and always comment on it, and they have realized over the past few months that I will actually acknowledge their presence, so they have started talking to me more. Tonight, they stopped by to see if I would buy something from their school's fundraiser (they knew they had a sucker!). When they came in while I looked through the brochure, I realized that they would become my observation.
"Wow. You must be rich. Your house is so clean, and it smells so good." "Your furniture matches. That is pretty cool." "You have pictures from Paris. Have you been there? Wow!!" "You have a laptop? You must really have a lot of money."
Lori and Ellie (not their real names) were both dressed in shorts and had ballpoint pen "tattoos" all over their arms and legs. I detected the acrid scent of cigarettes on them. Both of them have beautiful blue eyes that can't really be seen through the shaggy hair that covers the eyes. (I had flashbacks of my mother saying, "Get that hair out of your eyes, young lady!") Lori chatters incessently, but Ellie opened up after a little while. I formed some opinions, based on students I had taught in the past, so to give a basis to the opinions, I began to casually ask some questions.
I found out that the girls are cousins. Their moms have the same dad, but different moms. Lori lives here, but Ellie stays here a lot when her mom has to work or has something else to do. Ellie's dad is in prison, but hopefully will get parole in December. When he does, she will go live with him, and he will buy her a computer for her schoolwork. Ellie will be 13 in May but is in 7th grade because she failed twice. Lori only failed once and is in 4th grade right now. Both girls are from single-parent households and live with their moms. Both have a multitude of siblings and step-siblings. Ellie has three brothers and two sisters that range in age from "baby" to 27. Lori has seven brothers and sisters, but she's not sure how many are "real" and how many are "step." Her four-year-old brother isn't in pre-k because he is mean, and he cusses a lot, so he can't stay in the program.
I asked them about computers since I had read the technology article this weekend. Neither one has much access to computers at school, and neither one has a computer at home. I asked about books. Both girls said there were no books in their houses, but Ellie said she likes to read at school. Lori can't check out books because her mother lost her library books at her old school, so she can't use the library until the fine is paid. In Language Arts, they write paragraphs about what they learned from the stories they read, and sometimes they get to make up stories. In Reading, Lori just learned all about bats, and she proceeded to describe the various species to me--in detail!
I was cooking supper because my "video" group was coming for dinner, so it really enthralled the girls. They stood and watched me cut up veggies and saute chicken. They were impressed. They said usually their moms made frozen dinners or things from a box. Ellie asked me what my favorite restaurant was, but she had not heard of any I named. The nicest restaurant she had been in was Taco Villa.
What did I learn from tonight? That I lead a very sheltered and selfish life. I take so many things for granted. I have been very blessed in my life. I have felt a little sorry for myself because I gave up a lot to return to graduate school. I realize now that I have not been seeing things clearly. It took two tough little girls to show me how lucky I am. I also realize that teachers are making a difference in their lives. They talked about their good and bad ones. They made me tear-up when they said good-bye and said they wished I was their teacher. What they don't realize is that tonight THEY were my teachers.
I live in an apartment complex. For the past 20 years, though, I have lived in a house in a nice, mid-upper middle class neighborhood. The kids in my neighborhood were from two-parent families that had good, steady jobs. They put their children in piano lessons and Little Dribblers basketball. They stood on the front porch at night and called the kids in to dinner. The kids were respectful, clean, and fairly literate. In this small town, they knew everyone in the neighborhood, and we all knew them. Actually, we only started having kids on the block in the past 12 years. When families began "populating" the local schools, some of us contacted the comissioners' court to have a "Children at Play" sign put up. We all took responsibility for raising the children of our town.
Now, in my apartment complex, there are a couple of young girls that always say "Hi" to me. They think my scooter is pretty cool and always comment on it, and they have realized over the past few months that I will actually acknowledge their presence, so they have started talking to me more. Tonight, they stopped by to see if I would buy something from their school's fundraiser (they knew they had a sucker!). When they came in while I looked through the brochure, I realized that they would become my observation.
"Wow. You must be rich. Your house is so clean, and it smells so good." "Your furniture matches. That is pretty cool." "You have pictures from Paris. Have you been there? Wow!!" "You have a laptop? You must really have a lot of money."
Lori and Ellie (not their real names) were both dressed in shorts and had ballpoint pen "tattoos" all over their arms and legs. I detected the acrid scent of cigarettes on them. Both of them have beautiful blue eyes that can't really be seen through the shaggy hair that covers the eyes. (I had flashbacks of my mother saying, "Get that hair out of your eyes, young lady!") Lori chatters incessently, but Ellie opened up after a little while. I formed some opinions, based on students I had taught in the past, so to give a basis to the opinions, I began to casually ask some questions.
I found out that the girls are cousins. Their moms have the same dad, but different moms. Lori lives here, but Ellie stays here a lot when her mom has to work or has something else to do. Ellie's dad is in prison, but hopefully will get parole in December. When he does, she will go live with him, and he will buy her a computer for her schoolwork. Ellie will be 13 in May but is in 7th grade because she failed twice. Lori only failed once and is in 4th grade right now. Both girls are from single-parent households and live with their moms. Both have a multitude of siblings and step-siblings. Ellie has three brothers and two sisters that range in age from "baby" to 27. Lori has seven brothers and sisters, but she's not sure how many are "real" and how many are "step." Her four-year-old brother isn't in pre-k because he is mean, and he cusses a lot, so he can't stay in the program.
I asked them about computers since I had read the technology article this weekend. Neither one has much access to computers at school, and neither one has a computer at home. I asked about books. Both girls said there were no books in their houses, but Ellie said she likes to read at school. Lori can't check out books because her mother lost her library books at her old school, so she can't use the library until the fine is paid. In Language Arts, they write paragraphs about what they learned from the stories they read, and sometimes they get to make up stories. In Reading, Lori just learned all about bats, and she proceeded to describe the various species to me--in detail!
I was cooking supper because my "video" group was coming for dinner, so it really enthralled the girls. They stood and watched me cut up veggies and saute chicken. They were impressed. They said usually their moms made frozen dinners or things from a box. Ellie asked me what my favorite restaurant was, but she had not heard of any I named. The nicest restaurant she had been in was Taco Villa.
What did I learn from tonight? That I lead a very sheltered and selfish life. I take so many things for granted. I have been very blessed in my life. I have felt a little sorry for myself because I gave up a lot to return to graduate school. I realize now that I have not been seeing things clearly. It took two tough little girls to show me how lucky I am. I also realize that teachers are making a difference in their lives. They talked about their good and bad ones. They made me tear-up when they said good-bye and said they wished I was their teacher. What they don't realize is that tonight THEY were my teachers.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Voice
Sorry this is late. I had a hard time getting the Internet to stay connected while I was in Harlingen, so I decided to wait until I was home to try to post the blog.
Voice is an aspect of writing that has bothered me over the years. On the one hand, "immature" writers often have a voice that SHOUTS at the reader, and the reader has a hard time overcoming the very personal approach to assignments. On the other hand, if voice is absent, then the reader doesn't get the feeling that the writer was invested in the assignment.
One thing that the TAKS test (Texas high school exit exam) looks for in the writing portion is a sense of the student's voice. If that voice is not present, the student rarely makes above a "2" (out of 4). The presence of voice is the deciding factor in the graders giving a perfect score to an essay. To encourage the students to find their voice, we did a lot of free-writing. I also gave them some very personal topics or topics that looked for personal applications (Who is your hero? What does it take to earn respect? etc.)
Personally, I have found that as I try to write for my classes here at Tech that I am losing my voice as I try to mold myself into an "academic" writer. This was a problem I had when I first went to Baylor. I don't really know how I overcame it 25 years ago, and I am not sure how to overcome it now. I know that many of the things I have written for other classes at the beginning had my voice ringing through, but it was not what some of the professors wanted, so I find myself in limbo. I know that in the readings we have been assigned when there is a strong sense of the writer's voice, I am much more engaged as a reader. The dry, "academic" writings encourage my mind to take a side trip to Aruba while I am reading. So, how do I maintain my personal voice--the kind that engages me as a reader--while conforming to the standards that older, more experienced professors are looking for? That, my friends, is the sixty-four million dollar question!
Voice is an aspect of writing that has bothered me over the years. On the one hand, "immature" writers often have a voice that SHOUTS at the reader, and the reader has a hard time overcoming the very personal approach to assignments. On the other hand, if voice is absent, then the reader doesn't get the feeling that the writer was invested in the assignment.
One thing that the TAKS test (Texas high school exit exam) looks for in the writing portion is a sense of the student's voice. If that voice is not present, the student rarely makes above a "2" (out of 4). The presence of voice is the deciding factor in the graders giving a perfect score to an essay. To encourage the students to find their voice, we did a lot of free-writing. I also gave them some very personal topics or topics that looked for personal applications (Who is your hero? What does it take to earn respect? etc.)
Personally, I have found that as I try to write for my classes here at Tech that I am losing my voice as I try to mold myself into an "academic" writer. This was a problem I had when I first went to Baylor. I don't really know how I overcame it 25 years ago, and I am not sure how to overcome it now. I know that many of the things I have written for other classes at the beginning had my voice ringing through, but it was not what some of the professors wanted, so I find myself in limbo. I know that in the readings we have been assigned when there is a strong sense of the writer's voice, I am much more engaged as a reader. The dry, "academic" writings encourage my mind to take a side trip to Aruba while I am reading. So, how do I maintain my personal voice--the kind that engages me as a reader--while conforming to the standards that older, more experienced professors are looking for? That, my friends, is the sixty-four million dollar question!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Perfect Teacher...
Prompt: Choose one of the following: What is Teaching? What makes a "Perfect Teacher"?
Well, I completely forgot to post last week, but I had an extra one the first week, so let's call it even! :-) I do want to say one thing about the readings. Many of them have been interesting and helpful. I sometimes find myself saying, "Wow! I never thought of it like that!" On the other hand, as I said in class one day, I get frustrated at some of the people who write in a way that it is dense and inaccessible. What is the point of having great things to share if it is presented in a way that says to the reader: I am much better and brighter than you. I will share my valuable information with you in a way that will make you feel as if you are a bleeding idiot!
One of our choices this week was on teaching and what makes the perfect teacher. I don't believe that creature exists. (Actually, I personally believe only one "perfect teacher" existed, but that was 2,000 years ago!) I think that any teacher worth his (or her) salt will admit that every time something works the way it was planned, he is taken a little off-guard. In Orientation, we were told about the "Impostor" complex, and I have to agree. Every year when our contracts were renewed, I would half-jokingly say, "Hey! They want me back!!" My principal always replied, "Of course. Who else would do all the stuff nobody else wants to?"
The point is that as teachers, we are many things rolled in to one. That is especially true of teachers of writing. People are vulnerable when they put pen to paper, so we become the "keepers of their secrets" many times. That is a very intimidating task. We need to learn to teach the concepts in a way that will benefit the students, but we also need to be aware that people learn in a variety of ways. I almost hate to admit it, but I never made out a lesson plan until I had spent one day with my classes. Each class has a different personality, so I learned early in my career that just as "one size fits all" doesn't usually work for clothes, it rarely works for classes either. I had a plan of where I wanted to take my classes each year, but depending upon the personality of the class, I would choose different paths to reach our goal. This illustrates another quality of a teacher--flexibility and adaptability. I know people that can tell you exactly what they will be discussing on April 12th at 1:37 p.m. EVERY YEAR! The students that come out of those classes are usually very good mechanically speaking, but they usually don't learn to push themselves to their limits. They aren't creative or intuitive. They usually buckle when faced with the need to employ critical thinking skills.
Besides needing the ability to counsel, to direct, to encourage, and to adapt, teachers also need to love what they do. If you do not like teaching, get out now while you still can! It can be the most rewarding career in the world if you love what you do, but the flip side is that it will make you old, miserable, and bitter if you hate it. Everyone has had at least one experience with THAT teacher.
The Take 20 video that we watched showed us some examples of excellent teachers who love their jobs. It was encouraging to see Andrea Lunsford who still loves teaching, but realizes that she still has to be flexible. See, we never become "perfect" in our own eyes. We can be "good" or even "great," but if we ever think that we have reached the pinnacle, be ready to be pushed off pretty quickly by some student who is not afraid to speak up!
As we think about what makes the perfect teacher, I think we all can rely on memories of teachers that have had an impact on us. Take those qualities and roll them in to one person, and there is your ideal. For me it is Mr./Mrs. Derrington-Patterson-Jarrell-Courtney-Otto-Porch-Miller-Herridge. Wow, what a funny-looking, but absolutely wonderful teacher!!!
Well, I completely forgot to post last week, but I had an extra one the first week, so let's call it even! :-) I do want to say one thing about the readings. Many of them have been interesting and helpful. I sometimes find myself saying, "Wow! I never thought of it like that!" On the other hand, as I said in class one day, I get frustrated at some of the people who write in a way that it is dense and inaccessible. What is the point of having great things to share if it is presented in a way that says to the reader: I am much better and brighter than you. I will share my valuable information with you in a way that will make you feel as if you are a bleeding idiot!
One of our choices this week was on teaching and what makes the perfect teacher. I don't believe that creature exists. (Actually, I personally believe only one "perfect teacher" existed, but that was 2,000 years ago!) I think that any teacher worth his (or her) salt will admit that every time something works the way it was planned, he is taken a little off-guard. In Orientation, we were told about the "Impostor" complex, and I have to agree. Every year when our contracts were renewed, I would half-jokingly say, "Hey! They want me back!!" My principal always replied, "Of course. Who else would do all the stuff nobody else wants to?"
The point is that as teachers, we are many things rolled in to one. That is especially true of teachers of writing. People are vulnerable when they put pen to paper, so we become the "keepers of their secrets" many times. That is a very intimidating task. We need to learn to teach the concepts in a way that will benefit the students, but we also need to be aware that people learn in a variety of ways. I almost hate to admit it, but I never made out a lesson plan until I had spent one day with my classes. Each class has a different personality, so I learned early in my career that just as "one size fits all" doesn't usually work for clothes, it rarely works for classes either. I had a plan of where I wanted to take my classes each year, but depending upon the personality of the class, I would choose different paths to reach our goal. This illustrates another quality of a teacher--flexibility and adaptability. I know people that can tell you exactly what they will be discussing on April 12th at 1:37 p.m. EVERY YEAR! The students that come out of those classes are usually very good mechanically speaking, but they usually don't learn to push themselves to their limits. They aren't creative or intuitive. They usually buckle when faced with the need to employ critical thinking skills.
Besides needing the ability to counsel, to direct, to encourage, and to adapt, teachers also need to love what they do. If you do not like teaching, get out now while you still can! It can be the most rewarding career in the world if you love what you do, but the flip side is that it will make you old, miserable, and bitter if you hate it. Everyone has had at least one experience with THAT teacher.
The Take 20 video that we watched showed us some examples of excellent teachers who love their jobs. It was encouraging to see Andrea Lunsford who still loves teaching, but realizes that she still has to be flexible. See, we never become "perfect" in our own eyes. We can be "good" or even "great," but if we ever think that we have reached the pinnacle, be ready to be pushed off pretty quickly by some student who is not afraid to speak up!
As we think about what makes the perfect teacher, I think we all can rely on memories of teachers that have had an impact on us. Take those qualities and roll them in to one person, and there is your ideal. For me it is Mr./Mrs. Derrington-Patterson-Jarrell-Courtney-Otto-Porch-Miller-Herridge. Wow, what a funny-looking, but absolutely wonderful teacher!!!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
End of Composition
Blog Prompt: What is the "End of Composition"? How do we get there? What are the principles of good writing instruction that will get us there?
Hhhmmmm...Good Question! I find myself in the process of re-evaluating some of the things I thought about teaching composition, but I will try to address this as well as I can as of today.
I think that the "end of composition" as it relates to Freshman Composition is an ability to effectively communicate through various types of written formats. I think that we should be teaching the students to be aware of audience, to be aware of the message, and to be aware of the "correctness" of the message. It would be nice if they all had critical thinking and critical reading skills coming into this class, but alas, I am finding that is not the case! Therefore, we also need to be sure that they acquire these skills.
How do we get there? The same way you get to Carnegie Hall--PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
The principles of good writing instruction that will get us there first of all involves an awareness of what is expected. We need to be sure that WE understand what is expected of the students, and then we need to be sure that we communicate those expectations to the students. There has been some confusion on the first few assignments, and I feel that the students are the ones who have suffered. I also feel that we need to give effective feedback to the students. How can we expect them to learn if we don't use every opportunity to "individualize" their experience? We also need to provide various chances for them to write. If they are able to write across the curriculum and get some feedback from us, then they will become better at it.
Hhhmmmm...Good Question! I find myself in the process of re-evaluating some of the things I thought about teaching composition, but I will try to address this as well as I can as of today.
I think that the "end of composition" as it relates to Freshman Composition is an ability to effectively communicate through various types of written formats. I think that we should be teaching the students to be aware of audience, to be aware of the message, and to be aware of the "correctness" of the message. It would be nice if they all had critical thinking and critical reading skills coming into this class, but alas, I am finding that is not the case! Therefore, we also need to be sure that they acquire these skills.
How do we get there? The same way you get to Carnegie Hall--PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
The principles of good writing instruction that will get us there first of all involves an awareness of what is expected. We need to be sure that WE understand what is expected of the students, and then we need to be sure that we communicate those expectations to the students. There has been some confusion on the first few assignments, and I feel that the students are the ones who have suffered. I also feel that we need to give effective feedback to the students. How can we expect them to learn if we don't use every opportunity to "individualize" their experience? We also need to provide various chances for them to write. If they are able to write across the curriculum and get some feedback from us, then they will become better at it.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Philosophy
Twenty-three years ago I had to create a Teaching Philosophy for an education class. I remember working hard on it, and I remember making an "A" on it. I also remember the professor telling us how vital this was to our careers. It's funny, but I have no idea where that paper is, and no one in any of my teaching jobs has ever asked for it. Having said that, I do know that having a road map to follow is important when you start on the journey that you choose for your life. While I don't remember exactly what I said, I do remember having a plan for what I wanted to do in my classroom.
As all optimistic first-time teachers do, I filled my expectations with many aspirations that I realize now not even members of MENSA could fulfill. However, one thing did work. I found that if I had high expectations for myself and shared those with the students, they usually surpassed what THEY thought they could do. I also found that students "don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." If they know that you honestly want them to learn so that they will be successful in the path that they choose to follow, then they will learn. I have had welders and farmers that have seen me in town and asked if I had heard that there is a new Beowulf movie coming out. (Many years after they were in my class!) I received a graduation announcement last May from a student that was receiving his MA in Philosophy at the University of Texas. This student entered my English IV classroom believing that he could only go to a technical school because he didn't have the skills to write well enough for a university.
So, what is my philosophy of teaching and composition? Care about what YOU do. Let the students know you aren't in it for the millions of dollars you receive each month (LOL). Care enough about your job to study and to know your subject well. Prepare ahead of time. Believe in your "kids." Pad your criticism with enough "warm fuzzies" that they will walk on broken glass for you--or at least revise their drafts! Show them examples of how to "do it right." Take their sentences and work with their words instead of referring them to a page in the handbook. Have them write, write, and write some more. As I have said before, even Michael Jordan has to practice shooting free throws.
As all optimistic first-time teachers do, I filled my expectations with many aspirations that I realize now not even members of MENSA could fulfill. However, one thing did work. I found that if I had high expectations for myself and shared those with the students, they usually surpassed what THEY thought they could do. I also found that students "don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." If they know that you honestly want them to learn so that they will be successful in the path that they choose to follow, then they will learn. I have had welders and farmers that have seen me in town and asked if I had heard that there is a new Beowulf movie coming out. (Many years after they were in my class!) I received a graduation announcement last May from a student that was receiving his MA in Philosophy at the University of Texas. This student entered my English IV classroom believing that he could only go to a technical school because he didn't have the skills to write well enough for a university.
So, what is my philosophy of teaching and composition? Care about what YOU do. Let the students know you aren't in it for the millions of dollars you receive each month (LOL). Care enough about your job to study and to know your subject well. Prepare ahead of time. Believe in your "kids." Pad your criticism with enough "warm fuzzies" that they will walk on broken glass for you--or at least revise their drafts! Show them examples of how to "do it right." Take their sentences and work with their words instead of referring them to a page in the handbook. Have them write, write, and write some more. As I have said before, even Michael Jordan has to practice shooting free throws.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
ICON Part 2
We've talked some in class about how teachers in ICON are facilitators. What do they facilitate? How is what they're doing similar to writing center approaches to teaching writing?
Well, last week I apparently did a blog that we are skipping, so please don't think I am crazy!
This is a hard topic to address since I am not familiar with what the CI's are doing on a day-to-day basis in their classes. As all teachers do, they facilitate learning. I assume that they are teaching the concepts, then allowing the students to go home to practice these concepts through TOPIC. I am sure that they give specific examples to correlate with the assignment focus for the week. I have not yet visited the writing center, so I assume that it is set up much the same way, only on a one-on-one basis.
Well, last week I apparently did a blog that we are skipping, so please don't think I am crazy!
This is a hard topic to address since I am not familiar with what the CI's are doing on a day-to-day basis in their classes. As all teachers do, they facilitate learning. I assume that they are teaching the concepts, then allowing the students to go home to practice these concepts through TOPIC. I am sure that they give specific examples to correlate with the assignment focus for the week. I have not yet visited the writing center, so I assume that it is set up much the same way, only on a one-on-one basis.
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