For my class, I get two sets of evaluations. One set is the standard multiple choice evaluation required by the university. The other set was a list of questions I printed up and handed to my class that expands the feedback the multiple choice can give me.
This second set is the one that's ultimately more useful. Also, it's the one I just read through. Yeah, the student critiques of my very first class have been sitting in an unopened envelope all this time. How could I wait that long?! Well, I already had a good idea of what the jist would be.
Which brings me to one specific I would like to share with the world at large. This is just about the only time I'll ever mention anything specific about the students, but I think it's warranted. One of the questions I asked of my students was how they thought my Composition 101 class could be improved.
To paraphrase a couple of the responses: "We should write less and talk more instead."
Thanks guys, I'll take that under consideration.
Showing posts with label TA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TA. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Defiantly
Well, my comp. class is officially all over. I got to the classroom bright and early at eight o'clock this morning, only to find we were locked out. Thankfully, the Student Support Services office let us use their tutoring room. *Note to self, get combo for room so that next time I can still get in*
Instead of a final exam, my class did final portfolios. Basically, we're talking about a comprehensive project that sums up everything they did over the semester. That in and of itself is an interesting concept. How do you sum up four months of writing? I've just started on the portfolios and, like all the other reflections I've had the class write, they're very interesting. It's neat to see what comes out when the student takes all of their work, puts it together and then says, "This is what I got out of it, and this is where I stand now."
On a side note - one of the most hilarious things I've noticed this semester has been a typo. I've had one student who's done it the most, but it seems to have spread like a contagion. Why is "definitely" so hard to spell? It makes me chuckle to read something like, "I defiantly agree with this author."
Now I have a dozen portfolios to read and final grades to submit by Monday. And that is that. Nothing more to see here. Well, until fall semester, at least.
Instead of a final exam, my class did final portfolios. Basically, we're talking about a comprehensive project that sums up everything they did over the semester. That in and of itself is an interesting concept. How do you sum up four months of writing? I've just started on the portfolios and, like all the other reflections I've had the class write, they're very interesting. It's neat to see what comes out when the student takes all of their work, puts it together and then says, "This is what I got out of it, and this is where I stand now."
On a side note - one of the most hilarious things I've noticed this semester has been a typo. I've had one student who's done it the most, but it seems to have spread like a contagion. Why is "definitely" so hard to spell? It makes me chuckle to read something like, "I defiantly agree with this author."
Now I have a dozen portfolios to read and final grades to submit by Monday. And that is that. Nothing more to see here. Well, until fall semester, at least.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Almost There...
This morning was my last composition "class." We meet one more time during finals week for, in theory, the class final. In reality, it'll be for them to hand in their final portfolios and do a class evaluation. After so long of being in the mindset of "next week in class, we'll cover..." it's weird to think that there is no next week.
I'm already slotted for my two classes in the fall. I didn't realize this until I was walking on campus and ran into a freshman advisor I know.
Him: Hey, I'm putting a lot of students in your 8:00 class.
Me: I have an 8:00 class?
I checked online and sure enough, it was so. I have two back-to-back classes, the first at eight in the morning, the second at nine.
I am not thrilled. While certain people I know are more than happy to be awake at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning (or, in some cases, four thirty) I am not one of them. *Sigh* I'll get over it and adjust, I suppose. And then, as everyone has been pointing out, an early start means an early finish. That could be nice.
I'm already slotted for my two classes in the fall. I didn't realize this until I was walking on campus and ran into a freshman advisor I know.
Him: Hey, I'm putting a lot of students in your 8:00 class.
Me: I have an 8:00 class?
I checked online and sure enough, it was so. I have two back-to-back classes, the first at eight in the morning, the second at nine.
I am not thrilled. While certain people I know are more than happy to be awake at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning (or, in some cases, four thirty) I am not one of them. *Sigh* I'll get over it and adjust, I suppose. And then, as everyone has been pointing out, an early start means an early finish. That could be nice.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Writing, Mirror-Fashion
Over the course of my first semester teaching, I've tried a number of different activities, exercises, and assignments with varying degrees of success. Some things just don't work, for reasons I don't realize until I try them out and see them flop. Others, though, they click.
Today I read through my students' writing reflections for their last formal essay. Whatever else I do next semester, I'm absolutely doing this. The jist: after turning in their essays, the students turn around and write a 1-2 page reflection paper on it. I ask them to talk about their process of writing the paper, and especially what they think they did well, and/or what was difficult. They write these before they get their graded essays returned to them, so their comments on what worked and what didn't are based wholely in their own perceptions. It makes for fascinating reading.
I think the first time I asked the students to do this, they didn't really know what I was asking for. This second time, they've gotten braver about admitting their struggles/challenges and many of the reflections were more honest and less about "I think I did well." This time I had a handful of students make comments about what could have been stronger about their essay which were almost the exact same things I commented on.
One of the things that's been in my mind while thinking about writing, learning to write, and attempting to teach it is that most writers/students are smarter than they think they are. When we take shortcuts in our writing, we tend to know it. When we are particularly proud of something we've written, it's more likely than not because it's one of the strongest things we've written. This is especially true when we take the time to think about the parts of our writing and why something works or doesn't.
So, I ask my students to take that time and I've been very happy with the results. My comments on these reflections are minimal. Mostly I just underline the parts where a student says, "This time I did X differently, and it worked better" and "If I had spent more time doing X, this paper would have been better." They don't need me to say anything, they're already figuring it out on their own. It's beautiful.
In light of this, I offer a question and a challenge to you:
Question: When's the last time you wrote about something you've written and talked specifically about the strong and weak elements of it? How'd that go?
Challenge: Take out something that you've written (something you're particulary pleased with, something you're not pleased with, or your most recent project). Read through it again. Now take out a piece of paper or open a new Word document and write about that project. Write out what you like or don't like about it and why. Can you think of any strategies for changing what you don't like? Can you think of any ways to translate your success with this particular piece into the way you write in the future?
Today I read through my students' writing reflections for their last formal essay. Whatever else I do next semester, I'm absolutely doing this. The jist: after turning in their essays, the students turn around and write a 1-2 page reflection paper on it. I ask them to talk about their process of writing the paper, and especially what they think they did well, and/or what was difficult. They write these before they get their graded essays returned to them, so their comments on what worked and what didn't are based wholely in their own perceptions. It makes for fascinating reading.
I think the first time I asked the students to do this, they didn't really know what I was asking for. This second time, they've gotten braver about admitting their struggles/challenges and many of the reflections were more honest and less about "I think I did well." This time I had a handful of students make comments about what could have been stronger about their essay which were almost the exact same things I commented on.
One of the things that's been in my mind while thinking about writing, learning to write, and attempting to teach it is that most writers/students are smarter than they think they are. When we take shortcuts in our writing, we tend to know it. When we are particularly proud of something we've written, it's more likely than not because it's one of the strongest things we've written. This is especially true when we take the time to think about the parts of our writing and why something works or doesn't.
So, I ask my students to take that time and I've been very happy with the results. My comments on these reflections are minimal. Mostly I just underline the parts where a student says, "This time I did X differently, and it worked better" and "If I had spent more time doing X, this paper would have been better." They don't need me to say anything, they're already figuring it out on their own. It's beautiful.
In light of this, I offer a question and a challenge to you:
Question: When's the last time you wrote about something you've written and talked specifically about the strong and weak elements of it? How'd that go?
Challenge: Take out something that you've written (something you're particulary pleased with, something you're not pleased with, or your most recent project). Read through it again. Now take out a piece of paper or open a new Word document and write about that project. Write out what you like or don't like about it and why. Can you think of any strategies for changing what you don't like? Can you think of any ways to translate your success with this particular piece into the way you write in the future?
Friday, February 22, 2008
Bleed: Dialogue
I've talked a bit before about the ways things tend to bleed over into other things. Practicing poetry bleeds over into my fiction writing, watching movies bleeds into telling stories, etc. Everyting somehow relates to everything else.
Today, in Comp. we talked about a great essay by Rosina Lippi-Green titled "Teaching Children How to Discriminate: What We Learn from the Big Bad Wolf." The main idea is an analysis of animated Disney movies and how they stereotype characters with accents. For instance, female romantic leads speak American English, baddies often have foreign accents. Coincidence? I think not.
So, we talk about this essay, which bleeds into a conversation about cinema, which bleeds into a conversation about building characters, which bleeds into... and at the end of the line, we're really just talking about stories. You don't hear a character's voice when you're reading a novel, but the way that character's speech is written makes it possible for you to imagine their voice.
Huck Finn, anyone? Exactly.
I love dialogue. I am enamored with the way my characters talk, and it's something I spend a lot of time thinking about. In Oracle, particularly, I have a couple of specific traits for some of the characters - like the one who hardly ever speaks with contractions, except for when she's talking to certain other characters who are the scruffy types.
Joss is an excellent example of character through dialogue - read anything about the Buffy writer's talking about the topic, and it's very clear how that show worked in this regard - and has mastered the art of building characters within the first few lines they speak onscreen.
Listen to the commentary of Blood Diamond where he's talking about Leonardo DiCaprio's use of accent.
There are plenty other examples, but you get the idea. It's got my brain wheels turning today.
Today, in Comp. we talked about a great essay by Rosina Lippi-Green titled "Teaching Children How to Discriminate: What We Learn from the Big Bad Wolf." The main idea is an analysis of animated Disney movies and how they stereotype characters with accents. For instance, female romantic leads speak American English, baddies often have foreign accents. Coincidence? I think not.
So, we talk about this essay, which bleeds into a conversation about cinema, which bleeds into a conversation about building characters, which bleeds into... and at the end of the line, we're really just talking about stories. You don't hear a character's voice when you're reading a novel, but the way that character's speech is written makes it possible for you to imagine their voice.
Huck Finn, anyone? Exactly.
I love dialogue. I am enamored with the way my characters talk, and it's something I spend a lot of time thinking about. In Oracle, particularly, I have a couple of specific traits for some of the characters - like the one who hardly ever speaks with contractions, except for when she's talking to certain other characters who are the scruffy types.
Joss is an excellent example of character through dialogue - read anything about the Buffy writer's talking about the topic, and it's very clear how that show worked in this regard - and has mastered the art of building characters within the first few lines they speak onscreen.
Listen to the commentary of Blood Diamond where he's talking about Leonardo DiCaprio's use of accent.
There are plenty other examples, but you get the idea. It's got my brain wheels turning today.
Friday, February 1, 2008
First Peer Review
Today in 101, my students worked on their first peer reviews. Everybody brought copies of the rough draft of their first formal essay. I made goldenrod colored copies of a peer review guide.
Then I explained extra credit to them:
I'm going to take the grades everyone in your group receives on their final draft and average them out. If your group average isn't at a certain minimum, then there is not effect on your grade. If it is above a certain minimum, everybody in your group gets extra points. This is why it behooves you to be a good peer reviewer.
That said, they set to work and for the next forty five minutes the only sounds in the class were paper noises and the occasional student who had a question for me. The best part was, as I walked around and looked over people's shoulders, I saw people writing whole paragraphs of comments on the peer review forms. It was beautiful.
I love collaboration.
Then I explained extra credit to them:
I'm going to take the grades everyone in your group receives on their final draft and average them out. If your group average isn't at a certain minimum, then there is not effect on your grade. If it is above a certain minimum, everybody in your group gets extra points. This is why it behooves you to be a good peer reviewer.
That said, they set to work and for the next forty five minutes the only sounds in the class were paper noises and the occasional student who had a question for me. The best part was, as I walked around and looked over people's shoulders, I saw people writing whole paragraphs of comments on the peer review forms. It was beautiful.
I love collaboration.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Like Rick Said
"Week one's over and we're still alive."
-Rick
So, I've gone a week as a TA and I'm starting to relax a bit. Each day I write up notes about what I want to cover in class and how (now that there are groups, there's another layer to the how). I type them up all pretty-like and print them out, then I re-read and add handwritten notes. After class I go back over and add more notes to reflect what actually happened in class, and so goes my running record of each day. Turns out these will be handy for Katherine's class (Teaching College Composition, the supplementary TA class) because she wants weekly teaching logs. It's nice when things work out like that.
Today, as everyone trickled in, I told them to find their group. Yup, I'm doing groups. Here's the quick version of how I'm doing them:
Groups are home-base for students, they're the four/five people each student is going to be spending the most time with in class. Whenever we do small group discussions, peer review, etc., these are the groups students will be working in. My plan is to have the same groups for the whole semester, though that's not a hard and fast plan. There's also a grade component that goes into groups, though not in the way most group work works. Basically, it only factors in on the big papers. If everybody in the group gets a base grade of X, then each person in the group gets X points added to their grade. If the group doesn't meet that base grade, then each person just gets their own grade on that paper. In short, the grade component can only help students, never hurt them.
The class spent a lot of time in their groups today, and a little bit of time as a class. The beautiful thing is since I made them talk in groups first (and everybody has to talk while they're doing groups) they were much more comfortable talking while in the class group. I only had to pick on someone once, it was great.
End of week one. I know everyone's names. I have a plan. My first couple of experiments have gone all right or well. It's been a good week.
-Rick
So, I've gone a week as a TA and I'm starting to relax a bit. Each day I write up notes about what I want to cover in class and how (now that there are groups, there's another layer to the how). I type them up all pretty-like and print them out, then I re-read and add handwritten notes. After class I go back over and add more notes to reflect what actually happened in class, and so goes my running record of each day. Turns out these will be handy for Katherine's class (Teaching College Composition, the supplementary TA class) because she wants weekly teaching logs. It's nice when things work out like that.
Today, as everyone trickled in, I told them to find their group. Yup, I'm doing groups. Here's the quick version of how I'm doing them:
Groups are home-base for students, they're the four/five people each student is going to be spending the most time with in class. Whenever we do small group discussions, peer review, etc., these are the groups students will be working in. My plan is to have the same groups for the whole semester, though that's not a hard and fast plan. There's also a grade component that goes into groups, though not in the way most group work works. Basically, it only factors in on the big papers. If everybody in the group gets a base grade of X, then each person in the group gets X points added to their grade. If the group doesn't meet that base grade, then each person just gets their own grade on that paper. In short, the grade component can only help students, never hurt them.
The class spent a lot of time in their groups today, and a little bit of time as a class. The beautiful thing is since I made them talk in groups first (and everybody has to talk while they're doing groups) they were much more comfortable talking while in the class group. I only had to pick on someone once, it was great.
End of week one. I know everyone's names. I have a plan. My first couple of experiments have gone all right or well. It's been a good week.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Letter 1 Responses
Today I collected the first writings from the class and I started reading them during my office hours. I was a bit anxious to see how they'd turn out, and I'm so pleased to see that they're exactly what I was hoping for.
Wanna talk metafiction? Or, metawriting, anyhow? I ask them to say, in writing, how they write. One student in particular grabbed right onto that by saying, I like to write in X format, which I've written this letter in. It's very curious to have people say, in writing, what their writing is like.
These letters are particularly helpful since I'm splitting the class into groups on Friday. The groups are going to be assigned, and I'd already made a couple of notes about potential groups, and now I get to add to that knowledge of who has which strengths so I can put them together with others who don't necessarily have that strength to increase the possibility of different students rubbing off on each other. It's great fun.
Wanna talk metafiction? Or, metawriting, anyhow? I ask them to say, in writing, how they write. One student in particular grabbed right onto that by saying, I like to write in X format, which I've written this letter in. It's very curious to have people say, in writing, what their writing is like.
These letters are particularly helpful since I'm splitting the class into groups on Friday. The groups are going to be assigned, and I'd already made a couple of notes about potential groups, and now I get to add to that knowledge of who has which strengths so I can put them together with others who don't necessarily have that strength to increase the possibility of different students rubbing off on each other. It's great fun.
Monday, January 14, 2008
MWF, 10:00-11:50
Today was the day. I was anxious about taking care of everything I needed to on campus before class started, so I got here at eight thirty. By nine I had all my copies made and I was ready. That just left me with a good forty five minutes of waiting.
Now I'm doing my first office hours, which I've scheduled for right after class. Yup, I've gone, I've met my students, and I'm about half way toward knowing everyone's names. As I expected, the first class was tough, but now I'm through it and have a better idea of how the second class ought to go.
Here's an interesting part - During class I had everybody go around and answer some questions. While most people said things along the lines of what we've talked about in Katherine's class, it was fascinating to hear it from real live people.
Q: What's the point of Comp. 101?
A: To make us write better (I should have asked "what does 'better' mean?" Most looked like they weren't sure).
Q: What are your reading and writing habits?
A: I read the newspaper and online articles (with a couple of novels and one autobiography thrown in). I write when I have to for school (with a couple of MySpace bulletins, or poetry).
-So, a lot of people who read while doing other things and who read only short pieces. Also a lot of people who aren't invested in writing (no surprise there).
Q: What's been your past experience with writing instruction?
A: [Canned writing program]
Q: And how did you like it?
A: It was useless/I like knowing exactly what to do.
The best part was, as each person commented, I could relate to what they were saying. One student talked about the standard five paragraph format and how it's forced, sometimes two supports work better than three. In tenth grade I wrote my big research paper with two supports instead of three and my teacher made me redo it. I did, but I was never convinced that it made sense to the paper.
The questions were my favorite part of the class. My whole aim is this idea of having a dialogue about writing, and the questions helped get that started. The student who wasn't impressed by the five paragraph essay gave an excellent segue to me saying that I'm not concerned with whether or not a paper is in five paragraphs, but rather that the format fits what they're saying.
Well, the class has my first letter and I have a general feel for the students. Let's see how Wednesday goes.
Now I'm doing my first office hours, which I've scheduled for right after class. Yup, I've gone, I've met my students, and I'm about half way toward knowing everyone's names. As I expected, the first class was tough, but now I'm through it and have a better idea of how the second class ought to go.
Here's an interesting part - During class I had everybody go around and answer some questions. While most people said things along the lines of what we've talked about in Katherine's class, it was fascinating to hear it from real live people.
Q: What's the point of Comp. 101?
A: To make us write better (I should have asked "what does 'better' mean?" Most looked like they weren't sure).
Q: What are your reading and writing habits?
A: I read the newspaper and online articles (with a couple of novels and one autobiography thrown in). I write when I have to for school (with a couple of MySpace bulletins, or poetry).
-So, a lot of people who read while doing other things and who read only short pieces. Also a lot of people who aren't invested in writing (no surprise there).
Q: What's been your past experience with writing instruction?
A: [Canned writing program]
Q: And how did you like it?
A: It was useless/I like knowing exactly what to do.
The best part was, as each person commented, I could relate to what they were saying. One student talked about the standard five paragraph format and how it's forced, sometimes two supports work better than three. In tenth grade I wrote my big research paper with two supports instead of three and my teacher made me redo it. I did, but I was never convinced that it made sense to the paper.
The questions were my favorite part of the class. My whole aim is this idea of having a dialogue about writing, and the questions helped get that started. The student who wasn't impressed by the five paragraph essay gave an excellent segue to me saying that I'm not concerned with whether or not a paper is in five paragraphs, but rather that the format fits what they're saying.
Well, the class has my first letter and I have a general feel for the students. Let's see how Wednesday goes.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Letter #1
Whew. That was tough.
Looking at my plan for the semester, I can trace a number of instructors I've had who I'm borrowing from. To start off the semester, I'm borrowing from David and getting things going with a letter. The idea is pretty simple: I write a letter to the students and they reply to it. I'm handing out letter one tomorrow, which means it needs to be written and copied out before I even meet the students it's addressed to. A bit strange, I've got to say. Strange, and tough. I've been trying to write the letter all day, wrestling with what to say and how to say it. In two pages, I'm setting a tone for the whole semester. No pressure, now.
All right, now that the letter's done, it's time to get everything else in order. On a side note, one of my favorite things about the beginning of the semester is the obligation to play with office supplies whilst getting all my essential papers and such organized. I harbor a suspicion that one of the reasons people become English majors and/or writers is because we have a great fondness for binders. Now I've just got to find an excuse for using some of those plastic page protectors and I'm set.
Looking at my plan for the semester, I can trace a number of instructors I've had who I'm borrowing from. To start off the semester, I'm borrowing from David and getting things going with a letter. The idea is pretty simple: I write a letter to the students and they reply to it. I'm handing out letter one tomorrow, which means it needs to be written and copied out before I even meet the students it's addressed to. A bit strange, I've got to say. Strange, and tough. I've been trying to write the letter all day, wrestling with what to say and how to say it. In two pages, I'm setting a tone for the whole semester. No pressure, now.
All right, now that the letter's done, it's time to get everything else in order. On a side note, one of my favorite things about the beginning of the semester is the obligation to play with office supplies whilst getting all my essential papers and such organized. I harbor a suspicion that one of the reasons people become English majors and/or writers is because we have a great fondness for binders. Now I've just got to find an excuse for using some of those plastic page protectors and I'm set.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Assignment 1: Artifacts and Culture
"My main difference is that while Jason puts language and material objects (artifacts) in two separate groups, I've put them together in the larger category of artifact, because language is just as man-made as anything else, and as such, it is an artifact just as much as a ancient scroll is. In class I plan to discuss the definition of artifact and why I consider language to be an artifact. However, I'm a little worried that it might be confusing to students. What are your thoughts?"
-Me, to Katherine and Rick
I just sent off my first formal assignment write-up to Katherine and Rick. It's neat to have it written out, and although much of it is borrowed from someone else, it's an assignment which pulls from my undergrad. anthropology background, so I feel confident about doing it with my class.
My question, as stated above, mostly is the question of how big a role that anthropology background should have in my Composition class. The Comp. program at the university is based in Social Constructivist theory, i.e. nobody writes in a vacuum and everybody is influenced by culture, so there's some room for anthropology. It's just a matter of finding the right balance. Thank goodness for being able to ask Katherine. She's hard core Comp. and an excellent guide for what'll work and what'll flop in class.
Meanwhile, what do you guys think?
-Me, to Katherine and Rick
I just sent off my first formal assignment write-up to Katherine and Rick. It's neat to have it written out, and although much of it is borrowed from someone else, it's an assignment which pulls from my undergrad. anthropology background, so I feel confident about doing it with my class.
My question, as stated above, mostly is the question of how big a role that anthropology background should have in my Composition class. The Comp. program at the university is based in Social Constructivist theory, i.e. nobody writes in a vacuum and everybody is influenced by culture, so there's some room for anthropology. It's just a matter of finding the right balance. Thank goodness for being able to ask Katherine. She's hard core Comp. and an excellent guide for what'll work and what'll flop in class.
Meanwhile, what do you guys think?
Monday, January 7, 2008
So Much For Being a Slacker
Katherine read my syllabus and Assignment 1 course calendar (i.e. 1st four weeks) made notes, and sent them back. Now I've got revisions to make on those documents, and I've got to make them pretty quick since classes start next week.
Also in preparation, I'm taking a brief class on Wednesday about how to do things on Blackboard as an instructor. Blackboard is the university's online platform (or whatever the right word for it is) that lets instructors put up things like assignment guides, notes, reference materials, and discussion forums for use in class. It's pretty cool, in all honesty, and now I'll be able to structure it for my class. I just have to learn how, first.
I also have books to buy for the class I'll be taking. Scottish literature. I'm not incredibly excited. Though, I noticed that one of the books will be Trainspotting, so that could be cool. Now if only the bookstore would have the books, we'd really be in business.
Then, to top it all off, Jenny just told me I have to write something this month.
*Sigh* I guess that about does it for wearing PJs all day and doing little beside watch TV, read, and play with glass. Ah well, all good things must come to an end.
Also in preparation, I'm taking a brief class on Wednesday about how to do things on Blackboard as an instructor. Blackboard is the university's online platform (or whatever the right word for it is) that lets instructors put up things like assignment guides, notes, reference materials, and discussion forums for use in class. It's pretty cool, in all honesty, and now I'll be able to structure it for my class. I just have to learn how, first.
I also have books to buy for the class I'll be taking. Scottish literature. I'm not incredibly excited. Though, I noticed that one of the books will be Trainspotting, so that could be cool. Now if only the bookstore would have the books, we'd really be in business.
Then, to top it all off, Jenny just told me I have to write something this month.
*Sigh* I guess that about does it for wearing PJs all day and doing little beside watch TV, read, and play with glass. Ah well, all good things must come to an end.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
It's In Writing
Of all the things I've ever written, a syllabus and the first chunk of my course calendar are among those that have left me feeling strange. Suddenly this teaching gig is much more real and concrete. I now know that on Wednesday, January 23 I'll be talking to my class about essays by James Clifford and Stephen Greenblatt, and assigning them MySpace as homework.
So, I've got the rough drafts of my syllabus and calendar (January 14-February 8th) off to Katherine who'll make notes on it and send it back. A couple of revisions later and bingo-bango, I've got the first four weeks of my class. Far out.
I think what I've got so far will be fun. I'm leaning on another professor's first formal paper to guide my first few weeks, and he titled it "My Language, My stuff, and My Culture." We're diving right into some anthropological stuff here, i.e. my undergrad. minor, so I feel pretty comfortable with it. I can even bring in some pictures of ethnic tattoos and talk about scarification. Hoorah!
So, I've got the rough drafts of my syllabus and calendar (January 14-February 8th) off to Katherine who'll make notes on it and send it back. A couple of revisions later and bingo-bango, I've got the first four weeks of my class. Far out.
I think what I've got so far will be fun. I'm leaning on another professor's first formal paper to guide my first few weeks, and he titled it "My Language, My stuff, and My Culture." We're diving right into some anthropological stuff here, i.e. my undergrad. minor, so I feel pretty comfortable with it. I can even bring in some pictures of ethnic tattoos and talk about scarification. Hoorah!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
My Office
Since I found out about getting the TA, I've been wondering where I'd land for my office hours. My options were a cubicle in the bullpen or an actual office, either of which would be shared by my co-TA. I also wondered if I/we would just end up in the SCWP office. Turns out it's that last one. Rick's off to cube land and I'm sticking around in the office I already spend oodles of time in.
I gotta say, I'm really excited to have an actual office to use. Doors that close are awesome, so too will be the use of the table in the office for conferencing with students. A spot to spread out a bit which none of the other offices (and definitely none of the cubicles) have.
Now I've just got to look over two books of essays and coordinate with Rick to decide which one we want to use (we've got to be in sync) by early next week. I've currently got four books and two CDs sitting on the desk, all materials to use/look over for the TA. It almost feels like Christmas came early.
I gotta say, I'm really excited to have an actual office to use. Doors that close are awesome, so too will be the use of the table in the office for conferencing with students. A spot to spread out a bit which none of the other offices (and definitely none of the cubicles) have.
Now I've just got to look over two books of essays and coordinate with Rick to decide which one we want to use (we've got to be in sync) by early next week. I've currently got four books and two CDs sitting on the desk, all materials to use/look over for the TA. It almost feels like Christmas came early.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
About Paragraphs
"I didn't understand that 'in paragraphs' comment. When I brainstorm things go into paragraphs."
-Whit
I have no beef with paragraphs. I think they're great. I usually write in paragraph form. Paragraphs, in and of themselves, don't bother me.
The reason I commented on them was their context. The fact that, in a class of fourteen, only two people wrote their brainstorming in a format other than paragraphs, is weird. One thing I know about writing is that everybody has a writing process, not unlike a belly button, which is their own and doesn't exactly match anyone else's.
Whit writes down brainstorming in paragraphs. I write it down in a much more irregular way, a sentence here, a word there, bullets and lines connecting ideas. My brainstorming notes are more like PowerPoint slides. Between the two of us, our notes look different. So, how can it be that so many students write notes that look exactly the same? That's where my comment comes in.
Now if these students wrote paragraphs because that's what worked for them, fine. However, my suspicion is this isn't the case. Talking with them, hearing their comments during the class discussion Tuesday, and looking over their papers, I see a lot of people who are struggling to figure out their process, not those who have already. Enter public education.
I'm not saying that all teachers are corporate clones. Most of those I know from my classes or SCWP are anything but. I am saying there's a lot of pressure in the education system to create measurable products. Standardized tests are a big player here. The budget question ties directly to test scores, where there is a right/wrong answer.
One teacher I know has actually been given a hard time by her administration because she was asking students open-ended questions. "That's fine," they said, "but there needs to be a right answer."
To which the teacher replied, "But, then it's not an open-ended question."
Taking this back to paragraphs: Standardized tests and "scientific" approaches to writing boil down to this push for something that can be measured. They want to measure how proficient a student is at The Writing Process, and this means having steps that they can check off: Student did/did not do step 1, 2, 3. The only problem is that most writers I know don't write that way. Most do the steps out of order, or skip some. This doesn't fly with the tests, so students are taught to write in measurable ways, regardless of how that student might learn to write on their own.
Organic/authentic is not measurable. Standardized is. Thus, my problem with seeing so many paragraphs.
-Whit
I have no beef with paragraphs. I think they're great. I usually write in paragraph form. Paragraphs, in and of themselves, don't bother me.
The reason I commented on them was their context. The fact that, in a class of fourteen, only two people wrote their brainstorming in a format other than paragraphs, is weird. One thing I know about writing is that everybody has a writing process, not unlike a belly button, which is their own and doesn't exactly match anyone else's.
Whit writes down brainstorming in paragraphs. I write it down in a much more irregular way, a sentence here, a word there, bullets and lines connecting ideas. My brainstorming notes are more like PowerPoint slides. Between the two of us, our notes look different. So, how can it be that so many students write notes that look exactly the same? That's where my comment comes in.
Now if these students wrote paragraphs because that's what worked for them, fine. However, my suspicion is this isn't the case. Talking with them, hearing their comments during the class discussion Tuesday, and looking over their papers, I see a lot of people who are struggling to figure out their process, not those who have already. Enter public education.
I'm not saying that all teachers are corporate clones. Most of those I know from my classes or SCWP are anything but. I am saying there's a lot of pressure in the education system to create measurable products. Standardized tests are a big player here. The budget question ties directly to test scores, where there is a right/wrong answer.
One teacher I know has actually been given a hard time by her administration because she was asking students open-ended questions. "That's fine," they said, "but there needs to be a right answer."
To which the teacher replied, "But, then it's not an open-ended question."
Taking this back to paragraphs: Standardized tests and "scientific" approaches to writing boil down to this push for something that can be measured. They want to measure how proficient a student is at The Writing Process, and this means having steps that they can check off: Student did/did not do step 1, 2, 3. The only problem is that most writers I know don't write that way. Most do the steps out of order, or skip some. This doesn't fly with the tests, so students are taught to write in measurable ways, regardless of how that student might learn to write on their own.
Organic/authentic is not measurable. Standardized is. Thus, my problem with seeing so many paragraphs.
Adventures in Comp: Part Two, More Flashbacks
If you want to really know your students, give them work to do in class. Today is the day I filled in for Katherine. A lot like babysitting, in ways that I'll expand on in a minute. The agenda for the day was peer review and revision. Each student was to have their pre-draft peer reviewed by two others, then, time-allowing, begin to revise according to those reviews. And off they went...
A few clumped up with their buddies. A few went off alone. Some stayed on-task, some didn't and needed prompting along the lines of "Oh, finished already, are you? No? Well then, get to work." It was funny to see how they broke out, though about what I expected.
Substituting today reminded me less of waitressing (though, I still remembered everyone's names and was able to name those who were absent) and more of babysitting and working as a tutor in the writing room. The babysitting came in because the dynamics are much the same. A stranger steps in and takes on an authority role usually reserved for the parent/professor. There's a lot of water-testing that goes on and trying to guage how to interact with the kids/students based on their personalities relative to being in that authoritative position. The tutor part is pretty obvious. A couple of students asked me for help today and I flashed back to the writing room and trying to pull the answers out of the student instead of handing the answer to them.
Not so easy, especially when they're asking, "That's what I think, I think. Is what I think right?" Then to reply, "Well, what have you said to me? *repeat* How does that sound to you?" It's an answer that annoys people, but gets them to dig a bit and they usually come up with their own answer just fine after they give me that exasperated look.
Now, after this experience, I'm glad of two things:
1. That I visited Tuesday. Walking in already knowing the students' names and having an idea of their personalities did a lot to put me at ease. I already had a pretty good idea of who I'd need to keep an eye on vs. who would be pretty self-sufficient.
2. That I did it. In my imagination, this whole teaching adventure was getting a bit blown out of proportion and scary. Now that I've actually been in a class I'm less intimidated. Today wasn't too bad, and once they're my own students in my own class, it'll be easier.
My own class, by the way, will be MWF from 10-10:50. I checked the online registration and, while it still says TBA for the professor, it also says FULL. I have students. Now I just need a syllabus, reading list, and course calendar.
A few clumped up with their buddies. A few went off alone. Some stayed on-task, some didn't and needed prompting along the lines of "Oh, finished already, are you? No? Well then, get to work." It was funny to see how they broke out, though about what I expected.
Substituting today reminded me less of waitressing (though, I still remembered everyone's names and was able to name those who were absent) and more of babysitting and working as a tutor in the writing room. The babysitting came in because the dynamics are much the same. A stranger steps in and takes on an authority role usually reserved for the parent/professor. There's a lot of water-testing that goes on and trying to guage how to interact with the kids/students based on their personalities relative to being in that authoritative position. The tutor part is pretty obvious. A couple of students asked me for help today and I flashed back to the writing room and trying to pull the answers out of the student instead of handing the answer to them.
Not so easy, especially when they're asking, "That's what I think, I think. Is what I think right?" Then to reply, "Well, what have you said to me? *repeat* How does that sound to you?" It's an answer that annoys people, but gets them to dig a bit and they usually come up with their own answer just fine after they give me that exasperated look.
Now, after this experience, I'm glad of two things:
1. That I visited Tuesday. Walking in already knowing the students' names and having an idea of their personalities did a lot to put me at ease. I already had a pretty good idea of who I'd need to keep an eye on vs. who would be pretty self-sufficient.
2. That I did it. In my imagination, this whole teaching adventure was getting a bit blown out of proportion and scary. Now that I've actually been in a class I'm less intimidated. Today wasn't too bad, and once they're my own students in my own class, it'll be easier.
My own class, by the way, will be MWF from 10-10:50. I checked the online registration and, while it still says TBA for the professor, it also says FULL. I have students. Now I just need a syllabus, reading list, and course calendar.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Adventures in Comp: Part One, Untraining
Since Katherine's going to New York to lobby for SCWP, she's asked me to fill in for her during her composition class Thursday. I went with her today as a warm up, i.e. so the students know just who the heck I am when I'm there Thursday. During class today, the students handed in "brainstorms." They're exactly what they sound like. Katherine told the class to just do some jotting down of what topic they want to explore, some possibilities for argument, where they could get started, etc. Her only specification was that they should be about a page long.
When everyone had them in and had split off to do some computer research, I looked through them. You know what I saw? Almost every person wrote their brainstorm in paragraph(s) format.
These students are, with one exception, all traditional, fresh out of high school, students. Fresh out of the public K-12 education system which indoctrinates all students in The Writing Process (Yup, it's capitalized, and singular) in which there is a right and wrong way to do everything from come up with an idea to presenting the final, five-paragraph, product.
There's only one small problem with this indoctrination: it doesn't work. Quick show of hands, how many of you write according to the precise formula you were taught in school? Exactly.
When I was in school I had teachers who wanted me to outline before I wrote my rough draft. This was an important step, they said, and I absolutely couldn't start writing until I had outlined. If I did the steps out of order, I was doing it wrong. Right? Whatever. I did what worked for me, despite their admonitions, and wrote my rough draft first. Then, since the teacher demanded it, I wrote up an outline which followed my rough draft (but I turned it in first, even though I wrote it second, because it came first).
Now, skip forward in time to a time when I'm sitting around with creative writers, talking about the writing process. Everyone's is different, and I'm far from the only one where The Writing Process doesn't work. In fact, now that I think of it, I can only think of one (two?) writers I know who, for instance, outline.
Back in class: During the discussion time when Katherine asked each student about their idea for their paper, a lot of the students' answers showed how uncertain that student was about whether or not they were doing it "right." Their emphasis was not on writing a good paper, but pleasing the instructor.
So let's roll this all up together. In all my talks with other students/writers, reading the theory, talking with professors, etc. it keeps coming back to this question of ownership. Good writing is writing that comes from the writer owning it. If we don't have power over what we write, how we write it, how can we write anything worthwhile? That said, a lot of standardized K-12 education is counter-productive to writing. The one-size-fits-all model (CSAP, anyone?) displaces ownership and sets students behind once they hit higher ed. As Katherine said, we've got to "untrain" them.
Here's my question for you: How much did K-12 writing instruction help you? Hinder you? How did you figure out your writing process? Has your process always been the same?
When everyone had them in and had split off to do some computer research, I looked through them. You know what I saw? Almost every person wrote their brainstorm in paragraph(s) format.
These students are, with one exception, all traditional, fresh out of high school, students. Fresh out of the public K-12 education system which indoctrinates all students in The Writing Process (Yup, it's capitalized, and singular) in which there is a right and wrong way to do everything from come up with an idea to presenting the final, five-paragraph, product.
There's only one small problem with this indoctrination: it doesn't work. Quick show of hands, how many of you write according to the precise formula you were taught in school? Exactly.
When I was in school I had teachers who wanted me to outline before I wrote my rough draft. This was an important step, they said, and I absolutely couldn't start writing until I had outlined. If I did the steps out of order, I was doing it wrong. Right? Whatever. I did what worked for me, despite their admonitions, and wrote my rough draft first. Then, since the teacher demanded it, I wrote up an outline which followed my rough draft (but I turned it in first, even though I wrote it second, because it came first).
Now, skip forward in time to a time when I'm sitting around with creative writers, talking about the writing process. Everyone's is different, and I'm far from the only one where The Writing Process doesn't work. In fact, now that I think of it, I can only think of one (two?) writers I know who, for instance, outline.
Back in class: During the discussion time when Katherine asked each student about their idea for their paper, a lot of the students' answers showed how uncertain that student was about whether or not they were doing it "right." Their emphasis was not on writing a good paper, but pleasing the instructor.
So let's roll this all up together. In all my talks with other students/writers, reading the theory, talking with professors, etc. it keeps coming back to this question of ownership. Good writing is writing that comes from the writer owning it. If we don't have power over what we write, how we write it, how can we write anything worthwhile? That said, a lot of standardized K-12 education is counter-productive to writing. The one-size-fits-all model (CSAP, anyone?) displaces ownership and sets students behind once they hit higher ed. As Katherine said, we've got to "untrain" them.
Here's my question for you: How much did K-12 writing instruction help you? Hinder you? How did you figure out your writing process? Has your process always been the same?
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Verdict
So, as it turns out, the turn-around was very, very quick.
I'm going to be one of the T.A.s next semseter.
I'm going to be one of the T.A.s next semseter.
Monday, November 5, 2007
It's Done
Submit a poem, submit a TA application, it's all the same. Acceptance? Rejection? Who knows!
Well, I finally finished the teeth-pulling that was my application letter. Katherine suggested I keep most of the stuff from the last one, then add a "since my last application, here's what I've done" part. That part was easy, the first part (since I no longer have my last letter) was far more difficult. I've mentioned before that I hate writing sales pitches for myself, and nothing's changed since then: "I'm Super!" just isn't something I say often, because it's weird to do it unless one is an egomaniac, or Jenny (though they're not so mutually-exclusive). Just kidding, Jenny. Mostly. But hey, a bit more egomaniac in most of us wouldn't hurt, would it? Especially not in these circumstances.
So, the "I'm great" letter is done, and I think it came out pretty well. Of course, as they say with the proof and pudding, I won't know until we get the announcement of who got it. At least the turn-around should be quick, and it'll certainly be before Thanksgiving break.
Here's hoping for a quick verdict.
Well, I finally finished the teeth-pulling that was my application letter. Katherine suggested I keep most of the stuff from the last one, then add a "since my last application, here's what I've done" part. That part was easy, the first part (since I no longer have my last letter) was far more difficult. I've mentioned before that I hate writing sales pitches for myself, and nothing's changed since then: "I'm Super!" just isn't something I say often, because it's weird to do it unless one is an egomaniac, or Jenny (though they're not so mutually-exclusive). Just kidding, Jenny. Mostly. But hey, a bit more egomaniac in most of us wouldn't hurt, would it? Especially not in these circumstances.
So, the "I'm great" letter is done, and I think it came out pretty well. Of course, as they say with the proof and pudding, I won't know until we get the announcement of who got it. At least the turn-around should be quick, and it'll certainly be before Thanksgiving break.
Here's hoping for a quick verdict.
The Day of Much Accomplishing
Today is do or die day. The TA application materials are due. Here, I thought I had a copy of the last letter I wrote saved on the school computers (I deleted it from my home computer, 'cause that ship had sailed, right?). Turns out the file marked "TA Application Letter" is all of two sentences. No help there. Well, in any event, the supplementary stuff (letters of rec., mainly) is already taken care of, so it's just all on me. Super.
Let me explain something briefly: Mondays for me are like Sundays for everyone else. They are day two of my weekend, thanks to usually working at the bar on Saturdays. I like Mondays because I get to goof off and watch DVDs, etc. Mondays are beautiful.
No day off for me today, however. I've got to write my TA letter, do a couple hours on campus (to make up for what I missed last week for the craft show), get some things together for a major project due in Katherine's class soon, and take care of some Hungry Eye business. Then, there are a couple of personal errands I have to run and the Rogues' meeting happens later tonight, which I plan to be early for so I can sit in the coffee shop and finally finish the rough draft of the La Llarona story.
I'm not even supposed to have had breakfast yet on Mondays, and here I am, already on campus.
I just keep telling myself, "You just hafta make it to Thanksgiving break. A whole week of no school. You can make it..." It's kind of working.
Let me explain something briefly: Mondays for me are like Sundays for everyone else. They are day two of my weekend, thanks to usually working at the bar on Saturdays. I like Mondays because I get to goof off and watch DVDs, etc. Mondays are beautiful.
No day off for me today, however. I've got to write my TA letter, do a couple hours on campus (to make up for what I missed last week for the craft show), get some things together for a major project due in Katherine's class soon, and take care of some Hungry Eye business. Then, there are a couple of personal errands I have to run and the Rogues' meeting happens later tonight, which I plan to be early for so I can sit in the coffee shop and finally finish the rough draft of the La Llarona story.
I'm not even supposed to have had breakfast yet on Mondays, and here I am, already on campus.
I just keep telling myself, "You just hafta make it to Thanksgiving break. A whole week of no school. You can make it..." It's kind of working.
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