tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56599781979647680892024-03-08T16:41:03.933-08:00CollegeTeachingimcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-23604751984412068982008-04-23T16:43:00.000-07:002008-04-23T17:19:18.558-07:00Matt's Textual Analysis: Past, Present and FutureI must sat that writing a textual analysis in stages was harder than I thought it would be. I am a one-drafter, and rarely do more than add a comma or replace periods with semi-colons when I go back over my papers. But, I found myself making massive changes to my paper in order to justify that it was an actual draft, separate from all of the others in the series with actual, visible changes which obviously made the paper better. I felt pressured to show that the paper was not only getting progressively better, but I wanted it darn near perfect since the assignment was a sort of invitation for use in the classroom with my students. I can handle pronoun disagreement when it is just the professor, but if my students saw it and caught it, I would be terribly embarrassed. +I chose to write my analysis on Sean Hannity's "Deliver Us from Evil." It is a subject that I have brought up in my classes several times. I've said that if logical fallacies were puppies, Sean Hannity would step on every single one of them with work boots then pummel the ones he missed with baseball bats while humming Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." Granted, choosing a writing by Sean Hannity for a textual analysis was almost like opting to play one-on-one basketball with a midget. I did want the students to see that it could be done. I mentioned in an earlier blog that students had asked for a model Analysis, and I'd feel comfortable using this one as an example. Not only is it the length of their assignment with the same format and structure discussed in the classes, I also use a plethora of citation rituals throughout the essay (summary, block quotes, direct quotes, single-word quotes and paraphrase). +I did not get a chance to use this in the classroom, but I'm definitely interested in doing so. I would like to couple my essay with photocopies of pages from Hannity's book in order to show how the analysis relates to the text. I'd also like to couple the analysis with questions like "am I arguing with him?" and "does the bias show?" I have no idea how to do the margin notes I have seen on some of the drafts floating around the GA office, but it seems good to put those sorts of questions on my draft in the margins. I'd like to show my thesis and Hannity's thesis and show how both are needed but function separately. That was a problem for many of the students. Of course, I'd give them copies of my paper for them to look at later. Overhead transparencies of all of the material would make going over the material quick and smooth to point out how analysis differs from argumentation. Has anyone else done something like this or have some pointers for how it worked out in the classroom?imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-6692236132231647052008-04-16T12:35:00.000-07:002008-04-16T13:07:40.757-07:00Punishment and CrimeThe prompt discusses a situation where more than half of the students will out and out fail an assignment if the teacher sticks to his or her guns. Since a portion of the assignment is missing, the teacher is well within rights to fail the ones who did not comply, but the ultimate decision has to do with where the class is focused: On the punishment or the crime.<br /><br />The punishment aspect of the class is geared toward the final product. Such classes are structured as a job. Late work carries a heavy price, and you might find yourself giving the, "You know, if you don't turn something in on time, you get fired from your job" speech. Reading quizzes are used to ensure that students read the assignments. If a student fails a reading quiz, he or she will read the assignments in the future. But students need to fail in order to be pushed to succeed. The ultimate goal in this sort of philosophy is that students will do better in a class in order to avoid negative outcomes. The negative outcomes are bad grades. Students learn by failing. They will do better on the next assignment if they fail this assignment.<br /><br />The crime aspect is the actual act itself. Classes focusing on the crime are all about process. In a way, success and failure go hand in hand. Mistakes are seen in the same light as moments of brilliance. Each are opportunites for learning to take place. Since mistakes are not a negative thing, teachers are more forgiving in this sort of philosophy.<br /><br />Classes have a subtle mix of the two, but all classes lean to one side or the other. I have aspects of each in my classroom. I have both cruel task-master and understanding coach in my genetic make-up. My father was big into support groups and my mother was a dominatrix, so it all evens out.<br /><br />Personally, I would give the students a second shot. The students could email me the missing portions of the assignment or leave it in my mailbox by the end of the day or risk a lower grade. It's just the way I am. Now, this does have negative benefits... I could lose credibility in the eyes of the students. They may try and challenge me on future assignments. But, if that many students did nt follow instructions, there are really only two possible conclusions which could be drawn: The instructor did not explain the directions properly or there is a large amount of mercury in the water supply. A possible third option is that the students are banding together in order to see how angry the teacher can get, but sincerely doubt that is the case.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-92008200043570129132008-04-11T13:35:00.000-07:002008-04-11T13:55:38.389-07:00Attendance is MandatoryLately, my attendance has been bordering on the comically absurd. In both my ENG 100 and 110 classes, the students have somehow gotten it in their heads that they can go ahead and miss class after class and only show up when a paper is due. I have combatted this problem in the past by using reading quizzes. I've given a reading quiz every day this week and it has not solved the problem as of yet. I'm at wit's end on this one. It is so frustrating when I walk into my ENG 100 class and I see less than ten students in the classroom. Half of those students were not there last time, so they are not prepared to take part in class discussion. Angry... Very Angry.<br /><br />Discussion does come in to play a lot in my classroom. I am a creative writer, and I was raised on workshopping. Workshopping requires the critical feedback of the students in order to function properly, so I always look for that feedback. I also, as a result of my creative writing background, tend to imagine the author of the text, whether it be Molly Ivins, George W. Bush or Frederick Douglass, as in the room, so I try to stick with constructive criticism. I don't want to hurt their feelings... not even Bush.<br /><br />I try and keep the students diplomatic as well. With discussion comes disagreement. I try to push that these are just issues. We are not putting anyone down by saying the opinion is wrong. We are not attacking the person; we are attacking the idea or the argument. Yet, some students have a hard time grasping this, and tend to take some argumentation as thinly veiled personal attack rather than logical debate. I don't want anybody to hate anybody else; that's how wars happen. The best kind of debate is when two people can shake hands and part ways without voicing the fact that they both wish death on the other.<br /><br />I used a coin flip in class twice this week to avoid showing a bias.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-55150086913356950312008-04-05T11:57:00.001-07:002008-04-05T12:17:51.396-07:00ShameI teach a section of 100 and a section of 110. My 100 students are always more than willing to put their two cents in about an essay we read in class or an upcoming assignment. I am not so lucky with my 110 students. As I stated in an earlier blog, it is something akin to pulling teeth and then forcing them back in without anesthetic. It is not a fun time trying to get them all to speak up and share their thoughts. My usual modus operendi is shame. I tell them that there's no excuse for keeping their mouths shut. Some people say they are quiet because it's Monday, or Friday... or Wednesday. I tell them that if they call me up at 3 a.m. with a question about anything, I will have an opinion on that topic. They all have my cell phone number, so they can feel free to call me on it, but, I assure you, I am not bluffing.<br /><br />Some of you might remember the debacle last semester when I held a discussion with the Frederick Douglass essay. It did not go well. I ended up defending Martin Luther King jr Day, February and BET all in a golden afternoon. The opposite happened this semester.<br /><br />Silence. I was going to make a Hamlet joke there, but I decided against it.<br /><br />I asked what they saw in the essay that jumped out at them. nothing<br /><br />I asked why he brought up the founding fathers and the Revolutionary War. nothing.<br /><br />I stood up. Those of you who have seen me teach know I never stand up, putting myself in a seated potition makes the students more relaxed. I drew two people on the board with a line between them. "Communication takes two people... a listener," indicating one of the two stick figures, "And a speaker. These two people are divided by language." I pointed to the line. I then went into a 5-10 minute lecture about how a speaker has to sift through ideas, words, reasoning, argumentation, grammar, punctuation, diction, diplomatic rhetoric, persuasive techniques, pitch and tone in order to adequately communicate their ideas. I explained how this is much the same way they will be writing their argumentative essays in the coming weeks. I sat down.<br /><br />"So, you see, your ability to communicate your ideas is not merely a biological gift, nor a right endowed to you by the First Ammendment. It makes you a better person. People who can argue adequately and communicate with others are... better... people. So, I ask you, why do you think Frederick Douglass brought up the Founding Fathers?"<br /><br />It was quiet for a moment then hands started shooting up. They either wanted to prove they were good people or make sure I wasn't going to get even more annoyed. Either way, I think it worked swimmingly.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-80677366022454521712008-03-20T08:32:00.000-07:002008-03-20T08:48:58.491-07:00Silence in the classroomI wrapped up a short week on Wednesday with MLA documentation. My attendance has almost never been higher as we went over the mechanics of a works cited page and in-text documentation.<br /><br />This group of students don't ask questions. It's disconcerting at best since they just sit back and soak up the information without revealing any sign whether the information gets jumbled in their heads or whether I'm explaining everything thoroughly enough. After explaining a concept, I'll ask if there are any questions and sit back to regard the class with mild speculation as their eyes trail from one end of the tile floor to another. Some will glance up at me with a scowl. They give me no feedback.<br /><br />So, I've gotten in the habit of taking feedback from them in the form of worksheets, group activities and the like.On Wednesday, I had them read a page from "The Areas of My Expertise" by John Hodgman. If you pick it up and read a few paragraphs, you will see why I like it so much. I had the students cite different statements from the text and a wonderful thing happened at 1:42. The students started asking questions about in-text citation. Not only that! The students were taking notes about it! We were actually holding a conversation about MLA citation in the classroom. I would tell them how to cite something and a hand would pop up. "Then, how do we..." "In that case, you cite it like this..." Another hand would pop up. "Can we cite it like this?" "No, don't be an idiot. Cite it like this." Okay, I didn't really say that last one. I was just too happy to have my class asking me questions in class about a concept... MLA citation no-less!<br /><br />The eight minutes just flew by, and before I knew it the class was over. I wanted to shout to them to stay and ask more questions. "I'm a bastion of knowledge, kids! bust me open and soak up the knowledge with a sponge!" But, I did not. They had alcohol to imbibe and dignity to lose. I settled for merely stating how happy I was that they were asking questions.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-36635002781941970862008-03-15T08:48:00.000-07:002008-03-15T09:05:52.498-07:00Don't Tell Them She's Canadian!!!I went over Margaret Atwood's "Letter to America" on Monday. I usually have them read that for homework, we discuss it for a little bit on Monday, I have them read "When they Learned to Yelp" by Dave Eggers, then have them write a short paper about 9/11. Both pieces have a lot to do with 9/11, so I like to wrap it up with the paper, because I love grading papers.<br /><br />The class started off with an air of violence in the air. The students in the class were frowning and had looks in their eyes like Sean Hannity did when Romney dropped out of the race. "Alright. Let's start off with general feelings about the piece... what did you see that jumped out at you?"<br /><br />What came next was a tirade of right-wing propoganda. Not only did they see everything Atwood said as an insult to our country and everything we stand for (freedom, spreading that freedom, being the best country on the planet, being infallable, etc.), Atwood was also Canadian. In the students' eyes, this immediately nixed all authority she had. She had neither the right nor the ability to discuss our mistakes in a public foum. Not only that, Canada's not a great country; it's full of French people (their words, not mine).<br /><br />I went into a long diatribe about how, in many ways, Canada is doing a lot better than the United States... higher literacy, they aren't in quite as bad of a financial funk since the Iraq war costs us somewhere in the lower billions of dollars each month. I even pointed out that she loves America and says so many times during the piece.<br /><br />"It's propaganda. This is the sort of stuff that makes people love Barak Obama even though they know nothing about him!" Another student pointed out that everything she says is opinion.<br /><br />I looked at them for a moment. Yes, they were serious.<br /><br />I asked the students if this was good advice she was doling out, and they started packing up their things. Every single student was packing up their things to leave the classroom. I looked up at the clock and saw I'd kept them 5 minutes over class time. I'd spent 50 minutes defending a stupid Canadian. Why did Atwood have to be Canadian!? Of all the countries!<br /><br />Anyway, many of you are familiar with Naomi Shihab Nye's "Letter to a Would-be Terrorist." It has the same reasoning as the Atwood piece, only directed toward terrorists. It got a positive reaction, which punched holes in a lot of their arguments. I felt so good about myself, I bought a candy bar in the check-out line at the grocery store: Snickers. A big one.<br /><br />I'd earned it.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-16984620037298582622008-03-02T08:39:00.000-08:002008-03-02T09:22:30.490-08:00The assignments came early and often this week. The snow was gone; only the mounds of gray and black piled high near the edges of commercial parking lots stood as a reminder that there was once snow, and a couple of inches of ice, on the ground. It was time for students to come back to class. I started 110 on Monday with a handout detailing every major assignment until the research paper... important information they needed in order to survive the class for the next month. I gave them an assignment on plagiarism. We also had a quiz over the Research paper guidelines. I told the students that it was to make sure they were clear on what was expected of them, but I couldn't lie to myself that it was to reward them for showing up. Seven students showed up.<br /><br />The textual analyses were due on Wednesday... as were the plagiarism assignments. I reviewed a littla about the important information introduced on Monday and the students brought their Hacker books which I had asked them to bring. I guess I should say that five students brought their Hacker books. I brought a box of magazines, DVDs and books to class. The students were to group up and cite the sources using the Hacker book as their anchor. Sixteen students showed up. Word was out.<br /><br />On Friday, I had the students tell me about their research paper proposals. A few students chose the Holocaust or Holocaust-esque topics. On student chose Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon... an idea I touched on when we were brainstorming for ideas. They turned in their proposals and reminded them that we would meet in the Library on Monday. 17 students showed up.<br /><br />Between the quiz, proposal, textual analysis and assignments, about 200 points were garnered this week. The snow is gone, and it is time for the students to stop missing classes. And, I know, it is a cruel tactic to use. It stresses the students and makes those who did not show up to class fall behind. It is cruel, but it is also very effective. Last week, I saw students who I had not seen in weeks. One students turned to another which was prone to absences and asked, "You're still in this class, Shane?" They turned in their textual analyses, and I made it a point of passing back the quizzes they had missed. I could see the fear in their eyes when they started mentally talleying up the points they had lost over the last few weeks. But, I'm fairly certain they will pull their act together. They have the fear, now. And, once they have the fear, they can't shake it.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-53062784519463194732008-02-24T08:52:00.000-08:002008-02-24T09:21:12.134-08:00I must admit that I have not read anybody's blog over the weekend. I didn't have any access to the internet this weekend to see who else might be writing about this, but I'm certain there are more than a couple of people blogging about this very topic.<br /><br />Most of us are finishing up the textual analysis unit. This is actually one of my favorite units. I like telling students how media, politicians and friends manipulate them. They appeal to emotion, use logical fallacies and use invalid arguments as solid fact. It's an eye-opener. It is a little bit of a shock to the students, though. They are so used to looking up at three computer monitors and seeing "blonde... brunette... redhead." And, now they have to pay attention to the code (That metaphor brought to you by the Wachowski brothers. If you want a good first act, grab a Wachowski!). Of course, the students are so overwhelmed at having to look at the argumentation techniques rather than the argument that I fear they are missing out on the significance of the assignment. I mean, we are letting them have a relatively easy assignment followed by the hardest assignment in the class. In fact, as soon as the students turn in their memoir, I tell them, "This was the easiest paper you will write in the class; the next one is the hardest." It's a technique I learned from Dr. Ellis. It always gets their attention.<br /><br />Anyway, the problem I'm running into is that I had a chance to look at the rough drafts of the textual analyses and it broke down to about 1/3 of the class having fantastic textual analyses, 5/9 of the class arguing with or against the author on their chosen topic, and the rest summarizing the article. Now, out of 18 students who turned in their textual analysis drafts, how many turned in a summary?<br /><br />Seriously, there has to be a way to teach the textual analysis paper so that everybody is at least on the right track for the rough draft. I had a day planned out for a fun activity, MLA citation and a mock election with the remaining candidates. But, after reading the rough drafts, I discovered I had to discuss the problems in the class. I decided to go over the problems and review MLA format in the same day. It was a long 50 minutes.<br /><br />I've modeled the analysis technique, explained that the issue being argued is a footnote to the topic of the analysis, mentioned in passing and brought up in order to give the reader a context for the rest of the paper. I begged them to not put the paper off until the day before. "Please, I'm begging you, do not procrastinate and read the article on the night before the paper is due!" But, many students openly admitted to this when I told them they have a long way to go with their drafts. They said it almost with a sense of pride, in the same tone they would say, "I can do a lot better when I actually try at something." Then they smile brightly and I try to hide the fact that they just figuratively spit in my face and are now smiling brightly about it.<br /><br />So, I want to hear from EVERYBODY. What had been the turnout for your analyses? I'd like to know the breakdown of perfect papers, arguing the topic and summary, because I know those are the three categories; they always are. There has to be somebody out there who has 100% analysis, and I want to know your secret!imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-15815210937502758632008-02-18T10:02:00.000-08:002008-02-18T10:23:59.504-08:00I don't know how everyone's attendance was in their classes on wednesday, but mine was positively atrocious. To top it all off, my MWF classes (Monday was cancelled) was bookended by a three day weekend on both sides. Now, I was expecting my attendance to be low on Friday. I've come to expect that Fridays before three-day weekends (and especially Spring Break) will have low attendance. But, with the mini-ice storm we had, Presidents Day and the ice storm completely ruined a whole week of classes for me.<br />I passed back the memoirs on Wednesday. Only half of them left my hands. We went over the common grammar areas which need improvement (some of you have seen the sheet I passed out), but only half of the class saw the sheet! I answered questions about the textual analysis, led students on an analysis of an essay and showed a film which was used for analysis purposes all on Wednesday and Friday, and only half of my students were in class on those days. What am I supposed to do? Reteach that stuff???<br />My 100 students presented a similar problem. On Friday, only six students showed up to class. That's not a typo; there were actually only six students in my class when I walked in. Now, this was not an all-time low for me. Some of you may recall late in the Fall semester when only three students showed up to my class (two of which had not done the required reading or the rough draft of the research paper, one student had not attended my class for two weeks and only one was totally prepared for class.).<br />I wouldn't have been so angry on that day, but I put time and effort in to thinking up lesson plans, hand-outs and teaching strategies on those days.<br />And then....AND THEN, students started emailing me after my classes about what they missed with attachments of their drafts! It dawned on me later that I should have had a quiz on those days, but ENG 100 has really tied my hands since I can't assign grammar quizzes, reading quizzes, extra credit, homework assignments, enforce the attendance policy or use participation as a grading tool. Everything in ENG 100 is based on the honor system and the portfolio. For those of you who have not yet taught ENG 100, this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. It's hard to describe.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-67268753249341805972008-02-01T16:34:00.000-08:002008-02-01T22:17:44.509-08:00Well, I started the textual analysis paper today. I've been telling the students about the paper all week with what the literary types call "Forshadowing." The textual analysis is something the students have never had to do before. They have been able to write papers about themselves, summarize works they've contacted and regurgitated ideas on paper for a quiz. They've never had to THINK before. I explained the textual analysis, and I could see a look clouding over each of them. It was a sort of confused fear like if someone ran into the room and shouted that there was a box full of puppies on fire outside the building. Should we do something? Why did he run in here? Are we responsible for this? Is the box on fire or are the puppies on fire?<br /><br />It looked like I had just brought them all out to the pool before they learned to swim and then gently pushed them away from the edge. They all had that "I'm going to die" look in their eyes.<br /><br />When I introduced the textual analysis unit last semester (and this semester) I started off with the assignment sheet, then I walk them through an analysis of Jimmy Carter's essay in Lunsford Rusc. The students were doing an okay job, today. They would give a few points, furtively testing the water to see if they could, indeed, float. "It seems like a lot of his points are opinion," eyes wide, glancing up at me for approval. "I'm just not a big fan of Jimmy Carter." Will pretends to lose interest and casuall mark on the corner of his book. Then, Bryce asked the dreaded question: "Do you have an example?"<br /><br />My philosophy of a model essay is that it is something a high school teacher uses to "teach" with after they have told their students they should put a comma in whenever they pause. Model essays are for people who can't teach and don't want creativity. A model essay is something you hand-out to the students with the unspoken subtext being, "I expect your papers to be as much like this one as possible. The less your paper is like this one, the lower your grade will be."<br /><br />But, I looked out over the students who had shown up for class. Half of them were gone as there was something of a micro-blizzard which swept through Missouri the day before, but was almost entirely melted by five o'clock. They wanted the model essay. They wanted the cookie cutter. They wanted their paper to fit in and thus not stand out. I felt like they were asking me to make them the store managers of area McDonalds'. I wanted to scream, "Don't you want to at least try? You can do this! It's just the first day. We can all do this our own way!"<br /><br />So, what's the verdict? Should I give them their model essay? Am I being irrational by wanting them to be creative and individual?imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-41938767683980835352008-01-21T08:39:00.000-08:002008-01-21T08:54:20.756-08:00603.1I've built up a rapport with my students. It's something upon which I pride myself, but, after this first week of classes, I have begun to ask myself if there is such a thing as too much of a relaxed classroom atmosphere. I caught myself going off on a tangent on Friday. It wasn't a long tangent (only about 1 minute of classtime) The students were engaged throughout the class, but I walked out of the class afterward and shook my head. "What did that tangent have to do with anything?" "Did I just waste my students' time with that?" I like presenting the students with an atmosphere where I'm just like them, but I happen to be able to help out with writing and lead classroom discussion. Those of you who have read my teaching philosophy know that I like to see myself as a coach in the classroom. I like being the person who can joke around with their students before we get down to the meat of the class material. There are conversations going on while I take role, the first few minutes of class are usually reserved for "what did you do this weekend? what did you do over the weekend? What did you do Wednesday night" sort of banter and there's a casual dialogue. It's the way I like the class, and the students seem to be accepting of this atmosphere. However, lately I'm starting to wonder if this is the best way I should be running the class. I like running the class that way. the students like the class. But, is it as effective as I can be teaching?imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-71081446223198092012007-05-13T13:22:00.000-07:002007-05-13T13:37:25.966-07:00Study of Teacher ErrorI enjoyed the Sara Biggs Chaney articlebecause it brought several things into perspective. As I brought up in class, I'd never thought of plagiarism as a form of resistance. Resistance, for me, always meant a student was reluctant to write a paper or turn in an assignment. Maybe they would only write half of the required pages or something of that nature. Plagiarism always fell in a category by itself. But, I suppose plagiarism is a form of resistance. I mean, it is a refusal of the student to complete the assignment. And, it begs the question of what was the student thinking? Could she have possibly thought she could get away with it?<br />One thing which really bothered me about the paper was that Chaney, though she had been careful to point out what plagiarism was and how it was used, somehow blamed herself for the student's choice (32). She spends pages explaining the process of telling the students about plagiarism, as well as examples. She went to great lengths to show that plagiarism is dishonest. But, she still wondered, "What am I doing wrong?"<br />Now, I think all teachers go through this sort of nagging feeling when grading a test. If some of the studentss fail, the first question we ask ourselves is, "What am I doing wrong?" I can understand trying to better your instruction methods in order to reach more students but, The fact of the matter is that "Amber" made a concious choice that did not involve the instruction of the class. She knew the possible punishment of such an action and was aware that it was dishonest, and she did it anyway. Some kids are just going to do bad things and it has nothing to do with teaching methods.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-89756832939811116622007-04-26T13:51:00.000-07:002007-04-26T13:53:09.943-07:00My article<a href="http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=4&hid=7&sid=17fe6de0-6651-4552-9fac-4515ce5cd910%40sessionmgr2">http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=4&hid=7&sid=17fe6de0-6651-4552-9fac-4515ce5cd910%40sessionmgr2</a>imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-49563336477289102232007-04-20T18:03:00.000-07:002007-04-20T18:56:36.922-07:00Jerrie Cobb ScottIn "Literacies and Deficits Revisited," Jerrie Cobb Scott talks about a way to define literacy. One part in the article that I could not get out of my head is when the author explains that defining literacy as the ability to read and write would break the cultures of the world into two groups: literate and oral societies. Cobb explains that defining literacy as the ability to read and write "is inherently biased against oral culture." (206)<br />It's hard to disagree with this assertion, but is it possible to be biased against something as obviously inferior? That's right, I see illiterate societies as inferior to non-literate societies based upon the number of societies with literate cultures thriving as industrialized nations versus the number of orally literate cultures thriving as industrialized nations. Show me a successfully thriving culture based on Oral literacy and I'll show you 80 thriving cultures based on being literate.<br />It's a small point, easily skimmed over, but it stuck out to me and I had to get that off my chest.<br />That being said, I agree with a lot that Cobb says in the rest of the article. Cobb explains that we are presenting a sort of Utopia to our students. If the students work hard, they will be rewarded for their efforts (209). Cobb calls for us to be realistic about this sort of ideal, and I have to agree. Just look at the number of people who are laid-off when an automobile manufacturer moves to Mexico. We can't justify that all of the workers just weren't trying hard enough at their jobs, so we look the other way and tell the students that life is fair in its rewards.<br />But, then, how can we sell our product (a good education) if the product doesn't garner the promised results? Man, in reflection, this was a far more depressing article than any of the others we've read in class.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-16107852441520267412007-04-19T10:33:00.000-07:002007-04-19T11:03:26.930-07:00Issues of Attitudes and AccessComputers have become a somewhat ubiquitous thing in our lives. As college students, we rely heavily on computers for writing papers, email and internet access. I don't know about those who do not own computers, but it would be difficult for me to function if I didn't own a computer with internet access. And, this seems to be the going trend. Those who wish to succeed have to have some basic computer skills.<br />I see computers much the way that Richard Rodriguez sees the English language. I read Rodriguez's book, Hunger of Memory, for class. In it, Rodriguez says that it is impossible for people to succeed in America and take part in the American dream if they do not have a command of the English language. Rodriguez, for those who don't know, started speaking English in Elementary school and is an opponent to bilingual education. It's funny, because I always thought that opponents to bilingual education were racists (conservatives). But, it's hard to argue with Rodriguez. How many businesses in America are run by people who don't speak English? How many congressmen, CEOs or Doctors? Not speaking English, as pointed out by Rodriguez, is a definite handicap in America.<br />Like I said, this is the same way I view the internet. I've said it in class, but I lost internet access for a week while the phone company sent me a replacement modem and I nearly lost my mind. It felt god to get my email back.<br />Anything that familiarizes the next generation with how to navigate around the basic workings of a computer is a good thing for a classroom. When I was student teaching, I had students type up one of their papers in the computer lab. Since I know a little about word processors, I could help them out with the basics, which usually required italicizing or underlining an expletive for added emphasis. When I was in school, that sort of instruction was called "cross-curriculum" teaching, meaning it encompassed both English and computers. It was put in the same category as pointing out the Mayan counting system in math class (math/history). Nowadays, we don't even notice that division between computers and writing a paper. Heck, we probably don't notice the division between computers and daily life anymore.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-61794205108385296602007-04-01T12:13:00.000-07:002007-04-01T13:05:07.828-07:00Letters from StudentsSo far, we have read two letters from students to teachers. On was presented last week as a persuasive letter to change a grade which had yet to be determined, and the other is described by David Bartholomae in "The Tidy House: Basic Writing in the American Curriculum" (LE-172). To me, they both represent a culture gap between the home and academic identities. This idea has been described in previous chapters. There is a definite difficulty in adjusting to college life. I've blogged about my views on the differences of college and home life before, so I won't go in to much detail. But, these two letters just show how difficult it is to adjust to being outside of the comfort (home) zone. One letter represents those who are actually trying to understand how this whole "academic thing" works, while the other represents a rejection of the entire academic system. Mina Shaughnessy hints that students reject writing because so many errors are pointed out to them. Errors are the same as failure, so they believe they are failures as writers and should stop doing something at which they consistently fail (7). Though the two letters are radically different, I wonder if both problems could be solved (or, at least lessened) by having a class which focuses on the differences in expectations and demeanor between home and academic life. Now, we all took the IDS 150 course, which showed us where the library was and how we should go see our football games. But, I like the idea that someone brought up in class about their instructor telling the students that they are now "scholars." It is okay to say an opinion as long as it is backed-up by texts and evidence. This would no doubt boost the confidence of students to nearly narcissistic (yes, misspelled) levels! I mean, the students are in an alien atmosphere, and it is difficult to understand that they have to think differently, now. They can't keep one foot at home and one foot in academia, their habits have to shift altogether. Some, as is evident in the letter we read in class last week, have trouble with the fact that they will have to learn things which will challenge their beliefs and values. Of course, at home, everyone you meet agrees with you, so it comes as quite a shock when people in academia present a differing view. In academics, this leads to academic discourse, where "academic discourse" could lead to a bar fight at home. But, that's life.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-67330797048582039152007-03-09T09:17:00.000-08:002007-03-09T09:45:24.663-08:00Spelling and HandwritingMina <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Shaughnessy</span> might not have anticipated that parts of her book might become so outdated so quickly, but that seems to be the case with the "Handwriting" section and the "Spelling" portions of Errors and Expectations. With computers being in most homes across the country and most of those computers containing some sort of spell-checking device in their word processing program, the importance of these two chapters has shifted. I'm not saying that these two sections are no longer important, because the problems they seek to correct are not being corrected by computers and computer programs, they are simply taking the problem out of the hands of the teachers.<br />I recently got a new computer which automatically corrects words that are misspelled for me. I haven't liked it from the very beginning, since I like to know what words I've misspelled in order to learn how to properly spell them. I know that the process for me to turn off this function and just have the computer underline the offending text in squiggly red is a fairly simple one. But, I'm lazy, so the words I misspell are corrected right as I type. I continue making those mistakes in my spelling and I assume that every word I type is golden. I don't correct the problem, but my papers contain no spelling mistakes, allowing teachers to focus on my grammar, punctuation and argument rather than spelling and handwriting.<br />This is not to say that computers have covered up all of the problems Shaughnessy covers in her spelling chapters. Homophones (169) and certain instances of what she calls "failure to remember or see words" (172) will slide right under the radar of even the most astute spell-checking program.<br />My question, however, is that I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Like I said before, computers are not correcting the spelling errors, they are merely ceasing to make them a problem for the printed document. Those problems remain in the writing of the students so that a person with deplorable spelling can get by with ignoring the problem and go through life without knowing how to properly spell receive, annoiance or asimilation. I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'd like to open this idea up to the class just to see what you all think.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-55692424722925162832007-02-17T11:27:00.000-08:002007-02-17T12:05:19.118-08:00Constrictive College ClassesThe focus in this batch of articles seems to be the loss of self in college society. It's unfortunate to have to deal with the dual nature of living both in the context of college and (for lack of a better term) real life. College teaches students how to think, but a lot of that has to do with how the professors think.<br />I keep running over the part in "Conflict and Struggle: The Enemies or Preconditions of Basic Writing?" where students look at the statue of Perseusholding the head of medusa. One student starts off a paper by saying, "When I see this statue it is of the white man and he is holding the head of the negro." (44) There are college professors on this campus who would read this first statement, skip to the end and write "no. rewrite." at the end. The reasoning behind that is, simply, because the professor had never thought of that possible interpretation before, so it must be incorrect.<br />I think that a big reason why "gate-keepers" were afraid to have open admissions at colleges is because they looked out at their classes and thought, "No. not like us." These students just don't think the way we do, nor do they value what we value.<br />The fact of the matter is that, after some time, college students can assume what certain professors are asking for when they assign a paper. The opinions of Foucault and Freud are more valued opinions than a student's own opinions of a work. It's my opinion that the gate-keepers might have looked out to their classes and thought to themselves, "there's no possible way I can teach these students how to think like I do." And, they left it at that. How could they deal with such a diversity of thought? I mean, college students mainly come from a middle-class family. They are hard workers and did well in school. Open admissions could disrupt that homogenous demographic.<br />Of course, teachers who were up to the challenge of finding a different opinion, or actively participating in a dialogue with students would get along quite well with the new breed of students introduced by open admissions.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-79923092604207537912007-02-09T18:07:00.000-08:002007-02-07T10:04:19.864-08:00HandwritingI know that Shaughnessy only wrote three pages on handwriting, but I was just going over the chapters we read in order to do the blog and I just don't feel like Shaughnessy should have added that section in to her book. I don't know how handwriting relates to the writing practices of a basic writer.<br />Shaughnessy wrote that "...poor handwriting of the sort I have been describing is not so much a cause of badwriting as an indication that the writer is not at home with this skill..." (16) That's just a false statement. I have terrible handwriting. In fact, I never achieved better than a "C" in handwriting all through Elementary school (My teachers just told me to try harder). Yet, I feel very comfortable putting my thoughts on paper. And, what about the people who have excellent handwriting, but can't write a good paragraph?<br />The section is rendered particularly useless since people are writing less and typing more. The days of masking spelling mistakes with blurred letters (16) and illegible handwriting (15) are just about over. We can use word processors to correct both our illegible writing and our spelling (God bless America).<br />And, who even thought up cursive anyway? It's stupid! Nobody can read it!<br />I got a little carried away, there. I just don't think that handwriting is important in the long run. There are better things we could be spending our time correcting more glaring mistakes. I mean, surely, we will have to be able to read the students' writing, but I'm not going to waste class time on explaining the benefits of pretty handwriting. It's the same as saying that good writers dress well. Obviously that student is a below-average writer; look at the way he's dressed!imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-64414344545711439882007-01-31T12:28:00.000-08:002007-01-31T12:57:33.248-08:00MetaphorI really enjoyed the metaphor in "The Discovery of Competence." It was interesting, and kept my attention with how a teacher may view students entering a basic writing course. I especially paid close attention to the woman's first reaction to the trapped starlings. She said, "'How did you get in here?' 'What are you doing in here?' and observed, 'You don't belong here.'" (1) That last question really struck a cord with me. As the story is a metaphor for teaching an entry-level course in writing, it represents a gut reaction to students that a new teacher may have. It's a terribly insensitive reaction to have, but I don't think I would be immune to this sort of reaction at first glance, either. I like to think of myself as a patient and caring individual, but I could see myself reacting with a sort of awed helplessness when faced with a task as daunting as teaching a class full of, as Shaughnessy put it, "those who had been left so far behind the others in their formal education that they appeared to have little chance of catching up..." (2)<br />I know that this class is designed to help with this feeling of helplessness, and I know it will. And, with time and dedication, I'm sure that my initial reaction will not be "You don't belong here," but "where do we start?"<br />I remeber my first teaching experience in a practicum. I taught the graveyard scene in Hamlet to juniors in high school. The kids weren't really impressed with the material. I was utterly amazed. I mean, this was Shakespeare! How could these kids not love and respect every word on the page? Of course, then I remembered what I thought about Shakespeare when I was their age. I tried to bring it down to the kid's level and make it applicable to their lives, and I think that some of them actually liked that scene after I was done.<br />I like the Mike Rose approach of meeting the students on their own ground. He mentioned talking to a kid about rap music, and using that as a jumping-off point. It was his way of putting his foot in the door. This is a similar sort of technique to a "reading don't fix no chevys" mentality. This is brought up in the metaphor when the woman puts down the books in her hands in order to better handle the bird. This, I think would be the best approach. Meet the kids on their own ground, find out what they are interested in and attack with both hands.<br />As mentioned in class, the metaphor has its holes. It falls apart in some places, some of the devices are flawed and some of the explanation is stretched. But, I still think it was a great way to open the book.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-63701896081427465622007-01-22T18:44:00.001-08:002007-01-26T17:33:59.234-08:00Basic writingWriting is easy to define. Of course, "basic writing" is a little more abstract and semantically disputable. It could be described as the most basic writing. But, I prefer to see it as a jumping-off point to greatness.<br />Basic writing is a tool which can be used to find out where a writer stands. It can be used to show strengths, identify areas to improve or simply to help the writer gain confidence in their own writing. This last point is essential for the writing process. Those who lack confidence or motivation need to be comfortable with writing and develop a technique for writing which will help them to best communicate their ideas.<br />Basic writing is a testing ground which allows the students to explore different modes of writing to find a comfort zone. Basic writing encompasses everything from personal narrative to opinion paper. The topics vary widely. Of course, the subject matter is rather elementary, but it challenges those who do not write on a day to day basis.<br />Basic writing should challenge writers in order to make them think about their work. In this way, the writers think about what words to use in order to express different views. The writers can see that some words are stronger than others, and how their words can reflect a constant voice.<br />Basic writing is an exercise in writing. Much the way atheletes stretch out before a big game or work out in order to stay in shape, basic writing is key in the writing process in order to warm-up the brain for bigger feats and challenges.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5659978197964768089.post-12984428161031025812007-01-22T18:44:00.000-08:002007-01-22T18:46:48.521-08:00Basic writingWriting is easy to define. Of course, "basic writing" is a little more abstract and semantically disputable. It could be described as the most basic writing. But, I prefer to see it as a jumping-off point to greatness.imcriswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00486735215819682234noreply@blogger.com0