Academic Margins
Basic writing is a weird subject to me. I don't see why anyone would want to abolish basic writing courses. They seem so mandatory these days. I understand that if someone is in college, the SHOULD know how to write, but that isn't usually the case. Many students who are in poorer high schools have no control over what they are being taught, and usually don't know better to try and change it. If those students choose college, college should want to help those students out and educate them to the best of their ability. Basic writing is needed for every class that will be taken and is needed for most jobs and careers. How are we supposed to just throw them into a composition course if they are just going to fail. What should the college care about teaching basic writing? If students are placed there, they will need to take that before the comp class. They are still paying for their education. I hope it isn't an issue of race and class prejudice as Mutnick points out.
I like the idea of, "errors represent the writer's attempt to systematize language, to approximate the standard written code in the absence of adequate instruction and practice." That is a good point, I have never though about that.
Basic writing can help out many students, and good teaching can show the students their potential for being great writers. The goal should be to get them to move "inside the margins."
Technology and the Teaching of Writing
This essay was funny because it did seem outdated as we said in class. Just talking about "word-processing" seemed ancient to me. Moran also seems to be stating the obvious for this generation.
Technology has been a hot topic. I agree with Shipka that technology is almost inescapable in a classroom, be it the lights, the chalkboard, the clothes that people are wearing, etc. It is frustrating to hear a teacher talking about how they are not going to change what they are doing, when in fact they are using technology. I think that it is important in a classroom. I may not be super savvy on computers, but I do think they are the future, just like the students.
E-mail is weird. We talked about this as well. Would I allow students to e-mail me? In high school? You know, I don't think I would give them all my e0mail the first day of class or anything, but if there was situation where I wouldn't see student for a period of time, then sure. I think e-mail is a great way to communicate, as long as everyone has it, which everyone does not. Online discussion is the same way. Although that frustrates me more. I want to be able to say what I want, when I want...I hate when I am not heard, or am over shadowed by others who are chatting. The Internet is great for a classroom. There are so many projects and fun things for students to do on the web.
Technology always come up. It seems that we talk about it in every class, even when it isn't the subject of conversation. I think that technology will be something that I will be hearing about for a long time.
Monday, May 14, 2007
May 8th WAC and Writing Center
WAC
I always wondered what writing across the curriculum actually was. I think I have a better understanding, although I am still a little cloudy on the subject. I see that it helps. "students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers," and that it helps their communication skills. I didn't know that there were two different approaches to WAC, the writing to learn and the writing to communicate. I guess I use writing to learn more than I thought. I like the idea of journals and free writing. I know that they are pointless to some, but I think it is so important to have something so student based, something that students won;t worry because it isn't graded, but it is for them. I think that I will use this approach a lot in my classroom, especially with journals. Writing to communicate is just as important. Being able to write for the audience, for the reader is a skill that students must learn. This will apply to everything they write, in their future jobs and so on. I like how the teacher is a guide, or a "tribal elder to initiate."
Understanding processes is also important. I think that if we don't understand the process, we can't fully understand the result.
It would be interesting to go to a writing workshop. I think I would get frustrated though, because even though McLeod says that at workshops one must "model the pedagogy" I think it would still be someone telling me what to do, and I don't like that.
Writing Center
Hobson is definitely an advocate for the writing center. I have many thoughts on writing centers. I understand that they are designed to instruct and support writers. That writers have a place to go where they can join together with other disiplines and unite, forming a superhero writing group. I guess I am jsut tainted because it isn't always like that. Hobson does talk about how all writing centers are different, but he doesn't talk about the negatives that may occur there. First of all, I have had some bad tutors at writing centers. Most of the time they don't know what they are talking about, or they aren't looking at the contenet at all, just the format and the grammar, etc. They may not even ask me questions about what I was doingand why...it is just wrong, or teachers don't like that. I know that this isn't the point of writing centers. I think that the intentions are good. I think it is a great goal to, "produce better writers, not better writing." I just don't think that happens very much. I think that if we are going to have writing centers, we need experienced people working there. As for writing centers being a training site for teachers, I haven't experienced that yet.
I always wondered what writing across the curriculum actually was. I think I have a better understanding, although I am still a little cloudy on the subject. I see that it helps. "students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers," and that it helps their communication skills. I didn't know that there were two different approaches to WAC, the writing to learn and the writing to communicate. I guess I use writing to learn more than I thought. I like the idea of journals and free writing. I know that they are pointless to some, but I think it is so important to have something so student based, something that students won;t worry because it isn't graded, but it is for them. I think that I will use this approach a lot in my classroom, especially with journals. Writing to communicate is just as important. Being able to write for the audience, for the reader is a skill that students must learn. This will apply to everything they write, in their future jobs and so on. I like how the teacher is a guide, or a "tribal elder to initiate."
Understanding processes is also important. I think that if we don't understand the process, we can't fully understand the result.
It would be interesting to go to a writing workshop. I think I would get frustrated though, because even though McLeod says that at workshops one must "model the pedagogy" I think it would still be someone telling me what to do, and I don't like that.
Writing Center
Hobson is definitely an advocate for the writing center. I have many thoughts on writing centers. I understand that they are designed to instruct and support writers. That writers have a place to go where they can join together with other disiplines and unite, forming a superhero writing group. I guess I am jsut tainted because it isn't always like that. Hobson does talk about how all writing centers are different, but he doesn't talk about the negatives that may occur there. First of all, I have had some bad tutors at writing centers. Most of the time they don't know what they are talking about, or they aren't looking at the contenet at all, just the format and the grammar, etc. They may not even ask me questions about what I was doingand why...it is just wrong, or teachers don't like that. I know that this isn't the point of writing centers. I think that the intentions are good. I think it is a great goal to, "produce better writers, not better writing." I just don't think that happens very much. I think that if we are going to have writing centers, we need experienced people working there. As for writing centers being a training site for teachers, I haven't experienced that yet.
April 3rd Feminist and Community service
Feminist Pedagogy
I don't know, I guess I am not crazy into this essay. I like feminist ideas. I think that it is important to look at things differently, especially when you are a student. I guess I think that feminist pedagogy isn't something that should need to be done, but that it is kind of already done by choosing certain books to read, and writing on certain subjects. I think that anything more than that needs to be a separate class on Feminism. Women are very important and deserve a whole class that is devoted to them. Composition courses should include women writers and as Jarratt says it includes, "decentering or sharing of authority, the recognition of students as sources of knowledge, a focus on processes," etc. I like the idea of trying to change the way thing usually are in a classroom. I am not sure why I am not crazy about this chapter though. I guess I just don't think that way, I guess I think things are changing and it isn't necessary to use feminism as a pedagogy. I think I need to learn more about it before I talk more about it. I didn't get a clear idea of what it is through this reading. I'm not sure if men can be feminists either.
Community Service Pedagogy
I think this is a good idea, but it shouldn't be the only way. I also think, as we said in class, that community service should be voluntary, not mandatory. I do think that forcing students into it may not be as beneficial as it is supposed to be. I didn't experience any community service stuff in high school, but I wish I did. I think that working with the community is important for students to get an idea of where they live, what surrounds them, and how they can help, even how they can't help. I disagree with Julier though and do think that service learning is community service. Why isn't it? I also think it is volunteerism, if you signed up for it. I see how it can be beneficial to writing, I see that many ideologies are brought together. I like the idea, just maybe not forcing it on anyone.
I don't know, I guess I am not crazy into this essay. I like feminist ideas. I think that it is important to look at things differently, especially when you are a student. I guess I think that feminist pedagogy isn't something that should need to be done, but that it is kind of already done by choosing certain books to read, and writing on certain subjects. I think that anything more than that needs to be a separate class on Feminism. Women are very important and deserve a whole class that is devoted to them. Composition courses should include women writers and as Jarratt says it includes, "decentering or sharing of authority, the recognition of students as sources of knowledge, a focus on processes," etc. I like the idea of trying to change the way thing usually are in a classroom. I am not sure why I am not crazy about this chapter though. I guess I just don't think that way, I guess I think things are changing and it isn't necessary to use feminism as a pedagogy. I think I need to learn more about it before I talk more about it. I didn't get a clear idea of what it is through this reading. I'm not sure if men can be feminists either.
Community Service Pedagogy
I think this is a good idea, but it shouldn't be the only way. I also think, as we said in class, that community service should be voluntary, not mandatory. I do think that forcing students into it may not be as beneficial as it is supposed to be. I didn't experience any community service stuff in high school, but I wish I did. I think that working with the community is important for students to get an idea of where they live, what surrounds them, and how they can help, even how they can't help. I disagree with Julier though and do think that service learning is community service. Why isn't it? I also think it is volunteerism, if you signed up for it. I see how it can be beneficial to writing, I see that many ideologies are brought together. I like the idea, just maybe not forcing it on anyone.
May 1st Cultural/Critical
Cultural Studies
I'm unsure why, but I dislike this essay. Maybe because they almost try to act "middle of the road" but they are certainly favoring sides, which is cool with me, it just gets annoying. Anyway, cultural studies is interesting, but was hard for me to understand. When I think of cultural studies, I don't normally think about politics. I know that is not what this is all about, but there is a lot of politics involved it seems. When it comes to teaching, I guess cultural studies focuses on "multiculturalism, the politics of literacy, and the implications of race, class, and gender." I did like the way they talked about how certain, or many of the themes and issues in this genre can't be made into linear ways of writing, or composing. I guess I see that, but I think I see that with most genres of pedagogy. I was glad to get some definition of what cultural studies are, and that they fall into three categories, although there may be more.
I think that using media, music, etc, as I have said before is very important for students. I like to think that that is where cultural studies is going, if it isn't there already. Mass communication and popular culture are things that are really present at the moment. Self-education is an interesting idea. I see where that could go, but I also think that there needs to be some sort of teacher. I like the idea of working with a student to figure out what the student wants to do.
Cultural studies is important in many other fields as well. Writing in general, whether it be composition, reports, grants, and so on could be helped through cultural studies.
I really like the statement, "the cultural studies approach to the writing classroom addressed the question of what constitutes the content of a composition course with the idea that content is right under our noses, in the culture of everyday life." This would be a great way to teach, but difficult in a high school setting that is ruled by curriculum and standards.
Critical Pedagogy
This was crazy talk! I liked it, but was shocked to read some of what was said. They talked about how it isn't the teacher that are poor, or it isn't a wrong technique when students aren't learning, but that it is the right thing, it is a way to keep the lower class down. That was wow to me. Also when community colleges are brought up, and that they are there to build a "large pool of unskilled workers for a shrinking number of increasingly deskilled jobs." That they, "train students to follow orders and accept subordinate roles in society." I know that is what Shor argues and not George, but Wow! I don't agree with that, at least not in my experience. This critical pedagogy seems very "hippie" to me. That isn't a bad thing, it is just that George talks a lot about oppression, resistance, and how we are trapped.
I guess the goal of critical pedagogy is, "to enable students to envision alternatives, to inspire them to assume the responsibility for collectively recreating society." I like this idea, and I see how it would be tricky to do, especially in a traditional classroom. There sometimes needs to be a line that shouldn't be crossed. The class shouldn't be able to vote the class out of existence. I guess I am also thinking about high school, so that may make a difference. I do think that students should be aware of the power they do hold. They should also be able to direct their own education, but there, once again needs to be a line.
I'm unsure why, but I dislike this essay. Maybe because they almost try to act "middle of the road" but they are certainly favoring sides, which is cool with me, it just gets annoying. Anyway, cultural studies is interesting, but was hard for me to understand. When I think of cultural studies, I don't normally think about politics. I know that is not what this is all about, but there is a lot of politics involved it seems. When it comes to teaching, I guess cultural studies focuses on "multiculturalism, the politics of literacy, and the implications of race, class, and gender." I did like the way they talked about how certain, or many of the themes and issues in this genre can't be made into linear ways of writing, or composing. I guess I see that, but I think I see that with most genres of pedagogy. I was glad to get some definition of what cultural studies are, and that they fall into three categories, although there may be more.
I think that using media, music, etc, as I have said before is very important for students. I like to think that that is where cultural studies is going, if it isn't there already. Mass communication and popular culture are things that are really present at the moment. Self-education is an interesting idea. I see where that could go, but I also think that there needs to be some sort of teacher. I like the idea of working with a student to figure out what the student wants to do.
Cultural studies is important in many other fields as well. Writing in general, whether it be composition, reports, grants, and so on could be helped through cultural studies.
I really like the statement, "the cultural studies approach to the writing classroom addressed the question of what constitutes the content of a composition course with the idea that content is right under our noses, in the culture of everyday life." This would be a great way to teach, but difficult in a high school setting that is ruled by curriculum and standards.
Critical Pedagogy
This was crazy talk! I liked it, but was shocked to read some of what was said. They talked about how it isn't the teacher that are poor, or it isn't a wrong technique when students aren't learning, but that it is the right thing, it is a way to keep the lower class down. That was wow to me. Also when community colleges are brought up, and that they are there to build a "large pool of unskilled workers for a shrinking number of increasingly deskilled jobs." That they, "train students to follow orders and accept subordinate roles in society." I know that is what Shor argues and not George, but Wow! I don't agree with that, at least not in my experience. This critical pedagogy seems very "hippie" to me. That isn't a bad thing, it is just that George talks a lot about oppression, resistance, and how we are trapped.
I guess the goal of critical pedagogy is, "to enable students to envision alternatives, to inspire them to assume the responsibility for collectively recreating society." I like this idea, and I see how it would be tricky to do, especially in a traditional classroom. There sometimes needs to be a line that shouldn't be crossed. The class shouldn't be able to vote the class out of existence. I guess I am also thinking about high school, so that may make a difference. I do think that students should be aware of the power they do hold. They should also be able to direct their own education, but there, once again needs to be a line.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
April 24 Pedagogy
Rhetorical Pedagogy
Hmmm....honestly I found this chapter so boring. I guess I just had a hard time reading it because of how it was written, and the subject. This pedagogy seems to set for me. I liked the Platonic pedagogy for some reasons, such as the lack of seriousness and the mystery involved. I think though that in general, rhetorical pedagogy is all about truth and clarity, as well as correctness. These are things that are important, but not the way I think I'll be teaching. I think it is important for teachers to mess up. I don't think that it is a sign of weakness, but it shows students that teachers are human, and if we make mistakes, then they should be okay with making mistakes too. I also think that second and third chances just need to be given some times. I don't want to focus on correctness, that isn't the most important thing. I want to focus on the student learning and getting something from my class, and maybe possibly even enjoying themselves. I don't really need to persuade my students into thinking something, I want them all to have and keep their own ideas and values. I know that Truth is a big part of this pedagogy, and I am down with that, I just think perhaps I am too student focused for it.
Collaborative Pedagogy
This pedagogy is something more that I would do. Actually, I don't need to do anything, it is already there. I do think, especially now that I have listened to Shipka, that we are always collaborating. I do think that all writing is collaborative, as Howard points out that Charlotte Thralls says, "Active readers function as collaborative partners; the writers sense of anticipated audience constitutes a form of collaboration; the community in which the act of writing takes place or toward which it is aimed contributes constraining (and enabling) conventions such as word choice, tone, organization; and sources that the writer has read exert their influence." I think that the pedagogy of collaborating is beneficial in many ways. It does eliminate some of the competition between students, it also gives students an example of work place writing, and so on. I don't think that collaborating in the sense of peer review is always helpful as I have said before. In general though, I think this is a good way to teach.
Hmmm....honestly I found this chapter so boring. I guess I just had a hard time reading it because of how it was written, and the subject. This pedagogy seems to set for me. I liked the Platonic pedagogy for some reasons, such as the lack of seriousness and the mystery involved. I think though that in general, rhetorical pedagogy is all about truth and clarity, as well as correctness. These are things that are important, but not the way I think I'll be teaching. I think it is important for teachers to mess up. I don't think that it is a sign of weakness, but it shows students that teachers are human, and if we make mistakes, then they should be okay with making mistakes too. I also think that second and third chances just need to be given some times. I don't want to focus on correctness, that isn't the most important thing. I want to focus on the student learning and getting something from my class, and maybe possibly even enjoying themselves. I don't really need to persuade my students into thinking something, I want them all to have and keep their own ideas and values. I know that Truth is a big part of this pedagogy, and I am down with that, I just think perhaps I am too student focused for it.
Collaborative Pedagogy
This pedagogy is something more that I would do. Actually, I don't need to do anything, it is already there. I do think, especially now that I have listened to Shipka, that we are always collaborating. I do think that all writing is collaborative, as Howard points out that Charlotte Thralls says, "Active readers function as collaborative partners; the writers sense of anticipated audience constitutes a form of collaboration; the community in which the act of writing takes place or toward which it is aimed contributes constraining (and enabling) conventions such as word choice, tone, organization; and sources that the writer has read exert their influence." I think that the pedagogy of collaborating is beneficial in many ways. It does eliminate some of the competition between students, it also gives students an example of work place writing, and so on. I don't think that collaborating in the sense of peer review is always helpful as I have said before. In general though, I think this is a good way to teach.
sticky embrace April 17
I think we had a really good discussion of this chapter in class. I think Wysocki is absolutely right on her idea of beauty and aesthetics. The Peek ad was a perfect ad to talk about. It is amazing what a small ad can really do. I found it very interesting to learn about how this ad was set up for our eyes. How the brightest spot is where we look first, at her ass. How the words on the ad flowed through so that it was pleasing to the eye. All of these things are really important. I did find it interesting that she said "we are not encouraged to ask about the woman in the ad as a woman, only as a shape." I though it was funny she would say that because when I first saw the ad, I actually did wonder who that woman was, is she just a model, or is she someones friend, where is she now, etc. Maybe I wonder that stuff because I am an artist who sees my subjects as people, not just subjects, and that is what really can add to or take away from a drawing or picture. Anyway, I think that students should be taught about these visuals more because we see this stuff everyday. Not only do we see this everyday, we too have to make these sorts of choices when it comes to our writing. Composing visuals is important as well for students and I think they need to be able to do it well. I thought that Kant's aesthetics were interesting. Knowing about understanding, reason, and judgement are very important to composing and making choices. Beauty is how we make it. We can do a lot with images, words, colors, and so on, it all depends on how we use these things that will decide if it is beautiful or now.
Box Logic April 12
I really enjoyed this chapter. I know I talked about it in class, but I just really think that Sirc has a great way of looking at composition as art. I think I relate to him because I definitely see the art in most things. I understand that some people may see students collecting things to put in a "box" may not fulfill the composition requirements, but I think that this way is just as effective as any other way. Perhaps some students may want to throw some stuff into a box and call it a day, but I think that if we gave students more opportunities to compose this way, that they would take it seriously and come up with amazing pieces. I definitely think that if I were to do this in a classroom, I would require a writers memo with it, just so I could really understand what the student was going for. Also, this may eliminate any of those students who think this is a way of getting out of something. The chapter itself is really interesting too. The formatting makes sense for this chapter. I know we talked about why he chose this format, but I think that it is perfect for what he is talking about. I do wish I had a writers memo from him though!
Selfe, Towards New Media April 10
Once again, I agree with this section. As I said about the article by Sean Williams, visual literacy is just as important as verbal or any other literacy. I like how Selfe defines her own writing in this chapter. She spells everything out for her reader. She decides to call the author a composer/designer, she says how she will use terms, etc. I think that is important to define your own writing, so it is nice to see someone who is published doing it. I agree that we can no longer just focus on alphabetic literacy. The world has changed, and we must follow. Visuals have taken over and so we must incorporate them into education. Selfe gives plenty of examples on how to incorporate this literacy which is wonderful. So many times we will read about something we should be doing, but there are no examples on how to change. I think she had great ways of working with the visual. I especially liked the idea of the students evaluating each other. This really gives them a better understanding of what they are looking for. This literacy will probably be a topic of discussion for a long time because not everyone is willing to change yet, which is upsetting.
writers memo, explaining choices
When I first read about the writers memo, I thought that I have never been asked to do something like that. When Shipka brought up the statement of goals and choices, I was like...oh yeah. I think the reason I assumed I have never done one was because the article focuses on answering questions about writing, and the writing process. I know that I have done writing for Shipka, but when I think of the sogac, I think that I answered so many questions, about every part of the process, that I didn't even consider it as a writers memo. I guess also because when I read this article, I thought that students would hate it. They would not want to do this extra work, having to explain their choices. I though , would they even know what their choices were the whole time? I actually had fun doing the sogac, so maybe that is why I did not join the two at first. Now I see that I have done a writers memo, and I think that it was an amazing thing to do. It not only was something different to do, which is a huge plus when taking all English classes, but it really helped me. It made me see what I was doing, the choices that I made. Some were good choices, some were actually not so good, and I was able to recognise that for next time. It also helped me examine my own process for every thing that I do, not just projects for Shipka, but assignments for other classes, even outside of school stuff. I think that the writers memo is a great idea for writing. Students should be aware of their choices.
With Explaining Ones Rhetorical Choices, same idea, just in conferences. Like I said about Beach, I think that it is a great idea, just hard for high school. I do think that these conferences with students about their choices is doable. Even if it is hard, I think that it is really important to do. Teachers need to know and understand what it is their students are trying to say. They need to have the opportunity to tell teachers what they did and why. It may look bad to me, but if they have a reason for doing it that way, then how can I judge that?
With Explaining Ones Rhetorical Choices, same idea, just in conferences. Like I said about Beach, I think that it is a great idea, just hard for high school. I do think that these conferences with students about their choices is doable. Even if it is hard, I think that it is really important to do. Teachers need to know and understand what it is their students are trying to say. They need to have the opportunity to tell teachers what they did and why. It may look bad to me, but if they have a reason for doing it that way, then how can I judge that?
April 3
Probst:
Okay, well I agree and disagree with this one. I think that we definitely put our own experiences and culture and community into each word. I understand if the word dog means something nice to one person and something bad to another. However, the meaning of the word dog is the same. There are limits that we must follow, or at least assume when writing or reading. If we read something about a dog for instance, we must take that words meaning from the context it is in. If it is about a mean dog, then there you go. When writing, we must also be careful not to assume that everyone thinks the way we do. We need to explain what we mean sometimes. This may be hard for some students, but I think that if we approach writing with this idea, we are causing more problems for ourselves and others. I know that every culture, community, and individual in each of these has something new to bring, has some ideas already of what things are. I understand that and I accept it. I don't think that we CAN start focusing on something like that, we just need to be ready to have students explaining what they mean at times. If the student can explain themselves, then they are fine. The thing is, there is a dictionary, and every student should have one. If they are ever in doubt, they can use it. Of course I will always give my students an opportunity to tell me where they are coming from. I think that they do need to become skillful readers of their own writing. That will help them understand where perhaps they can be questionable.
Beach
I am not sure that Beach's ideas are realistic in a high school setting. Although I would love it if I could come up with a plan where there would be a workshop day, or a conference day during a regular classroom day to discuss this with students. I would actually say that there would have to be one on ones at some point with each student to discuss what they are doing in writing. I guess that Beach may say that this is an easy way to do this, but I think it is only easy to him because he has the resources to do it. I do think it is important for students to ask themselves questions in their writing, questions that focus on what they were trying to say, or who they are writing for, etc. Students understanding their own strategies would really help them out in their writing, as well as in reading and other subjects. If they can come out of it being able to assess their own writing, that would be great. Once again though, this may be hard in High School.
Okay, well I agree and disagree with this one. I think that we definitely put our own experiences and culture and community into each word. I understand if the word dog means something nice to one person and something bad to another. However, the meaning of the word dog is the same. There are limits that we must follow, or at least assume when writing or reading. If we read something about a dog for instance, we must take that words meaning from the context it is in. If it is about a mean dog, then there you go. When writing, we must also be careful not to assume that everyone thinks the way we do. We need to explain what we mean sometimes. This may be hard for some students, but I think that if we approach writing with this idea, we are causing more problems for ourselves and others. I know that every culture, community, and individual in each of these has something new to bring, has some ideas already of what things are. I understand that and I accept it. I don't think that we CAN start focusing on something like that, we just need to be ready to have students explaining what they mean at times. If the student can explain themselves, then they are fine. The thing is, there is a dictionary, and every student should have one. If they are ever in doubt, they can use it. Of course I will always give my students an opportunity to tell me where they are coming from. I think that they do need to become skillful readers of their own writing. That will help them understand where perhaps they can be questionable.
Beach
I am not sure that Beach's ideas are realistic in a high school setting. Although I would love it if I could come up with a plan where there would be a workshop day, or a conference day during a regular classroom day to discuss this with students. I would actually say that there would have to be one on ones at some point with each student to discuss what they are doing in writing. I guess that Beach may say that this is an easy way to do this, but I think it is only easy to him because he has the resources to do it. I do think it is important for students to ask themselves questions in their writing, questions that focus on what they were trying to say, or who they are writing for, etc. Students understanding their own strategies would really help them out in their writing, as well as in reading and other subjects. If they can come out of it being able to assess their own writing, that would be great. Once again though, this may be hard in High School.
March 29 Students rights
I actually love this article. I completely agree with what is said here. The classroom is such a weird thing to me. In the "real world" a reader does assume that the writer has some authority on what they are saying, and when we read something we don't pick at it, looking for something to correct. Well, maybe some of us do, but I don't. It is weird that in the classroom, that all goes out the window. The reader, or teacher still remains the authority figure and gets to tell the writer what they did or said wrong. That doesn't make a lot of sense. I understand that spelling can be corrected, and stuff like that, but how can we tell students that they are saying something wrong. I really like the idea of going through the writing, paragraph by paragraph, asking the students what they are saying, and how they intended to say it. They should have rights over their own texts. I think it is very detrimental to students to continue correcting them, essentially making their text into the what the teacher wants. This can only make the students not what to share their ideas or talents any more. Multiple drafts can help I think, but more so just communicating with the students, and finding out what they are doing before trying to change it.
March 27, Lauren
The first time I read this paper, I thought it was a "creative" way to get her point across. I bet this looks like sarcastic, smart ass shit to most teachers, but I do see where she was going with it, or at least I hope that's where she was going with it and this paper isn't actually serious. This is the cliche paper that many teachers are looking for. It has every component of a good essay. It has the perfect title, the attention getting introduction, the topic sentences that "flow" The thesis written clearly so that it can be seen. and so on. It is kind of sad to see this paper and think that this is what we do to get through school. I admit that I myself have written many of these papers, of course not so obviously. I understand that that is the way that the teachers were taught, so that is they way we are taught., The version with the nice comments was funny to me because they seemed SOOO fake, and I know they are, it is just that they were smart ass as well. It just shows that teachers are doing the same thing as students. They are giving in to the ideals that people place on them. They aren't even reading the paper. The content is of no meaning almost. The format is becoming the main focus. The paper with the negative comments was harsh, but something I would more expect coming from Shipka, if these are her comments. Maybe this paper is crap, but I think it gets a very real point across, that sometimes students may think what teachers expect is crap as well.
Feb 22....Perl and Runicman
Perl's chapter go hand in hand with our transcribing projects. I completely agree with Perl that writing is recursive. Just going through this "experiment" myself proved that to me. I was constantly moving backwards in order to move ahead. I thin that it is something important to recognize when writing, so that we can take the linear equation out. Not everything in writing is linear, or at least it shouldn't be. The process of writing is just as important if not more important than the writing itself. If the process is recursive, then what makes writing so linear? That just doesn't go together. The questions we ask ourselves during our process's help us move forward even if they imply to the past.
Runicman's writing is so true to me. It is interesting that people don't talk about or write about writing as something fun and pleasurable. I think this is something that we all need to take into consideration when we are teaching writing. Writing teachers need to change their attitude if they are going to give off a good feeling about writing to the students. Most of the time writing teachers are complaining about how frustrating it is to be them. I understand that as well, it must be frustrating to have so many different individuals, and try to determine how the write. However, if the teachers can show students that writing is fun and pleasurable, to them...the teachers, than maybe students will think it is okay to have a good time writing. Why shouldn't writing be fun?
Runicman's writing is so true to me. It is interesting that people don't talk about or write about writing as something fun and pleasurable. I think this is something that we all need to take into consideration when we are teaching writing. Writing teachers need to change their attitude if they are going to give off a good feeling about writing to the students. Most of the time writing teachers are complaining about how frustrating it is to be them. I understand that as well, it must be frustrating to have so many different individuals, and try to determine how the write. However, if the teachers can show students that writing is fun and pleasurable, to them...the teachers, than maybe students will think it is okay to have a good time writing. Why shouldn't writing be fun?
Febuary 6th
Thinking Out of the Pro-verbal box
I agree with Williams her. I think that it is important to not just teach using the verbal. Students in this day and age will be expected to understand not only what is said, but what is seen. There are so many visuals and other forms of media now, that students need to be taught differently than they used to. Teachers who only lecture, and talk, while students sit there and listen, will not teach students what they really need to know. By combining the verbal and the visual, teachers can start teaching in a way that students will better understand in their futures. There are so many ways for the students to be literate, not just the way that it has always been. I am willing to accept that technology is moving forward, even if I don't like it. I recognize that students today need to know computers, film, music, advertising, etc. Since that is the case, I MUST be willing to teach using those things so that the students will get the most out of my class for their lives. Critical thinking is also important for the students lives, and that is taken away by only focusing on the verbal. Like Williams says, "if composition's role is to help students acquire the skills to live a critically engaged life--that is, to identify problems, to solve them, and to communicate with others about them--then we need to expand our view of writing instruction to include the diverse media forms that actually represent and shape the discursive reality of students."
Writing and Learning at Cross Purposes in the Academy
I'm somewhat torn on this subject. I think that writing does lead to "a deeper level of processing" which leads to better learning. I do see though that students write for teachers, and that is the main reason for writing. Writing is important no matter what, and I already talked about teaching writing in an earlier blog. Even if the students are writing because they have to, even if they are "copying" other peoples writing (through form, etc.) they are still gaining something. Whether it be continued practice on grammar and spelling, process production, or whatever, they are getting something out of it. I'm sure a lot of students will say they get nothing out of this type of writing, but I think they are. I'm not sure how we could go about changing why students write. I would love to tell them to just write whatever they want all the time, but I'm afraid that many will not know what to do, or will need structure. It is a difficult topic.
I agree with Williams her. I think that it is important to not just teach using the verbal. Students in this day and age will be expected to understand not only what is said, but what is seen. There are so many visuals and other forms of media now, that students need to be taught differently than they used to. Teachers who only lecture, and talk, while students sit there and listen, will not teach students what they really need to know. By combining the verbal and the visual, teachers can start teaching in a way that students will better understand in their futures. There are so many ways for the students to be literate, not just the way that it has always been. I am willing to accept that technology is moving forward, even if I don't like it. I recognize that students today need to know computers, film, music, advertising, etc. Since that is the case, I MUST be willing to teach using those things so that the students will get the most out of my class for their lives. Critical thinking is also important for the students lives, and that is taken away by only focusing on the verbal. Like Williams says, "if composition's role is to help students acquire the skills to live a critically engaged life--that is, to identify problems, to solve them, and to communicate with others about them--then we need to expand our view of writing instruction to include the diverse media forms that actually represent and shape the discursive reality of students."
Writing and Learning at Cross Purposes in the Academy
I'm somewhat torn on this subject. I think that writing does lead to "a deeper level of processing" which leads to better learning. I do see though that students write for teachers, and that is the main reason for writing. Writing is important no matter what, and I already talked about teaching writing in an earlier blog. Even if the students are writing because they have to, even if they are "copying" other peoples writing (through form, etc.) they are still gaining something. Whether it be continued practice on grammar and spelling, process production, or whatever, they are getting something out of it. I'm sure a lot of students will say they get nothing out of this type of writing, but I think they are. I'm not sure how we could go about changing why students write. I would love to tell them to just write whatever they want all the time, but I'm afraid that many will not know what to do, or will need structure. It is a difficult topic.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Today...actually today's class
So in class today we went off on some topics that seemed to come out of nowhere. I liked it. First I want to talk some on the subject of touching students. I know that not all teachers even want to touch students, but it is kind of ridiculous how strict we are in what we can and cannot do in a classroom. I taught drama to kids a while back. I really don't like kids (unless related)! But still, I found myself touching them because they wanted to touch me. Most of them did not speak English and I think that maybe that was a way of showing me that they were happy with what was going on. What happens then? Do I say, "no, I can't hug you." I mean come on. Is it only at a certain age when I shouldn't hug a student? Even in my observations of 9th graders, I found myself giving a couple students a hug goodbye when I was done there. They came to me, and were great kids. I just don't get it. About the PC issues...that is out of control! I myself am very careful about what and how I say things because I don't want to offend anyone. How did we get this way? There is definitely a line that shouldn't be crossed, but who created that line? It is very weird. I do think that if we want to teach something that may contain words or ideas that could be seen as incorrect, we should talk with the students before hand and let them know what the material is, and how they feel about it. If a word is used in reading, we should talk about it and what it meant in its context. I know when observing, we were reading A Raisin in the Sun. The "N" word was used more than once. The teacher after that was read, by a student, explained what it meant by the character who said it, and how it was used in that time. The students seemed a little shocked, but understood and went on with the play. It is important to keep communication open between a student and a teacher. The parents are also important here.....a teacher can say that the student can ask a parent how they feel. I mean, there is always going to be a touchy subject for someone, but what can you do. I hope I don't end up on the news.
Pomo Blues
Okay, this one I'm really not sure about. I think I know what Carroll is saying, I'm not sure that I agree with it. I do think that students have a pre-conceived notion of what they are "supposed" to write. This is something that I wish could be changed, but probably won't because then every teacher would have to teach in a different way. There are types of writing that the students usually do. However, I do think that even if the category is similar to many other papers, it can still be an individuals work. I know that culture and environment play a pat in everything that we do, but it isn't all that we do. There is something in people that is still new, at least to the person writing. There are only so many situations in life, how can we expect ":fresh" subjects. The thing is, the subjects are fresh when it comes to the details. No one person has the same exact experience as someone else. Even if there are two people together, experiencing the same thing....they still will have something different to say about it. That is just the way writing works sometimes. It is okay if a topic of a paper if one we have seen many times. It still won't be the exact thing we saw. Anyway, the thing is I am not sure that what Carroll is saying is completely accurate to me. I am an idealist and think that we are all so unique that we couldn't possibly produce the same texts over and over again, unless we are copying word by word someone else's writing.
Elbow/Bartholomae
I like what Elbow is saying here. I do think that it is important that students can be both an academic and a writer. I also think that it is important for them to read their own work, as well as work from other students. They just write for the teacher usually and I agree with Elbow that that may be the reason they are not invested in their work as much as they should be. Writing in the newspaper is a good idea, but we all do not have that opportunity. I also agree that we shouldn't always stick to the "key" texts that we usually do. We shouldn't look at them as if they are part of a museum, they should speak to us as writers and students today. We should read what helps us, even if it is our own work. He may be a romantic, but I understand where he is coming from. I also kind of agree with Bartholomae. I see where he is coming from. I think that writing is personal though. I know that our culture plays a big part in how we write, but what we end up with is our own. As I have said before, even a research paper is our own...has our values and choices and opinions.
I like what Elbow is saying here. I do think that it is important that students can be both an academic and a writer. I also think that it is important for them to read their own work, as well as work from other students. They just write for the teacher usually and I agree with Elbow that that may be the reason they are not invested in their work as much as they should be. Writing in the newspaper is a good idea, but we all do not have that opportunity. I also agree that we shouldn't always stick to the "key" texts that we usually do. We shouldn't look at them as if they are part of a museum, they should speak to us as writers and students today. We should read what helps us, even if it is our own work. He may be a romantic, but I understand where he is coming from. I also kind of agree with Bartholomae. I see where he is coming from. I think that writing is personal though. I know that our culture plays a big part in how we write, but what we end up with is our own. As I have said before, even a research paper is our own...has our values and choices and opinions.
personal writing assignments
Conners has an interesting point. I agree that most people, as do I, take a middle position here. I think that we shouldn't just be focusing on academic writing. We shouldn't just focus on personal writing. There is a need for both, and both should be taught. I think that the individual should be celebrated, and is a great way to start writing. I won't say that it is easier, but I will say that personal experience is already in one's head, it doesn't have to be learned. The writing itself has to be learned, but the content isn't copied or given from a textbook. I think there was a time when the individual was no longer expressed, and only the academic, or technical writing was what was being produced in writing classrooms. I think that now maybe some classrooms have personal writing, but in general , personal writing is another class, another genre.......an elective. That is what bothers me, if we are going to have separate genres here, then they both should be mandatory. They both supply students with different tools and skills needed for writing. So, that is where I stand on that.
Fun Day.
Remember the fun day we had when we did that directions assignment in class? That was fun.
I enjoyed it because it was very interesting to see the results. Directions are important in school. They have to be clear, or something weird can happen. I am glad that a few of us got to do the same set of directions. It was neat to see how we did it differently. Our conversation on how to grade it was also very interesting. Do we grade every one the same? Just because they did it? Or do we grade down if they go above and beyond? That is a hard question to answer. I guess that as a teacher, we need to be very clear how we are going to grade the students before we give them the assignment. This way they will understand(hopefully) what is expected of them. They will know that going above and beyond can possibly hurt them, so they won't feel the need to do that. Getting to the point of figuring out how to grade students is a little harder. I guess it takes some good advice and experience to be able to know exactly what to do. Anyway, that was a fun day.
Remember the fun day we had when we did that directions assignment in class? That was fun.
I enjoyed it because it was very interesting to see the results. Directions are important in school. They have to be clear, or something weird can happen. I am glad that a few of us got to do the same set of directions. It was neat to see how we did it differently. Our conversation on how to grade it was also very interesting. Do we grade every one the same? Just because they did it? Or do we grade down if they go above and beyond? That is a hard question to answer. I guess that as a teacher, we need to be very clear how we are going to grade the students before we give them the assignment. This way they will understand(hopefully) what is expected of them. They will know that going above and beyond can possibly hurt them, so they won't feel the need to do that. Getting to the point of figuring out how to grade students is a little harder. I guess it takes some good advice and experience to be able to know exactly what to do. Anyway, that was a fun day.
the beginning of some serious make-up blogs
okay.....here I am, at my parents house for the purpose of...and only of making up some blogs. It is stupid how difficult it has been to keep up with this. So, here I go...back to the beginning of March.
I'll talk a little about my opinion of Donald Murray's Writing Is Autobiography. I know that this caused some discussion in class, and mostly how Murray is crazy. I actually, as I said in class, think that a lot of what he says is true for me. I also believe that what is write is autobiographical in the sense that it is coming from us. Each person had their own style, whether they know it or not, and in most writing that style, our experiences, our knowledge, etc. are somehow integrated into our writing. I do think that Murray should have perhaps included some other forms of writing, and explained how he thinks they are autobiographical. It doesn't help every one out if we are all reading some of his obviously autobiographical poetry and stories. I do see his point though, and agree with the idea that we all add something personal to our writing. I know personal can have many meanings, but I mean something that comes from us exclusively. He could have made a better case for this essay. He could have done it in a way that doesn't seem ridiculous to some people. I think I understand what he is trying to say.
I'll talk a little about my opinion of Donald Murray's Writing Is Autobiography. I know that this caused some discussion in class, and mostly how Murray is crazy. I actually, as I said in class, think that a lot of what he says is true for me. I also believe that what is write is autobiographical in the sense that it is coming from us. Each person had their own style, whether they know it or not, and in most writing that style, our experiences, our knowledge, etc. are somehow integrated into our writing. I do think that Murray should have perhaps included some other forms of writing, and explained how he thinks they are autobiographical. It doesn't help every one out if we are all reading some of his obviously autobiographical poetry and stories. I do see his point though, and agree with the idea that we all add something personal to our writing. I know personal can have many meanings, but I mean something that comes from us exclusively. He could have made a better case for this essay. He could have done it in a way that doesn't seem ridiculous to some people. I think I understand what he is trying to say.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Lesson Assignment
okay....about the lesson assignment.
Here it is:
Cultural Quilt
For this assignment you will be creating a cultural quilt. You may create the quilt any way you like as long as it includes the required information which is:
1. picture of yourself
2. your name
3. an anxiety provoking experience
4. a time you have been stereotyped
5. something from the state you are from
6. The country you relate most to
7. The culture you are least familiar with
8. a challenge as a student
9. physical attribute(s)
10. talents and interests
11. goals for the future
12. finest personal quality
13. the way you communicate non-verbally
14. the way you communicate verbally
15. a social value
16. best subject
17. worst subject
18. what do people see in you
19 what do you see in yourself
20. favorite item
All of these must be incorporated into your cultural quilt. You may want to use items, pictures, symbols, words, phrases, music, etc. to create your quilt. Although it is called a quilt, it does not have to be an actual quilt. However, your quilt should be a complete package, not a bunch of loose items. You will be presenting it in class, so take that into consideration.
Along with the quilt, you are you write a paper (at least two pages) on how these things may affect your writing and why they might affect your writing. Remember to have fun with it!
Here it is:
Cultural Quilt
For this assignment you will be creating a cultural quilt. You may create the quilt any way you like as long as it includes the required information which is:
1. picture of yourself
2. your name
3. an anxiety provoking experience
4. a time you have been stereotyped
5. something from the state you are from
6. The country you relate most to
7. The culture you are least familiar with
8. a challenge as a student
9. physical attribute(s)
10. talents and interests
11. goals for the future
12. finest personal quality
13. the way you communicate non-verbally
14. the way you communicate verbally
15. a social value
16. best subject
17. worst subject
18. what do people see in you
19 what do you see in yourself
20. favorite item
All of these must be incorporated into your cultural quilt. You may want to use items, pictures, symbols, words, phrases, music, etc. to create your quilt. Although it is called a quilt, it does not have to be an actual quilt. However, your quilt should be a complete package, not a bunch of loose items. You will be presenting it in class, so take that into consideration.
Along with the quilt, you are you write a paper (at least two pages) on how these things may affect your writing and why they might affect your writing. Remember to have fun with it!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
The last time I GOT to....
The last time I though, "I get to do this???" Wow, that is really hard, especially lately (read blog below). I guess I said, "Ooooh, I get to record myself on a tape recorder and someone else has to transcribe it!" That is funny, because someone else HAS to transcribe it, just like I HAVE to transceiver someone else's. The recording part is what I get to do.
As for writing, I would say that the last time I got to write something was the grocery list. That may sound weird, but it is really cool when I write the list, that way I can put or sneak some things onto the list, like cookies. I don't have any money, so I can't do the actual shopping unless given money, which rarely happens, so it is important for me to write the list when I can. Even though I don't always get what I put on the list, sometimes I do out of guilt. (my boyfriend is like a Father when it comes to buying things, save money!!, if you don't NEED it, then we don't get it!! Shit like that.)
The last piece of longer writing I got to write, or help write was a script for a movie that the production company I'm in did a year ago. That was really cool. I have wanted to write the scripts, but we have a writer who does mostly everything. He asked me to help him out, and that was exciting. I GOT to do that which was great.
Reading....well, this may sound funny, but the last book that I read for leisure, the last book I GOT to read was Harry Potter!!! I know, I promise I'm not just saying that to piss anyone off, I actually was so excited to read the last one.
I wish my answers were more deep, whatever that is. It would be cool to say that I got to read the lost ancient Egyptian tomb paintings, if that was such a thing, but those haven't fallen into my lap just yet. When they do, I will be excited about that!!
As for writing, I would say that the last time I got to write something was the grocery list. That may sound weird, but it is really cool when I write the list, that way I can put or sneak some things onto the list, like cookies. I don't have any money, so I can't do the actual shopping unless given money, which rarely happens, so it is important for me to write the list when I can. Even though I don't always get what I put on the list, sometimes I do out of guilt. (my boyfriend is like a Father when it comes to buying things, save money!!, if you don't NEED it, then we don't get it!! Shit like that.)
The last piece of longer writing I got to write, or help write was a script for a movie that the production company I'm in did a year ago. That was really cool. I have wanted to write the scripts, but we have a writer who does mostly everything. He asked me to help him out, and that was exciting. I GOT to do that which was great.
Reading....well, this may sound funny, but the last book that I read for leisure, the last book I GOT to read was Harry Potter!!! I know, I promise I'm not just saying that to piss anyone off, I actually was so excited to read the last one.
I wish my answers were more deep, whatever that is. It would be cool to say that I got to read the lost ancient Egyptian tomb paintings, if that was such a thing, but those haven't fallen into my lap just yet. When they do, I will be excited about that!!
motivation and focus
Motivation and focus. Focus and motivation. They seem to go together don't they? Can you be motivated but unfocused? Can you be focused without any motivation? I don't know. I seem to lack both right now. What motivates students to write? This is really hard to answer right now, I am in the process of trying to figure that out for myself. Why am I unmotivated this semester.....is it the classes? The teachers? My ridiculous personal life? Seasonal depression? Lack of friends? Who knows. I guess that every part of our lives affects the other. So, students. I am going to teach high school students. I bet a lot of them will have issues with their lives, so how do they become motivated? Is it my job to motivate them? Partly I think that is true. I think that the teacher has a huge responsibility in creating assignments and overall class time that is/are something for the student to get excited about. This semester for me has been very disappointing. I am mostly disappointed in myself for not living up to what I know I am capable of. I am letting stupid shit get in the way of doing as well as I can in school. That is my fault. I am also disappointed with the classes I chose to take. It isn't there fault, the classes, it is just that I am not interested in them the way I was interested in my classes last semester, or the one before that. I am taking some classes that I HAVE to take. That is the problem, and in these classes I am having a hard time wanting to do anything. There have already been many assignments this semester, but to be honest, the first and only one so far that I have actually wanted to do was the tape recording think aloud assignment for this class. I actually was excited to get a recorder so that I could open the envelope and start. I was excited to get myself a cup of tea and put my rope on, shut the door to my office and go at it. I didn't even know what I was going to be doing, but I was looking forward to it. I think that this was the case because the assignment was intriguing. It was a mystery and I love that! I wanted to know what was in the envelope, I wanted to know what I would be recording, I mean I knew it would be me thinking, but what would I be saying? It was something different, something unexpected, and that got me motivated. To be honest again, that was the main reason I chose to take this class in the first place. I know that Shipka is a challenging professor, and I also know that she creates or uses projects and assignments that actually get me motivated and excited. I know that the research thing scared me, but that is because it is research, I have done that before and had a bad time doing it. I enjoy the way that Shipka helps me think differently about things, everything! This may not be her goal as a teacher, it may be. I think that is part of what a teacher can do to get their students motivated.
With the blog, it is hard for me to be motivated, mostly because I can't do it at home. I like to write at home, I feel more comfortable. I really am trying to type this fast because I don't want to be here anymore(computer lab), it is cold and quiet and sterile. So, the environment is an obvious factor in motivation as well. When I am a teacher, I need to keep these things in mind. I should change the classroom every now and then, it should feel comfortable. The lighting should be different, like maybe I'll bring in a few antique lamps and we can have class in that sort of lighting, etc. I also need to try and make my assignments something that the students will be excited about.
Back to the having to take classes, students have to be in class in high school, there isn't a lot of choice. The only thing we can do as teacher is make it something different then expected. If a student hates English, well let's make the classroom more like a science experiment, or a nature class, or let's write about politics, whatever!! It is a possibility to make a subject desirable for almost everyone. That is where the motivation will come in. We are motivated but what we love, what we are passionate about. I need to remember this myself. I am passionate about school, so I need to get it together and get over my horrible life right now and just do it because the sooner I get my degree and start teaching, the sooner I will be able to live my own independent life, and that will make me happy again.
As for focus, I think that when students are motivated, they will really focus on what they are doing, even if that focus has tangents involved, I still think that it is focus. I mean to say that when I am focusing on doing an assignment, say write a poem, I focus on the way I want to write it, the content, and then......I'm off in another world, thinking about how I used to skateboard on my stomach down the middle of the street. I still think that I am focusing, because I get to use my tangent information in my poem. Maybe that doesn't work for all assignments, but I think that tangents are part of focusing. Who knows?
I'm sorry that I have done some venting about my pathetic self, I know that no one cares, and that is cool. I am really just trying to figure it all out, when my focus and motivation will return. The class we had the other day made me realize all of this stuff, and there was even a point in class that I started to cry! That means something has to change, and it takes me figuring out what motivation and focus mean in my life and in my future student's lives. Things will get better, they have to. At least I get some really good writing material out of my life!
With the blog, it is hard for me to be motivated, mostly because I can't do it at home. I like to write at home, I feel more comfortable. I really am trying to type this fast because I don't want to be here anymore(computer lab), it is cold and quiet and sterile. So, the environment is an obvious factor in motivation as well. When I am a teacher, I need to keep these things in mind. I should change the classroom every now and then, it should feel comfortable. The lighting should be different, like maybe I'll bring in a few antique lamps and we can have class in that sort of lighting, etc. I also need to try and make my assignments something that the students will be excited about.
Back to the having to take classes, students have to be in class in high school, there isn't a lot of choice. The only thing we can do as teacher is make it something different then expected. If a student hates English, well let's make the classroom more like a science experiment, or a nature class, or let's write about politics, whatever!! It is a possibility to make a subject desirable for almost everyone. That is where the motivation will come in. We are motivated but what we love, what we are passionate about. I need to remember this myself. I am passionate about school, so I need to get it together and get over my horrible life right now and just do it because the sooner I get my degree and start teaching, the sooner I will be able to live my own independent life, and that will make me happy again.
As for focus, I think that when students are motivated, they will really focus on what they are doing, even if that focus has tangents involved, I still think that it is focus. I mean to say that when I am focusing on doing an assignment, say write a poem, I focus on the way I want to write it, the content, and then......I'm off in another world, thinking about how I used to skateboard on my stomach down the middle of the street. I still think that I am focusing, because I get to use my tangent information in my poem. Maybe that doesn't work for all assignments, but I think that tangents are part of focusing. Who knows?
I'm sorry that I have done some venting about my pathetic self, I know that no one cares, and that is cool. I am really just trying to figure it all out, when my focus and motivation will return. The class we had the other day made me realize all of this stuff, and there was even a point in class that I started to cry! That means something has to change, and it takes me figuring out what motivation and focus mean in my life and in my future student's lives. Things will get better, they have to. At least I get some really good writing material out of my life!
Imagination
I think that the mind is the most important aspect of writing. The Intelligent Eye and the Thinking Hand, by Ann Berthoff, talks about reclaiming the imagination, visualizing, and observing to help students find something in themselves and in their writing they they haven't been able to get to. I agree. I think that using the imagination is critical, in any writing. I am partial to creative writing, and of course it is crucial there, but it is also needed in writing of every sort. The same thing with visualizing. When we write essays, we may just write them out right, but I think that we visualize them first. We use our intelligent eye to perceive what we are going to write. After we write it, we use that eye again to observe everything we wrote. Or at least this is what should be happening. I think that teaching students to use these tools that they already possess within themselves is very important to their writing ability. Even if they are writing a resume, they should use their imagination, visualize the product before they write it. This helps them create something that is embedded in them, it is a product of themselves, not a product of duplication or imitation. We may use the rules in writing such as format, layout, language, grammar, etc. That, however, does not mean we don't need to imagine what we actually write. As Berthoff says, "We can save the term imagination to name only the nondiscursive, but having reclaimed it, I think there is much to be said for using it as a speculative instrument to focus on what it means to say that composing is a process of making meaning."
Monday, February 26, 2007
Blogs
After last week's class, I feel kind of bad that I didn't realize how "big" blogs were. We were talking about how people can lose their jobs over what they put on their blog, and that didn't make since to me. It seemed weird that people could just go and read your blog, especially people that you didn't want there. I guess that I thought a blog was for groups like this class, or where people go to a specific place on the Internet and talk about it. I had no idea that blogs can be linked to one's website and name, etc. I guess I was thinking that if I hated my boss, and wrote about it on my own personal blog, that my boss wouldn't go looking on the web for my blog that he/she didn't know about in the first place. The blog to me seems like the only one reading it is me. Well, I felt a little stupid when Shipka said something along the lines of you must be an idiot to write stuff like that on your blog because I had argued the free speech thing. I probably would not write about my boss on my blog, not because of getting fired, or well because I don't have a boss, but because I just don't care enough to about write about someone I dislike. I'm sure that is opposite for many people, but hey. I just didn't realize how much blogs are actually used, but now I think I understand how widely accepted and looked at they are. I guess I need to think twice about what I say on these blogs, because honestly I still feel like they are very personal, and almost an extension of the classroom.
Just thought I'd put that out there for the whole wide world to see.
Just thought I'd put that out there for the whole wide world to see.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Motivation 486
The chapter by Donald Graves, An Examination of the Writing Processes of Seven-Year-Old Children, was very interesting to me. First of all, I really enjoy case studies. I'm not sure why, but after I took adolescent psychology I just love case studies! This one was interesting because of the results. It was no surprise to me that there was a difference in the processes between sexes. I've seen that many times before and will see it many times again. The part that surprised me most was the result on motivation. In the Learning Environment section, under number 2, it says, " Results of writing done in the informal environments demonstrate that children do not need motivation or supervision in order to write" (LE 31) . I am happy to see that result. There are always questions like, "well, if you don't force a topic, or a type of writing on students, what will be there motivation to write?" I have always believed that there is motivation to write without being forced to. It is very interesting as to why the students write, but I think that answer would be different for each student. Some students may not have motivation to write, but I still think that depends on what people consider writing. Teachers may think that they have a student completely unmotivated when it comes to writing, but that student may love to "write" his or her own way. For example, my four year old nephew does not know how to write because he is four. I think that he still "writes" in his own way. He organizes things so that he can tell a story later. He will put certain cars (like a porshe) in certain spots, on different colored paper (yellow), then later at dinner he will tell us a story about how the guy in the porshe was driving one day on a long road but couldn't see because the sun was in his eyes, and so on. Is that writing? I kind of think that it is. He is not in school and is not asked to tell stories or to do the things he does, but he sure is motivated to do them.
Anyway, the whole subject on motivation in writing, process, whatever is so amazing to me. There are a lot of avenues to look down in this subject. I guess my point is that we as teachers do not need to do as much forcing or assigning as we do now. I know that teachers don't have the freedom that we all want, but I think we need to give the students a lot more credit then we do. They are capable for much more than people may think. We just need to find a way to bring it out, without forcing it out.
Anyway, the whole subject on motivation in writing, process, whatever is so amazing to me. There are a lot of avenues to look down in this subject. I guess my point is that we as teachers do not need to do as much forcing or assigning as we do now. I know that teachers don't have the freedom that we all want, but I think we need to give the students a lot more credit then we do. They are capable for much more than people may think. We just need to find a way to bring it out, without forcing it out.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Online Class!! 486
Well,
That was really interesting. I think that it is more difficult and easier at the same time to hold class online. It is more difficult because it tends to go all over the place. It is hard to read every ones comments and try to respond to all of them, especially being the slow typist that I am. Also, there wasn't too much Internet jargon, but I am not familiar with the jargon, so that can be a problem. I swear I didn't know lol until last year!!
The positives are that everyone says what they want. You don't have to wait until someone is finished to raise your hand and possibly talk. You just type what you want and people either respond or not. It also gives people who are not big public speakers a chance to say more than they would in class. People tend to break out of their shell on the Internet.
Anyway, I enjoyed the class today though I wouldn't want to do this everyday.
There was a lot of good insight into the process of writing. I do think that the process is important to teaching writing, but I also think it is a hard thing to really teach. What process??? Who's process do we teach?? Do we all really have or need the same process for writing? That is where I think teaching process becomes difficult. There are the standard text book ways of gathering ideas, brainstorming, etc. What about the process of hands on experience? Can I take my students outside and have them collect rocks for their writing process? This may actually work for a student, maybe two, what about the rest? That is how I feel about what is being taught now. It doesn't apply to everyone. What does then?? I think it is important for students discover their own process, and I'm not sure how to start them in that direction. Maybe giving them different examples, trying out different things? I liked the ideas for meditation, journals, and use of analogy in Landmark Essays. (Perl, 14)
Content is also very important in writing and I think that the process loses touch with content sometimes. The process can't be everything. The content has to get in there in order for the product to be meaningful. Content can't be everything either, so there needs to be a good mixture of the two. This will take a lot of idea gathering and practice, but I'm up for it!
That was really interesting. I think that it is more difficult and easier at the same time to hold class online. It is more difficult because it tends to go all over the place. It is hard to read every ones comments and try to respond to all of them, especially being the slow typist that I am. Also, there wasn't too much Internet jargon, but I am not familiar with the jargon, so that can be a problem. I swear I didn't know lol until last year!!
The positives are that everyone says what they want. You don't have to wait until someone is finished to raise your hand and possibly talk. You just type what you want and people either respond or not. It also gives people who are not big public speakers a chance to say more than they would in class. People tend to break out of their shell on the Internet.
Anyway, I enjoyed the class today though I wouldn't want to do this everyday.
There was a lot of good insight into the process of writing. I do think that the process is important to teaching writing, but I also think it is a hard thing to really teach. What process??? Who's process do we teach?? Do we all really have or need the same process for writing? That is where I think teaching process becomes difficult. There are the standard text book ways of gathering ideas, brainstorming, etc. What about the process of hands on experience? Can I take my students outside and have them collect rocks for their writing process? This may actually work for a student, maybe two, what about the rest? That is how I feel about what is being taught now. It doesn't apply to everyone. What does then?? I think it is important for students discover their own process, and I'm not sure how to start them in that direction. Maybe giving them different examples, trying out different things? I liked the ideas for meditation, journals, and use of analogy in Landmark Essays. (Perl, 14)
Content is also very important in writing and I think that the process loses touch with content sometimes. The process can't be everything. The content has to get in there in order for the product to be meaningful. Content can't be everything either, so there needs to be a good mixture of the two. This will take a lot of idea gathering and practice, but I'm up for it!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
It's Happening! 486
After just leaving class, talking about the happening movement, I would like to add some more: Silence as Experience, by Deena Metzger. It interested me right away because of the Cal Arts reference, which I used to live less than half a mile from. It then got me interested by describing the silence workshop. I think that this is a cool idea. Personally I don't need silence to write, but there are times when I am writing something for personal reasons when I really enjoy the silence. This workshop provides the students with a chance to find their "inner self" which to me is that little voice that I hear when I am writing, guiding me through my experiences, preferences, pleasures, dislikes, etc. Maybe I sound crazy now, but does anyone know what I mean? Anyway, I think it is important to have the time and the means to be able to find that or to at least be able to be focused on something for a good amount of time without distraction, unless of course silence is a distraction to you. My point I guess is that Metzger's workshop was a neat "experiment" if you will, to see what the final product is. It was nice that they had a choice of what to do as well. They were not given a topic or style to write about, they could even draw if they wanted, or nap!
It was weird though that Metzger said that she wanted the students to "turn inward" and "avoid the distraction of others," yet they all ate at the same time in a ritualistic manner, as well as opening and closing the day. Anyway, I did like it and actually may try it in one of my classes in the future, but they sure as hell aren't all coming over to my house!!!!
I also enjoyed Freshman Masks, by Robert Lambert, because it gave some good ways to have the students identify their own writing. Some students may not actually realize how pretentious they actually sound in their writing. I like the idea of reading examples from other papers that sounds similar and having them hear it. I think it is important to do something about these "masks" so that the students will have a real chance to express THEMSELVES and not someone that they think they should represent.
Not excited about leaving this building and walking to my car with the snow wind in my face.
It was weird though that Metzger said that she wanted the students to "turn inward" and "avoid the distraction of others," yet they all ate at the same time in a ritualistic manner, as well as opening and closing the day. Anyway, I did like it and actually may try it in one of my classes in the future, but they sure as hell aren't all coming over to my house!!!!
I also enjoyed Freshman Masks, by Robert Lambert, because it gave some good ways to have the students identify their own writing. Some students may not actually realize how pretentious they actually sound in their writing. I like the idea of reading examples from other papers that sounds similar and having them hear it. I think it is important to do something about these "masks" so that the students will have a real chance to express THEMSELVES and not someone that they think they should represent.
Not excited about leaving this building and walking to my car with the snow wind in my face.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
thoughts on teaching writing, etc.. 486
Okay...I'm back.
I'm really upset that I can't access blogger from my computer. Not sure why, it just isn't cool.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that I think it is important to teach students how to write. It may be pointless to those who believe that writing is "out of style" or whatever, but I disagree. I think writing will always be in style in one form or another. It is part of who we are. Technology can try all it wants, and I'm sure it will get pretty far, but still....writing a poem, a story, an essay, a book, a passage, whatever, is important. Not all students will use their writing abilities to their full potential, but not all students use math or science to their full potential either. We all learn a variety of things in school that may or may not help us in the career we choose, but they do expand our minds, and give us more knowledge for those moments that happen once in a while when we NEED math or we NEED to figure something out, etc. Integrating technology and "new media" into our curriculum for English is fine, I understand that it is important to be literate in that field as well, but not to the extend of taking any other form of writing away. David may be great at web design, but I don't want to teach web design. I want to teach literature, writing, etc. Some is okay...but not too much..I guess that is my point.
Okay, so I'm gonna go watch the Grammys now...the Police are performing!
I'm really upset that I can't access blogger from my computer. Not sure why, it just isn't cool.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that I think it is important to teach students how to write. It may be pointless to those who believe that writing is "out of style" or whatever, but I disagree. I think writing will always be in style in one form or another. It is part of who we are. Technology can try all it wants, and I'm sure it will get pretty far, but still....writing a poem, a story, an essay, a book, a passage, whatever, is important. Not all students will use their writing abilities to their full potential, but not all students use math or science to their full potential either. We all learn a variety of things in school that may or may not help us in the career we choose, but they do expand our minds, and give us more knowledge for those moments that happen once in a while when we NEED math or we NEED to figure something out, etc. Integrating technology and "new media" into our curriculum for English is fine, I understand that it is important to be literate in that field as well, but not to the extend of taking any other form of writing away. David may be great at web design, but I don't want to teach web design. I want to teach literature, writing, etc. Some is okay...but not too much..I guess that is my point.
Okay, so I'm gonna go watch the Grammys now...the Police are performing!
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
My first time.....blogging 486
okay.....I am in this now.
Thank you to those who have helped me become blog literate. ( well, sort of)
Anyway, I guess I'll start with day one....Amish people.
I think that we should all become like the Amish people.
Why do I say this? Well, things would be more simple I guess.
Why more simple?
Well, we would focus more on our community and more on the people in it, and that is a good thing. We wouldn't be so caught up in computers and the Internet, websites and e-mailing each other, cell phones and all of that sort of stuff. I'm not saying that that stuff is bad or wrong, but it does make our lives a bit more impersonal if you ask me. I say this because when was the last time we wrote an actual letter, like the Amish do, to a friend, a relative, etc.? Letters are personal because it is in our own writing, it is a work that represents us through paper, ink, words, etc. An e-mail or a text message, although it does serve a functional purpose, is less personal. It is the computer or the phone that is doing the work...the computer or phone serves as the paper that you no longer need to supply, the editor because you no longer need to know how to spell, the post office because you no longer need to stick an envelope on it and send it out!
Same thing with phone conversations. Why call someone when you can e-mail or text them? I understand that the phone can be expensive or whatever, but I really miss hearing somebody's voice on the phone, or even meeting them somewhere to talk face to face.
Well, that went off a little, sorry.
You get my point I'm sure.
Maybe I just need to get hip.
Maybe I'm not cool.
Maybe my lack of technology puts a damper on my social life.
Who knows?
This is fun though.....this blog thing.
I'm having a good time.
Okay, I'll stop.
Thank you to those who have helped me become blog literate. ( well, sort of)
Anyway, I guess I'll start with day one....Amish people.
I think that we should all become like the Amish people.
Why do I say this? Well, things would be more simple I guess.
Why more simple?
Well, we would focus more on our community and more on the people in it, and that is a good thing. We wouldn't be so caught up in computers and the Internet, websites and e-mailing each other, cell phones and all of that sort of stuff. I'm not saying that that stuff is bad or wrong, but it does make our lives a bit more impersonal if you ask me. I say this because when was the last time we wrote an actual letter, like the Amish do, to a friend, a relative, etc.? Letters are personal because it is in our own writing, it is a work that represents us through paper, ink, words, etc. An e-mail or a text message, although it does serve a functional purpose, is less personal. It is the computer or the phone that is doing the work...the computer or phone serves as the paper that you no longer need to supply, the editor because you no longer need to know how to spell, the post office because you no longer need to stick an envelope on it and send it out!
Same thing with phone conversations. Why call someone when you can e-mail or text them? I understand that the phone can be expensive or whatever, but I really miss hearing somebody's voice on the phone, or even meeting them somewhere to talk face to face.
Well, that went off a little, sorry.
You get my point I'm sure.
Maybe I just need to get hip.
Maybe I'm not cool.
Maybe my lack of technology puts a damper on my social life.
Who knows?
This is fun though.....this blog thing.
I'm having a good time.
Okay, I'll stop.
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