Week 9: Wednesday, March 23
Discuss “Grammar and Usage”
- How is "grammar" defined in the chapter? What about "usage"?
- What does the research say about the effects of explicit teaching of "grammar" on writing quality?
- How do you think grammar can be addressed productively and relevantly in a first-year writing class?
Textbook Review due; Class discussions of them
As you're listening to the details of each book, try to take note of any patterns you detect among the books or any other overall comments you think of as you're listening.
As you're listening to the details of each book, try to take note of any patterns you detect among the books or any other overall comments you think of as you're listening.
Homework for Wednesday, March 30
- This week, I'm including a couple of my own documents--one on project design (projectdesign_jc.doc) and one which has sample syllabi, calendars, and major project assignments for 1301 and 1302. I'm including this stuff not as example of what you must do (or even should), but as a practical way of talking about assignment design, sequencing of assignments, and how all that fits in with overall course goals. I'd also like you to read the WPA plagiarism statement (there's a link from the readings folder). There will be no weeklie this week. The 1301/1302 document is very long, but you don't need to memorize it; just familiarize yourself with the contents so you're able to quickly look back over the assignments to find specifics to talk about in class.
- We'll talk about the teaching portfolio assignment next week, too, so take a look at that.
- Work on your researched project. Remember a complete draft is due on April 6 for workshopping.
Week 10: Wednesday, March 30
Discuss Teaching Portfolio assignment
Discuss 1301/1302 Course Documents, Project Design, & Plagiarism
1. What seems to be the philosophy underlying my courses? How can you tell?
2. How do the major writing projects build on one another? How do they serve the overall goals of each course? What kinds of "writing" do they ask students to engage in? What do you like and not like about them?
3. How does the daily work lead to the major writing projects?
4. How does the WPA position statement define plagiarism? How does it suggest we address plagiarism--both before and after it happens?
5. What questions do you have about any of the materials I gave you?
Touch base on researched projects
Homework for Wednesday, April 6
1. Read articles on responding to student writing Sommers_responding and Knoblach and Brannon. I put up Straub_perceptions, too, which is optional if you have time (or maybe read it when the semester's work is finished!). No weeklie.
2. Finish researched project and bring it to class for a workshop on Wednesday.
Week 11: Wednesday, April 6
Workshop draft of researched project
Today you'll be doing a peer workshop of the first full draft of your researched project. That means you should have a cover letter (addressed to me as your audience) and your "thing" (workshop materials, YouTube video, website, book review, etc.). So, I'd like you to share your work with 1-2 other people in class today and get some feedback on what more you might need to do before you turn it in to me for comments next week. I've got a couple of questions I'd like you to respond to as you read your partner's work (see below), but I also would like each of you to write down a question (or a few) that you'd like answered as well. What specifically would you like your partner(s) to respond to as they look at your project? Remember that, at this point, you need to find out whether your project accomplishes everything you wanted it to, so keep that in mind as you ask your own questions.
Workshop Questions for Cover Letter
When you're ready to trade projects, I suggest reading your partner's cover letter first so you can get a sense of what s/he is trying to accomplish in the project and for whom.
The cover letter is the place where you'll tell me what you were trying to find out in your research, what your research told you, and how all that led you to do the project you did. Who is the project for and why? Why did you make a YouTube video or a website or a professional development workshop, etc.?
So, I first want you to read and respond to the cover letter.
--Is the writer doing everything s/he needs to in that cover letter? Write a few sentences summarizing the cover letter. If there's something missing, make a note of that so the writer can address that in revision.
--How well does the writer incorporate the research that s/he did? How did the research lead to the project? Write your response to these questions somewhere, and be as specific as you can be here. If you're having trouble figuring out how what the research said led to this particular project, then, write about that and discuss it with the writer so s/he can figure out what to do in revision.
Workshop Questions for the "Thing"
--How well does the writer's "argument" or message come across in the thing s/he created? What's the greatest strength of the project? What still doesn't quite work (and why)? Write a paragraph in response to these questions.
--How appropriate is the "thing" for this particular audience? What makes it work or not work? What alternative "forms" could the project take (if necessary)? Write another paragraph responding to these particular questions.
I also want you to have time to respond to the writer's own questions (if they have some beyond these), so please save time for that, too. When you're done, share your responses with one another and talk through plans for revision. You'll want to keep working on your project and bring me your earlier drafts, the workshop responses your partner wrote for you, and your revised project when it's due for my comments next week. Please highlight all changes you make, especially on the revised draft of the cover letter
Discuss Sommers_responding and Knoblach and Brannon
What were the important ideas that you took from Sommers and Knoblach & Brannon? How does their work connect with your past and/or future experiences as students and teachers?
Talk about Teaching Philosophy Examples
Homework for Wednesday, April 13
Reading: Barron_peer, Gillam_peer, and White's article on Phase II portfolios. There are more articles up that are relevant for this week's discussion, but you do NOT need to read them now. They're just there if you're interested in reading more. Neubert_peer discusses a specific method (PQP) for workshopping. Jeffrey Sommers has an article on "writer's memos" which students write for their teachers explaining what they were trying to do and what help they'd like from their teacher. And White's article is up discussing scoring guides. No weeklie (but do read:)).
Writing, Part I: Draft your teaching philosophy statement. It doesn't have to be perfect or even everything you want it to be yet, but we'll talk through them next week.
Writing, Part II: Revise your researched project to turn in to me next week.
Writing, Part II: Revise your researched project to turn in to me next week.
Week 12: Wednesday, April 13
Researched Project due to me
Discuss Sommers_responding and Knoblach and Brannon
What were the important ideas that you took from Sommers and Knoblach & Brannon? How does their work connect with your past and/or future experiences as students and teachers?
Discuss peer review and portfolios
What are your questions about peer review and portfolios?
Discuss your teaching philosophy statements
Read each other's teaching philosophies based on your own workshop questions. What do you want to know?
Homework for Wednesday, April 20
Work on a draft of your syllabus to talk about next week.
