5060 Blog

Week 11: The End of Composition

2008-11-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

This week's prompt reminds me of the reference in a 'means to an end,' which I'm also quite sure it is supposed to do. So, what, as composition teachers, is our end? And what are our means?

Honestly, I believe the 'end' of composition should be improved (though they may not be stellar) writing skills, improved thinking skills, improved reading skills, and of course familiarity with a university classroom. Naturally all this should be considered on an individual basis; often the student may be more aware, sadly, than the teacher of the improvement or lack thereof.

The means of composition are more manifold. I believe these consist of lots of practice, both in reading and writing, often provided in the structure of assignments. Of course, the means include pertinent and engaging classroom experiences, too. All of this sort of 'tangible' means, we hope, should improve writing and reading skills, the quantifiable ends of composition.

The more abstract ends of thinking and familiarity are also achieved through these means but also through more indirect engagement. Thinking skills can often be improved, I believe, with a questioning sort of engagement, a variation on the Socratic method if you will. While assignments and commentary give some feedback, hopefully specific, on logical flaws found in writing, it is through direct contact, namely in the classroom that instructors are more likely to have their students test the boundaries, to apply logic and sense to ideas that sometimes seem to lack them.

One of the main ends of composition, I also believe, is familiarity with a university environment. This end demands a more holistic means; it demands that the student be a participant in the system, that they experience the structure of a university class from syllabi to advanced textbooks to more challenging assignments. In this model though, often failure teaches as much as success.

How do we accomplish each of these ends through these means? I believe the qualities of organization, preparedness, student-centeredness, personal engagement, and justice and mercy in equal measures can result in this type of environment.

Week 10: The Perfect Teacher

2008-11-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

What is the 'perfect teacher'? I have to admit after seeing this question in our prompt for this week I couldn't resist responding.

What is the perfect teacher? The perfect teacher is the one who hasn't given up on students and given in to parental pressure.

What is the perfect teacher? The perfect teacher knows that they will have more homework than their students.

What is the perfect teacher? The perfect teacher cares more about how the students leave their class than how they come in.

What is the perfect teacher? The perfect teacher is blind, sees not color, or disability, or ethnicity, or religion, but is fair to all and merciful when need requires.

What is the perfect teacher? The perfect teacher does not see students as mirrors but as windows of opportunity.

What is the perfect teacher? The perfect teacher is also a student.

What is the perfect teacher? Above all, the perfect teacher admits that they are not perfect.

Week 9: The Question of Knowledge

2008-10-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

According to our prompt this week, we should address the problem of knowledge. What should we know walking into class? What should our students know?

Of course, ideally, the teacher is completely familiar with the material in the textbook, they are familiar with any questions on grammar that may arise, they should have full knowledge of their lesson plan and any assignments. They should know every student's name. How to address any discipline issues if such arise. They should know what they expect from students, what they expect from themselves.

Students, ideally, should have done their reading, should have looked at their syllabus and be familiar with their assignments. They should know or be willing to ask about resources available to them outside of class.

Of course, rarely, do we deal with an ideal situation.

Too often, we may walk in and, having had our own assignments, are not totally familiar with the reading material. We may be unsure of our own knowledge. We haven't finalized our assignment plans. We too often picture our classroom through the perspective of its effect on us and not on or students.

Often, the students have not done their reading, are indifferent to their syllabus and assignments until they know they are due, and ignore references to other resources.

It is then our responsibility to plan ahead, to plan for the contingency of unprepared students. Even if they are unprepared, the class should in some way prepare them to come at their tasks with some understanding. They should still learn. If they have done their reading, the classroom should be a useful forum for review, answering questions, and furthering understanding. I try and address these issues by planning and preparing my lesson plans the week before. Of course, when I have control over my own syllabus, I will be able to be even more prepared.

Week 8: Teaching Philosophy

2008-10-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

I believe that a philosophy of teaching consists of two different ideas: purpose and practice. Why are we in the classroom? What do we do once we're there?

Some of us may believe that we are in the classroom to teach our students thinking skills. Some may think it is for the purpose of familiarizing freshman with the college experience. Some may think it is strictly about teaching the students to express themselves, others to communicate in a professional setting. Should composition also be used for teaching other types of literacy, literacy of other media such as digital, video, or audio? Why are we in the classroom?

Once we are in the classroom, some may think a more traditional lecture mode is the best. Others may think that every class should involve some type of group activity. Others try and use powerpoints to structure their classes.

Personally, like many of us , I believe a variety of these techniques are useful to make up a successful teaching experience. I like to use powerpoint for structure and then incorporate some type of activity into my classes, sometime a group and sometimes an individual activity. I also believe that I am in the classroom to help teach the students how to communicate effectively and do well throughout the rest of their college years.

Week 7: Struggles & Juggles

2008-10-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

I think my title reflects a lot of what it involves to be a graduate student; it is a state involving much struggle and a lot of juggling. If you can not throw up at least three balls of abstraction and keep them dancing in the air, it often seems difficult to keep up the intellectual growth and paying the bills.

I'm not struggling with the intellectual growth ball; I can feel my brain swelling inside my head to the point where I almost wish it would stop. After all, graduate school just seems to produce this kind of growth, both personal and intellectual.

I'm not struggling with the paying the bills ball; my husband and I both have some income and manage to get by.

I'm struggling with the minutiae ball. So many activities are so recursive but necessary, grading papers, doing the dishes, doing the laundry, giving presentations. How do I fit it all in? I ask myself this over and over. And I fell that I am a fairly good handler of my time. I make out to-do lists to keep me on track. I often take breaks, trying to give my brain a rest. I'll spend some time with my dog. Watch TV with my husband. Ride my horse. But the time spent doing these things has shrunk in the last couple weeks. I'm trying to maintain the balance of personal and professional, and feel that I'm losing on both sides. Yet I suppose in the end, the fact that I'm trying to balance both is at least somewhat redeeming. Hopefully, I'll get it right in the end.

Week 6: Theory--Use it or Lose it?

2008-10-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

In this post I am going to address two things that you should never bring up in mixed company: namely, politics and religion. And then, of course, I'm going to relate it all back to First-Year Composition. :)

This weekend, while preparing for classes, my husband and I were sitting in our living room, 'laptopping' when he brought to my attention an email he had received. In this email, it stated that the Democratic presidential candidate could possibly be the Antichrist. Yea, finally, the end of the world as we know it, and its because a black man is running for president!

Evidently, this idea began circling the Internet furiously after a YouTube video, called "The One," released by the Republican campaign, showed Obama as a figure so dynamic he could only be demonic. I even watched the video, and I must admit Obama makes some claims about changing the world that might be viewed with suspicion by some. Yet many people make extreme statements about 'world-changing' in many everyday conversations. I do not necessarily think they are evil. Needless to say, the very fact that anyone would even propose such a notion horrified me, especially as a campaign tactic. I'm not going to get into which side anyone should support, or even which side I would support in this political campaign (I might surprise you). I'm not here to address what anyone's religious beliefs may or may not be. What I am going to say is that this kind of media strategy obviously affects the American public greatly. The Republican campaign took an idea, a culturally recognizable and apocalyptic symbol of ultimate evil, and planted it on their opponent. This even aired on CNN! So whether you believe that Obama is the Antichrist or not, the fact still remains that at least part of this country buys the idea. They buy this THEORY!

Of course the end result of all this is that IDEAS HAVE POWER! Sometimes this is a power for good, and sometimes this is a power for evil. After all, why do we still today deal with censorship of certain materials. It is because someone with power did not want those ideas to become part of the cultural currency. Think about how much power for good the ideas, the theories, of a man like Christ can achieve when they are put into practice. Think, even more, how much evil the ideas, the theories, of a man like Hitler will result in when put into practice.

So, yes, even in a college composition course we need to know the theories, the ideas behind why we do what we do. These theories may not seem so world-changing but they often have come about as a result in the changing of the world-view. For instance, would we often try to promote multiculturalism, respect for the opposite sex, and service to others (which I will note that Christ did) if we had not first had these ideas put forth in texts like the Bible or in cultural movements like the Civil Rights Movement? I don't always believe its necessary to know every single fancy name of every single fancy theory. I do not believe you should be able to tell me at the drop of a hat who is responsible for the beginnings of the study of philology or even the first to propose that group work might be a good idea. But I do believe it is necessary to be aware that such ideas exist, and knowing their origin is only frosting on top of that particular cake. Cultural awareness, and yes awareness of theory, is part of our responsibility as future educators. We cannot educate our students if we are not educated ourselves.

Week 5: Process & Product

2008-09-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

Like many of the students in our classroom, I am quite sure I am not the only one who has ever written a paper, major or minor, the night before it was due. Of course, this is not the recommended nor truly the preferred method of writing for those who know enough to understand the difference, but it nonetheless is sometimes still the reality. In relation to this, one of the most-revealing responses from a teacher I ever heard was to a student's claim that that student always wrote their best work when they did it the night before, when they wrote under pressure. The teacher then asked them if they had ever written a paper before the night before, when it was not due under pressure to which the student responded that he hadn't. The teacher then said back, "Well how can you know its your best work if you've never written in any situation besides a pressured one?" What this response constantly reminds me of personally is that much of the work and labor we will put into a writing product often begins before we ever start writing. As stated earlier, I, as much as anyone else, have written papers under pressure, but they were not usually my best work, nor were they as fluid as they might have been.

Many of the critics we have read divide this process idea into the stages of prewriting, writing, and revision. Some claim that is not in fact as linear as that but more recursive. Whatever may be said about how the process occurs, not one tries to deny the fact that there is a process.
Teaching students a useful process though, beyond just understanding that they have one, presents the real issue. Some of the studies of students who were less effective writers though presented the one issue I think can be dealt with a little easier; it's one I try to address in my classes as much as possible. Basically, the lesson is DO NOT lose sight of the 'big picture.' No matter what happens. Some of our assignments have stressed this; I hope I too can continue to stress this idea. The big picture is the umbrella under which all our writing must take place. I plan to discuss this even more thoroughly in my next class, as we start to talk about the actual 1st draft they will turn in. What's their big picture?

Week 4: The Power/Problem of Voice

2008-09-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

This week the main topic of our discussion has been voice and the problems it raises: both with its lack and with its presence.

In my opinion, the most important issue raised concerned the presence of voice in freshman students. Do freshman students have a viable voice when they are likely struggling with self-identity, an issue many of us struggle with? Or is what we want from our students merely "expression" meaning possessing emotion or interest but not necessarily an individualized voice? What about originality, is that specifically voice?

All of this discussion about voice causes me to recollect how in high school my English teacher had us write a "Declaration of Independence." We had to read the original and then rewrite it in an ironical way. Yet instead of proclaiming Independence from some sort of national entity, such as Britain, we had to proclaim independence from some mundane object. It was an activity of imitation that caused us to explore different ideas of expression, and perhaps, of voice, even if it was not our own. I often wonder if this is all that voice is. Imitating those around us until we find our own unique twist on the same thing.

I believe we all think of voice being an expression of power, an expression of emotion, an expression of originality, but do we think of voice being merely that of saying the same thing, but in a different tone? We all can say "Just do it!" but Nike did it better.

In the classroom, then, I believe a student, especially at this stage of the game, is going to be able to 'find' a voice better by experimenting with others' voices, by imitating, and trying to do better what someone else has done. The individualizing can come later.

Week 3: Take 20

2008-09-16T08:58:00.001-07:00

The Take 20 video was an interesting method of approaching concepts of teaching First-Year Composition, from the theoretical to the practical. The experience of the individuals is unmistakable. The cinematography added an artistic feel to the whole project. Overall, I felt the video was simple and easy to approach.

I did have some criticism though. I did not like the approach of series after series of 'talking heads,' no matter that each interviewers comments were usually only related briefly. Some of these interviews would be excellent, lending this video a conversational feel, or at the very least the atmosphere of a conference panel discussion. But variety is needed, switching to black and white is not enough. This does not mean that there has to be singing and dancing monkeys, but some video of these instructors in class, practicing what they preach, so to speak, would be nice. The repeated interview style, I feel, would better suit a CD, rather than a visual media. All of this is rather technical though.

Content-wise, I felt the DVD offered an excellent look at the experience one gets while teaching a freshman composition course. I particularly enjoyed the anecdotes about beginning classes and the approaches that these instructors took. For instance, one relied completely on a textbook; another adopted a 'tough' persona, expecting to drop it, and found herself maintaining it throughout the semester. The video does raise these questions about exactly how to approach a class. I feel it also does a good job of relaying the fact that not every teaching method works for every teacher. Different styles are necessary for different people.

Overall, I would say I found the video useful & inciteful, but still limited. I believe that the video would need a bit more input from beginning teachers (not just experienced ones) and from students, and some possible footage of class time, to provide a more comprehensive tool for us as new instructors.

Week 2: Why First Year Composition

2008-09-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

As many of us are aware, and as many of the critics we are becoming familiar with in this class constantly remind us, the study of First Year Composition is not just a tradition, it's an institution. One that may upon occasion make us as grad students think we belong in long white coats, and a few of us think that we belong in coats of another kind. Yet as with any institution, there are reasons behind why they remain and are not forgotten.

Of course, many traditional reasons exist for why we have first year composition. First, Harvard did it first,which for many is enough validation, but not enough for continuing validation, whether Harvard also continues to do so or not.

New reasons for continuing the tradition have emerged, though, from out of this tradition. Basically, idealistically and in relation to the student, we teach composition:

To improve communication skills in students,
To improve thinking skills in students,
To improve research and arguent,
To enable students to succeed academically and professionally.

Realistically and in regard to the department, we teach composition:

To allow the literature faculty to remain specialized and engage in research,
To expand the graduate program,
To give graduate students valuable teaching experience,
To maintain state funding for the literature department.

So, really, why do we need to study first year composition? Can we conceive of reasons beyond the idealistic service to the student and the service to the department.

Honestly, and personally, and realistically, I believe that the classes for first year composition studies is one of the best introductions to an academic environment in two different arenas, both for the freshman writer and the beginning instructors. I believe first year composition provides the place where dialogic learning, both in a classroom and a written environment, can take place. This is the place where we learn to be teachers, and freshmen learn how to be college students. Not only do these freshman learn how to be college students, they learn how to perform at a new level, not only because idealistically they can, but because realistically they must. And the same goes for us as teachers, not only idealistically we can, but because realistically we must.

Yes, this reasoning reflects aspects of the realistic and idealistic, reflects the relation between student and department. When it comes down to it though, perhaps, this reasoning is the best reflection of my own beliefs about teaching and my insights as to the purposes, not only of composition but also of literature. Composition and literature are ultimately about relationships, not only in a social discourse, not only in an academic discourse, but in a mental and eventually textual (I use this word in the sense of its postmodern definition) discourse as well. So, I leave myself with the question, what type of discourse are students engaging in with me? Is my discourse the type that teaches students how to compose texts and participate in textual discourse? And ultimately, how effective am I at this? How effective are they?

Week 1 Response: Three Composition Concepts

2008-09-01T12:51:00.001-07:00

"What are the 3 most important concepts in composition would you say? These concepts might play a role in your teaching philosophy, so you might think of this question as what are the three most important beliefs about your own teaching do you have?"

First and foremost, I have come to believe, through my experiences as a student, that the most important concept good teachers share is an encouragment of students' participation in their own learning. When students contribute to a class, either through responses to questions or seminar-type conversations, they take away from the class not only written notes but also a set of internalized rules.

I also believe emphasizing the important of organization, not only by example, but in assignment requirements, helps students to be more prepared to complete their assignments and do them well. Participation assignments are a good way to facilitate early organization, I believe.

I also believe that we should utilize the technology available to us in order to make the learning environment more comfortable for the student. The use of multi-media learning tools is more likely to engage student interest and encourage the type of student participation necessary for active learning (as mentioned in my first concept).

About Me

2008-08-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

Howdy to my ENG 5060 colleagues.

I'm new to the Ph. d. program this year, having completed my M.A. at Baylor and my B.A. at West Texas A&M University. I am also newly married (as most of you know by now) and enjoying my whole two weeks of married life experience (He hasn't annoyed me yet; ahhh, the honeymoon phase). I also have a new 7 year-old horse by the name of Breeze. In addition, I have a dog named Rio who is a beautiful blue lacy and not yet a year old. This is my new immediate family.

As for beginnings, I was actually raised in the Texas panhandle, both around Lubbock and Amarillo, for most of my still rather short life, and so I feel very at home here. I love the Texas plains. I realize that many who visit this windswept country say that out here there is nothing to see. I simply think the case is that out here it seems that one sees nothing because, in fact, one sees everything. In this area of Texas, the sky truly does look bigger. Ah, enough of my native Texan emoting, (after all most of us enjoy returning to the places we grew up) . . .

In regard to my studies, I have known that I would pursue a Ph.d. in medieval literature since high school when I first discovered Dante and Chaucer and fell in love. (I have long been in love with dead men, finding that they have done most of the talking back they are going to do. Also, at this point not enough of them remains to really raise much of a stink.) Here at Tech, I look forward to continuing those studies. Perhaps, more importantly, though, I look forward to obtaining those skills in teaching which, up to now, I have had only limited opportunity to explore.