World View

For the last day I taught over the position paper, I gave a lesson on how students' world views affect the positions they take on controversial issues. I felt it was an important lesson because apart from students being able to make strong arguments and refute poor ones, I think it is important for them as individuals to know why they believe as they do and hold the moral codes they hold. It was a lesson more on themselves than on the issue.
I gave them a chart to fill out answering the following (relating to the debate they wrote their position paper on) : What influences you most of the three pisteis? (ethos, logos, pathos). What background influences have affected you? (culture, religion, family, gender, etc). How firm is your stand? (are you still open minded or grounded and unswaying in your position?) Is your position based more on immediate gratification or delayed? Is your focus more on the individual or society? What is the strongest argument for your position? What is the most worrisome argument against your position? Are there any other factors that have influenced your world view and consequently your stand on this issue?
I wanted students to realize where their sympathies lie and more importantly, why. Before I had students apply the above questions to their own position I had them read a position paper from Composing Ourselves, and as a class we applied the questions to that text (which took some hypothesizing). This prepared them for applying world view related musings to their own work.

Reflective Blog Entry

When I used my "writing what we teach" assignment in my 110 course, I gave hard copies to all students rather than simply putting it up on an overhead. I did this because I wanted the students to be able to write notes on their own copy as well as to have it as an example for later.
I first had the students read the essay silently and then we discussed it together and as we went through it, either I or the students made mention of places in the text where margin notes were appropriate and the students wrote them in. I focused these notes on examples of textual support, irrelevant tangents, and misspellings.
I kept Lisa Delpitt's pedagogy of a directive style in mind through this lesson. The students knew the example I was giving them was my own and although it was a work in progress, it was something they should try to a certain extent to model.
I also kept Rene Girard's theory of mimesis in mind because although I wanted my students to imitate me and follow my example, I wanted to show them that they need to adhere to the proper format while still finding a way to make their own textual analysis unique, rather than being a recreation of mine.
My earlier blog explains how students reacted to the activity (see my critical analysis).

A Plethora of Interests

I attended and presented at the Graduate Interdisciplinary Forum this past weekend. I really enjoyed the variety of presentations which came from various fields from places all over the campus. It made me think of my own composition classroom because there is just as much variety present. When I received my students' research papers, I got topics ranging from how homosexuals function in rural and urban settings to the history of the French foreign legion to how cricket can curb terrorism because of its increasing popularity in the middle east.
Sometimes all of the different subject areas (majors) of my students can make things complicated because they don't seem to be all that interested in ENG 110. However, when I saw diversity at the forum I saw it as an automatic positive. I am realizing that I need to see it as more of a positive in my the composition classroom as well. After all, writing is the perfect place for diversity.
I am trying to expand how I view my classes and be more appreciate of the hidden blessings that lie within my students' individualized interests.

Literature in the Comp Classroom

Although I have a great passion for literature (my area of emphasis) I have made a conscious effort to not include it into the composition classroom. The reason for this is the negative impression other compositions article writers and teachers have given me in saying that literature teachers don't know how to teach comp and need to focus on writing and not texts.
However, then it was brought to my attention that as a literature major I have a heavy focus on analysis and this focus can relate to critical analysis in the composition classroom. I find that it also relates to the rhetorical revision paper I adapted from Moriah McCracken.
I have my students choose either the issue they wrote about for their research paper or their position paper and persuasively redesign the argument for a new venue in which they advertise a viewpoint, which can either be or not be the one advocated in their paper.
I find that they have to analyze the issue in a different light than they did for the original paper because they also have to take into consideration marketing strategies such as audience, appeal, location, etc. They are analyzing not only the issue but outside surroundings that relate as well.
I don't think this assignment direcctly relates to literature. However, it is true that the analytical aspect comes into play in an effective manner.

Research Paper rather than I-Search

I am assigning my students a research paper rather than an I-search. From the converstions I have had with others, so are many of the other teaching assistants. One difficulty that students have is learning how to interweave sources together, and the research paper to me is much better practice in that aspect that the I-search paper. The I-search paper is so focused on the "Self" that even the research and subject matter seems to come as an after thought compared to the thought process focus. In most academic courses the students will take in the future, they are more likely to need to know how to create a research based paper than one so heavily enmeshed in personal discovery, opinion, and input. Of course I think it is fine for teachers to choose to teach the I-Search. I have simply been explaining why I choose not to.
However, since so many others also teach the Research over the I-Search, I feel that examples of the research paper should be in Composing Ourselves. Our students are required to purchase the text, and for a paper as large as the Research paper (which we are allowed to modify from the I-Search paper) I believe there should be helpful examples. I did show an example of the I-Search, just to show a thought process that relates to the research paper, although it is not written down. However, I mostly did this just so the students could get some sort of use from the book. I would like to suggest that the new edition of Composing Ourselves have a section for Research paper examples. I have examples from my students from last semester I would be happy to give for publication.

My Pedagogy

In disovering a pedagogy that I not only adhere to in my teaching but could also illustrate on a transparency, I reverted back to something I had actually learned in one of my undergraduate teaching courses at College of the Ozarks. I focused on my role as teacher and my relationship with my students.
I looked at three standpoints: the gatekeeper, the middle ground, and the coach. A gatekeeper is a teacher with a capital T. She is always behind the desk and the students are sitting in straight lines in front of her. Lecture is the only means of teaching. The grades are made to seem as the most important aspect of the course. I do not adhere to this style because I find it does not appeals to students' individual learning styles and it silences student voices.
Since I am the middle ground, I will come back and explain it last. Thus, moving on to the coach standpoint, the teacher is defined with a lower case t. The desks are all in a circle, and the teacher is apart of the circle - undefined in almost every way. The means of teaching is almost completely collaborative. The teacher only gives the students where to go to find the information and then they find it, and everyone teaches everyone else. The teacher is such a friend, that grades are made to appear to be almost unimportant. I do not adhere to this style because I feel the teacher needs to be some kind of authority in the classroom. Students want to be taught, and although collaboration does have a place, the teacher needs to be involved and give some instruction.
I adhere to the middle ground where the teacher is in front of the class, but the students are in a semi circle. The teacher teaches and lectures at times, but also allows for collaboration. The students have a voice and are encouraged to speak in class, but the teacher always sets the tone and directs. I think I have been using this middle ground theory in my classes. I find as the semester goes on, my role as a teacher is able to be able to move more from a capital T to a lower case t, but the teacher always has a teaching role. I try to not put ultimate focus on grades, but also not give the allusion that they are unimportant or that all students will magically earn an A.

My Critical Analysis

I showed my students the second draft of my critical analysis over Dave Barry's "Guys vs. Men." Before I gave them my paper we talked about the story and I got a basic sense of what they thought of it. I also asked them if they had any critiques over the piece, and most of them didn't. When I showed them my piece I told them it wasn't finished because I wanted to show them my writing and thought process. I encouraged them to make critiques as well as to share anything they thought was done well.
Most of the errors they caught were typos. However, my first class also caught onto a tangent that I had purposely left in. I introduced the error myself in the second class. In both classes we talked about how a paper needs focus and if I am going to introduce a completely new point I need to separate it into its own paragraph, exapand it, and include it in my thesis and conclusion.
All in all, the students were fairly leary to judge my paper. But, I think they were able to see to some degree that it wasn't perfect and that even teachers and "good writers" need to write multiple drafts in order to come up with the strongest final product.

Point of View

For the very first assignment this semester in 110 I assigned my students an activity similar to what Dr. Weaver had us do in 620. I asked my students to make a collague from magazine clippings and words/visuals/drawings from anywhere describing their view of writing. What does it mean to them? I told them the inferences could be positive or negative, depending on their expierences. I wanted their own point of view of how they see themselves as writers. Then I had the students get into small groups and explain their ideas to their peers. Then everyone put their collague on the floor in a big clump where everyone could walk around and view all of them. I wanted the students to see that we had many different experiences and places of expertise relating to writing that we were bringing together into one classroom.
I then asked students to enlarge their view of themselves as writers. I asked them to consider their experience with journalling, facebook, my-space,email, etc. At the end of the excercise my goal was to give them an enlarged point of view regarding writing and the ways in which people view it and partake in it.

Absent

Listening to the complaints of my fellow GAs in Monday morning class I am at least relieved to find that I am not alone in my frustrations of the absent students. Yet, I still am on my own as to how I choose to deal with my students. What I want to tell them is that my students last semester struggled most, according to what they wrote on their own evaluation, with the textual analysis. Thus, I am trying to do a better job this semester preparing my students by giving more thorough examples and going over texts in great detail in class. However, if many students are absent, then they do not gain from my well-planned lectures and explanations. Also, when the classroom is half empty the students who did come to class appear to feel that class in going to be boring or a waste of their time since so many of their peers decided to not bother showing up.
I had a student email me explaining that she was not in class because she had the flu, and she would not be at the next class for the same reason. She then went on to ask me if we could meet and if I could catch her up on what she missed. I am glad that she is concerned about what she missed, however this student has missed class before without any explanation. Also, I do not have the time nor feel it is my responsibility to recreate two fifty minute lectures to one of my students during my office hours!
Lastly, I want to make it clear to my students that when they are in class and I can see they are working hard and trying I am more likely to reward their hard work through their paper grade. However, if they are frequently absent and do not seem to be exerting much effort, there will be no way for me to be able to reward hard work.
However, all of my ramblings are things I want to say to a full classroom of students. It will do no good to preach to the choir: the faithful bunch I know will be in class today. I can only hope the ones who need to hear the message will be present to hear it.

The Right Text

I believe that a new textbook would be a good idea for ENG 110. The new edition of Composing Ourselves does not contain many changes, as far as text is concerned. The largest change I noticed is the use of colored pictures.
However, I do feel that some of the readings in the book are useful. My proposition would be to copy the essays I want my students to read and make them available through course reserves on the library web page. The students could make the copies themselves and it would cost them less than buying a textbook they would read less than 1/4 of. This would also allow me to put other essays on line for them that came from other sources.
I think the textbook The Curious Writer by Bruce Ballenger would be a useful text for students to use next year. It contains many examples of a variety of kinds of student papers. It also provides extensive directions on how to write different kinds of papers, which is something the current book does not contain.
Giving students stories to read can be interesting, and it helps with class discussion. But I actually feel that giving students sample essays to read which relate to their assignment will be the most beneficial in the long run. The Curious Writer would be one such asset.

Something to Say

After having experienced two class periods teaching both sections of my 110 classes I have given the memoir assignment. In order to stir my students' minds to consider what they may write about I am giving many example essays and we are reading some short stories which possess memoir-like qualities. According to Young's article in 1978, the crisis in composition classrooms is that students have nothing to write about. Thus, my hope is that by giving them examples their own thoughts will be triggered to consider what they may write about.
However, I also take up issue with the idea that students have nothing to write about. Yet, I take a different position than Hairston, who, of course, also disagrees. Of course there are composition teachers who are not well-trained. But, in regards to a memoir I do not think that a person needs a Ph.D. professor in order to learn how to write about his or her own experiences. In fact, although I am providing ample readings and examples as food for thought I really do not believe that students need to see others work in order to have something to say.
Students simply need to realize that their own experiences are valid and worthwhile. I am trying to stress to my students that they have unique experiences worth writing about, even if they are not life-altering experiences. I am trying to empower my students to believe in themselves rather than relying on prompts or a phenomenal professor in order to have something to write about.