Literacy Autobiography November 5, 2009

It is interesting to reflect on the experiences that contributed to my literacy—many of them I took for granted or didn’t fully understand or appreciate their significance at the time. I suspect many of us take our literacy for granted. At first, the process of learning to read, write, and learn seems like an organic or intuitive process. Education, however, is the main contributor to literacy, and not everyone is fortunate enough to experience it. Recently, I heard a statistic that indicated about 20 percent of high school seniors are functionally illiterate when they graduate. Literacy, then, becomes a skill that we—as graduate students in English and as teachers of first year composition—need not take for granted. By reflecting on my experiences growing up, I hope to take the lessons learned and apply them to my career as a writer and teacher.

As a child, I was constantly around words; my mom (being the teacher elementary school teacher she is) was always reading me books, encouraging me to write, and pushing me to use my imagination whether it was through writing, reading, drawing, or painting. My immersion to the written and spoken word laid a foundation for my eventual love of reading and writing. By the time I got to elementary school, I was writing full-fledged short stories in my journals or assignments for class. My elementary school teachers commented on how ambitious I was when it came to writing. When I got to high school, I always excelled in my English classes. I had various teachers ask me if they could keep a copy of my paper as an example. I didn’t think much of it at the time. After elementary school, though, my love for writing and reading waned until I got to college.

Although I did not rediscover my interest and semi-natural ability to write until college, I had a significant English teacher my junior year in high school that reignited my interest in writing, reading, and English in general. I just didn’t know it at the time. His name was Mr. Keber, and it was his first year teaching high school English. He had long, sandy blond hair that came down to his shoulder blades. He was skinny, short, hippie-like, and, most importantly, on fire for his students. From the first day of class, I knew that this class (my last required English class in high school) was going to be different than any other English class I’d had before. Lest I forget to mention that I seriously hated Mr. Keber’s class. Not only did he require us to actually read the assigned novels (by giving us quizzes every day about the most minute details in each chapter) but he pushed us to think and move outside our comfort zones. His teaching methods were unorthodox. One day, we came to class to find him sitting at his desk reading. He wouldn’t talk to us nor did he tell us what to do. Yet, on the walls were notable quotes from Emerson and Thoreau telling us to think for ourselves, embrace life, and conquer our goals. Another time, he made us annotate Bob Dylan lyrics. His enthusiasm and desire to push his students to succeed was annoying at the time, but I learned and grew more during his class than I did most of high school.

When I got to college, I took the assigned English classes just because I had to. At the end of each semester, I got a letter in the mail from the English department saying that my professor recommended that I pursue a degree in English. After I got about three of these letters and after switching my major three times, I decided to seriously consider getting a degree in English, and then I decided on professional writing. Building on the skills I learned in Mr. Keber’s English class and my experiences reading and writing throughout my educational career, I came to realize that reading and writing are skills paramount to any profession and that being a good communicator will help me out in whatever career I pursue. I’m grateful for the role models I had growing up who pushed me to do more than I knew I could. I can only hope to be a similar role model one day.

Learning and Growing as Teachers October 27, 2009

As teachers, it’s important to think of ourselves as ongoing or continuous learners. Just because we have finished school (or are almost done) doesn’t mean that we have learned all there is to know on any given subject and we can bask in the glory of “being done.” Staying current in the field and trying new teaching strategies is crucial so we don’t get stuck in a rut or get so comfortable that we stop being effective or relevant.

One way we can learn from what we do is to reflect on what happened in the classroom: what went well and what could have gone better. Stopping to think about the theory or reason behind what we do in the classroom will enable us to be more thoughtful and successful in our teaching strategies. However, being reflective won’t help unless we change our methods accordingly. We shouldn’t be scared to try new things in the classroom. During my junior year in high school, my English teacher was constantly trying out various teaching methods to not only switch up the monotony in the classroom but to challenge us as students and writers (of course, I wasn’t aware of this at the time).

Additionally, talking with our colleagues about what they’re doing in the classroom will open our eyes to different material or new ways of teaching a difficult subject. Observing other teachers is another great way to learn new teaching strategies or get fresh ideas. Many people learn through imitation, so it makes sense to imitate successful teachers or what you liked when you were a student. Since we are trying to teach a community of writers in our classroom, I think it’s appropriate that we come together as a community of teachers and help each other.

What FYC Teachers and Students Should Know October 21, 2009

I think it is utterly important for FYC teachers to try not to hold stereotypes or entertain sweeping generalizations that assume every college freshman is exactly the same—i.e. lazy and indifferent. Of course there are going to be students who would rather not apply themselves, but I think it is up to teachers to set the precedent for the class and make students rise to meet their expectations instead of the other way around. I really don’t want to believe that typical college freshmen are not concerned with their performance in college. I realize this may be naïve and ignorant of me, but a girl can wish. (If only every student were attentive and excited about writing!)

I also think it is important that we instill in students the responsibility that necessitates being in college. In other words, since this is usually their first semester away from home and in a new environment, we need to allow them to take responsibility for their own work and learning. Especially as a DI, it is easy to get mad and scoff at the less than satisfactory work students produce, but I think it is important to remember that we are here to help them become better writers. Our comments can only go so far, however. The rest is up to them. They should know that if they don’t put effort into an assignment, their grade will reflect that effort. Finally, FYC teachers should come to class knowing the game plan. They should be prepared, have a set agenda, and try to engage the class in some way. This preparedness goes back to my point about teaching students responsibility. If we come to class with a plan and expect students to actively participate, this should hopefully set a pattern for the rest of the semester.

On the other hand, FYC students should come to class knowing what they signed up for. They need to be aware that the class will involve a good amount of reading and even more writing. We can only hope that their English classes in high school have laid the groundwork and equipped them with a good foundation that we can build off of. I realize this is not always the case, though. Therefore, students should know that they are in college now and their work and performance should rise to the occasion.

As I’m writing this, I can’t help but think that it is very easy to idealize what should happen in an FYC class. However, it is always important to have a plan B in case students are not responding to the lesson plan. From what they’ve told us in our workshops, it is a good idea to plan more activities than there is time for. Therefore, if one activity is not working, you can move on to the next thing you have planned. Instead of depending entirely on students to do the outside reading, class material and activities should also focus on supplemental articles or reading that can be done in class with corresponding group activities or class discussion.

Grading October 16, 2009

I try to grade based on how I would want to be graded. In other words, I try to be mindful of my comments and anticipate how I would react if I were reading the same comments about my own work. I don’t want to discourage students or turn them off to writing. I want to make sure that I give feedback that (hopefully) can be applied in future assignments. In constructing my comments, I try to respond in a way that lets students know that they need to be mindful of the audience. I’ll say something like, “As a reader, I’m unsure of what you meant when you said…” Then, I’ll try and pinpoint the problem. I’m trying to get them to anticipate readers’ needs and write in a way that is accessible and, most importantly, coherent. I guess all this talk of rhetoric is rubbing off and influencing my philosophy of teaching/composition. After all, I don’t think we can teach writing and various devices of delivery without talking about audience.

Additionally, I focus more on content than on grammatical or mechanical issues. I definitely point out some grammar issues, but I don’t usually dock many points or go into much detail to explain them. Since I’m used to the writing center set up, this grading process seems a little detached to me. I find it much easier to talk about grammar face to face with a student rather than have to type out an explanation. I feel like I’m wasting my time talking about grammar because students will probably just ignore the comment. However, if the comment is on content or something they can apply in the future, they should be more inclined to take it into consideration.

Overall, I’m a big advocate of the idea that students need to take responsibility for their own work and learning. Sometimes I find myself writing comments that are longer than the actual assignment the student turned in or spending too much time grading an assignment. I don’t want my commentary to do the work for the students or eliminate the need for students to think. It seems there is a fine line between helpful, constructive commentary and overbearing, authoritarian commentary. I’d much rather sit down with a student and hear them talk about their writing and thought processes, but, of course, there is not enough time for that!

Thoughts and Questions October 7, 2009

We’ve been talking about the social construction of knowledge lately and how group work can facilitate independent thinking and encourage students to become aware of differing viewpoints. Along these lines, I think using technology in and out of the classroom can help students communicate their ideas and share with each other. Allowing students to blog their ideas, for example, will allow them to think about the subject matter they’re learning while having to keep an audience (their peers) in mind. Accordingly, by reading that others are saying, students will be able to see the material in a new way and be able to add to the ongoing conversation. However, why does the incorporation of technology in the classroom still seem to be such a big debate? Selfe is right when she says that educators need to pay attention to technology; it is certainly here to stay and is probably going to become an even bigger part of the classroom in the future. Here at Tech, we are fortunate enough to have ample opportunities to use technology in our classrooms.

Also, I would argue that technological literacy isn’t as much of a problem in today’s classroom. Computers permeate almost every part of our everyday lives. Students access the Internet from their cell phones and text all the time. Also, with the rise of social media like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc., students are used to communicating online and using technology. How can we incorporate these mediums into the classroom to enhance learning and promote more student engagement?

Another thing I’ve been wrestling with is putting a lot of these teaching approaches into practice. I’ve never taught before, and my fear is that I will get into the classroom and think things will go smoothly but then realize my students aren’t engaged or don’t cooperate. We’ve done a lot of group activities in class, and they seem to work well, but then I remind myself that we are graduate students; we don’t need as much instruction, and we usually stay on task. Getting students engaged and participating in my class is my goal, but I’m not sure how that will actually play out in reality. I guess that’s where experience comes in.

I also thought it was interesting when Dr. Rickly brought up the idea of FYC not being required. If all students were able to see the value of a writing class and enrolled simply because they wanted to, I wonder how it would affect the dynamic of the classroom.

Take 20 September 30, 2009

After watching the Take 20 video, my first thought was that while teaching writing is both challenging and complex, it can still be fun and rewarding. Teaching writing, much like writing itself, is a process and teachers have to figure out what works and what doesn’t and ultimately stay current in the field to be the most effective. A theme I saw emerge was the idea that it is really all about the students and getting them to develop a skill set that they will be able to apply in the future. I found it inspiring that all of these teachers started off unsure, nervous, rigid, or clueless and yet still persevered and still love teaching writing, and most importantly, learning from and interacting with their students.

Responding to student writing

This section jumped out at me because, since I’m a DI, I’m always wondering if my comments are truly helpful. Sommers mentions that responding to student writing is one of the hardest things teachers do. I agree with this; I also think it is one of the most important. It is hard because a lot of the assignments we are reading reflects how well we are teaching the material, but of course we don’t want to admit that. It is easier to blame the students. It is important because students need to have some direction and guidance in order to improve their writing. Tinberg’s discussion about summative and formative comments reflects what I struggle with when grading. Of course I want to give students comments that help improve their work, but I also feel like my comments need to justify the grade I’m giving them. Does anyone else feel this way? I also liked the distinction made between evaluating and responding to student writing. Most of what we do as graders is evaluate because we have to give it a grade. However, when I worked in the writing center, I was able to just respond to their writing; the students and I were on the same level, and they seemed to take the advice much more willingly.

Writing as a Process September 22, 2009

My writing process starts off with reading. Because most of the papers I write deal with some sort of research or analysis grounded in literature, I read, highlight, and take notes. Throughout my reading, I take notes and try and put together some sort of a working thesis. Writing sporadic notes helps me get out my thoughts and somehow piece them together. Next, I start writing. I am a very linear writer, so—believe it or not—I write my paper in consecutive order: introduction, body, conclusion. I don’t know what it is, but I cannot start writing the meat of the paper until I write an introduction. It’s like writing the introduction is a process in itself because, through writing it, I work out my thought processes and learn where I’m going to start and where I’m going to end. Then, after I have a draft, I go back and proofread and make adjustments as necessary. I may move paragraphs around or add a few more sentences to explain a point, but I usually don’t make too many major changes after I finish writing.

After thinking about my own writing process, I realize I spend the most time researching for and writing the paper. I don’t spend much time on revision, drafting, or outlining. I find it hard to plan out my entire paper before I start because I usually don’t know what shape it will take at first. The process of writing, for me, is a discovery and a refining of my thoughts. Almost always, my papers take a different shape and direction than I originally planned. Also, I tend to be constantly revising when I’m in the process of writing my paper—which is why it takes me quite a while. I’ll continually go back and read my paragraphs to ensure I’m making sense and on the right track. Therefore, I think I merge both the writing and rewriting process.

The writing process is different for everyone. Some people have to start in the middle of the paper just to get a start. Some people just have to experiment to see what works best for them. For me, the process of writing—or the journey—is the most important part. Accordingly, teaching writing as a process and not a product is very valuable. Students should be free to explore what writing process works best for them. Letting students revise their papers is important. Having them turn in rough drafts and then giving them feedback without a grade can help them see where they need to improve and teach them to think about writing as a journey. I know sometimes I just want to finish a paper and never think about it again. Students, too, sometimes have this mindset. Having students write multiple drafts and urging them to revise will help them reflect on their own writing and hopefully see the improvement and evolution of the draft. Seeing a tangible improvement in their own writing will hopefully give them the desire to view writing as a process and not a means to an end.

Voice September 13, 2009

Voice is a tricky thing. Personally, I think it is near impossible to teach; it is more of an innate ability.  I see voice more in terms of creative writing than academic writing. Voice often comes out when you are freely writing about something personal or of importance to you. I’m not saying there is no place for voice in academic writing, but it is often hard to achieve or is overlooked. For academic writing, there is often a rigid set of guidelines and a particular audience to focus on, and using an authentic and personal voice may not be appropriate. Therefore, you have to use a particular, appropriate voice to effectively address the audience and the situation.

It takes experience to write in academic situations and still have a powerful voice. Beginning writers may feel intimidated when writing in academic situations, so their own voice is stifled by how they think they should be writing and what words they think are appropriate. This point is exemplified by Elbow’s claim: “The more criticism people get on their writing, the more they tend to use fake voices.” This insincerity or acting is often easy to see because the writing seems unnatural or forced. Gaining more experience, however, enables writers to know how to hone a particular voice depending on the situation.

As teachers, freewriting exercises are the best way to let students write without having to focus on an audience or adhere to certain guidelines. I don’t think they should turn these in, though. If they have to turn them in, they will be focusing on writing for the teacher (an audience) and thus not let their own feelings or real voice show through. I really don’t think you can teach voice; students have to be willing to figure it out on their own through experimenting.

The thing that I’m wrestling with is the idea of using a certain voice to serve the audience and the situation. Elbow seems to think people can write just for themselves. Personally, I believe we are always writing for an audience. Even when I write in a journal or diary—which is supposed to be a personal endeavor not meant for anything to see—I’m thinking about the possibility that someone else could read it, and it influences (maybe subconsciously) what I write. For me, it is important to have an audience in mind. Using voice effectively and powerfully means being able to reach and influence a certain audience.

Why do we teach first year writing? What should we be teaching? September 8, 2009

Many students think of first year writing as the necessary evil. They just try and get through it so they can get on to their “real coursework.” Therefore, I think our goal as teachers should be to show students how good writing can take them places and that no matter what discipline they are in, they can’t really escape writing. We should be teaching the basic elements of writing—summary, paraphrase, quotations, grammar, critical thinking—in hopes that students will be able to apply these tactics in the future. I remember being told in 1301 orientation that we, as teachers of first year writing, are really important on campus because other departments look to us—the English department—to teach students basic writing skills so that they can apply them in their future coursework.

Additionally, we need to instill in students the ability to think independently.  It is important for everyone to believe they have something interesting, smart, and productive to say. Students should be pushed to think critically about what they read, watch, and hear. Then, they should be able to apply that knowledge and communicate it in their writing.

Basically, I think it’s important to have specific assignments for students to learn essential functions of writing. However, I also think we should give students some freedom to explore their own experiences and ideas through writing. This exploration can occur in in-class activities, but it could be a formal assignment as well. One paper usually taught in first year composition is the memoir. I think this is a good place to start because it lets students reflect on a certain even in their life; it is a lesson in thoughtful reflection. Most importantly, I think it enables students to let their own voice show though.

3 Important Composition Concepts September 1, 2009

Since I’ve never taught composition before, this prompt made me realize I’ve never thought much about composition from a teaching standpoint. Although my three concepts will probably shift after I get more experience in the classroom, here’s what I regard—as of now—as three important concepts in college composition.

One thing I think is important is building a community of scholars and critical thinkers. In other words, I want to engage my students in discussion, and through class participation and activities, I want there to be a give and take of knowledge instead of me standing in front of the room and disseminating information. I want to strive to “share authority” in my classroom by trying to make classroom discussions and activities applicable to the students’ lives so that they will have something to say and actually want to participate.

Another important concept is active reading, which also promotes critical thinking. It is important to make students understand that to really comprehend a text, they must pay attention, think about what they’re reading, and question the author’s ascertains. (This is also a good time to introduce rhetorical concepts such as ethos, pathos, and logos.) I think it would be helpful to demonstrate how to read actively and show students a sample of a passage that’s annotated and highlighted. I would assume most students are used to reading passively—or not reading at all, and it’s important to help them understand that to write a successful summary, analysis, argument, etc., they have to fully understand the text. Additionally, being prepared for class fits in here. As a teacher, I need to make sure I do all of the assigned reading and spend time thinking about it so I can set a good example for my students and ask meaningful, thought-provoking questions. On the other hand, it is important to make students realize that they must read and be prepared for class every week. It is essential to set the bar high and encourage and promote active participation and critical thinking.

Last, I want to help my students become familiar and feel comfortable with the writing process and, more importantly, understand that writing is an integral part of our culture and thus it applies to them, no matter their major. The assignments in 1301 do a good job of building the foundations of writing that are essential to success in college and beyond. To further reinforce key writing elements, having students journal everyday and get in groups and practice paraphrasing, summarizing, or revising will help students actively participate in their own learning and hopefully feel more comfortable with the writing process. Because of the prevalence of texting, e-mail, facebook, twitter, etc., students write and engage in communication everyday and probably don’t even realize it. Although this is different than academic writing, I can incorporate these media into the classroom to reinforce topics like audience awareness, summary, purposeful writing, etc. Essentially, I think it’s important to ensure students are not intimidated by the writing process and help them realize they are all capable of becoming effective writers.

I think composition teachers have their work cut out for them. However, helping students learn such an invaluable skill has to be a rewarding experience.