Teaching Writing

  For this week’s blog post, I found a few noteworthy aspects of the readings that I wanted to discuss:    1.) I thought it was interesting that the text discussed the issues that can arise when students work on writing projects in a group. Notably, one of the major issues is that if students aren’t reading each other’s writing contributions and if they aren’t communicating with each other throughout the writing process, then they risk not knowing how to present the information from their writing when they do their presentations. They may write things that contradict each other’s writings. They may also write too little in their sections which can weaken the overall strength of the other arguments throughout the paper.   2.) I really like the idea of assigning portfolios of all the written work a student has done throughout their time in a class. It gives students the opportunity to assess the writing that they have done throughout a course and understand better how ...

I admire the extreme clarity that Warnock provides in his textbook but also in his online course examples. In regards to online courses I can see how providing students with clear directions and consistency is important for a students success. Also something that I have also noticed is how important technological literacy is... this is an important topic to discuss because not all students are fluent in google docs, blackboard, etc... or I would imagine that first year students might not be accustomed to certain programs. For example, I know some universities use Canvas rather than Blackboard and I have no idea how to use Canvas so I would need to learn an entire new program. It's important for teachers to create a space for new students to ask questions about formatting and allow some room for flexibility. I once had a teacher who would not accept google docs and would only accept Microsoft Word and it was a pain in the butt to learn an entire new system online because I have an a...

During this pandemic, we all had adapt to online courses quite rapidly and from a student's perspective I actually prefer this format although at times it has been super stressful. I have had 2 power outages this semester because I live in a mountainous area but I still prefer online to on campus. I don't miss the long commute to campus, paying a ridiculous parking pass, waiting a few hours between classes, or spending 30 minutes trying to find a parking spot. With that being said, I believe that in the Fall or even in the New Year we will see more online classes being offered for specific majors. Through this experience,  I would imagine CSUDH will most likely develop a large online course catalog to try to maximize tuition profits and minimize student capacity on campus... because at the end of the day all universities operate on some business model. So if this does happen the question should be whether online students should pay equal tuition fees. 

First and foremost, my previous online classes at CSULB are nothing compared to this class, which is to say, I know what I have to do and I feel personally invested in learning. However, in my first few rounds of virtual learning, I was in complete hell. I hated  online classes because I felt absolutely no personal investment in the class and the subject, and everything that Warnock and Gasiewski describe is not at all like my experiences with online classes. I will say, Warnock is very virtual "hands on," and for good reason - they need it. Sure, for him, many of these students are continuing their first year of year-long coursework in English composition; for me, I was already close to finishing my Bachelor's degree / I was in my teaching credential program. The thing is, no matter how much "knowledge" or schooling you have, nothing can compare to those for couple of online courses. Quite honestly, I know that I was held accountable for not doing well. I could...

Designing curriculum is probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of being a teacher, at least in my experience. When I was in my credential program, I spent so much time learning how to design assessments, both formative and summative, as well as objectives, curriculum maps, and lesson plans, all aligning with Common Core State Standards, culturally relevant pedagogy, and student-interest as much as possible. The Lindemann chapters were very informative, and they summarized what it means to design curriculum very impressively. Still, the quote that stands out to me goes as followed: " First, knowing about teaching does not always translate into being an effective teacher, any more than knowing what about writing makes students effective writers" (253). Personally, I could not imagine teaching college-level students without having some form of experience in the classroom as the teacher or even a tutor. A potential teacher can spend hours and semesters reading about what ma...

I found it difficulty connecting a singular theme to these three distinct readings, but after looking back at the syllabus, referring to the readings as "composition research" makes more sense. These three readings bring up unique approaches to composition, which is something I have appreciated more week after week. Prior to the class, I really only saw composition as writing content and curriculum, but there are so many viewpoints and "lenses" to approach composition, similar to literary criticism and theory and the way scholars approach a text. Together, these readings invite me to reconsider somethings that I otherwise did not consider about composition. the Lancaster reading that studied sentence frames and templates from They Say, I Say was very insightful for someone like me who provides frames on a daily basis. Teaching 9th grade English to a virtual room of 13-15 year old students requires spontaneous motivation. I try to maintain them engaged by providing t...

      These are the areas of the reading that I wanted to discuss for this week:   1.) I would really like to implement the method for teaching writing that is discussed in chapter five of the Warnock and Gasiewski text that has to do with peer reviews. In this method, students provide feedback to each other on the peer reviews and revisions that they do for their  peers when  reviewing each other’s writing. What I like about this method is that students will get feedback on the type of feedback that they are giving when they do peer reviews for others which allows them to see if the type of  feedback  they are giving is useful and effective rather than feedback that shows little effort. It helps them to understand when they aren’t being specific enough or reading their peer’s writing as thoroughly if their comments aren’t very detailed. It also allows them to help their peers improve their feedback as well which makes  all of  the stude...

These readings, especially the Lindemann chapter, take me back to my first year teaching high school. I was asked to teach AP English Language and Composition a few days before the semester began. I became very nervous, not because of the difficulty of the course itself, but because I barely had any clue what rhetoric was, especially since all my coursework focused more on literature. Overtime, I obviously had to learn more and more - I had no choice because I was teaching it! Since then, I fell in love with rhetoric. It is everything , really, and that year teaching AP English Language is the reason why I chose to focus on rhetoric and composition. Rhetoric itself continues to be refined; as Lindemann points out, its very definition continues to grow by many scholars and critics. Interestingly enough, these "fathers of rhetoric" began understanding it through oral presentation, and now, rhetoricians apply philosophies in every aspect of our being, our actions, and our motive...

 Warnock has his students interact with one another through workshopping but also makes the students construct and contribute to an essay together. Personally, I thought that would be exceedingly hard to do. I have a hard time relying on the other students sometimes from my past experiences. However, I liked the build up to the experience of students communicating effectively since the primary argument introduced is the need to communicate. We could assign students to build up from one another's argument and then create their own writing pieces. Again, it reiterates the need for students to work together to make their writing work. In having all the students effectively communicate together, which is something that is forced sometimes by the break out room environment, fosters trust and communication between students. I really press that the online environment grows because of students interactions with one another. Thus, I think the Warnock exercise that of writing a paper togethe...

 Part of the pros of online instruction is the ability for all the students to be connected. I like this idea added by Warnock where he discusses workshopping because that is a key factor in allowing the students to grow as writers. It cannot be just from a relationship shared between the student and the teacher. There needs to be other writers that will challenge the student writer. I like the conventions of the break out rooms since it allows the student to really have to interact with one another. In Warnock's argument, he really pushes for workshopping together. I have had that experience in needing feedback from fellow students in my writing, making the workshopping experience better.  Another pro demonstrated in online teaching is the interaction between students. I was bringing up my feelings on how difficult it can be for me to present in front of the classroom. In my online courses, I did present but felt less nervous because I was not sharing my writings in front of ...

 Some of the associations I have made from the reading included adding diversity in the course. Diana made reference to the experience in high school where the teachers would go ahead and have the students finish their semester and then watch movies to pass the last couple of weeks before school is over. I remember that moment for myself but also realize that in Warnock's class, he schedules to have his class to end one week before finals so that they can prepare for their other classes' finals and I think that is one of the nicer experiences I have had with a teacher. I have had that experience in the past but would definitely push for some other instructors to do the same for the students since it allows the student to schedule themselves and be prepared a bit wiser. 

 In this recent reading, I like how this became a way to understand the benefits and cons of teaching writing online. The aim for the piece was to see the challenges and wins faced through this experiment and to see the reaction and earnest feedback provided by the students. Part of what I truly enjoyed are the templates provided by Scott. He gives an outline of his syllabus and as a potential instructor, I see it as a teaching tool for myself; I enjoy how he goes through the pieces and makes sure that the students are aware of what his class will incorporate. Although I did enjoy the reading, I was adverse to two topics introduced: the moderator and the teacher being a devil's advocate.  Firstly, the moderator allows one person to continuously stimulate the arguments in the discussion board between the students. My only concern falls on the idea of this person failing to do their role and the other students having to squander in the confusion as to what would be the best mean...

 I really liked Rose's piece because it brought up an argument that a lot of student writers do not want to face: Am I writing to please myself or to please the teacher? I kind of have had always had that question lying in the back of my mind when I would write. I might even have that question flash before my eyes and remind me how I should be writing this blog. However, I want to identify how necessary it is to focus on writing for the self. I like to use the literary narrative example. Firstly, I like working on autobiographical pieces. Who better to write about themselves than themselves? I enjoyed working on the literary autobiography because it was a personal process for me that allowed me to reflect on my journey to where I am in my literary career currently. The aim of that piece was not just get a good grade, I felt it it was to be honest with oneself and take this opportunity to truly express oneself through any means. I really liked my choice of words, certain mediums tha...

 In the Bastian reading, I live the continuous build up to this reading since it highlights the usage of creating an effective learning environment for the student. Again, we highlight how important it is for an educators to become adaptive to the learning environment; this can tie into how important it is for a teacher to create an adaptive classroom that can cater to the educational needs of the students. This can be exemplified, in my personal case, how when I went to a project-based learning school, I had teachers use different instructional methods such as having students participate in the play Antigone , to better understand the familial struggle in the piece. It gave a hands-on approach to the play and allowed the student to draft an essay with a thorough analysis on family dynamics and the psychological effects on the developing mind. The paper and play were yoked together to create a deeper understanding of the literary context behind Antigone.  This idea is somethin...

 In Wittman's piece, I was interested in how the idea of adapting and utilizing technology to address how literacy is changing. There is a reference to a robotic paper grader, and I think that it was funny because I could only think of the technical difficulties one might experience with that. I know sometimes Microsoft Word even says something is wrong with word usage, etc., and I think to myself that the experience of having a paper grader just means that there might be more issues in the way. What I do like is the idea of Wittman proposing that there can be ways to address ever-changing literacy. Technology plays a big part in student's everyday lives now and has become a demonstration of how society's needs are changing.  Wittman brings up the idea of margin markings as miniature literacy narratives. I enjoy the emphasis placed on the literacy narratives because it establishes a connection the past self self. It is a reflective moment that even the teacher experiences w...

 Tobin: I enjoy how the Tobin piece shares the significant ties the professor/instructor has in the process of composing for the student. Tobin emphasizes the need for the student to receive constructive criticism that allows them to best understand their work and how to develop their writing skills further. As a student, I have always found essential the feedback provided by the instructor. I have felt nervous composing my own writing as a first-year student in the graduate program because it is intimidating. However, I think through having instructors come in and provide that much needed feedback and making me feel comfortable with myself as a writer and scholar, I have developed a stronger sense of myself. This is an example re-emphasizing the point Tobin is trying to get across in his piece; teachers can foster confidence in helping the student during their writing process.  Inoue: Reflecting on their work allows the student to grow. In the Inoue piece, I really understand...

  As I read these essays, I thought back to my undergraduate years at OCC. I had some great professors who wrote constructive feedback, even when I felt that my work was complete trash. On the other hand, I also received some intense and slightly condescending topics that made me think, "Dude... this is not   that serious ..." Whether I remember the comments verbatim or not, I remember knowing when I felt the professor took genuine time to read and respond to my essay and when the professor was either rushed, lazy, or too generic. I can't say I blame them, but I do remember how they made me feel. That said, these readings all made me think about the way I respond to students, whether in the margins of an essay, in conferences, through self-assessments, or by email. Lindemann articulates the purpose of commenting on students' essays: "to offer feedback and guide learning" (230). At the same time, Tobin initiates a re-examination of the teacher authority and ...

 Hello everyone,  I want to start off by apologizing for the late blogs I just posted. I wanted to focus on the class presentations for this blog. For my presentation and my annotated bibliography, I was trying to choose an issue in teaching composition that was very much still present and affected many students and teachers. I decided to try to tackle and address Anti-Black and Anti-Racist Pedagogies. I know that I was not able to fully cover everything about this issue but I tried my best to focus on some of the important aspects of this issue. I was so stressed/nervous because I do not like presenting but I hope I was able to get some points across. I appreciate everyone for the feedback I got! I also really liked and found it interesting how Iselle's and Evalynna's presentations were able to connect with mine and how they all interconnected and "synched" Iselle talked about code-meshing and about student's insecurities and how it is the educators job to help p...

 The entire text book "Writing Together" was extremely informative and important. Heavy emphasis on important for various reasons. As a student in general, I was able to learn a lot about writing and just "scholarly tips" in general. As a future educator, this kind of like our "bible" in a sense. One of my career goals would be to teach at the community college level someday and teach an online class. My whole life, I always labeled online courses as "easy" through both a teacher's and student's perspectives. This text book along with these last past two semesters have taught me that online courses are anything but easy. They are difficult, stressful, time consuming, and draining. Yes they are more accessible at times and can be fun but for the most part they are difficult in all aspects. I labeled this text book as the "bible" for online teachers because it has so much important information, advice, ideas, and guidance in it. T...

 I was able to make some connections to the what the subtitled section "How to Write One Essay with Four Writers?" talked about. In one of my writing composition classes for teachers during my undergrad years, we would have "reports" or "papers" that we needed to write with our group members regarding whatever activity or project we were working on. We needed to do like three of these during the semester. At first, I was confused as to how we were supposed to curate and write one whole paper with four different group members and four different "voices". The first try was quite difficult because we struggled with splitting our responsibilities. We also struggled with making it cohesive and concise whilst having all of our "voices" heard. After the first trial, it became quite simple. Instead of assigning a paragraph to each person or some people taking total control, we would meet up and work on the paper together, each of forming ideas ...

 Something that stood out from this reading because I was able to relate to it was the section subtitled "A Student Says Goodbye". It briefly talks about how some students cannot keep up with online courses for various reasons and how at times they might need to withdraw and drop the course. I was able to connect with this because for the first time in my academic "life" I had to drop a course this semester. Good thing I dropped it within the first 3 weeks. I am usually good with online courses and taking many classes but it was getting difficult to keep up with the deadlines. During my high school years, I would take 9+ classes and during my undergrad I would take 6 classes. But this semester four was just too much to handle and keep up. I was just able to connect to this in the sense that it is important for educators to be empathetic and understanding when it comes to online courses specifically because due to the nature of the course, some instructors do not und...

Just wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed studying the work of Paulo Freire. He used pedagogy as a form of activism and encouraged the working class to engage in critical issues rather than be silent. I think if his work could be more widely accepted and practiced than we could see a shift in education and as a result a shift in society. Although I do think with the most recent events concerning social injustice we are recognizing the importance of incorporating more diverse curriculums in school. 

 I wanted to make my last post about Lancaster's "Do Academics Really Write This Way? A Corpus Investigation of Moves and Templates in "They Say// Say" article because I was curious about its implications. First of all, it was kind of hilarious to see that they had me figured out. I saw so many of the phrases I used, some that I found clever and some that I found redundant. But I was like, wow, here I was thinking I was creating my own academic voice, and I sound like everyone else, just probably not as good. SO am I a cookie-cutter? Are all academics trapped in the kitchen utensil drawer with the cookie sheet? I am just honestly surprised at how many common academic phrases there are. So my question is if they are so common, are they cliches? My other question is, if we try so hard to sound academic, are we really having our own ideas or someone else's? Where did I even get these phrases from? Because I don't remember learning them in school past the lessons...

 I wanted to talk about Bastian's piece about bringing the funk back into the classroom because she brought up another important classroom issue. While I had talked about how code-meshing will help students get past their language insecurities, there was something I had also never thought of, the conventions of a writing classroom. She talks about the importance of teaching students to take risks in the classroom because it can enhance their ability to think critically and authentically. Like what I said, code-meshing will do for students whose first language is not Dominant American English. She talks about how students are way too accustomed to making safe choices and sticking to what is appropriate for a classroom environment- that the standard has been so rigidly set, it hinders creativity. when she mentioned some of the activities she did, like having the students draw or having them do a multimodal project where they have the freedom to choose their medium, they were all perp...

 I wanted to reflect on the presentations we had in class this week. I was going to raise my hand and say this in class, but then we ran overtime, and I did not want to be the one to make everyone stay longer, so I decided to write this here. I will admit that I was irritated because I had to do a presentation, not because I don't like doing presentations because I actually do, but because I am DROWNING in work right now. I think for the first time, though, I realized the value of presenting your work and not just keeping it to yourself because I realized that with my project, I only researched code-meshing specifically, but after seeing Evalynna and Oscar's presentations, I realized I should have also explored their topics, which were racial literacy and anti-racism in the class. Their topics were some of the reasons for my topic, so they should have been part of my research as an exegesis of why I believe code-meshing is an essential tool that should be implemented in class. ...

  Blog #14                Jeanne Nixt I am really enjoying reading the interplay between Warnock and Diana as they work through the weekly activities, and in particular as it is explained by the syllabus and the side notes.   Warnock does a good job explaining, in those side notes, what he was after, or why he worded things the way he did. But I wonder if I would have picked up on his intentions, as his student, without those notes?   I think for the most part that yes, I would have.   He is very detailed in his explanations, and available for clarity when needed. Things I really like about his syllabus and the way he runs his class: he tries to make it clear what is due, when and which order tasks should be tackled in.   Although, as Diana mentions, there were times when Warnock’s timeline was wonky or backward which was confusing to her as a student.   This is easily correctable once sh...

Writing Together, Warnock readers to the "Provoker "a voice designed for students to be at ease and in a safe space for feedback. This is elaborating on students "without worrying about offending classmates...". Warnock states that the students are aware that he's playing a "rhetorical game" which can be questionable on whether or not they are actually aware of it.  Hence why I question many things but one in particular when Warnock describes provoking more authentic responses from them. Overall, Warner challenges many of our readings we receive for this class in regard to student feedback. It is interesting to read this along with the type of approaches that can come across giving feedback. 

 In chapter 4 of Writing Together, Warnock introduces us to the "Provoker"-- "a rhetorically edgy, devil's advocate type voice..." (pg. 105) that was safe for the students to argue with "without worrying about offending classmates or dealing with the authority-laden quagmire of 'debating the teacher'". (pg. 107) Warnock states that the students are aware that he's playing a "rhetorical game" with them in which he posts on the discussion board under this persona in hopes to elicit strong and passionate arguments from his students towards the character of "Dr. Logoetho" that he created. I'm not really sure I like this approach?  Warnock states that he hopes to provoke more authentic responses while using this alias, but I find the rhetorical game inauthentic in of itself.  While I can understand and empathize with students who worry about offending their classmates, I think we learn more social nuance and engage in mor...

A commonality I found in this week's readings had to do with what we as teachers implicitly teach students. Early on, teachers are taught how to manage a classroom, different classroom arrangements, and purposeful classroom routines. All of this is to help a teacher and students stay afloat, functional, and attentive to the learning. Nevertheless, nonverbal communication or "the invisible," which is to say that which is left unspoken, in the classroom can have long-term and detrimental effects on students, and I am left thinking, once again, about my own practices. Sometimes it's hard running a classroom without being spontaneous; there is never a script even when there is a plan or objective in place, so there is bound to be things, spaces and areas, in between that misinterpret a teacher's intention vs. a student's reality. I think about Rose's study between the "blockers" and those who weren't facing writer's block. The most notable wa...