Wednesday, November 9

I liked the idea that Hesse says, “The grade reflects an overall assessment of the writer’s ability to produce varied kinds of text, not an average of grades on individual papers”(407). By reading and examining a portfolio as a whole product, I think teachers can assess the writer’s writing skillful ability more accurately. It may not easy to determine if the writer has all the writing abilities to manage in other undergraduate courses by reading just one paper, because the writing requires quite a few skills including reading critically, analyzing texts, integrating quotations, etc.

Also, I liked the idea of having the set of standards for assessing portfolios and sharing it with students, and showing what each graded portfolio looks like. By doing this, students will know what exactly they should do, and teachers can explain explicitly what the student is missing in their paper when they give feedback to students.

What I found most practical in the reading was the idea of determining a grade of a portfolio based on the writer’s skillful ability to perform in a variety of rhetorical situations. As Hesse says, “’A’ portfolios suggest that the writer will be able to adroitly handle nearly any task an undergraduate student writer might encounter in both academic and public forums,” students in English 101 at the University of Idaho need to be prepared to handle tasks both in English 102 and other courses that require writing and reading (408). I believe this way of grading if they pass or fail should be priority to consider.

Also, I think the reflective introduction should be used making a judgement, as Hesse suggests. Through the reflective paper, teachers can see how much and what the writers developed in English 101, and the writer’s ability to reflect his or her writing analytically and critically. I think reflecting their own writing will enhance their writing abilities, the good abilities can be transformed to other fields where writing tasks are required.

Although I think having all of the criteria of portfolios, such as quality of thought, material integration and personal experience connection, seems very practical and useful, I found skeptical measuring their revising skills through their portfolios. I am not sure how teachers could assess students’ revising skills by reading their revised versions of essays. I was wondering how teachers can see their process of writing/revising if the students are not your students (which will be happening in our English 101 course when students’ portfolios are read by other instructors from the English department in a committee).

What are your key takeaways for assigning writing in a digital age?

Me, as a mid-20-year-old student, I honestly cannot imagine how I could live without technology in school. We have discussed in last class regarding the use of technology in classroom, and it made me think of teaching composition in the 21^st century. I would say that skills for interpreting and producing visuals need to be taught in composition classrooms, rather than discussing if writers need to handwrite or type. Students need to acquire the skills to examine what the online text and visual images are really saying. But, I am not fully sure how I could assign writing in order to foster the skills.

What do you agree with?

I agree with Trimbur’s idea of “to see writers not just as making of meaning but as makers of the means of producing meaning out of the available resources of representation” (366). Writers need to improve skills of how to operate tools, such as, words, thoughts and language, to produce meaning, not simply use those tools make meaning. Working with technology allows students to acquire the skills through different kinds of texts and visual images.

What do you take issue with?

I am not sure if I want to agree with Trimbur’s idea of “to follow Derrida out of the morass created by the Alphabetic Literacy Narrative and to picture writing not as a derivative speech at all but instead as a typographical and rhetorical system of sign making” (365). Although I support that he pictures writing as a typographical a rhetorical system of sign making, I also believe writing could be a derivative speech in some contexts, such as texting acronyms. 

How might you think about your approach to teaching differently based on today’s readings?

The readings made me think twice about my approach to teaching composition. In English 101, I was following a traditional linear process with a strict plan-write-revise sequence (Perl 141) while working on revising students’ first draft. We talked about the functions of revising and using multiple drafts according to the textbook, but did not talk about recursive process in the process of writing. I’m thinking to spend some time to discuss the process when we start writing essay 2.

Also, the reading pointed out the importance of a writer’s first thought, felt sense (Perl 142). Perl states the felt sense is found in the process of “when writers are given a topic, the topic itself evoke a felt sense in them” (143). For the next essay, I’m thinking of spend more time to work on prep work before they start writing, so that, when they get stuck, they can draw themselves back to the point to think of if it is what they really meant throughout the process of writing.

Harris and Silva’s reading gave me some tips on how to address ESL students’ writing in my class. As discussed in the reading, I will keep in mind that teachers need to find out what they are really struggling with in their paper. Harris and Silva say, “without any knowledge of cultural preferences tutors are likely to see difference as weaknesses and to assume that the ESL student needs basic writing help” (505). In my class, I have students who write their essay in the discourse of their first language. We may not be able to talk about writing in English with English discourse in class. But, I will definitely have the talk with them in a one-to-one setting since they need to be aware of it to success academically and socially.

I would categorize myself as “a more writer-focused teacher” (Lockhart and Roberge 22) if I examine myself through my little experience of teaching composition. But, as the reading mentioned, teachers need to stay flexible and may have to change the approach according to the class and students. Also, teachers always need to be aware of why they are doing the activity in class. I understand that we, as teachers, have them keep in mind, but I was wondering if we need to stick to one philosophy when we write our teaching philosophy or we could include the flexibility and other approaches we might apply to a class. 

Writing Assignment, Mon, Aug, 29

Question 1: What are the central points in these pieces?

Teachers comments and feedback on students’ writing give affect the students’ attitude and motivation on their future writing. If the comments are specific and thoughtful, the students will be encouraged and show positive attitude to revise their writing. But, if it is overcommenting or not specific comments to guide them how to fix, they will be overwhelmed. Also, rigid rules of writing, grammar errors and inflexible plans are restraining students’ production in writing. Students who struggle with writing a paper in college confront cognitive objects that prevent them from producing their writing. Those rules vary depending the student, like “grab your audience in the first paragraph,” “grammatical error free,” “DNA structured outline,” and “inflexible problem solution.” Non-blockers who do not have the writer’s blocks hold flexible attitude/approaches toward their writing. They tend not to restrict the composition process by sticking with one textbook wise approach or building a concrete outline before start writing. 

Question 2: How are these points relevant to teaching?

In teaching context, teachers need to ensure not to address writing saying “you have to stick with one approach, build a concrete and detailed outline.” Although it is, I think, nothing bad that teachers introduce there are different kinds of approach on writing, like build an outline first, think about your audience or attention to grammatical errors, but do not push the students to stick with one approach. As mentioned in Teaching Composition, the rules and plans are mutable and can be modified by providing feedback on their writing or suggesting flexible alternatives. To give flexible ideas on writing to students, I think, teachers may give an experience to have them read other types of readings or classmates’ writings. Also, when teacher write their comments on students’ paper, an encouraging tone must be applied to the comments and specific advice.

Here is the citation from Responding to Student Writers I want to keep in mind.

Our role as teachers is engage with students by treating them as apprentices, offering honest critique paired with instruction; and for students, it is to be open to the teacher’s comments, reading and hearing these responses not as personal attacks or as isolated moments but as instructive and portable lessons to take with them to the next draft or assignment. (Summors)

Writing Assignment 1, Wed, Aug, 24

The readings from Johnson, TC taught me what I, as an English composition teacher, have to pay attention when I read students' writing, and how to guide them to the basics of academic discourse. Reading the students' essays and the analysis in the chapter 1 reminded me that many students in a freshman composition course wrote just their experience in their essay, but they did not expand them to something beyond the experience. Better essays have something distinguished from ordinary essays, not just stating their experience, but also unique ideas that came up from students’ experience or conventional points of view. It cannot necessarily be said that an essay which has a commonplace is bad, as long as the essay includes an analysis or argument against the commonplace. I want to keep in my mind that a basic or lower-level writer is not necessarily a writer who makes sentence-level errors frequently. The more difficult vocabulary a writer tries to apply in writing, the more syntactic difficulties appears to the writer, which the writer may not manage by oneself.

I was very glad to know Elbow’s theory, “ignoring audience can lead to worse drafts but better revisions.” This will help students find their ideas and synthesize them as a brain storming when they start their writing. I found it very interesting the interaction between private writing and social writing. Through working on a private writing, the writer can write reflectively for themselves without interaction with others, but the process also motivates and prepare the writer to tell own ideas and thoughts to others.

I was aware that it is usually difficult to shift to academic writing to high school writing, and motivate students to produce good writing with materials. Through Sommer’s reading, bringing personal connection to writing course helps students start writing and motivates them to keep their interests in writing, like Jeremy’s case.