English 1550 (Thursday, Dec. 8)

1. Class:

* Karen assigned Minor Writing #10 in class and also allowed students time to finish Minor Writing #10. Both writings were due by the end of class.

* She briefly revisited a quote by Ernest Hemingway from the beginning of the semester: "Sometimes I'm lucky and write better than I can." Although she acknowledged that sometimes the writing process feels that way, she also noted that good writing is often a result of hard work and careful application of skills. Karen also commended her students for working hard this semester and producing some really good pieces of writing ("The work earns the grade.").

2. Class analysis:

Today's class was a great way to wrap up the course and the semester. I liked that Karen devoted the entire class period to letting her students write and reflect on their English 1550 experience. It's also a good way to find out (from a student's perspective) what was helpful and what wasn't, or what worked and what didn't, in order to make effective tweaks to next semester's classes.

3. Class implementation:

For my final English 1550 minor writing assignment, I'd like to ask students to write a reflective essay, similar to the one Karen used in her class. See below for Karen's Minor Writing #10 prompt.

Talk to me about this course. Write a response of more than one page in which you discuss the following topics:

How has your writing changed since taking English 1550? In what way or ways? Be as specific as possible.

Consider various aspects of the course: textbook, class discussions, minor writing assignments, handbook, major writing projects, individual conferences, peer review. What did I forget?

Which elements should I keep? Which should I eliminate?

Which aspects of the course were the most valuable to you? Why? Least valuable? Why? Explain.

To end, consider the three major writing projects more closely. Which of those assignments prompted you to do your best work?

English 1550 (Tuesday, Dec. 6)

In lieu of class today, Karen offered optional conferences.

English 1539 (Friday, Dec. 2)

1. Class:

* Students peer-reviewed one another's argumentative essay rough drafts. Their final drafts are due next week.

2. Class analysis:

Students spent the entire class period workshopping their peers' essays. I liked Nikki's approach to the peer review process. Earlier in the week, she gave students a chart/diagram of an argumentative essay with a break-down of the vital elements: claim, reason, evidence, acknowledgment and response, and warrant. Students had to identify these parts in their own rough drafts. Today, however, students identified these components in others' rough drafts--and also added suggestions for improvement (like issues of grammar/punctuation, non-academic language, and disorganization).

3. Class implementation:

In my two sections of English 1550 in the spring, I'd like to slightly vary my approaches to workshopping rough drafts. Since I will require an argumentative essay, perhaps I'll adapt Nikki's idea to fit my purposes.

English 1550 (Thursday, Dec. 1)

1. Class:

* Students completed the course evaluations, then spent the remainder of time working on their final drafts of Projects 2 and 3--the argumentative essay and the worker portrait, respectively.

2. Class analysis:

I like that Thursday's English 1550 class allowed students time to work on their drafts, especially because quite a few had questions about APA formatting (which is required for Project 2). Additionally, I learned how to make the header different on the first page in Microsoft Word (for both Mac and PC!).

Karen also spent a few minutes discussing an engaging lead ... which was from a Jambar story about a student with epilepsy. She noted how the "writer skillfully wove in quotes."

Instead of formal class on Tuesday, Karen is planning to hold conferences. I like her very hands-on approach to working with her students on very specific assignments.

3. Class implementation:

Honestly, I'm feeling completely overwhelmed right now. I'm not sure if this is a normal condition at this point of the semester, but I feel as though I still have so much to prepare for my classes in the spring ... and that I still can't get it all quite right. I think that I have a good idea of where I'd like my class to go and what I'd like my students to learn from it, but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm not really there yet. For the past week or so, I've been really looking at and evaluating my tentative syllabus and schedule, assignments, and course readings, making changes when necessary. But I'm just worried that there's so much that I'm not anticipating or not prepared for or completely overlooking.

BONUS! Karen's Quotes of the Day:

"Breathe."

"It's not as bad as it first looks."

English 1550 (Tuesday, Nov. 29)

I was unable to attend English 1550 today because of a car accident last night that left me without transportation for the day. However, I did work from home and, via email, provided comments and suggestions on drafts of Project 2 (the argumentative essay) and minor writing assignments.

English 1550 (Tuesday, Nov. 22)

1. Class:

* Students shared the ridiculous projects they found and wrote about for Minor Writing 7. I liked that students brought in pictures or pulled up online images of their products. This sharing spawned a discussion about why people buy things like this and what these projects say about consumerism in the U.S.

* Karen wrote the following topic on the board: smokers' surcharge. She then read part of a New York Times article about employers requiring some employees (like those who smoke or are overweight) to pay more for health care.

* Students were then required to do the following for Minor Writing 8 (an in-class writing assignment):

1. Write your first thoughts.

2. Write (as clear as you can) your initial impulse about this topic. Are you for or against it? Fence-sitting is not permitted.

3. Pose questions. What questions come to mind about the topic? What else would you need to know in order to write intelligently about this topic?

4. Where would you go or what resources would you use to find answers to your questions? Place a star next to what you would do first.

5. Create "yes" list and a "no" list for this topic: Employers should be permitted to charge smokers (etc.) more for health insurances. Doing so helps you figure out what you already know about this topic.

* Karen spent the remainder of class sharing images of old Youngstown postcards she found on eBay (like those depicted in "Steeltown USA"). This led into the unofficial assigning of Minor Writing 9, which requires students to nominate and argue for the adoption of a postcard that brags about something in the greater Youngstown area (but NOT YSU).

2. Class analysis:

During today's class, Karen and I passed out graded/evaluated papers (Minor Writing assignments and rough drafts of argumentative essays). Although I was nervous to start writing on student papers (I've discovered that I prefer hand-commenting with a non-red pen.), it came pretty easily to me once I just jumped in and began. Thanks, three years of Writing Center experience! Surprisingly, I paid very little attention to grammar issues, even though I occasionally marked repeated problems (and supplied some relevant page numbers in the handbook). I suppose this is a good thing, though, as paying too much attention to grammar was one of my fears. I did, however, mark a variety of other things on student papers. For instance, I made several comments noting sentences or ideas I liked, any issues with APA style (since that's what Karen is requiring for this paper), things to work on, etc.

I had a MUCH harder time actually grading the minor writing assignments, which are worth a possible 15 points. I eventually just created a rubric/scoring system in an attempt to be fair, but I found myself still wavering on points. Tricky, tricky.

3. Class implementation:

I really, really like Karen's assignments and activities, particularly Minor Writing 9 (arguing for the adoption of a new postcard for Youngstown). It somehow manages to be a fun activity (I even wanted to do it!) but still teaches students something (effective techniques for argument). Along those same lines, students also had fun presenting and talking about Minor Writing 7 (the ridiculous product). As I try to figure out some of the "non-major" assignments I'd like to use in my course, I'll definitely keep her assignments in mind.

NOTE: Because of Thanksgiving break, I was unable to attend Nikki's English 1539 class this week.

English 1539 (Friday, Nov. 18)

1. Class:

* Friday’s class began with a discussion of student experiences at the Butler Institute of American Art. Students were required to act as “art critics” and visit the Butler to examine one piece of art. Afterward, they had to examine the same piece of art online and write a one-page review, arguing if the piece online is better than the piece in the gallery. Students responded quite positively to the assignment and their experiences at the museum.

* Nikki reviewed the two assignments that will be due on Monday: a proposal and an outline. She also briefly discussed the primary elements of argument (claim, reason, evidence, acknowledgment and response, and warrant).

* Nikki then spent the rest of class reviewing and talking about the assigned readings. This included a great discussion on YSU versus other “more prestigious” schools (and how most don’t offer remedial courses like YSU does).

* Nikki ended class by talking about some potential topics for students’ argumentative essays.

2. Class analysis:

I’ve definitely mentioned the issue of student attendance in 1539 before. However, it hadn’t been as bad as it was on Friday. Six students showed up on time … and a seventh walked in at 10:30 (and the class ends at 10:50). Even the students seemed surprised by the ever-dwindling attendance; a few commented that they hadn’t seen several students since the first few weeks of the semester. I suppose the only thing you can do in this situation is deal with it … but the experience has made me more confused about my attendance policy than ever. I don’t want to be too strict (because I know things happen), but I also want to actually have students to teach in my class.

3. Class implementation:

During discussion of the assigned readings, Nikki talked about the importance of time management. I think that I’m getting better at managing my time more efficiently, but I also think that it will be even more difficult to do so next semester and in the next academic year. Nikki mentioned that when she was in graduate school, she set aside midnight to 3:30 a.m. to work on schoolwork (and took Fridays and Saturday mornings off). I think that having a similar schedule (with designated hours for schoolwork) could be incredibly beneficial.