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.

English 1550 (Thursday, Nov. 17)

1. Class:

*Karen discussed plagiarism (and differences that exist among quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing—and emphasized that all require source attribution). This was especially relevant to Project 2 (the argumentative essay), which requires research and documentation.

* Students broke into small groups and discussed which of the sentences on a handout made the most effective use of the source material.

* Karen spent some time discussing a strategy for Project 3: clustering. She explained the basic idea behind the strategy (It’s a non-linear graphic representation of your thoughts and ideas.) and demonstrated the concept on the board. She also handed out blank sheets of paper and encouraged her students to try it.

* At the end of class, Karen announced upcoming deadlines.

2. Class analysis:

I know I’ve mentioned this in my mentoring journal before, but the set-up of Karen’s class constantly impresses me. Practically every in-class activity is relevant and helpful to students. As I work on finalizing my tentative 1550 daily schedule, I’ll keep Karen’s schedule (and how well it works) in the back of my mind.

3. Class implementation:

While students worked on their mind maps for Project 3, Karen mentioned how she used to give her students huge sheets of newsprint and a handful of markers for the clustering activity. Although she stopped doing this once massive sheets of newsprint became more difficult (if not impossible) to find, Karen said her students almost always responded positively to the task and it helped them loosen up. I’ve had a giant roll of craft paper for years; maybe I’ll use it to do something similar with my students.

English 1550 (Tuesday, Nov. 15)

1. Class:

* I briefly explained peer review directions (pair up with a classmate, read drafts of argumentative essays/author’s notes to each other, offer suggestions and comments on handout with questions). Students spent the majority of class peer reviewing.

* Before leaving, students wrote down a two-step plan for their draft of the argumentative essay. Based on their peer review feedback (and anything else they noticed during the workshop), they figured out the next two steps for this assignment.

2. Class analysis:

This peer review workshop differed slightly from the Project 1 rough draft workshop at the beginning of the semester. For instance, instead of having students give feedback on two or three of their peers’ rough drafts, students devoted the entire time to just one draft each. I hope that the feedback was subsequently more thorough and more thoughtful. Additionally, like I’ve done this semester in both Teaching of Writing and Teaching Practicum, students were required to read their rough drafts to their partners—a scary prospect. Even though I initially resisted doing so, the benefits far outweighed any hesitation. First, hearing your writing is much different from silently reading it. Second, reading your work aloud to an audience (even if it’s just one other person) makes you own that writing. I think that’s important, particularly when it’s tempting to hide behind it and almost refuse to take rightful ownership of your work.

3. Class implementation:

While students shared drafts during the peer review workshop, Karen and I reviewed the comments that I’d made on students’ “A&P” essays (Minor Writing Assignment 6). Each minor writing is worth a possible 15 points—so I was surprised that I received only 11 student essays (a bit more than half the class). However, Karen said that’s normal, particularly for the minor writing assignments. I might rethink the point values for these assignments in my 1550 course (especially because mine are valued at just 10 points).

English 1550 (Thursday, Nov. 10)

1. Class:

* Upon Karen's request, students took the first few minutes of class to write a brief status update on their major and minor assignments.

* I led the discussion on John Updike's "A&P" (which included a PowerPoint with key points/quotations/questions and a short film based on the short story).

2. Class analysis:

Honestly, I was surprised by how well "A&P" holds up in the freshman composition classroom, even after more than four decades. The discussion went fairly well, and we talked about some of the short story's themes, important quotations, and general impressions. One of the most interesting points raised during the discussion was how much has changed in forty years ... and how much hasn't (mainly teenage hormones). Several students noted that while reading the short story (and being unsure of the time period/setting), they didn't understand quite why three girls in their bathing suits walking into a supermarket caused such a disruption. They then began discussing how "A&P" could be updated ... and came to the conclusion that not much is shocking anymore. The short film (which stars Sean Hayes from "Will & Grace") provided a nice supplement to the discussion, and students were shocked by the bathing suit styles of the 1960s ... absolutely not racy by today's standards.

3. Class implementation:

Lab days really aren't the most conducive for class discussions. I found it difficult (although not impossible) to properly position myself in the classroom. Additionally, I felt like students found the environment, particularly with the available computers, a bit distracting. I'll keep this in mind when figuring out my class schedule.

English 1550 (Tuesday, Nov. 8)

1. Class:

* Discussed important quotes/ideas from William Zinsser's "On Writing Well."

* Reviewed key points concerning consumerism from Amitai Etzioni's "Working at McDonald's," which students read earlier in the semester.

* Read sections of Bill McKibben's "Pie in the Sky."

* Talked about minor writing assignments six ("A&P") and seven ("Pie in the Sky").

* Looked at and discussed online visuals related to Steeltown USA.

2. Class analysis:

Instructors with mediated classrooms for all class days DEFINITELY have an advantage. I'm a little bit jealous.

I like that Karen used PowerPoint to present the most pertinent quotes from "On Writing Well" to her students. I like also that she put the full text of "Pie in the Sky" on the screen and that she explained the related assignment in the same way. I especially like how she spent the last 20 minutes of class showing and talking about images from Youngstown's steel town past, which also appeared on the screen.

It's going to be a challenge to work with the limitations of a non-mediated classroom, especially when I've drawn a lot of inspiration from an instructor who uses media in almost every class meeting.

3. Class implementation:

Karen does a great job of planning each day of class. In today's class, Karen managed to fit a lot into just an hour and 15 minutes ... and she did it without making her students (at least from what I could gather) feel overwhelmed. The design of her overall course is great as well. As I've mentioned before, I'm also a fan of how Karen continuously makes sure her students know what is going on during each day of class (typically by writing the day's schedule on the board) and in future classes (usually by reminding students of upcoming deadlines). Her course is very organized--and I'd definitely like to emulate her course organization in my own classes.

One minor concern: The student I sat next to in today's class was on her laptop for the majority of class. Although she used it to take notes for a small portion of class, she also checked Facebook several times, responded to some emails, and rearranged photos on her desktop for the greater portion of class. I noticed that practically all of the students around her were distracted and kept looking at her screen. I even found it hard to pay attention since I had to look over her screen to see Karen. What is the best way to respond to this type of situation? Is there anything that an instructor can do (especially if the student is genuinely using the laptop to take notes)?

English 1539 (Monday, Nov. 7)

1. Class:

* Gave short vocabulary quiz (with six words taken from the first eight assigned readings).

* Began discussing readings #9 and #10.

2. Class analysis:

Monday's 1539 class began quite normally. Nikki started class by writing six vocabulary words on the board, and students were required to define and write a sentence about each word. Even though the quiz was originally scheduled for Nov. 2 (and Nikki had given out vocabulary lists around two or three weeks ago), students seemed extremely resistant. One student commented, "I didn't think you were serious about the quiz." Another asked, "What do you do when all your students do bad on the quiz?" probably expecting that Nikki would drop the quiz grade if she complained enough. Additionally, an overwhelming majority of the students continued to complain and eat their lunches (even though Nikki had asked them to not do so last week) throughout the quiz. Four students also walked in extremely late (like by 25 minutes).

It was obvious that Nikki was becoming displeased with the class, and she even admitted it both to the students and, privately, to me. After the quiz, Nikki began to discuss the readings and some techniques used in a good argumentative essay. Students continued to grumble about the quiz and rummage through their lunch bags. Honestly, no one was paying attention. Nikki immediately recognized this and responded accordingly. She knew that, at this point, her students' attitudes were not going to improve, and she subsequently ended class 15 minutes early (and told students that they'd be quizzed Wednesday on the readings).

At this point, 1539 became INTENSE. One of the more vocal students began to complain, shouting that it wasn't fair, that Nikki had tricked them (by being nice), that Nikki couldn't do this. One student, though, said that although she didn't like the policies, Nikki was the instructor and she would listen to her. She added that Nikki had been lenient enough and that students were taking advantage of the situation. A screaming match ensued ... but Nikki immediately asserted her authority as the instructor and stopped the situation before it got out of hand.

3. Class implementation:

Today's class was an eye-opener. Nikki isn't afraid to put her foot down when her students veer off track. She is definitely firm in her policy that doing well in the course is the student's responsibility, although she is willing to do everything she can to help a student. However, she won't do it for him or her, and she maintains that if a student is absent, it is that student's responsibility (not anyone else's) to find out what he or she missed in class.