So many things have been on my mind these past few weeks in 5060. I've enjoyed very much the open discourse we've created, the way we can challenge each other to think more critically not only about teaching but about the teacher's role in society. Analyzing the first year writing program at the George Washington University forced me to consider the weak spots in our 1301 curriculum. It also taught me that I can integrate the things I admire about their program into my own classroom. I never would have thought to offer my students "other" methods of writing, such as creating a mini-documentary or podcast. I only with the structure of 1301 gave me even more flexibility to create assignments like this, particularly for students who are working in multimedia in their other studies and could "show off" their talents which maybe fall flat on the RaiderWriter page.
"Curriculum" derives from the Latin currere which means to run, or race. Sometimes it does feel as if we're forcing students to compete with each other, or with our idea of what "writing" is. I'm interested in all of these readings we have that try to create a metric for "good" writing. As opposed to other subjects - those with easily-measured achievements, obvious boxes to be marked - we are asking students to understand how to communicate. That's really the goal of a composition classroom, right? To create better communicators? Students who can express themselves clearly and also receive information with a clearer ear? I have begun to realize that I'm not necessarily teaching better writing, but rather teaching them how to care about writing.
I would be remiss in ignoring the conversation we had in class last week about campus shootings. Though this is not part of our curriculum in any traditional sense, it is arguably one of the most important conversations we can bring to the classroom. Higher education is always changing, shaping to society's subtle shifts and fresh violences. The campus shooting phenomenon is no different. Teachers are afraid. People are pointing fingers. Rhetoric abounds.
I'm still not sure how to talk about this with my students but feel that I would be missing a valuable teaching moment if I did not. Some of the things we've talked about in 5060 will help me - to lead them with questions, to frame it from a rhetorical standpoint, to let them do the critical thinking - but it's still such a knotty, tragic topic that I know even the most measured conversation will turn emotional. But that's the challenge of teaching composition, in some ways. Writing incites emotion. We communicate to survive. These are not small lessons, and we shouldn't pretend they are.
Jessica, I very much enjoyed your presentation on GW's program on Friday. I think you're right; it is ideal to offer a multitude of composition courses that allow for several other methods of writing. I appreciate your point that a "curriculum" along the way somehow became a means of asking students to compete against each other and against our own ideas of what kinds of writers and learners they should be. I still struggle with this in my grading, down to the fact that I find myself steering the students in the direction that I would go (specifically when they appear to have no direction of their own). You are right--the more we discuss composition in class, it appears to be a means of creating an environment where students can learn to care about writing in their own way.
ReplyDeleteI love when you say you're "teaching them to care about writing." I think this is really the first step to really learning how to write. You cannot start to understand writing conventions if you don't care about what you're doing. When you tie curriculum to a race, it made me think about how all of this content has to be taught in ONE semester. To a teacher, this will definitely feel like a race to complete everything needed to complete.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm a little curious: Do you see the difference in your students? Do you think they are starting to care for writing more than they used to?
Spending time reviewing other programs in your field is wise. When you interview you can talk about what you'd bring to any program, for instance, in terms of the potential for improvement, fresh ideas, new directions, etc. Doing your research on types of places you'd like to work at, of course, is useful too. We had a presentation on University of Iowa's program, which no doubt would resonate with your approach to teaching writing, too. There are notes available through Nancy's link during Week-8. Yes, rhetoric surrounding active shooter is everywhere. There are surveys being distributed, protests commencing. Important to raise the discussion in our classes, certainly. I wouldn't doubt if some students drop out of school or switch programs due to fear of thinking about open carry on college campuses. Writing incites emotion, most certainly. What do you think of Ira's questions?
ReplyDeleteI worry about students dropping out or transferring schools, as well, Dr. Rice. I also worry about things I want to write against the open carry making me a target. Too much fear, in general - too much cyclical thinking when we need our brains for other tasks.
ReplyDeleteIra - I completely see the difference in my students. Even this week, I had them do some reflective writing on the class, what they've learned, and what they would change. Perhaps they were sucking up, but almost all of them said they felt like stronger readers, stronger grammarians, and that they would only ask for more class time and for their actual teacher to be grading them. So, a lot of what we touch on in class was reiterated by them. I go out of my way to explain the merits of the TTU FYC system (because I do see many) but I think it's still natural for them to feel as if I am inciting them to greater passions with writing and then sending them out into the unknown of RaiderWriter.
Hey Jessica,
ReplyDeleteAs I read your blog, I thought about what it must be like to teach students in Israel, where bombings and other kinds of havoc are a way of life. I know they are wildly different; however, it must be a little like teaching in Compton, Los Angeles--in terms of stress and uncertainty.
Here's what homeland security put together regarding active shooters: http://www.dhs.gov/active-shooter-preparedness
And, you might also check out West Michigan University's site dedicated to preparing students, which includes a booklet, poster, postcard, and video link to homeland security which you could potentially show to students:
http://www.wmich.edu/emergencymanagement/emergency-procedures/active-shooter-preparedness
http://www.dhs.gov/video/options-consideration-active-shooter-preparedness-video
It is pretty intense, but if something like this happened on our campus and we didn't provide the tools students needed their blood would be on our hands.
Mary D