Topic: What are the three most important concepts in composition would you say? These concepts might play a role in your teaching philosophy, so you might think of this question as what are the three most important beliefs about your own teaching do you have?
I've been walking around with this topic for almost a week thinking of what I would write. These two questions are actually two sides of the same coins--concept/practice or theory/practice. I've taught so long that most of my beliefs and practices are ingrained, and I have to stop and think to make them explicit. Here they are:
1) I believe in portfolios which is another way of saying I believe in the writing process. I've never thought of or used portfolios in Freshman Composition as a means of evaluation. Instead, it is the course-structuring framework that guides the complete tenor of the class. We are writing a book. We will write a number of writing pieces and along the way everything we write is "in process" and could be revised a zillion times if we wanted to. At the end, we will pick our best writing, revise it again, and turn it in within a "book." What this structure to the class provides is built in mechanism for revision. We revise pieces when they are first written, but it is that last effort at collection and selection and revision where students do their most significant writing. It sure makes a bear for me at the end of the semester as I grade them, but the end results and the growth I see in students is worth it.
2) I believe in "shared discourse" which is another way of saying I believe in collaboration and that students learn from their peers. Post-process folks call it "communicative interaction." I set up my class so that practically every piece of writing is turned in to a shared space where we all can read it. Only journals are private. We do intensive peer response, but also we do writings where we learn and grow from reading what we have done (without the need to respond). In this way, I seek to set up a writing community (or a rhetorical forum) where students gain a deeper sense of audience.
3) I believe students have an innate capacity with language and that their writing development improves with practice and takes time. What this means is that I affirm each of my students ability to communicate--they already have a complex capacity for linguistic expression. What I have to work on is helping students become more comfortable and "fluent" in written expression. So often their expression done through writing is stunted and strained, and I seek to open them up to expressing themselves in writing--the grammar and correctness will come in time. Freewriting is a very powerful tool in helping students gain comfort and confidence with writing, and each semester I hear students comment on how much they like it.
Those are my big three: portfolios, shared text, and expression. There is so much more to teaching composition, but these three are pretty good core beliefs and practices to my teaching. You are welcome to wander around my Freshman Composition site.
5 comments:
Portfolios are an authentic writing process tool, I agree. The nature of portfolios, themselves, highlights both process and product. You might be interested in http://portfoliokeeping.com and http://portfolioteaching.com. I'm thinking your notes about shared discourse are especially important as they will directly feed your thinking revolving around your teaching philosophy. What goes into your journals?
Hey Rich,
Just a quick not on journals. I have done them many different ways, but lately I have (for my Fresh Comp I class) five journals due per week and we do the journals for seven weeks. This page describes them in detail http://www.accd.edu/sac/english/lirvin/1301site/journals.htm but basically I assign four freewriting journals that I keep private. I glance at them but do not comment unless they ask me to. The fifth journal is what I call a "process journal"--a piece of reflective writing where they write about their writing. I love process journals and could share what some of those discussions look like. I make these process journals public and we respond to them so we have a double level of reflection---reflecting upon reflections. Here is my more detailed description of "reflection as refraction" from my C&WOnline article: http://www.bgsu.edu/cconline/irvin/Refract.htm
This is more of an answer than you wanted, I'm sure...
~Lennie
We do a portfolio at Highline and I hate it. As you indicate, you do not use them as a means of evaluation. We work under the pretense that that's what we do -- but we secretly don't gather any data from them. It is especially dicey because we're all over the map with regard to what we're teaching in our classes anyway that to systematize our assessment would require some regulation on the instructors -- dun dun dun! -- with the impending, dreaded "academic freedom" debate sure to raise its ugly head.
I still think portfolios are important for the exact reasons that you've mentioned. I have shifted my students to blogs, though, rather than turning in paper after paper after paper on paper. I figure if I'm yacking about environmental stewardship that the least I can do is the sustainable option (hence, my physical pain at throwing recyclables in the garbage while in Lubbock...but I digress). I found that, with blogs and every version of a paper on the blog for the student to see (plus, peer review in the comments section), that I got much better reflection than I ever had via a paper portfolio. That's purely qualitative information, but there you have it.
Lennie,
Your portfolio process sounds amazing...I'd love to see/hear about some specific examples of student work evolving. I'll also take you up on a glimpse of those process journals! Very cool.
I'm struck by what you say about students' innate ability to communicate. I agree. I watch my Facebook student-friends' status updates, and am often delighted by the creativity, even eloquence, with which they capture a feeling, activity, etc. It's a teeny bit of expression, true...but it hints at ability. If only they could see the connection between that kind of written expression and the work that they do in class... How do you draw those lines for them?
Priscilla
You make these applications sound so simple! They are a mountain to me. I aspire to such deep musings about educating students to write.
I like your application of students publishing a book from their semester-long efforts. They can see their progression (both in writing and in critical thinking) and have a feeling of accomplishment.
Collaboration is great when students make the effort. I'm still seeking the secrets to make it work well for all students. I like the idea of "intensive peer response."
Also, I have grown a heart for developmental students and those largely discussed in Harris' "Error" chapter. I agree that all students have capacity for linguistic expression, but struggle with written expression. I'm anxious to learn this semester about how to teach students to more easily put thoughts on paper.
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