Madonna Overdrive: Opinions on education

Evaluating Student Writing: The most important thing you'll do

2008-07-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

As an undergraduate, the feedback from my teachers was quite limited to punctuation and form. They noted when I presented good ideas sometimes, but other than that, I had no idea what they thought. Sometimes my work was completely misinterpreted. It didn't matter. I was writing for myself. As a graduate student, I had the finest mentor I could have had, Dr. Kenneth W. Brewer.

He was ruthless with my work. He tore it apart. Shredded it. Criticised me in front of the class as he did no other student. Of the rest, he was very supportive, fairly gentle. I knew why he was doing it to me. I wasn't sure he was doing them any favors, but some people get discouraged easily. Because of him, my poetry matured, became more transparent. I miss him to this day. I'm quite sure he wouldn't like the way I write now, but I have a whole new purpose. He might not understand.

The big difference between us was, he tried to get published. And he was. I found his book at the New York City library and took a picture of it in the light of a Tiffany lamp. The book looked holy. I meant to give it to him, but I never did. We didn't keep in touch. We were both too busy. I know I influenced his writing. I read it in one poem. It was probably the highest compliment he could have paid me. I think sometimes he felt as though we were competing. When I defended my thesis he complained he didn't have "our collective uterus" to write about. I thought it was funny. He had plenty to write about. He is one of the finest Western regional writers (if not the best). In the end, he could only publish by collaborating with artists to have his work presented as a piece of visual art. There was only one book published before he died.

I relate this story to you because it is important to evaluate how much you should expect of your students. When teaching composition, I have very high standards, but I don't expect the same quality work from all of them. It's not possible. I encourage my students from where they are. Then, as they improve, I expect a little more. Expect the very best from your best students. They expect that from themselves. You're not doing them any favors by giving them "A" grades without telling them why it is an "A." You're not doing them any favors if you don't tell them how they could have done a better job of it.

When students are struggling, doing their best, but struggling still. Don't discourage them. Support every effort they make. Let them be aware of how far they've come from where they started and exactly what's improved. Work with each one of them as though they were your only student. Otherwise, only some of them will benefit from taking your class.

The most valuable thing you can give your students is feedback. Let them know what you think about what they thought. Tell them when they've communicated it well. If they fail to do that, but you can see what point they were trying to get across and didn't quite. Let them know what they could have done.

As a writing teacher, you are probably the most influential teacher they will ever have. No one else will change their lives they way you will. No one else will give them a skill they'll need for the rest of their lives. Never forget how important your job is.

Using Poetry In the Classroom: A short cut to everything

2008-06-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Arrival

From a rain-swept night, from wind, from darkness,
he dreams a ten-by-ten unit of the Moab Hotel,
showers, television, toilets flushing either side of him

He wakes at dawn with the rattle of water
piped from deep wells in this land of drought,
He drives six hours alone through Utah desert,
through clouds at six thousand elevation
then down, into Cache Valley greenness.
Having imagined decisions, spoken forcefully,
afflicted his enemies, imposed his will,
directed his life, finally, he arrives.

No one is home.
He sees two day's mail on the kitchen table,
a coffee cup, some silverware in the sink.
He hears the washer churning in the basement.

Kenneth W. Brewer
To Remember What Is Lost

I read poetry to my class every day at the beginning of every work day. Poetry is a short cut to understanding. If students can understand poetry, they can understand anything. They thoroughly enjoyed it. One of my students compared me to the teacher in "Dangerous Minds." I felt complimented. The teacher in the movies was committed to her students on every level and was an excellent teacher.

You may well say this is not your "style" of teaching. Anyone can do what I did. Students are used to studying classical poetry. Most of them have never been exposed to modern poets. "Arrival" is a particularly relevant poem because it is regional. The poet speaker talks about places they are familiar with - sounds they have heard in their own houses - even the feeling the house has when they come home from school to find their mother gone.

We talked about each poem briefly and then moved on to the subject matter at hand. But, the poetry helped them use more descriptive writing than they might have used. It helped them understand the concept of show not tell. All in all, it improved their writing immensely.

Just as students learn to think and write from the text chosen to teach from, poetry teaches them more about writing than you could ever teach them yourself. If you are not familiar with current poetry, get familiar. I find obscure, unknown poets to be the best examples. Good poetry is never popular. Poetry is published according to the tastes of today, dictated by publishing houses and literary critics.

One of my old professors told me my poetry would not be publishable because it was too old fashioned. I took his word for it and never tried to publish. I didn't want to torture my writing into what was fashionable.

I strongly recommend using poetry at the beginning of each class. I told my students it was our "opening prayer" - something they could all identify with through their experience with religion. However you choose to present your poetry, what ever poets you choose to share with the class, you will be well rewarded for it by the improvement in their writing.

Do Your Own Research: Post degree education

2008-06-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

When I saw how well my students were doing, I thought it would be wise to analyse why. I had them sign consent forms so I could use their writing for the project I intended to do.

I kept all their papers from the prewriting stage on. I kept all their revisions. I kept the tapes I'd done for them (more about that later). I collected them all in large manila envelopes. I'd already done this kind of research before. I did a large project for the Department of History.

Intending to use my syllabus and reference books, I began the analysis of what had worked. As things turned out, I never finished it. Circumstances prevented that. I ended up throwing all my research away.

It would have taken a considerable amount of time. For this reason, as well as others, I suggest you not teach more than one or two classes, unless you can't afford to. In that case, everything you do will suffer.

Representatives of a publisher overheard my conversation with the head of the department concerning the success of my students. They expressed an interest in publishing if I ever completed the project.

Don't do research for the sake of publication. If you do, your objectivity will suffer. You'll always have the reader in mind. You'll always be thinking about what you have to do to get published. Therefore do it for your own information, have other teachers give you their input when you have something for them to review.

Return to the Guilds of Europe: College education and art

2008-06-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

At the university where I taught, the mission statement sought to make it little more than a technical school supposedly for practical reasons and in acknowledgement that not everyone is suited for a university education. Research was discouraged. They had a very good Auto Mechanics program and an excellent Education Department. In the field of science, students and faculty even designed satellites for NASA. The Business Department had an excellent program for entrepreneurs. Of course there was a graphic arts program and photography available for art students, but there is a reason artists starve.

In Germany, where my grandfather came from, at the end of high school students were tested for suitability to go on to the university. Those who did not were free to choose a guild. My grandfather chose to go into painting and decorating. He was not an interior decorator as we think of them now. He was trained in the art of faux finishing, stenciling and gold leaf. He left an indelible mark on his own community and beyond that many years later still stand.

His skills have fast become a lost art. Crafters of fine furniture, silver, and pottery are not as supported as they might be because we've invested in technological education. Now those jobs are being exported overseas.

There are plenty of poets who are ditch diggers and electricians and meter readers who are artists. If this country is ever going to have more than pop culture and movie stars, we will have to shift our emphasis on the way we train and educate the population.

Time and time again the legislative body has endeavored to cut funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. Not only does that undercut art, it threatens our freedom of speech. If it weren't for National Public Radio, I would have no idea whatsoever about what's going on in the world. Our national media is a disgrace. Our manufactured furniture and goods are hardly worth buying.

I live on a very meager subsisted income, but I have never felt impoverished because I was exposed to art, music and literature as a child. I learned from my grandfather something about practicing some of the arts he did. No matter where I live or what I have, my life is beautiful.

We are a culturally starving people, devoid of taste, culture and spirituality. People deprived of the opportunity to pursue their true passion, slowly wither and die.

Teaching From Texts: The difference between literarary and writing approaches

2008-06-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

As an undergraduate, when I took composition we read Plato. Of course, it was difficult for most students to understand. But, with writing and class discussion it proved to be enlightening to all of us. Even small progress in thinking skills is laudable.

As a teaching assistant in graduate school, I taught from a text The Great American Bologna Festival. Bologna is what it was. The writing contained by the text was supposed to be sterling examples of composition by college students. Most of it was hardly worth reading. I used it as an example of what not to do. As such, it was useful.

As an adjunct professor, I used a multi-cultural text. It was useful in teaching the students to learn to think from other perspective far different from their own. It was exceptional for learning how to contrast and compare.

I did not suggest any kind of topic or point of view. Students who are not invested in their writing, rarely do it well. I noticed the other teaching assistants in graduate school spent a lot of time preparing "prompts." There is a major difference in the approach to writing taken by students of literature, and students of theory and practice of writing.

Of course, as I've said because there are only three programs in the country offering this as a major, it is very difficult to find someone with this background. There is only one school (at least at the point I last kept abreast of the field) that offered a PhD.

It is very difficult to keep up with your own field, but a little reading in the current research will make a major difference in the approach taken in teaching writing. Most PhD programs are a process of learning more and more about less and less. In order to publish, that process repeats itself in post doctorate work.

So, I'm only suggesting a little reading in the professional journals to inform your approach to teaching writing. If you're going to teach anything, no matter what it is, it's imperative to do the absolute best you can for your students.

Respect Your Own Time: Office hours and teaching

2008-06-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

Office hours are expected to be kept. The premise is you need to be available for your students. I did not keep regular office hours once I left graduate school. I gave my students my home telephone number in case they had a real writing emergency. However, I didn't wait in my office waiting around for someone to show up. You may use that time for correcting papers and revising your syllabus, planning for the class, or any number of things.

I required my students to make appointments. If they didn't show up in a reasonable amount of time, I left. I demand respect for myself and my time. I think my decision was wise both for me and my students. A few times each quarter, I required teacher student conferences. These were also scheduled.

If a student was late, I only gave them what time was left. I had to do that to avoid having other students wait and therefore disrespecting their time. I never molly coddled my students. By they time they are attending school at the university level, they are old enough to be responsible. I expected them to call and cancel appointments they couldn't' attend.

They were very well aware of the reasons I did these things. Once they knew, it was more than acceptable to them.

The Sky Is Not The Limit: The limitations of education

2008-06-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

Students are required to learn certain things entirely irrelevant to their lives or their chosen occupation. They recognize the irrelevant and resent it. Well they should. My youngest son has a way to make a good living at something he loves. He is an artist. His opportunity is very rare. I told him not to go to a university. They would squash his considerable intellect and ruin his thirst for knowledge. I'm sure his father would disapprove strongly with what I said. All the same, I think it was the best advice I could have given him. I was right and he knew it.

It is important for students to understand why it's so important to write. We studied business letters, letters to the editor, and personal correspondence. The first assignment I gave them was to write me a letter telling me what their prior experience with English was. Some of them were grateful to their English teachers for what they taught them. Those who had bad experiences usually suffered because their teachers were teaching toward standardized tests. They are required to do that, and their evaluations often depend on how well their students perform on those tests.

Every written word should be considered literature. Language is the most powerful tool they will ever be given in their lives. I taught at a well known national business university. There was no text, but the lesson plans were very strict and unyielding. Of course as a first quarter teacher and because I was often monitored I didn't have the courage to teach them how to write business letters, mission statements or business plans. Those things were what they needed to know about. I quit after my second quarter there. They approved me to teach several other courses, but not even the freedom to do that was enough to tempt me to stay. Their education was totally irrelevant to their real lives.

Further, the administration firmly believed they had the best students in the nation and the best teaching staff. They inflated grades. Students expected because they had turned in all their assignments they deserved "A" grades. They complained it was as bad as taking classes at the local university - a place where they would have received a much better education. Because their tuition was often paid for by the business they worked for based on grade point average, the second quarter I inflated their grades too. There was no sense paying money for something they couldn't use.

Students are never taught to read widely and well because English literature is so focused on Western Civilization. Recently, a law was passed in Arizona forbiding anything be taught critical of Western thought. Student groups based on ethnicity were banned, even if they were open to anyone. Teachers have been fired in California for ethnocentric teaching, even when they were teaching from approved texts. We should pray for the librarians.

It takes courage to defy irrelevance. However, it is the most important part of students' education. Why learn something you'll never need to know about just because you are supposed to. I have forgotten most of what I "had" to learn. Further, I seldom learned what I was "supposed to learn." I just couldn't think the right way. I had spent too much of my childhood with my nose in a book, free to make of it what I would. I starte writing poetry when I was seven.

Even the words noun or verb, preposition and conjunction are quite useless. They only describe what the student is writing. It may be supposed they must at least be taught the differnece between a noun and a verb lest there be incomplete sentences. I found the words "do and name" more useful. By the time they get to the university level, they are sick to death of grammar and diagraming sentences. Leave that to the teachers required to teach it and the students who must to graduate.

Every class should teach to what students really need to know - to think, to write effectively and be practical as well.

Beyond Feathers On A Dumptruck: Moving students beyond the trite.

2008-06-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Because high school students are rewarded for any kind of descriptive writing, they often use trite and over used language. I didn't tolerate "azure sky, gentle as a lamb," or any such form of triviality.

I told them it was like "dropping feathers on a dump truck." Phrases like that have absolutely no effect on the reader and reveal a lack of creativity. Of course, most of us are not teaching creative writing. However it is our responsibility to think about the language they use and encourage their creativity.

Often surprised and pleased by what they wrote, I learned they are capable of meeting your expectations. It is necessary to have standards. I wouldn't tolerate sentimentality in place of real feeling. I told them if they could only write sentimentally, to write on something else. The disingenuous is not worthy of them. Their writing should be worthy of themselves.

Punctuation: How I finally got it and learned to love it

2008-06-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

As a student, I used to think punctuation only mattered to English teachers. I never puntuated my poetry. I didn't worry overmuch when I made a mistake. I had no idea it was an art form. Then I took a class on Milton. The teacher who taught the class was brilliant and tough. At the time, I thought my schedule was too heavy too heavy. I almost dropped the course. However, always encouraging, she urged me to stick with my decision and so I did. It wasn't that I hadn't learned all the rules in high school; I just thought what I knew, the way I anylized the work was more important. And I didn't have much time. So I made content my priority and skipped worrying about it.

I suppose it was a common problem because she took the time to discuss the subject despite the fact we could spare very little time on something so basic. She compared punctuation to traffic signs. A period was a stop sign. A comma was a school zone, a semicolon was a yellow light, and so on. I used her technique in all my classes. Then I became fascinated with the use of punctuation. I started caring about it. I decided it was an art form

As a business consultatent, I wrote business letters for a man who was a Board member of a company that was very litigous. Every letter we wrote might be used in court. I had to sign a confidentiality agreement stating I would never tell anyone what was going on, or about the fact I was the author. I didn't mind. I learned to write better letters as I read the letters often sent by a very bright lawyer involved in the whole affair. Soon the business man argued all the time about the best way to punctuate the letters (after I taught him the traffic signs).

Punctuation, once he learned, was his favorite part of the writing process. He was a mathmatition and fascinated by detail. I taught him, once he understood writing well, to break the rules sometimes. Rules of punctuation and sentence structure. His writing improved faster and faster. He had many things to learn about communication. He had absolutely no emotional discipline. His temper often showed in what he wrote. Punctuation actually helped him get himself under control. And, after three years time, he was writing by himself. I only had to help him with content. I will always be grateful to her for that one lesson - brief - but amazingly effectve.

Class Room Environment: Creating a safe place to learn

2008-06-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

Few things are as important than creating an safe environment for students to learn. They must be free to make mistakes, free to say what they think, free to disagree, free to be emotional about any given subject. They must not be told what to think, or how they should feel. They must always be validated.

Avoid using a red pen. Nothing is more discouraging than a paper returned with a bunch of red marks on it. I use lavender or blue. I won't use black. Few things are black and white. The head of the English department told me he always wore gray because he knew there are a lot of gray areas. I wore black almost all the time. It wasn't a statement, or a sign of how I felt. It was a decision of economy. Everything matches with black.

Even the way you dress can be "unsafe." It is not a good idea to establish your authority by the clothes you wear. If your wardrobe is stocked with suits and dresses, save them for your personal life. I tried to dress as casually as my students did. It wasn't to look like one of them; it was for the purpose of not being intimidating, not to be an authority figure. Besides, it was the real me. I always let them know I don't know everything. We're always learning.

It is always teacher, teacher. Never teacher student. I learned many things from my students. I know more about agriculture than I ever would have on my own because I taught at a University with a strong Agriculture Department. What do any of us know about riparian streams? I know about the issues involving dams and water rights. I know something about fishing. The topics they are interested in and are knowledgeable about is endless. They even taught me a few things about writing. If you are a parent, you already know about this. I have learned more from listening to my children than you can imagine. I knew something about Sacred Geometry before (by another name), but my son taught me more than I ever would have known. He taught me about politics and government. My daughter taught me things about business. I have learned about sexuality from them (this is only because I am their mother - it is not appropriate for you to know about your students') I didn't know about. The list goes on and on.

Everyone has a right to their own feelings. There is absolutely nothing anyone "should" feel. Everyone feels the way they do. More damage is done by denying your feelings or stuffing them than is imaginable. Always, feelings should be acknowledged. Be careful with theirs. Do not be condescending, arrogant, or disdainful. Any of this is belittleing. I did not decide what they were ready to learn. If my students showed an interest in a difficult subject, I encouraged them. If they wanted to write something difficult, I allowed it - cautioning them about what the difficulties would be. It is very easy for begining writers to be sentimental, to offer their opinions as a known fact (as in everybody knows this is wrong). They need to be taught about the difference between sentimentality and real feeling. They need to be able to support their conclusions.

We are trying to create a community of writers and thinkers. For that to happen, the classroom needs to be safe. The only reason my students were honest in their writing and class discussion is because it was allowed. Even when what they said upset me, I allowed it. I allowed their anger, their bitterness, even their closed mindedness in the name of safety.

Dialect and Vocabulary: Learn to understand both

2008-06-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

Every region has its own dialect. Everyone recognizes the accent of others from another region. The drawl of the south, the ah of Bahston, the New Jersey intonations. Students from the area where I taught (Utah) also had a dialect and vocabulary of its own. Rather than "correct" their mistakes, we discussed them in class. Students used the word "granite" instead of granted. Laig meant leg. A crick was a creek. Some of these errors would not be caught my spell checker.

I told them it wasn't wrong per Se, however ignorant does not mean rude; it means uneducated to most people. When students understand why they are making mistakes, it is easier for them to catch them themselves. It was pointless to correct feel for think without discussion of the difference between the two (more about that later).

If students are taught new ways of thinking about what they write and say, it is easier for them to understand themselves, their writing, and their mistakes. I was stunned to learn my students didn't know what "play" meant. Play can mean party to them; it can take the form of activity; it may involve pretending; it may be a game. In the world of video games and structured activity (such as soccer, dance lessons, music lessons, and the like), it can even be unlikely some of them never had a chance to play much at all. They may never had the chance to lay on the grass and look for pictures in the clouds. In some ways, they were deprived. Video games could be their only experience.

I brought in a guest lecturer who was a professional game player. "Player" has a meaning of its own in their culture. Because I had teenagers, I understood the jargon from listening to their friends. My children had no dialect, or distinct regional vocabulary, however many of their friends did. I learned a lot from them. If students understand in the classroom, and in their writing (unless they are writing about conversation) slang and odd vocabulary have no place, they will check themselves for errors and you will never have to deal with it again.

Do Not Disturb: What should and should not be discussed openly

2008-06-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

There were several subjects I chose (wisely) not to discuss or disturb my students with. Sex, Religion, and Money. Those are three things I determined should not be talked about, some not even touched upon. Although we did talk to some degree about religion, I tried to keep it down to "same as" or "different from." I knew some students were uncomfortable with it, however, most people are egocentric enough to suppose everybody believes what they do, or think the way they do. I never out right threatened their belief system. For one thing, whether is Islam, Buddhist, Judeo- Christian, or what have you, religion is the one thing that holds some people together. Without it they would be lost. For another thing, everybody deserves respect. I knew there were some teachers in the Sociology Department who betrayed outright disdain for the predominant faith. They were from other parts of the country and some of the doctrine and history of any church is hard for most people to understand. I was once one and of the same faith my students were. I had studied myself right out of it. I studied comparative religion and knew quite a bit about most religious traditions. Because I had a wonderful multi-cultural text for my students to study, some other belief systems had to be discussed, otherwise they would never understand what they were reading. I thought it best if they knew they were the same as many people and different from others.

The head of the department caught wind of what I was doing and tried to advise me to encourage them to hang onto their symbols. In my opinion, that was ridiculous since most religious people are unaware of the symbols of their own faith. I had also studied symbolism extensively and knew Catholics were unlikely to know about the symbolism of the gargoyles on their cathedrals as others were completely unaware of the symbols of their own religion. I knew he didn't want me to talk about it at all. I did anyway.

Sex is a very private matter as well. Most students are uncomfortable with the subject because they have not come to terms with their own sexuality yet. It had no place in our readings or discussions. If there is anything most people are messed up about it is those three subjects. Most of my students believed they were middle class. From studying economics, I knew they were privileged. We talked about the fact that everybody lives in a ghetto of one sort or another. People who live in gated communities live in ghettos of "safety" and mistrust of anyone with less money or education. They are the ones most likely to say "get a job" to people who are destitute. They always believe they have what they have because they "deserve" it by reason of education or hard work. The ivory tower is a ghetto of sorts because the inhabitants are usually unfamiliar with "real people." They read about them, but they don't associate with them much. Everyone seeks their own level.

Of course, they knew about real ghettos. They had read about them, seen pictures of them. However, there were no real ghettos where they lived. Most of them were absolutely petrified of poverty. Most of them had their own prejudice, some outright bigotry. Try not to be frustrated or "cure" them of any of it. No matter how hard you try, you will not be successful most of the time.

There were times I went home in tears because my students out right cruelty to others was unfathomable to me. It was suggested all gay people be sent out into the desert to be left there until they went straight. There was nothing I could do about it, so I left them to believe what they would. It was enough for me they had learned to think at all. Don't let your heart break, don't feel frustrated, don't feel like a failure. Students and most people will only learn what they are ready to learn. I used to say, "You buy them books and buy them books, and they only eat the covers." To some extent it is true. Accept it and move on. Keep your sense of humor and help them get one themselves.

The Ego of Lecture: Problems and advantages of the lecture

2008-06-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

In a writing class, lecture should be employed sparingly. The exclusive use of lecture is appropriate in the sciences, some business classes, and a few other disciplines. It has limited usefulness in writing and literature. One of the problems of lecture (unless you have the poetics of Milton or the enthusiasm of a Baptist preacher) is students can tune you right out or be bored by the repetition of what they have already read or know. Once you have lost your students to boredom or the sense that what you are saying is irrelevant to them, it is difficult to get them back. Class attendance will drop. As a teacher, you will lose your credibility, or students may resign themselves to the expectation nothing much will happen in the classroom.

If you are lucky enough to have a witty or entertaining personality, you are fortunate. However, it is unwise to indulge your desire to entertain. The subject and occasion of lecture should be carefully considered. Relevance and content are both paramount. When there is a point of view students may not have considered, a brief lecture is appropritate to introduce them to another way of thinking. When there is a general problem with a skill, such as punctuation, a lecture is appropriate. Always, an outline and references should be prepared in advance. It is not just students who tend to stray from the subject.

I took one literature class where the teacher brought in slides of artwork pertenant to the literature we were studying. It helped broaden the scope of the literature and helped create a sense of relavence. I also used outside sources. I collected the lectures of Joseph Cambell which were relavent to the multicultural readings we were studying. They helped the students understand the context of the readings and were quite interesting - enough to hold their attention. When the usefulness of those lectures was done with - when the students had enough information to understand the point of the lectures I stopped using them. Anything more than they need is a waste of precious time. When we were studying an American Indian's writing, I brought in a highly educated and successful American Indian to talk about his education and experience. This was to combat their predjudice leading them to believe all Indians were drunken and lazy. It only worked with some of my students. Predudice runs deep and may cause cognitive dissonance in some students. When my health was failing, I brought in other people to lecture. That didn't work very well because I was not there to ask questions or facillitate the discussions. Students rightly complained to the head of the department and I quit teaching before the quarter was done. I knew there were other adjuncts eager to teach another class and becuase of my health, there was nothing to be done about my absence from time to time. It was a wise decision, however disgruntled the head of the department might have been. I returned to teaching when my health improved and taught until I couldn't afford to anymore. The students knew teaching was a luxury for me, and despite my reputation as a good teacher, there was nothing to be done about that either. Because many students tried to take all thier writing courses from me, I regretted having to leave them. However, the basic premise of guest lectures was a useful tool.

The Challenge of The Empty Page: Thinking and writing - related skills

2008-06-18T06:03:00.000-07:00

The Greek Philospher Arroz said, "The are three kinds of intelligence, those who believe what they are told, those who hold to be true what is thought by generally thoughtful people, and those capable of original thought." It is helpful to identify in each student and the classroom as a whole, what kind of intelligence the students have. It is particularly difficult for students who believe what they are told to write. The challenge of the empty page can be daunting for beginning writers, especially if they have limited "intelligence." Intelligence, defined this way, has nothing to do with IQ. There are highly intelligent people who fall into the first category. However, for them it is difficult to analyse, to evaluate souces, and think about subjects they are unfamiliar with. After all in these instances, they have not yet been told what to think. As I teacher, I never told them what to think about anything. (This is not a tecnique I learned in graduate school. It is a problem I identified and solved myself.)

Those who hold to be so what is generally considered to be so by other thoughtful people have a larger knowledge base than the first category of thinkers. Students capable of original thought are rare. So, the first problem a student must face is filling up even one page of writing. It is not such a difficult task to teach students how to think as some might believe it to be. It is the first task a teacher of writing must do. Reading, journals, class discussion, and lecture are all required. It can be done while teaching other writing skills concurrently. I have found students to be the most grateful for learning this skill above all else they learned.

The beginning of learning to think is an excercise all of us are familiar with. Discussion questions at the end of every reading should be thorough and approached from every angle of the possible discussion. Questions asking for "right" answers should be avoided. In no way should there be true, false, or "multiple guess" questions. I advised my students to write about what they learned from what they read, not what they read said. They were encouraged to write the "ah-ha's" they experienced while reading or to relate it to appropriate experience. Particularly relevant or insightful entries from various students should be shared with the class for discussion. And where it is warranted, noted and answered to by the instructor when reviewing journals periodically. I asked my students to turn in their journals every week or so for review. By responding in writing to what they wrote, they recieved feedback, questions for consideration, and validation. As a student, I was never sure if my journal had been read or not. Often, they were not turned in until the end of the quarter when they were too many entries for any teacher to read. I did know it had been evaluated enough to be graded, but I almost never knew what the teacher thought about my entries. Students are far more likely to think and write if they are sure it is relevant to the teacher and the rest of the class.

Relevance is the biggest obstacle to learning in any classroom. If students see no other reason to learn besides a grade, they do not study as hard or make as much effort. They are less likely to remember what they learned and not as likely to participate or feel confident enough to participate in class discussion.

Students who are not used to this kind of approach may be "lost" for awhile. However, it doesn't take very long at all for them to catch on. In this way, they come to enjoy their journal writing and they do not view it as busywork. I can't think of anyone who enjoys making busy work a priority. Many students do not even complete such assignments. I made journals one third of their grade points. Two thirds was assigned to their writing assignments and the final served as the tipping point for students on the borderline. All assignments involved writing. There was an occasional drill test given during class time. These drills were reserved for problems most of the class exhibited. For students who have unique or isolated problems, special assignments were given. The drills were corrected by other students, turned in to me as information, not grades, and returned to the students with notes about what to work on and what resources to refer to. This approach freed up more time for writing and thinking skills.

Additionally, small discussion groups were formed to allow more students a voice in the disscussion. I visited each discussion group in turn, spending extra time with groups that were floundering and reinforcing groups where the disscusion was rigorous. Students should not be left alone, directionless in their discussion. In every aspect, teaching writing requires feedback and validation. I cannot stress enough the importance of this principle in the teaching of writing. I am sure this translates into every discipline and is probably something you are already aware of unless your teaching style is traditional.

By using all three of these techniques, students quickly turn from students who believe what what they are told, to people who hold to be true what is thought by other thoughtful people, or even capable of original thought. The outcome is extremely rewarding to the teacher. (I seldom use the word "extreme," but it is the right word here.) Once students have thinking skills, once they know what they think and want to say, they have enough or more than enough to fill up the page and move on to several pages. Until they do, not much writing will happen. And, if they do not learn how to think, their writing will be shallow, even boring to read. Thinking students' papers are interesting, even thought provoking to the teacher and other students. The best example should be read aloud to the class. This is best done by the teacher since students are often halting and unsure of their own work.

In this way all the students know "what they're up against." And a lesser grade is more acceptable to the student if it is obvious they have not met the standard. Students writing in a vaccum have no way to know, aside from teacher comments and grades what it is they should have done. They do not know what is possible for students on their own level. They may believe they are competing against a mysterious standard invented by the teacher. They are less confident and realistic about their own writing. This is the very beginning of learning to write - a step that should not be skipped. Even numerous writing assignments will be unsuccessful if students don't know how or are not exposed to thinking. Writing cannot be taught by practice alone.

The Ethics of Teaching: Problems and guidelines

2008-06-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

I was once a Public Relations student. As a student in that field, the subject of Ethics was of particular importance (though you would never know it considering most of the practitioners). So, I gave the ethics of teaching considerable thought. I had been taught by both highly ethical teachers and teachers whose ethics were deplorable. I was highly motivated to formalize my own standard in written form to solidify my ideals. The following reflects my conclusions.

The ethical dilemma of teaching was never discussed in any of my coursework and only touched upon in my general teaching seminar as a graduate student. At that time, we were advised to treat members of the predominant religion as a "subculture." When one of the teaching assistants questioned the category, the facilitator explained "Most of us consider ourselves to be Americans first and our religious affiliation comes secondary" or farther down the list than that. It was obvious the future TA was disgruntled by the definition, however, I believe it had to be said. I am sure there are similar problems with every religion, most especially in the South and other Bible Belt states. In the classroom at that university there was no censorship of the readings used in writing courses and there was a clear line between religious and secular authority. It is not always so. At the university were I did my undergraduate work, professors were careful about teaching much of anything that might threaten the predominate faith. I was advised "most of the students" in my senior project class would feel they shouldn't be reading the paper I had written. Although it was near the end of the term, I wrote another one. My teacher later said I had misinterpreted what he meant and it was regrettable. I did not misinterpret; I was sensitive to his concern.

There are religious schools students can attend where their beliefs and values will be shared with the faculty and student body. In a history class my daughter attended where I was teaching in reference to Darwin said, "We all know how man was created, don't we." My daughter, without discussing it with me, reported his statement to the head of the History Department. I was proud of her. I never wanted the backlash of being a whistle blower. I never reported inappropriate behavior (though I endured many incidents of it). My daughter has always been braver than I am.

If anything, intellectual courage should be encouraged. In my opinion, faith so easily threatened is not much faith at all. However, I only encouraged my students to suspend belief long enough to entertain the notion that an other's perspective might be valid, no matter how strongly they disagreed with what they read. Regardless, I did not teach from texts that might be particularly threatening. I was already "going against the grain," and I did not want extra problems. I pick my battles carefully.

Often a student will come to a teacher with personal problems and concerns. At all times, a teacher should be aware they are not professional therapists. And if the problems are serious enough to warrant it, a suggestion should be made to seek counseling available through the school. At no time should these confidences be discussed with anyone. My students generally did not come to me for personal advice, nor should they have. Problems with the literature and writing were discussed in class. Particularly thorny topics were handled by two sided formal debates following debate rules. I learned these rules and techniques when I was in high school. I received a forensics scholarship to an in-state university for my work in that discipline, so I was qualified to facilitate debate. On one topic, the debate was quite lopsided - two students against the rest of the class. Proper monitoring can even mitigate the problem of such a one sided division of opinion. The students did not have to come to me personally for their problems dealing with such issues. I did not evade issues pertaining to current general, civic discussion. However, I did not seek out such topics, censoring myself to a degree. It was not my roll to blast closed minds completely open.

The strongest example of that for me, was an Economic History of the United States class. The teacher of that class was nominated time and time again by students for Teacher of the Year Award. Time and time again, he won. He had the lecture style of a Baptist preacher. The subject he was teaching threatened every version of history his students had been taught (and some of their faith). I listened with tears in my eyes because I recognized what he was saying as the first time I had ever heard the truth about the history of my country. Some students cried because they were upset. Regardless of the response to what he taught, he taught on. Further, he was socially accessible to a few of his students.

I spent many nights playing poker and drinking with both him and other professors and students in the department since I was an older non-traditional student. (I was a terrible poker player.) We did not talk about our personal lives, we argued economic theory. Many of the professors disagreed with his economic model. Of course, I was a disciple and knew enough to hold up my end of the ensuing debate. This practice was in keeping with my experience as an undergraduate at the same university where I did my graduate work. (At that time, I did not finish my college education.) I learned as much or more having coffee with my teachers then as I did in the classroom. Of course, any decision to socialize should be made considering circumstances and specific students. As a graduate student, teachers hosted many soirees with their students. During my undergraduate days at the university I graduated from at least one professor hosted a house pot-luck party for his senior students. As always, personal lives were not a topic of conversation.

One student was referred to me by another professor for advice. We had coffee and she told me about her problems with school and her personal life. We talked person to person, not teacher to student. I made myself her equal, not an authority figure. I advised her to seek counseling and drop out of school temporarily until her personal and economic issues were resolved. It was obvious she was under terrible stress and her studies would have suffered had she stayed in school. I knew that because she was a student in one of my classes. Other than this one instance, I never counseled a student, nor did I seek out knowledge about their lives. I had already had experience with a professor who did that and I knew it had been destructive for me. (He was later reported by another student for the same thing and severely reprimanded.)

I did talk about my personal life in front of the whole class only enough to help them understand how their choice of education would affect their ability to earn a living. I encouraged students to learn to write no matter what they thought they would do with the rest of their lives. I made them understand a major in English is advisable only if they were going to be teachers in the public school system or go on to get their PhD. It is my opinion students need to make informed decisions. Of course there are other opportunities that can and do open for graduates with degrees in English, but they are generally opportunities anyone with a degree can find. The official position is graduates in English are hired in other fields such as public relations, journalism, and other usually specialized fields. It is my opinion such promises are misleading. I felt an obligation to my students in this regard (probably a responsibility I need not assume).

Even though I set boundaries there is that student writing is somewhat revealing. I advised my students their papers may be read in class and not to write anything they wouldn't want everyone to know. I said the same thing of their journal writing because I often used excerpts from their journals for class discussion. Anything more than this is a personal violation of the student and their right to privacy - a right they may not be aware of because of parents or other authorities who delve, rightly or not, into their personal lives or decisions.

Why I Write This Blog: The freedom and problems of not being affiliated with a university

2008-06-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

It may be a subject of curiousity - my motives for writing this blog. The first reason is I have had very little opportunity to express my opinions on education. Although as a graduate student I was taught, even assigned to demonstrate my knowledge in the field of my chosen profession. As an adjunct professor I was not asked, nor did I feel comfortable to express my opinion or demonstrate my knowledge. Because I was an adjunct, one time at fully tenured professor dropped in to check on what I was doing. Fully satisfied, by what she observed it never happened a second time. At the time, I was relieved no one would know how far afield I was. I regret there was not more interest in what I might know.

However, I realize it is very difficult to keep abreast of the publications in your own field and the expectation to be published. So, I undetstand that. However, silent for so long, it is a relief to be able to say something. It is my hope someone with something to say about writing curriculm will stumble across this blog and find it to be a worthwhile subject for discussion wherever they teach, whatever opportunity there is to do something about it.

My annonymity gives me the luxury to speak my mind whithout repercussion or criticsm. It also frees me to write in a conversational tone anyone can understand. I was encouraged to do so in my graduate work and research. This particular subject is not served by intellectual density. I will, at a later time recommend helpful textbooks and sources. First, I will have to recover them. When I quit teaching, I gave them all away. However, I gave them to someone who will allow me to recover them. I threw away most of my papers, not wanting to be reminded of what I could not do anymore by reason of economics and health.

And, were I working in my chosen field, I would have to be jealous of my work for publication's sake. As it is, I do not need money or reputation. It is a freedom I enjoy immensely. As well, I am not subject to criicism or the burden of other's ego. I do not have to defend my work as I successfuly did in graduate school (as considerable amount of pressure since I was required to write and defend orally everything I had learned in two years work). My education in the field of journalism makes me suitable for writing in this style, a trait that has served me, most times, well in all my accademic work. It has always been my goal to be sccessible and to de-mystify academic theory and knowledge which is quite dense as a subject of study.

Given the givens of my situation, I have a unique opportunity. I have the time to write on several subjects of interest to me and the freedom to stop writing when it is in my best interest as far as my health is concerned. There are certain negatives as well. I do not have access to recent research or continuing experience in practicing my skill. Therefore, I can only write about what I know and my limited past experience both as a student and as a teacher. I have regrets on both accounts. As with anyone, there is only so much I have time to read and given that I have many interests, I indulge my reading time as much as I can by reading what is available to me on other subjects. I acknowledge my limitations and write in the hope the reader will take the time given to them to do what I cannot.

A Radical Approach to Curicuricum and Staffing: Teaching within each specialty

2008-06-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

It is the norm to assume a PhD in literature is qualification enough to teach literature. It can also be assumed a master's degree in any emphasis qualifies anyone to teach (at least) lower division Introduction to Literature classes. I strongly disagree with both these assumptions.

Although my background in literature is quite adequate, I did not take many classes in literature as a graduate student. Almost all my focus was in learning theories of writing. The university I attended was one of only three schools in the country offering such a program. Therefore my qualification to teach writing was rare. I don't believe anyone in the English Department recognized the difference between my education and theirs. No program existed in my chosen specialty at the time they were being educated in the various forms of literature. I was not specialized in any such subject matter. And although I truly believe the English Department in the University where I did my undergraduate (the same as where I worked) was as good as or better than any in the country and has recieved recognition for several of its achievements, the writing program was quite ordinary.

The professors were highly qualified as specialists in their own niche. Most of them are well published. They are in fact, very intellectual (but conservative). There was, however, no emphasis in their education in writing. Being a an excellent writer does not necessarily translate into teaching. Since graduates in Theory and practice are rare due to the limited number of universities offering such a program, it would be naive to propose all teachers of basic composition classes should be specialists. It is simply a matter of supply and demand. There are not enough available.

However, every professor I knew was blissfully unaware of their own limitations. Many of them still believed in wrote memorization and drill. Those skills are, or should be, taught in high school. Any student seriously lacking in those basic skills should be refered to a remedial class. I discovered, since I was not trained in high school teaching, I was woefully inadequate at teaching "bone head" classes. My students were short changed. I might have learned after a time, however I believed since wrote memorization and drill is most likely the best thing for the students, those prepared to teach that should be teaching those classes. My skills were wasted there. The head of the department thought it would be good for me to experience teaching that class. Indeed it was good for me. I learned about my own limitations, and best good in teaching. It was bad for my students. I think they were only a little better than they had been before taking my class. The student evaluations reflected the truth of that. I decided never to teach such a class again, simply because I wasn't qualified.

Discouraged by my experience and stretched too thin by working another job to survive, I went into business and finally the insurance industry. It was assumed by most I didn't enjoy teaching and wanted the money. They couldn't have been more wrong. The choice I made was purely an economic one, and because I refused to do what most adjuncts do - teach at several schools. To teach writing well, there must be a lot of time available for one on one teaching. I didn't want to compromise my teaching or my students. It has always been, for me, either the best I can do or nothing. Teaching the way I wanted to only one or two classes at a time, didn't pay well enough. I suppose there is nothing to be done about that.

As a result, students do not recieve as much as they should from their education there, and at most other universities. Writing is essential for any chosen field (hence the writing across the curriculum approach). I knew a mathematician who told me he went through graduate school in math so he wouldn't have to write. Then, once he went to work in the aerospace industry (he truly was a rocket scientist), the first thing he had to do was write. I spent three years writing for him as a ghost writer and teaching him to write. I was paid $20,000.00 for that work. It is no wonder I quit teaching and went into business. It was a terrible waste of my education. I wondered often why I spent so much time trying to become skilled at my chosen profession when I could earn more money as a waitress.

Finally, I decided it had been worth it for me personally. No one can take your education away from you, and education for education's sake is worthwhile. However, too often it is true a humanity's degree often translates into nothing economically. It was true, I was only hired into the insurance industry because of my education, but I had to start at the bottom and work my way up. For that reason the pay was poor for quite awhile. However, it was more than I could earn teaching at the level I determined I had to teach. I have very high standards and I am no good at compromise. I still regret the system is what it is.

Until there is major reform in the teaching of writing, students will continue to come away from college graduation with less than they might have. Writing across the curriculum is not widely accepted by teachers in science and other disciplines. (more about that at another time). Professors should take advantage of their collegues who know more than they do. The truth, though they said otherwise, is adjuncts are not considered to be collegues. I never tried to be any more than I was. It would have been unseemly, and disrespectful (I was already accused of that as it was).

I gave one faculty presentation on one of my teaching methods. The feedback was they did not have time (which was true) or the "personality" for that. I can hardly see what personality has to do with it. If one has the disposition to be a teacher at all, it can be translated into any form of teaching. I could not accept that as a reason. However, because of the very real problem of class load and the pressure to publish, my proposal was impractical and I was niave in even presenting it. Although I do not regret demonstrating an alternative to traditional methods, I would have better served them with something more time sensitive. I made a mistake. The chair of the department only knew about my teaching methods because I had to justify the number of "A" grades I gave out. There needed to be an explanation and I gave it. I'm sure the perception I wasn't respectful was concluded by my familiarity with certain professors. I was familar with them, but I shouldn't have betrayed it. Mistakes are made from time to time.

The complications of teaching writing are many. It would be difficult in the prevailing accademic atmosphere to do anything about it. In graduate school where I was a teaching assistant, my role was to teach research writine, persuasive writing, as well as composition. The university where I taught only offered composition one and two. Therefore there is not enough time to teach everything about writing. The basic structure of the writing program there should be revised. It would be advisable as well to allow students (which I did) to work on papers for non-english classes. Although this is a terrible "killing of two birds with one stone", since students are rarely taught to write within their chosen field, an attempt should be made to help them do that. I spent the whole time teaching hoping no one would discover what I was doing.

Further, while still on a quarter system, composition was only a three hour class. I knew many of my students, perhaps most of them were working and some married with children. I was rigorous, but often sympathetic to late work. In a commuter campus that should be allowed - often it isn't. The reasons for late work and sometimes failure to do the assignment at all untill the end of the quarter. I once failed a student because she did not attend class or turn in any assignments until at the end of the quarter when she wanted to do make up work. Her excuse was she had out of town guests. Although she was from Japan, and the tradition there is one of necessary hospitalilty, I was not lenient with her. Of course these are decisions any teacher has to make in any classroom, however it is significantly more important in a writing class because the work is not about memorization or taking tests if done properly. It is about writing as many papers as possible within the alloted time and revision. I required my students to revise all five of their assigned papers at least three times and turn them in for feedback.

I noticed it was common to only check grammar and punctuation and then make check marks where particularly good sections presented themselves in the paper. A check mark offers no explanation about why the writing or content is good. It only tells the student they have succeeded some way, some how. They may not be aware specifically of how they succeeded. That information is critical to repeatable excellence.

The improvements that could be made are numerous. Thoughtful, informed decisions should be made. I give credit to the university where I taught for doing as much as they knew to do to make the program as good as it was. And it was good in many ways. The professors their make time to be available during office hours there for one on one conferences. I do believe that conferencing time is crucial, however not all students take advantage of it. As a teaching assistant, and as an adjunct I made it required. This made my office time at least twice during the quarter quite long. I didn't mind the many hours it took to teach. The semester system may have made it easier to teach more in any given class. I often wished I could stay with the same students all the way through their education, at least for conferences on their continued writing. There are writing labs available, however it is staffed by students who only know so much about teaching or discussing writing. Disscussing writing has to be taught. However, I did recommend the lab to students who were struggleing with grammar and punctuation. I did not feel it was in their best interest to proof read their papers. (More about the teaching of writing at another time).

Until someone on the faculty understands the theory and practice of writing, nothing significant will be done to change the program. I was mute. Perhaps I should not have been. However, I defend my choice because it would have been so easy for any proposal I might have made to be sharply critical, when in fact that is not nor would it have been. But, the depth and scope of the changes I might have proposed would certainly have been perceived as presumtuous (a criticism I was not willing to expose myself to). In my case, my own life was already subject to much gossip and speculation. I didn't want to be under the microscope anymore than it already was. I do not believe any of that has a place in higher education.

My conclusion is, it is highly unlikely anything will change. Changes can only happen when it is known what alternatives there might be and there is opportunity for discussion. Ego must be put aside or assuaged. Hiring and assignment practices as well as training would have to be reformed, and most importantly, there has to be a willingness, an open minded approach. I hope one day in the future, for the students sake, this happens.

Informed Pedagogy: New practices in education vs traditional

2008-06-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

As a student, I was exposed to both traditional and newer styles in teaching. In traditional classes, there were reading assignments, lecture, some discussion and tests. The testing focused on memorization with a few essay questions. In non-traditional classes, all testing focused on essay questions; there were small group discussions; and small writing groups. Collaboration was encouraged, and in some cases, assigned. Journals were required. Class presentations were expected as well. There was a marked difference. In pedagogical style, there was a difference as well. Traditional professors retained control of the classroom, while non-traditional teachers surrendered control to the students.

Since my major as an undergraduate was The Teaching of English rather than Literature, I was required to take at least one education class. It was in this class, as well as in my graduate program I learned the most about teaching. Although most of my classes were taught by traditional teachers during my undergraduate work, some of them incorporated at least some of the educational tools of the non-traditional teaching methods. As a graduate student most of the teaching involved newer styles of teaching. It was in the "new" classroom I learned the most.

To this day, I can tell you hardly anything beyond a general understanding of what I learned in traditional classes, while the subject matter in non-traditional classes is still accessable and clear to me. I taught my class room in the non-traditional way and discovered it was far more effective than it would have been if the focus had been on grammer and sentence structure (as most early composition classes were at the time).

Further, I discovered because my major in graduate school was in Theory and Practice of Writing (a program not available in most graduate schools), I actually knew more than the professors who taught and were teaching at the time. They were (as far as I could tell) unfamiliar with current and past research in the field. I said nothing about that because I was just an adjunct professor and they had their PhD and were far more experienced, and therefore sure of themselves, than I was. There was one very notable exception. He was in charge of the Writing Across the Curriculum Program and well suited to the position. For that post, it is necessary to have absolutely no ego. He was very approachable.

He was interested in a research project I did while working on my masters on the subject "On Becoming an Historian." During that research, I studied one senior project class and their educational history. It was a subject of interest because the students from the undergraduate program were being accepted to Harvard and Yale with some classes waived there. It was a small land grant university. Evidently the project was daunting to some. They had paid several people money to do the project and none of them had finished. They sought students to do the study and none of them, except me, would take the job. I found myself well suited to do the research because of the preparation I recieved in my own classes.

The determining factor was, students were required to write papers from original documents such as journals, letters, and other available sources. They were given complete freedom to do the work on their own once they became seniors. There were only two classes held during the quarter and some conference time was dedicated to advise them on their projects. In interviews with the students, I learned they were all aware of where their skills came from: a history of taking classes where writing was emphasised and non-traditional teaching methods.

Because most of my professors taught as they had been taught there were major differences in where the students were accepted after graduation. After all, the mission statement given to the University was to train the students to be teachers or work at a lower level in other majors. I think the very mission given to the school limited the emphasis and scope of the program. Since then, a graduate program has been offered in English. I know the head of the program suffuciently well enough to believe he is the best suited for the position. His classroom was the least traditional of all the classes I took as a student on the subject of English Literature.

Even reader response was a subject of debate among some of the professors. Traditional teachers were least likely to validate the students' answers to questions that were unlike the accepted interpretation of the work. Others fostered new criticism and response. As a student, I soon learned which professors to take classes from and which classes to drop. I found as well, teachers with very high standards were the best to take classes from. As a teacher, I learned this was also true. My students could out perform most other students taking the same class. I was a very "tough" teacher, yet a had a good reputation among students. There was usually a waiting list of students wanting to enroll in my class. The student reviews contained no criticism. It was supposed I couldn't learn from their evaluations because there was no negative feedback. I decided there was nothing to complain about. "A" students even accepted "C" grades (a phenomonon). They understood the reason and I proposed writing was not going to be everyone's strong suit. Yet even students I thought should be taking remedial classes in composition developed into good writers.

One professor proposed students could either write, or they couldn't. If they could write, it was best to "get out of their way." Inversely, if they couldn't write, there was nothing much to be done about it. I had been taught in graduate school anyone can learn to write, if taught properly and I believed it to be true.

It should be obvious to the reader I favor non traditional pedagogy over traditional in every way. Once I could see the difference as a student, I practiced as best I could on my own a nontraditional approach. It took me awhile to learn to do that. It involved extra reading outside what had been assigned, often extending into seminol literary criticsm. I learned much from those readings. It showed in my work. By the time I learned to do that, I was confident in my ability to do "A" work. I also knew I was not necessarily the most intelligent of the students. It was because of my educational opportunity and my own approach and motivation to learn.