Post Process

To me, post process seems to be simultaneously the most useful and impractical of theories. What it does is remind us about certain things we as teachers need to keep in mind:

1) Dialogue is a complex process that takes place along several axes: students, teachers, texts, institutions, audiences, and format/medium are all part of a complex system of communication in writing.
2) There are limitations to the practical application of any theory. Both product-based and process-based theories of composition have their uses, but can be severely limited.
3) Many in-class practices that embody post-process theory are already in use, including peer reviews, group work, writing to multiple audiences, series of drafts, portfolios, workshops, and writing centers. What is important is that we keep in mind the implications of these practices and how we implement them. In other words, everything must be considered as part of a complex system of interactions. Teaching done without much thought can hardly be considered useful.
4) The more degrees of complexity and reflexivity that exist in our pedagogies and classrooms will open up new lines of dialogue and ways of learning.

I think that post-process theory is something that tends to affect the attitudes teachers have and the way they approach assignments, grading, etc., rather than any specific in-class practice. It is extremely useful in the ideological realm, and can positively affect the classroom when it becomes a means of reflection and guidance towards more open lines of discourse.

Post Process Assignment

Today in class, we created assignments that attempted to reach some of the goals of post process composition theory. I imagined mine as a semester-long project that would hopefully tie together many of the composition aims we have discussed.

1. Set an overarching theme for the course. In high school, I participated in History Day; each year, the project had to address certain themes such as Rights and Responsibilities, Frontiers and Pioneers, etc. I think such themes would give students enough leeway to choose topics in literature, history, philosophy, psychology, sciences, or other disciplines while still providing some sort of framework.
2. Have students pick topics inside these themes with sufficient classroom instruction about how to choose a topic (broad vs. specific, comparative vs. critical, etc.).
3. Students turn in any sort of freewriting pertaining to their topic (outlines, brainstorming webs, rants, etc.) to be evaluated as pass or fail (student turned in approximately one-three pages or student turned in nothing).
4. Classroom instruction turns to finding and evaluating proper sources. Students begin to search for appropriate sources.
5. Students turn in an annotated bibliography, which, in my opinion, asks them to think critically about their sources and how they apply to their papers.
6. Students turn in an abstract/prospectus with any additional annotated sources they have found.
7. Students turn in the first draft of the paper, which receives extensive comments from the teacher.
8. Several class days are devoted to workshopping these drafts.
9. Though only one more draft (the final one) is required, students will be given the opportunity to have any subsequent drafts evaluated.
10. The instructor sets up one-on-one tutoring meetings with the students to open a student-teacher dialogue, allow the student to defend his or her ideas, and work on strategies to refine the writing.
11. Student turns in a final draft of the essay.
12. This will ideally lead to a number of auxiliary assignments, including letters, editorials, flyers, debates, speeches, and creative projects.
13. At the end of the course, a class conference is held and each student gives a presentation, allowing the students to be awarded for their intellectual work and giving them the opportunity to teach each other about their topics. They might include a poster, PowerPoint, or video and incorporate both the academic (research) and non-academic (functional and creative) components of the assignments.
14. The final consists of a portfolio of all materials compiled for class. The portfolio also includes a short reflective paper about the student's project, revision (as it is affected by workshops, drafts, one-on-one meetings, etc.), and what was learned.

Please let me know what you think!

Teacher-Student Discourse

One thing I have noticed in taking the video for our group project (with Lauri, Kim C, and Megan from Dr. Rickly's section) is that students are very unclear about the aims of freshman composition. A question we asked them was, "Why do you think Tech is teaching composition with TOPIC?" The answers were all over the board, ranging from "to make it easier on the CIs" to "I honestly have no idea." Most students seemed to think that TOPIC/ICON is a way for Tech to take the "easy way out," that the program is a sort of institutional laziness or cheapness (and in few ways, isn't it?). This problem approaches something that has been brought up in class often--the necessity of communicating educational and pedagogical aims to students. Why aren't student's briefed on the nature and purposes of TOPIC? Why don't we tell them that we're trying to avoid having them write to their professors, that doing everything online saves paper, and that online comments help prevent graders from imposing their style on students? Why don't we inform them and then let them tell us how the program is or isn't working towards these goals? The only recourse students have against the TOPIC program is to test out of it (many students we interviewed advised incoming freshman to "take freshman comp somewhere else") or give negative evaluations at the end of the semester when grades are mostly set. This is similar to a need to inform students about other issues in class; to mention something that came up in class today, professors should let students know if they will be using their papers anonymously as examples in other sections or later in the course and give them the opportunity to opt out of such use of THEIR work (after all, we pound "intellectual property rights" and anti-plagiarism rhetoric at the beginning of class, but avoid these issues ourselves when it comes to using "student writing" as examples--thusly implying that when they turn in words to us, their writing becomes ours--or using turnitin.com). Students are in class to learn, but we as teachers need to be responsible for not only transmitting information, but also informing our students as to WHY we teach the way we do and HOW these strategies will help them learn. We also need to give students the chance to critique our aims and methods because, let's face it--as a teacher, you already know how to write. Your job is not to emphasize your intelligence or mastery of writing craft, but to foster this knowledge in students. If they find your methods lacking and can think of ways to improve it, then we have a responsibility to listen to them. After all, how can you reach the post-process aim of student-teacher discourse if these concerns are avoided?

Dual-Entry Exercise

Because there's a poster of it on my wall for easy reference, some thoughts on the famous woodcut by the Japanese master Hokusai, "The Great Wave."

1. Observation and Description
An ocean scene. Calm, blurred waters in the background, contrasted to the crest of a large wave and other waves. Three fishing boats filled with men are partially visible within the crashing waves. As a composition, this piece pays close attention to line and repetition. The areas at the tops of the waves are white against the blue water. In the wave valleys, repeating downstrokes of white suggest motion, as do the stylized curves at the tops of the waves. There appears to be a mountain in the distance, a snow capped peak that peeks out between the wave swells. A good 3/8ths of the space is simply the white/cream background that represents the sky. In the top left corner are some series of kanji that I cannot interpret, though I imagine it names Hokusai as the artist.

2. Reflections and Notes
Might need to provide some historical and artistic background on Hokusai and Japanese woodcuts. Also, their influence in Europe in the 1900s as an influence to Art Nouveau (curvilinear attenuated ornamentation). Lines: boats, wave valleys, background line behind the waves and mountain. Repetitions: curved wave tops, men in boats, white flecks on larger wave. Could be some room for a discussion of fractals and their role in art and nature (break from seeing the world as a set of repeatable figures, i.e. circle, square, rectangle, triangle). Though there is repetition, is is not exact (like rhymes in poetry--what if a sonnet had all 14 lines end on the same word?); this represents the world as a series of indistinct patterns. What is the meaning of the colors? Find out how woodcuts were produced in Japan (I assume they were hand-inked and pressed to some kind of linen or canvas screen) and if color would be in the artist's mind. Main colors: blue, yellow, and white. Find someone who can read Japanese or do some research into the meaning of the printed kanji.

Voice and Expressive Power

While I understand many scholarly conceptions of voice and its ability to empower writers, I am much more interested in the different ways voice can apply to audience. Students should be writers of expressive voice--and perhaps one duty of English teachers is to encourage this process--who write in journals, blogs, letters, class notes, and other varied media. By reaching down into themselves to express personal feelings and somehow imbue themselves on paper, students do become empowered. I feel, however, that a great deal of students DO write expressively, and often. They scribble during lectures, text message their friends, communicate on the internet, and many have blogs or journals. This type of writing surrounds students and, in some ways, can define or limit the way they present themselves in less expressive writing. While some scholar somewhere may find enjoyment in reading through the instant messaging logs of 14-18 year olds, I think that the true function of "voice" is in how it comes across in communicative writing. A common mistake of college freshman in composition is a lack of consideration of the audience's (teacher or evaluator's) needs.

I draw an example from this semester: though I am not a CI or DI, I am responsible, as an employee of the Office of National and International Scholarships in the Honors College, for evaluating the personal statements of HC freshmen. In evaluating these, I find that the comment I'm making most runs along the lines of: "This is a good start, but I think you need to consider your audience more. Assuming I was a member of an academic scholarship committee, what more would I need to know in order to award you money to continue your education?" I am assuming most of them did not do subsequent drafts, for the majority of the writing is highly expressive. They talk in highly "voiced" ways about their pasts, describe their feelings, and try to define the characteristics they possess (or, perhaps, think that I want them to have, like "leadership" or "empathy" or "hard work"). What they fail to do is reflect maturely on these experiences, relate them to their present or future, or present details key to the reading of a scholarship statement (you might be surprised how many I had to ask, "what is your major? what careers are you considering?"). At least with these statements (and I'd be interested to see how it correlates to any of your DI or CI work), the case seems to be that voice overtakes the needs of the audience in freshman writing. What these students need to learn is to consider their audience and how to present themselves to that audience in way that still contains "voice," but does seem off-putting or awkward. With these expressive writings come other immature mistakes in grammar, sentence structure, organization, etc. In some cases, the students reveal ultra-personal details about their lives that, were the audience in mind, would have no place in a personal statement for an academic scholarship.

So let's allow students to develop that expressive side of their voice on their own--with perhaps a little guidance as it seems necessary. Teachers can certainly encourage students to engage in all sorts of writing activities like journaling, blogging, or even scrapbooking. Perhaps these could be a part of certain assignments in middle school and high school, but by the time they get to college, students need to understand how to translate that voice they have developed as an individual into writing that communicates specific information and details to an understood audience. The best writers are present in all of their writing, be it fiction, academic essay, or newspaper article. Good writers are aware of the rhetorical triangle and attempt to reach a sort of balance in their writing. The writer is present, the reader is considered, and the text is rich and correct. While the balance may shift for certain genres, it is always in view. I see voice not as the most important thing in writing, but one of many components that must be considered and taught in composition.

What is a Perfect Teacher?

As much as people may complain about public education (secondary and post-secondary), I have had, as a whole, more good teachers than bad. Those teachers who were my favorites did not have the same teaching styles, or even teaching goals. The things they had in common were: a love of their subject, a love of teaching, and the ability to get students interested in what they had to say. As a future teacher, my past experiences as a student combine with my current understanding and goals for teaching to outline some of the methods I will eventually utilize. Reflecting on the many assignments I have done from the viewpoint of "the other side of the desk" has yielded a better understanding of which types of assignments work and which are actually counterintuitive to learning. What is amazing is that no teaching style, teaching philosophy, or teaching method(s) are correct: a teacher needs to have a thorough understanding of the many concepts these things involve. The result is a sort of mental portfolio of strategies to use as applicable in different situations. More than anything else, I see flexibility and reflexivity (thinking back on previous methods and adapting them to changing situations) as important qualities to have as a teacher. Finally, I also think it is important to constantly reevaluate my decision to be a teacher. I hear so many stories of "teacher blowout," but in my opinion, teaching isn't just a job that you drop when you decide you don't like it, but a calling of sorts. The sad thing is, I will never make every student I have interested in literature and writing, some students will resist learning no matter what I try (but I still need to try), and I will sometimes feel that I have not done my best by every student. Through experience, I have to learn to be okay with this, but not give up because of it. I guess there is no such thing as a perfect teacher, but qualities which make someone more likely to have success in the classroom.

Struggles n' Such

I suppose something that is puzzling/worrying to me has less to do with ideology and more to do with implementation of those ideas in the classroom. What current scholarship seems to be pointing to is the necessity of different and innovative approaches that match the changing needs of a diverse student body. Teachers and professors who are able to tailor their methods to individual classes, students, or situations are much more likely to have "success in the classroom" than ones who rely on the same structure they have used for X number of years. In thoughtspace, this all sounds well and good, but how do you, as a teacher, identify where students are coming from? How do you decide what method will work best for each class, and how do you work with the individual students who need such tailored approaches? I'm sure that this sort of knowledge will come readily with experience in the classroom, but I suppose that I, like many people who want to teach but have only limited experience, am deathly afraid of failing my students (in the sense that I fail to teach them something, not that they fail to pass the standard assessment measures).

Composition: The End and a Beginning

Certain characteristics of human learning are, in my mind, inexorably linked: reading, writing, and the ability to think. Because these things are connected by language (though of course, thinking involves images, feelings, and conceptual judgments as well), an increased ability in one area is more than likely to positively affect the others. Writing clearly (and, yes, the grammar constructs that go along with this) teaches students how to organize thoughts on both sentence and textual levels and shows how certain thoughts can bleed into each other, contrast in vital ways, or serve as analogues. Excellent writing and grammar instruction offer more than a way to put thoughts down on paper--they foster in students the ability to increase the quality and complexity of their thoughts. The other side of the writing coin is reading. If we see expressive writing as purely ego-centered, then reading becomes the other-centered balance. Though the benefits of reading are far too many to enumerate here, a few positive factors include:
-increased vocabulary
-exposure to differing viewpoints, styles, and genres
-a sort of undefined grammar instruction (absorbing the mechanics of sentence structure, rather than having them hammered into one's head by use of worksheets)
-fostering a love of literature in some students
-ability to make some students who "hate English class" see benefits in reading/writing pertinent to their lives

The end of composition studies, in my reckoning, is to balance different learning strategies and concepts (different teachers will approach the "how" of this differently) so that students can:
1) write in a variety of styles for a variety of audiences, but always in a way that is clear and grammatically correct
2) become associated with academic writing, literature, and functional composition (business memos, resumes, reports, etc.)
3) be able to have and organize more complex and nuanced thought processes
It is my belief that if a student can improve in one of these areas over the course of a semester, the other areas will be positively affected as well. The purpose of composition studies has implications that reach far beyond the classroom. Reading, writing, and critical thinking abilities will play a part in every person's life; it is the end of composition studies to be the beginning step in a life-long process of understanding and organizing concepts.

In this context, the "how" of composition studies becomes less relevant than the "why." Different strategies work for different teachers and sets of students--many teaching methods are not "better" or "worse" than others. As a result, teachers have a wonderful wealth of resources in choosing how to structure a class and reach the goals they have set in their teaching philosophies, including: peer evaluation, group projects, individual writings, diverse readings, grading rubrics and strategies, etc. I would personally like to see a study done about the ways that diversity of teaching methods (as opposed to the "normal" lectures/tests/term paper formula) affect learning and retention. Strategies evolve over time as we learn more about how people learn and as the "average student" keeps changing. Will this continue, or might we actually reach "a day with no composition?" In my opinion, there will always be a need for writing and reading instruction as a way of teaching critical thinking skills. The process may change radically so as to be hardly recognizable, but a world committed to literacy (one hopes we will stay at this enlightened state, if not evolve it further) must be a world committed, in some way or another, to composition studies.

Teaching Transfer

I was thinking during our class today about how to create assignments that deal with the ideas of transfer and audience.

Perhaps one assignment might be to write three different e-mails seeking to set up an appointment. Permutation 1 would be: write to a good friend and ask them to meet you for coffee. Permutation 2: write to one of your professors (preferably one who at least knows you by name) asking for an appointment to discuss an assignment. Permutation 3: write to whoever answers the info@whatever.com emails (i.e. begin with Dear Sir or Madam:) requesting an appointment to meet with someone in their office (an example might be an email to Lubbock Lake Landmark requesting a guided tour). As a class, the students could go over these emails and think about what makes them different, even though they are similar(ish) in intent.

Another assignment I thought might be more helpful in audience is to pick a topic in current issues (environmentalism, politics, social trends, etc.) and research it. Then the students could create four different projects from the same information. 1: write a blog post about the topic, 2: write a short editorial to a newspaper whose reader base is far more conservative/liberal than the topic would usually appeal to, 3: write a letter about the issue to a US Congressperson or Senator, and 4: create a flyer advertising an informative event about the topic. The same information in this assignment would lead to four radically different ways of approaching audience and conveying information. A blog post would probably be more personal and make use of inside/esoteric humor or comments. For the editorial, the writer would need to tone down certain viewpoints and make sure not to alienate the reader base. A political letter would need to be free of error and emotional appeals. The flyer would incorporate visual components and require and informational/listing format.

Tell me what you think!

On Teaching Philosophies

A clear teaching philosophy is, I think, essential for anyone who wants to be a successful teacher, be it of composition, English, or any other subject. All teaching philosophies will be different, as each teacher is different, but hopefully they are informed by modern scholarship on teaching. Teachers who enter a classroom with no clear idea of what they hope to accomplish and how are doing a great disservice to their students. A lucid and practicable teaching philosophy will:

• Establish the nature of student-teacher relationships. Some teachers may feel that honesty, sharing personal stories, and attempting to relate to students will open up avenues of learning. Others may feel that a certain degree of distance is wise in establishing a classroom hierarchy. Of course, some degree of distance is probably wise, but individual teachers will decide how big the margin should be.
• List goals that a teacher can evaluate later by observing student behavior and writing over the semester. A teacher with a clear philosophy can ask him/herself: did I reach the goals I set for the students and myself? do I need to change some of my goals or expectations?
• Influence the teacher's choice of readings, writing assignments, and class projects. If the content of the course flows across the semester, revolves around a single class topic or issue, or succeeds in getting students to think, this is probably the result of a clear teaching philosophy.

Teaching philosophies will affect almost everything a teacher does from lecture to group work to grading. The anecdote I want to relate will illustrate how a lack of a clear teaching philosophy can negatively affect the classroom. My senior year of high school, my English teacher wasted an opportunity to enrich the lives of twelve high-achieving students. We read canonical works like Macbeth and "Paradise Lost" and were expected to write college-level papers on the readings (it was a class for college credit). She was a complete troll about grammar, taking off five points for each mistake she caught; it was possible in a long enough paper with no editing to make a negative score on an essay. In class, however, we wasted our time reading from the book or listening to her tell personal stories that had no bearing on the class or the material. In a way, that class helped me decide to become an English major because I felt I had been cheated out of something.

In my own teaching philosophy, I would like to teach my students to think. This will be accomplished through the "traditional" methods of reading, writing assignments, group work, and research. I would like to stress that I believe that reading makes students better writers than grammar instruction (though this may need to be a component of some courses). I also want to foster creativity by having projects with visual and/or artistic elements and letting the students choose topics within a certain framework of an assignment (of course, I will always be happy to help students who have trouble in choosing a topic with finding something that will stir their passion). Finally, I want to teach my students to embrace diversity in all its forms while still respecting the expectations of their particular audience.

Some Thoughts on ICON

Since I'm not a DI or a TI this semester, this week's post may be a bit of a stretch for me. I did my undergraduate work at Texas Tech, but I never had to take freshman composition. It may be similar for many of you (is it ironic to teach a class you've never taken?). The only time I've ever interacted with 1301/1302 is a few years ago, when I was doing some tutoring. Back then it seemed like a nuisance. I do realize now, however, that Tech's set-up is, in part, a means for tackling the large number of students in freshman composition each semester. While the system is a way of putting many important composition concepts (summaries, drafts, peer response, etc.) into practice, the implementation of the system inherently brings more problems of its own. Some things I have thought about:

1) Whenever I'm going over an essay/story/etc. for editing/grading/workshopping purposes, I like to have the paper in front of me so that I can mark on it with a pen. I (and most people, I think) find it easier to see and mark errors or make suggestions in physical, rather than technological, space. As Ma and Pa Kettle pointed out, the types of errors teachers correct have changed along with the way students compose their essays (i.e. handwritten to word processing). Does ICON further limit and/or change the way that teachers correct errors and offer criticism? On the other hand, I (being a tree-lover) realize the importance of bypassing paper waste. Could newer technology, such as wireless pens with electronic "paper" screens, be next?

2). Students may feel that their grades are too subjective, inconsistent, and impersonal due to having their essays posted and graded online. Perhaps a grading rubric might help, but I suppose that would need to be researched. Could students in a freshman composition class be trusted to grade themselves? I happen to think, perhaps too conservatively, that it would prove more difficult than helpful.

3). Technology inherently complicates things. Everything from a minor glitch to a system crash is possible. How much of class time is needed to learn how to navigate TOPIC? Is there a small percentage of students who are disadvantaged by the system because they have less computer training, do not own a personal computer, or who are simply suspicious of the technology requirements? Do people even remember how to write legibly with a pen anymore? I'm asking these questions because they inevitably affect technology-based learning to some degree or another. How does technology "undercut" certain traditional teaching methods, and how can it support others? How much do these considerations matter in the long run?

I'd be interested to hear what kinds of answers the class could pose for the questions that I've raised. Do I think we need to scrap the whole ICON system? Of course not. For the most part, the approach allows for the most involved level of composition instruction on a very wide-scale level. The idea of basing composition courses on the student's major, rather than attempting a campus-wide program, does have some merit, but I think it would pigeonhole the student's idea of what writing is and what it can do.

3 Important Composition Concepts

As someone who wants to eventually teach creative writing, I would like to compare the three points on the rhetorical triangle (reader-writer-text) with some of the important concepts that emerge in creative writing workshops; furthermore, I feel that these three concepts of authority, diversity, and style apply in teaching students about creative writing.

By authority, I mean that the creative work, be it a story or poem, has a certain air of believability when presented to the reader. This is not to say that genres such as science fiction which bend our perceptions of reality are not acceptable--but it is important that the story create a small universe for itself and offer insights that allow the reader to 'enter' that universe. One important part of authority is obviously being acquainted with your subject. On the other hand, a concept that often emerges from workshops is discrimination, or recognizing that one viewpoint or perspective alone is not always right. Stories or poems written without discrimination are unbelievable because they often alienate the reader. In one poetry workshop I took as an undergraduate, we were encouraged to rewrite our poems from another point of view, which turned out to be an effective strategy in creating an authentic voice.

Another important component of teaching creative writing that I see is diversity, which mostly applies to the writer. This manifests itself many ways in the classroom with the goal of helping students widen their perspectives, stretch their writing abilities, and refine existing pieces. In preparing reading lists for classes, I would like to make sure to include a diverse pool of voices that span gender, ethnicity, genre, and experience. One professor I had made us draw genres for an assignment out of a hat (I got stuck with romance...). As students, we had to stretch beyond our writing comfort zone and approach a story with a new perspective. Diversity can take many forms in a classroom, and I believe that each kind can help students grow as writers.

What I would emphasize about text is a close attention to style. While perhaps more formalist in consideration, work that is grammatically correct, stylistically consistent, and balanced, is more accessible to a reader and reflects well upon the writer. As a student, when presented with a piece of writing for workshop that was clumsily written, I would often be so distracted by correcting errors that I could not comment on things like voice, plot, or character development. Aside from grammatical correctness, I also believe that style includes originality. A professor of mine had us each write down five interesting hook-lines (beginning sentences) for a story. The next class day, we shared our lines and picked one favorite that we all wrote stories from. In each different writers' hands, the line assumed different styles and led to unique places.

Each of these three composition concepts are things I have encountered in my writing workshops and hope to eventually take into a classroom as a teacher. While I may not have all of the different strategies for teaching with authority, diversity, and style in mind yet, I hope to develop my grasp of these concepts. My take on them seems to put me somewhere between the Expressionists and New Rhetoricians in theory.