Knowledge Growth of Teaching Writing

Learning to Teach

engresearcher40 — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:05:46 +0000

Before entering my first classroom as a composition teacher, I thought to myself, “How hard can it be? I’ll just do what all my other teachers did before me!” Little did I know what challenges lay ahead: the endless paper grading, the procrastination, the questions (from my own inquiry and my students), the feeling of inadequacy, the sleepless nights from a restless mind. My first three years consisted of experiential learning: learning came from my experiences in the classroom and my interaction with my colleagues.

Reflecting back upon all my experiences (at least, those which my memory will allow me to remember), I have asked myself these careful questions:

1) What have I learned? 2)What thoughts have I considered during or after my role as a teacher? What influences my teaching as a composition teacher? 3) What were/are my goals for my composition class and for myself as an educator? 4) Throughout my experiences, what feelings did I express? (anger, frustration, confusion, helplessness, joy, excitement) 5) What did I learn and how did it occur? Did I seek out knowledge? Was knowledge spontaneously told to me by someone else? 6) What did I do to learn? 7) Who specifically was/is involved in my learning? Colleagues?Students? Friends?

I use these questions to help explain every experience that I have had throughout my teaching career. Remember Theresa? My first encounter with a second language speaker? I go over these questions above, again and again, so that I will never forget what or how I learned from this experience.

Now, I would like for you to reflect back upon any experience(s) which you may have had in your composition classrooms (this/these experience(s) may have happened last semester, last year, or decades ago). How would you answer the questions above?

Teaching Writing

engresearcher40 — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:15:06 +0000

When did you begin teaching college writing? How many years have you taught college writing? If you have taught secondary education, how is teaching writing in the post-secondary educational context different from teaching writing in the secondary educational context?

Grading Coursework

engresearcher40 — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:59:27 +0000

As a new instructor, I remember that one of the more difficult challenges of teaching was grading. While I was teaching, I developed my own unique way of grading. At the time, it worked for me; however, now, knowing what I know, I would do it differently. I now know that there are many different ways that one can grade coursework.

My question to you is, how did you learn to grade coursework? Did someone in your department at the university (where you first taught) hand you a rubric and say “Use this.”? Were you left on your own to figure out your own system for grading? Did you follow your own teachers’ styles of grading as examples ?

How do you grade now? Have your grading methods changed over the years? If so, why and how?

Observing Others

engresearcher40 — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:07:42 +0000

As a graduate student of English Literature, I never had the opportunity to observe another instructor teaching English courses, except to simply observe my own instructors teaching me. Reflecting back, as I began my teaching career, I remember thinking, “What did my past instructors do?”

When you began teaching, or as a graduate student, did you have the opportunity to observe other teachers/instructors teaching courses? Did you have teachers as mentors when you began teaching? Were you a teacher’s assistant (TA) or a graduate assistant (GA) ?

Teaching Comp Courses

engresearcher40 — Mon, 16 May 2011 21:55:19 +0000

I believe that I have inquired about the number of years that you have been teaching, but what I should have asked is, how many years have you been teaching first year composition (college composition)?

Also, do you find that teaching first year comp is different from teaching any other composition course – whether those courses are technical writing, basic writing, creative writing, etc? If so, why? Do first year comp courses entail a specific group of students different from other students in other writing courses? If so, how ? Are your methods of teaching different in FYC than in other writing courses you may teach? Do you develop different teaching approaches? How are these developed?

Teaching Comp – Section One

engresearcher40 — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:59:12 +0000

Most of you are teaching the second section of First Year Comp this semester, so I haven’t had the opportunity to talk much about the first section of First Year Comp. As a literature graduate, do you find that teaching the first section is more challenging than teaching the second section of First Year Comp? (I am assuming that the first section is generally based on teaching expository essay writing.)

Are essays written in class or do you require students to write the essays out of class, generally on a computer? Are the essays then brought to class for peer review? Is peer review a part of the grade for the course? Are students given a final exam essay? Is this essay written in class? Are rubrics used in this course? Do students generally understand the use of the rubric once it is explained to them?

Does your university require a certain number of essays for section one of First Year Comp? What (essays) does your university require the students to write? If the university does not require specific types of essays, what types of essays do you generally require? How did you “come to know” what types of essays are important to teach?

Every university has a different policy regarding what is taught in First Year Comp courses. However, generally it is the discretion of the instructor to decide how essay writing is taught, and sometimes the instructor is given the “freedom” to choose what types of essays the students will write. How do you decide? Do you find yourself changing your teaching strategies every semester? Why or why not?

Student Knowledge

engresearcher40 — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:48:33 +0000

As I began teaching, I remember that I never really knew my students. I could say that I “knew” at least one in every class, but knowing a student’s name and recognizing that student in a crowd is definitely different from knowing that student. Where were my students from? How much writing had they done prior to attending my class? What were their goals for the class? What were their goals in life?……I am embarrassed to say, but I had NO IDEA.

When I began teaching, I taught five freshman composition courses at two different institutions. I had approximately 100 or so students. Maybe I was more worried about how I was going to pull off teaching a course I had never taught before, or maybe I was simply overwhelmed by the number of students and papers to grade. Whatever my reason at the time, I should have paid more attention. After all, the students in our classrooms have needs. They are not just students, but bright, eager-to-learn (we hope), incredible individuals.

So what will I change next time? Maybe I will set aside the first day of class as a “getting to know you” exercise (without the music from The King and I, of course)….coffee and donuts anyone? Or maybe I’ll make the first writing assignment a biographical narrative of sorts. Or maybe I’ll have the students write a book, entitled “Things People Should Know about Me” composed of all their class writings. Or maybe I’ll suggest that we all go to dinner one evening to chat the night away! Or, being from the South, maybe I’ll host a ‘pot-luck’ dinner and invite everyone to bring their favorite dish!

I really don’t know at the moment what I will do; I only know that I intend to try harder.

How important do you think it is to know your students, and how do you get to know them?

Technology in the Classroom

engresearcher40 — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:36:34 +0000

As a new college/university teacher, I remember how challenging it was (and time-consuming) learning the use of new technology for the classroom (equipment and programs). What sorts of technology do you use for teaching composition? Over the years, have you had to learn a/any technological program(s) or machine(s)?

Do you enjoy using technology in the classroom or for assigning outside writing projects?

Using Literature in the Comp Classroom

engresearcher40 — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:21:49 +0000

Some of you have stated that the use of literature (essays, short stories, articles, etc.) contributes greatly in your comp classrooms because published writings help students to recognize “good” writing. Would you ever try teaching composition courses without using literary examples?

As literature trained teachers, do you feel more comfortable using literature in your composition classrooms?

Effective Teaching Strategies

engresearcher40 — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:07:03 +0000

What have you found to be effective strategies for teaching freshman composition? How did you learn these effective teaching strategies?