questioning the teach
In my 10 o'clock class, Tony rolled his eyes when he heard my description of the blog assignment for this week. (Lots of students don't think teachers really see them....) So I asked if he thought the assignment was kinda stupid. He was very brave and said yes. Then I broke it down -- and the assignment made sense to him. Unless he was just being nice and trying to get me to be quiet. But my point is...most students don't ask the question in the first place. Why? Because they often are not encouraged to ask the question, because they're sometimes shot down when they ask a question. Anyway, I figure this is a collective enterprise, this teaching/learning thing. If the purpose of an assignment isn't clear, always ask me...say something...I know I do assignments much more willingly or with some kind of interest if I know the assignment has a reason, a purpose...there's some kind of pedagogical thought behind the thing...not busy work, not regurgitation.
inquiring teachers want to know...
I've been teaching a long time, but I'm noticing a shift in my practice. A lot of it has to do with participating in the
AAMU Writing Project in June 2003. But I'm focusing more on my feelings and experience as teacher. Let's see if I can explain this better. For instance, I believe that grades hinder students' learning. Now, how can I really deal with that in a system that requires me to grade. Well, let's take the in-class essay exam for 203 & 204. Until this semester, this is how I structured assignment:
- pass out format & discuss
- thesis workshop
- students write essay in class and hand in
- I read essays, highlight rubric, add comments, give grade
- if students want to revise, they meet with me
- students write summary of conference, revise paper, write summary of what they did to revise & hand it all in along with original paper and rubric
- I read revision, conference & revision summary, and mark rubric with a different colored highlighter & assign new grade
What's wrong with this picture? Writing a summary of how one has revised helps to focus attention on revision process but only after the revision is done.
This is how I'm revising the in-class essay assignment:
- same as steps 1-3 above
- I check off that essays have been done and staple rubric but don't look at essays
- hand essays out in class for peer review
- reviewers scan paper & highlight 3 sentences on writer's paper: thesis, reason 1, reason 2
- reviewers read more carefully and highlight rubric
- reviewers write additional comments & return to writer
- writer & reviewer can discuss review
- writer responds to reviewer's comments in writing and turns in
- I take essays home and read essay, read rubric and peer reviewer's comments, comment on all of that and add my own highlight on rubric
- return essays & students read all comments & write a revision plan
- I collect essays again, comment on revision plan, return papers
- writers revise, hand in, I highlight rubric, assign grade, return
BIG risk
I woke up this morning thinking about class and all this non-grading and revision stuff. That means I am either a dedicated teacher or I'm a workaholic or I have no life besides work and parenting or maybe a bit of all of the above. Teaching is an art. Creativity comes at odd moments. Let's leave it at that.
OK, with each word I write, I'm conscious that my readers are primarily my students. Here's the BIG risk: while thinking about setting up this teaching journal, I keep assuming that I'll have this space -- which is ok for students to read -- and then I'll have another space -- where I can really talk about everything. I'm afraid that if I'm honest about my teaching practice then I might reveal too much, or I might offend readers/students. But I think I need to take the BIG risk of being honest right here. No other secret teaching journal. This is it. Here is where I write about teaching.
I'm also afraid that students will give up on reading my postings...because I tend to write a lot. Blogging stimulates my thoughts, increases my writing. Oh well... that's how I write. And I want to be as honest about my writing as I am about my teaching.
HOW TO SET UP YOUR BLOG
OK, I just set up a blog for my son...hope he's ok with that...cuz I wanted to see what each page looked like so I can give better directions. I'll go ahead and post the new directions to
our class website, but it might not hurt to include here:
GO TO
WWW.BLOGGER.COM AND CLICK ON THE ORANGE ARROW AT THE BOTTOM THAT SAYS
CREATE YOUR BLOG NOW
1) CREATE AN ACCOUNT
- choose a user name -- this is the name you'll use to login to Blogger. Your user name can be anything you want -- just make it something you can remember easily.
- enter password -- make up your own password
- retype password -- you know the drill
- display name -- name you want to use to sign your posts
- email address
- click the box next to "I accept the Terms of Service."
- click the orange arrow that says Continue
2) NAME YOUR BLOG
- Blog title -- think of something that expresses you; what do you want your webspace to be called?
- Blog address (URL) - this is how readers will find you on the internet. This line shows "http://___________.blogspot.com" and you need to fill in the box. Again, pick something that expresses you (it can be the same as your blog title, your username, or something completely different).
- IGNORE the "Advanced Setup" and click on the orange Continue arrow at the bottom
3)CHOOSE A TEMPLATE
- you'll see about six different boxes -- choose the template you like and click in the circle at the bottom of the box (you'll have more choices once you get started)
- click on the orange Continue arrow at the bottom
and VOILÀ, you have a blog!
Blogger's new look
I like Blogger's new interface a lot. The dashboard is a great idea...the concept of a dashboard as opposed to a menu. Blogging as driving? Hmm...But the new look is cleaner, less cluttered, much easier to navigate, more fun. The icons are cartoony, the reliance on the tan color instead of so much orange, fewer buttons to choose from, buttons are positioned clearly and easy to find and use.
I really hate to ask students to forget about Tabulas and start using Blogger, but Tabulas was just not working out. I chose Tabulas because of the community feature...seemed a lot easier to create a multi-authored blog. But as far as I can tell, Tabulas is run by one person, and I think the system just needs more personnel. The main problem was that students kept getting error messages even when they'd gotten correct user id and password. I also wished there had been more templates. Ah, well. Let's see what happens with Blogger.
no grades
handed back essay with no grades...asked students to write about their reactions. will be interesting. there's got to be a better adjective for the turmoil, the possibility....
Let me back up a bit. It's now close to 12pm and my 11 o'clock class has just left. I've gotta jet in a second to go help celebrate the induction of new Sigma Tau Delta members (the English Honor Society) which is around the corner in the 1st-floor conference room of the library. But right now, I'm still in room 118 with the SmartBoard, using the thing as my personal computer. I find I usually post more insightful stuff if I post right after class. The stuff at the top of this posting I wrote during my 10 o'clock class when I was setting up this blog. I don't like the title of my blog, but I haven't been able to come up with anything different yet.
I believe that grades hinder learning... that is, students get back papers and immediately flip to the grade. Once they've seen the grade, any learning that might have taken place gets thrown aside as the student wonders what s/he did to get the teacher upset, pleased, indifferent...the focus is on the teacher and what the teacher wants. The focus remains outside the student, not where it needs to be...squarely placed on the student's own perceptions of what & how s/he has learned and will continue to learn.
I'm frustrated with my writing right now. Feels so dry. And I'm talking about exciting stuff. Not much more exciting than learning something. I didn't say learning was always a skip along the beach. Learning also happens through fiercely painful experiences. But learning itself defines us. How do we approach learning? Fearfully, arrogantly, contritely, with a sense of discovery and wonder and gratitude?
My job as a teacher is to help students learn. What does that mean? It means I get creative, get my hands messy, figure out how to get out of the way so students can get in the way...of their own ideas, collaborations, passions. Not an easy thing to do. Especially not when the institutional weight of education tends towards traditional models that judge students according to numbers, that allow abusive teachers who discourage and belittle students, that assumes knowledge is something to be consumed and regurgitated. "To study is not to consume ideas but to create and re-create them" - Paulo Freire. That's what a teacher does: creates an environment where we all create and re-create ideas. Better get off my soapbox and go visit the party. I'll be back.
