ENGLISH 600A Syllabus

ENGLISH 600 A    SPRING 2016

COLLEGE COMPOSITION: THEORY AND PEDAGOGY

Dr. Santosh Khadka                                                   Monday 12:30-3:15

Office: ST 834

Office hours: TTH 9:30-11:00                                  Classroom Location: Ed 2117

Phone: 818-677-4337                                                    Email: santosh.khadka@csun.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION

English 600A is designed as a teacher-training seminar to prepare newly selected TA candidates to teach First-Year Composition, focusing on English 114A and 114B, “Approaches to University Writing.” The course will address both theoretical and pedagogical issues associated with the teaching of Composition today, including theories of process, social constructionism, translingual writing, genre, and new media, as well as key elements of classroom teaching, such as assignment design, lesson planning, evaluation, and classroom management.

The course emphasizes connections: connections between composition theory and pedagogical practice, collaboration between and among seminar participants, and community building with others in the composition program.

The course also emphasizes reflection. Reading and discussion will enable students to develop their own comprehensive and coherent concept of what makes writing effective, examine how students learn to write, and determine what they need to learn in order to write well.  The 600A course carries 3 semester units of graded credit, which will be counted toward the 30-unit M.A. work. Grades will be based on the quality of the work completed, the promptness with which it is completed, attendance, and active participation in the seminar.

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

To acquaint new Teaching Associates with theories of rhetoric and composition that have influenced the teaching of writing at the university;

To enable new Teaching Associates to understand connections between Composition theory and pedagogy;

To enable new Teaching Associates to develop effective writing assignments;

To enable new teaching Associates to develop an effective course syllabus;

To enable new Teaching Associates to evaluate student writing effectively;

To enable new Teaching Associates to develop effective class lessons.

To enable new Teaching Associates to incorporate new media into classroom teaching.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Villanueva, Victor, and Kristin L. Arola, eds. Cross-Talk in Comp Theory: A Reader. 3rd ed.

Urbana: NCTE, 2011. Print.

Tate, Gary, et al, eds. A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. 2nd ed. New York, Oxford

University Press, 2014. Print.

Beach, Richard, Chris M. Anson, et al. Understanding and Creating Digital Texts: An

            Activity-Based Approach. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. Print.

Other readings/materials will be made available through course Moodle.

OFFICE HOURS

TTH 9:30-11:00 or by appointment

CLASSROOM POLICIES

Participation and professionalism are very important in this class. Therefore, please try not to be absent, and if you know in advance that you will not be able to attend class, please let me know and arrange with another student to get class notes and materials that were distributed. Also, please arrange your schedule so that you do not come late. I will be creating a class list on which I will be able to contact you. We will also be using Moodle for discussing issues and for posting various resources and assignments.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS—(written materials are due at the beginning of class)

#1- Paired discussion leaders

#2- Microteaching in the class

#3-First Classroom observation report

#4-Textbook review

#5-Second Classroom observation report

#6-Group development of a Progression

#7-English 114A syllabus and Progressions

#8-Ed Tech Presentations

#9-Teaching Philosophy Statement

#10-60 seconds video on Teaching Philosophy and Praxis

#11-Blog Response to Course Readings

 

SCHEDULE FOR SPRING 2016 (subject to change) 

Week 1

Monday, January 25th

Introductions (August 31)Review course requirements; discuss the following readings:

Process Pedagogy

James Berlin. “Contemporary Composition: The Major Pedagogical Theories.” Cross-Talk (235-250)

Donald M. Murray. “Teach Writing as a Process Not Product.” Cross-Talk (3-6)

Sondra Perl. “The Composing Process of Unskilled College Writers.” Cross-Talk (17-42)

Guide to Comp Pedagogies: (Introduction 1-19; Process Pedagogy 212-239)

Review Writing 114A and 114B outcomes:

Course Outcomes:

  • Demonstrate competence in university writing;
  • Demonstrate competence in critical reading;
  • Demonstrate the ability to use rhetorical strategies;
  • Understand writing as a recursive process;
  • Demonstrate the ability to use conventions of format, structure, style and language appropriate to the purpose of a written text;
  • Demonstrate the ability to incorporate and document library and online resources appropriately.

GE Outcomes:

Students will analyze and reflect on complex topics and appropriately synthesize their own and others’ ideas in clearly written and well organized edited American English. They will:

  1. Analyze and compare perspective, meaning, and style in different texts, including those that reflect multicultural images and voices;
  2. Construct a theme or thesis and organize and develop a substantial, balanced and convincing defense of it in a voice, tone, language, and format (e.g., essay autobiography, report, editorial, case study, inquiry, and research) appropriate to the purpose of the writing;
  3. Use logical support, including informed opinion and fact, as well as their interpretations, to develop ideas, avoiding fallacies, biased language, and inappropriate tone;
  4. Demonstrate satisfactory competence in the conventions of Edited American English and the elements of presentation (including layout, format, and printing);
  5. Select and incorporate ideas derived from a variety of sources, such as library electronic and print resources, books, journals, the Internet, and interviews, and document them responsibly and correctly;
  6. Apply a variety of strategies for planning, outlining, drafting, revising and editing written work.

Set up personal websites

Week 2

            Monday, February  1st

Ed Tech 1- Gabriela, Vanessa

Microteaching 1—Manija, Judy

Leading Discussion: Louise +John

Guide to Comp Theories: critical (77-93), cultural studies (94-110), collaborative (37-54)

Linda Brodkey. “On the Subject of Class and Gender in “The Literacy Letters.” Cross-Talk (621-640).

Jacqueline Jones Royster. “When the First Voice You Hear is Not Your Own. Cross-Talk (555-566).

“Co-constructing Knowledge Through Collaborative Writing” Understanding and Creating Digital Texts (135-162).

Charlotte Brammer and Mary Rees. “Peer Review from the Student’s Perspective: Invaluable or Invalid?” Composition Studies,35. 2 (Fall 2007): 71-85. (PDF in Moodle).

Blog 1 Due on your site

Week 3

            Monday, February 8th

Ed tech 2- Jesse,  John

Microteaching—Alexandra, Louise

Leading Discussion: Gretchelle +Manija

Guide to Comp Pedagogies: Community-engaged (55-76), Feminist (128-145)

“Feminism in Composition: Inclusion,Metonymy, and Disruption.” Cross-Talk (597-620)

Blake Scott. “Civic Engagement as Risk Management and Public Relations: What the Pharmaceutical Industry
Can Teach Us about Service-Learning.” CCC 61.2 (December 2009): 343-366. PDF in Moodle.

Lisa Dush. “Building the Capacity of Organizations for Rhetorical Action with New Media: An Approach to Service Learning.” Computers and Composition 34 (2014): 11–22. (PDF in Moodle.

Blog 2 Due on your site

Post 2 page “Statement of Teaching Philosophy” to your site

Week 4

Monday, February 15th

Ed Tech 3—Tatevik, Alexandra

Microteaching 3– John, Gretchelle

Leading Discussion: Vanessa +Jordan

Guide to Comp Pedagogies: Researched Writing.” (231-47)

James P. Purdy and Joyce R. Walker. “Liminal Spaces and Research Identity: The Construction of Introductory Composition Students as Researchers.” Pedagogy 13.1 (2013): 9-41. (PDF in Moodle)

Ellen C. Carillo. “Making Reading Visible in the Classroom.” Currents in Teaching and Learning 1.2 (2009): 37-41. PDF in Moodle.

Course Design Examples:

Jody Shipka. “Beyond Text and Talk: A Multimodal Approach to First-Year Composition” (211-235). First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice

Kathleen Blake Yancey. “Attempting the Impossible: Designing A First-Year Composition Course” (321-347). First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice

Blog 3 Due on your site

Week 5

Monday,  February 22nd

Ed Tech 4– Zachary, Judy

Microteaching 4—Vanessa, Jordan

Leading Discussion: Daniel +Anna

Guide to Comp Theories: New Media (177-193)

Diana George. “From Analysis to Design: Visual Communication in the Teaching of Writing.” Cross-Talk (765-790)

Cynthia L. Selfe. “The Movement of Air, the Breath of Meaning: Aurality and Multimodal Composing.” CCC 60.4. PDF in Moodle.

Chapters from Understanding and Creating Digital Texts:

“Composing Multimodal Texts Through Use of Images, Audio, and Video.” (163-190)

“Designing and Editing Digital Texts for Audiences” (191-214)

“Using New Technologies for Formative Response to Writing” (215-242)

Intro to 60 seconds video project

Blog 4 Due on your site

Week 6

            Monday, February 29th

Video Workshop

Assignment due:  Classroom Observation Report #1

Week 7

Monday, March 7th

Ed Tech 5– Shayne, Jordan

Microteaching 5– Daniel, Anna

Leading Discussion: Gabriela + Jesse

Guide to Comp Pedagogies: Basic Writing (20-36); Rhetoric and Argumentation

(248-265)

Michelle Navarre Cleary. “The Wrong Way to Teach Grammar.” The Atlantic 25 February 2014:

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/02/the-wrong-way-to-teach-grammar/284014/

Laura R. Micciche. “Making a Case for Rhetorical Grammar.” College Composition Communication 55.4 (2004): 716-37. PDF in Moodle

Chapters from Everyone’s an Author

“Rhetorical Situations” (18-21)

      “Arguing a Position.” (61-88)

“Writing Analytically” (137-169)

“Analyzing Arguments” (275-304)

“Strategies for Arguing” (305-324)

Blog 5 Due on your site

Week 8

Monday, March 14th

Ed Tech 6—Althea, Louise

Microteaching 6– Shayne, Jesse

Leadiing Discussion: Tatevik +Zachary

ESL, Multilingual, Translingual

Special Issue of College English, 78.3 January 2016

                                                Canagarajah, Guerra, Shipka

Guide to Comp Pedagogies: Second Language Writing (266-282)

Jennifer Wilson. “Engaging Second Language Writers in Freshman Composition: A Critical Approach” Composition Forum 22, Summer 2010.

Bruce Horner, Samantha NeCamp, and Christiane Donahue. “Toward a Multilingual Composition Scholarship: From English Only to a Translingual Norm.” CCC 63.2 (December 2011): 269-300. PDF in Moodle

Rebecca Lorimer Leonard. “Multilingual Writing as Rhetorical Attunement.” College English, Volume 76.3 (January 2014): 227-247. PDF in Moodle.

Blog 6 Due on your site

Assignment due:          Textbook Review

Week 9

            Monday, March 21-25  (Spring Recess)

Week 10

Monday, March 28th

Ed tech 7 Daniel

Microteaching 7—Anna

Leading Discussion: Alexandra + Vanessa

Screening of 60 sec videos

Guide to Comp Pedagogies: Literature and Composition (163-176); Expressive (111-127)

Patrick Sullivan. “The Unessay: The UnEssay: Making Room for Creativity in the Composition Classroom.” College Composition and Communication 67.1 (2015): 6-34. PDF in Moodle

Doug Hesse. “The Place of Creative Writing in Composition Studies.” College Composition and Communication 62.1 (2010): 31-52. PDF in Moodle.

Blog 7 Due on your site

Week 11

April 4th

Ed Tech 8—Jordan

Microteaching 8– Zachary

Leading Discussion: Shayne +Althea

Teaching Invention

Reading: Part II: Pedagogical Issues (pp. 45-148) from Janice Lauer’s Invention in Rhetoric and Composition:

http://wac.colostate.edu/books/lauer_invention/lauer.pdf

Blog 8 Due on your site

Assignment due:          Classroom Observation Report #2    

Week 12

            Monday, April 11th

Ed tech 9– Manija

Microteaching 9—Gabby, Tatevik

Leading Discussion: Anna +Judy

Teaching revision

Readings:

Nancy Sommers:“Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers.” Cross-Talk (43-54)

Carol Berkenkotter: “Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer.” PDF in Moodle

Revision: History, Theory, and Practice: Chapter 8 and 10. The book is available here:

http://wac.colostate.edu/books/horning_revision/revision.pdf

Blog 9 is due on your site

Week 13

            Monday, April 18th

Ed Tech 10– Alexandra, Louise

Microteaching 10—Althea, Shayne

Leading Discussion: Gretchelle +Manija

Response and Assessment

Nancy Sommers. “Responding to Student Writing.” College Composition and Communication 33.2 (1982): 148-56. PDF in Moodle.

Chris M, Anson “Response and the Social Construction of Error.” Assessing Writing 7 (2000): 5-21. PDF in Moodle.

Asao B. Inoue. “A Grade-Less Writing Course That Focuses on Labor and Assessing” (72-110).  First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice.

Tony Scott and Lil Brannon. “Democracy, Struggle, and the Praxis of Assessment.” College Composition and Communication 65.2 (2013): 273-98. PDF in Moodle.

Chapter 14 and 16 from John C. Bean’s Engaging Ideas (Pdf in Moodle)

Blog 10 Due on your site

Assignment due:          A Sample Progression Due

Week 14

Monday, April 25th  

Symposium—Presenting Course Proposal

 

Week 15

Monday, May 2nd

Workshop on Web Design/Portfolio

Assignment due:          114A Syllabus and Progressions Due  (3 copies)                    

Week 16

Monday, May 9th

60s Videos Screening

Portfolio Presentation

Course Evals 

Assignments

Assignment #1:            Being a Discussion Leader

Pairs and occasionally groups of three students will serve as discussion leaders during the semester. Discussion will focus on composition theories and practices addressed in readings assigned for that particular day. For the presentation, the discussion leaders should review the texts as a source of information that is relevant to the teaching of writing and formulate questions that will help the class understand that texts more insightfully and generate class discussion. They will also send me a set of discussion questions in advance to post in Moodle. All students in the seminar are expected to do all the assigned reading; the task for the discussion leaders is to find ways to use class time effectively to address key topics in the readings. Some discussion leaders will be discussing chapters or articles that are densely packed with information, while others will work on texts that are more narrowly focused. However, this difference is not a problem, since the purpose of this assignment is to hone your skills as both a scholar and a teacher, demonstrating your ability to discuss and interpret a variety of texts and to orient them toward a class of students. In either case, the challenge will be to find a way to engage the members of 600A in a productive discussion that addresses the theory and practice in question both as an area of scholarship and as a source of classroom activities. Moreover, because the size of the class necessitates teamwork, you will get a chance to practice peer collaboration.

 

Assignment #2: Microteaching

Each student should prepare to “present” a 20 minute mini-lesson. It can be based on a component of the stretch curriculum or it can focus on a concept discussed in one of the readings for that particular day of your presentation. You can also use other handbooks, such as Everyone’s An Author or They Say, I say, or any other relevant sources. The purpose of this presentation is for you to begin thinking about what sorts of activities are appropriate to include during English 114A class time; it also enables you to get a sense of pacing and timing. The lesson should be presented to the class as if we all were students—that is, you should actually teach the lesson, not explain or summarize what you plan to do.

Types of Lessons to Prepare:

Your lesson should focus on a clearly identifiable goal or purpose. Here are some examples:

  • To help students work through the progressions;
  • to teach students how to cite sources correctly;
  • to give students practice in summarizing;
  • to teach students how to read critically.

You can include any mixture of lecture, activities, or writing tasks you feel are appropriate to achieve your goal, although you should not depend on lecture as the dominant presentational mode.  The twenty minute maximum for your lesson provides an artificial time constraint (although sometimes it does represent a realistic unit for a segment in an actual class). Also, the amount of material to address in English 600A and the number of participants precludes anything longer.

We will record this session to provide you some collective feedback from the class.

Components of the Lesson Plan:

In writing up your lesson, you should prepare a packet of materials that another TA would understand and be able to use. Make enough packets to be distributed to the class. The write up should include the following components:

  1. Goal (s) of the lesson.

What is the teaching goal you are working towards?

What motivates you to select that goal?

How does this lesson fit in to the overall goals of the course?

  1. Materials used:

What materials can be used to teach this lesson? Please include materials with the lesson plan.

  1. Preparation of students:

How might you prepare your class for working on this goal BEFORE the actual lesson you present? How might you follow up this lesson?

  1. Activities that will help students learn the concept(s) taught in this lesson.

What will students do in class?

What will they do after the lesson is taught?

  1. Application to student writing acquisition:

How can students use the concepts, ideas, or techniques taught in this

lesson to improve as writers

Assignment #3: Classroom Observation Report #1

To write this report, please arrange to observe at least two successive class meetings of English 114B over a two week period. Then, based on your observations, write a two-part report of 3-4 pages that addresses the following:

 

Part I:  (1/2 page)

Describe the class you have observed as objectively as possible, including many specific details such as the name of the teacher, the number of students, the textbook used, the assignment the students are working on, the handouts that were used, the chair arrangement—any details that will enable a reader to understand what the teacher and the students were doing during various segments of the class.

Part II: (1+ page)

Discuss how observing these classes has provided you with information that you will use to plan your own class. Specific points to address in this section include the teacher, the students, the classroom dynamics, the methodology, and the materials. What did you learn in this class from both the teacher and the students that will be helpful to you?

Note that your purpose is NOT to evaluate the teacher or the methods in any way, but rather to reflect on what you have learned and can apply.

Bring one copy of your report to class and, as a courtesy, put one copy in the mailbox of the teacher you observed.

Classroom Observation Guidelines

  1. Select the “teacher volunteer” whose class you plan to observe. If you are an SI Leader in the English Department, you can use the class in which you work.
  1. Plan to observe at least four class meetings over a two-week period. It is preferable not to miss any classes so that you can observe a sequence of lessons.
  1. Contact the teacher (via telephone or email or mailbox) in the English Department. It is desirable if you are the only observer in class on the days of your visits, but if you aren’t, please make sure that the teacher doesn’t mind having more than one person observing the class. Request that he or she provide you with a copy of the course syllabus and any other important handouts when you observe your first class.
  1. Find out if the teacher has any preference regarding your “role” as observer in his/her class. For example, should you get up and walk around if group work is in progress or maintain your seat and listen in on the closest group?
  1. During your first observation, take as many notes as you feel are necessary to provide you with a full record of your experience.
  1. During your second and subsequent observations, focus on what you consider to be the most informative and important insights you have gained.
  1. If possible, have a short “debriefing” session with the instructor when you have finished the sequence of observations.
  1. Be sure to arrive on time for the class. Do not leave until the class has ended.

 

Points to Note When Observing Writing Classes

Physical arrangement of class:

How seats are arranged

Placement of teacher

Atmosphere in classroom/classroom dynamics:

Formal? Informal? Friendly?

The Lesson:

The day’s agenda

The day’s topic

Specific skills to be taught

Activities planned:

Group work

Writing/Thinking activities

Revision

Invention

Exercises

Sequencing of activities

Materials used

Quality of Discussion

Applicability of lesson to student writing/language skills

Student Behaviors:

Are students doing any writing?

Are students participating?

What are students doing who are not participating?

Are students reading their work aloud?

Are students speaking to one another?

Are students working in groups?

How are students reacting to the day’s agenda and topic?

Teacher Behaviors:

Has the teacher engaged the students?

Does the teacher have a rapport with the students?

Does the teacher exhibit the ability to listen?

Teacher Activities:

Presenting the assignment/lesson?

Modeling a particular writing strategy?

Teacher addressing class as a whole?

Teacher addressing a small group?

Teacher speaking with an individual student?

Teacher presenting the lesson?

Overall, you should be aware of how writing and reading are addressed in the class, how students are engaged, with the instructor and with each other, how the lesson has been planned, and how much student participation drives and supports the action of the class.

*Remember that your purpose is NOT to evaluate the teacher or the methods in any way, but rather to reflect on what you have learned and can apply to your own teaching.

Assignment #4   Textbook Review

There are many, many Composition textbooks and many of them will seem attractive to you. At one time, all new TAs used the same textbook, but you now have a chance to choose one that suits you from a variety of textbooks. All else being equal, the most important criteria for textbook selection for first year instructors are as follows:

  • the text is suitable to meet the goals of the course.
  • The text is appropriate for use by relatively novice instructors.
  • The text is not overly glitzy—which is likely to make it expensive.

Please consider these criteria as you review 3 books from the list of textbooks posted in Moodle under week five (to access copies of textbooks, please ask Frank in English main office for assistance). In addition, you may consider these questions as you review them:

  • Does the textbook discuss the writing process?
  • Does it teach strategies for invention and discovery?
  • Does it address critical or rhetorical reading strategies?
  • Does it focus on helping students develop a thesis or main idea? Does it explain what is meant by argument and present argumentation as a strategy for fostering understanding and awareness? Does it distinguish the type of argument associated with academic writing from adversarial confrontation and the notion of winning?
  • Is it rhetorically based? Do audience, purpose, and occasion figure prominently in the assignment of writing tasks?
  • Does it view writing as a recursive rather than linear process, one in which pre-writing, writing, and revision are activities that overlap and intertwine?
  • Does it contain usable revision strategies?
  • What about digital/multimedia/new media compositions? Does it talk about translingual/ESL/multilingual students/issues?
  • Does it present possibilities for structuring an essay?
  • Does it contain readings that lend themselves to class discussion and assignments? (you can always choose your own readings if the book doesn’t contain readings or if your assignment requires others).
  • Is it generally accessible and easy to use?
  • Is the Table of Contents sufficiently descriptive?
  • Does the index have adequate listings?

 

Your review should be 3-4 pages in length and should include your evaluation of each text under consideration.

Assignment #5: Classroom Observation Report #2

Select a DIFFERENT teacher than the one you observed for Report #1 and observe 2 sequential classes.   For this assignment, you have the option of observing either a 113B or a 115 class. The information you obtain from this observation will be used in your report, which is outlined below:

Part I:   ½ page

Describe the class you have observed as objectively as possible, including many specific details such as the name of the teacher, the level of the class, how often the class meets, the number of students, the textbook used, the assignment the students are working on, the handouts that were used, the chair arrangement—any details that will enable a reader to understand what the teacher and the students were doing during various segments of the class.

Part II: 2+ pages

For this section, you may include information from both observations and from published works you have read this semester, if relevant.

Focus on ONE of the following:

  • What does it mean to “teach” reading and writing?

In what way has the teaching of writing been actualized in the classes you have observed? How has the class enabled students to learn to write? (for example, some teachers work to “empower” students, others to enable students to develop a sense of what “good” writing is, others to provide learning opportunities)

  • How does a literacy curriculum and associated materials activities promote the goal of enabling students to acquire literacy skills at the university?

How did the activities and strategies in the classes you observed contribute to helping students become better readers and writers? Some examples might be peer-group interactions, teacher presentation, exercises, writing assignments, readings, etc.

As in Observation #1, you should not be evaluating the teacher or classroom either through criticism or praise. This is a reflective analysis of one of the questions above, although you will probably see a great deal of overlap among them.

Please bring one typed copy of your report to class, and, as a courtesy, put one copy in the mailbox of the teacher you observed.

Assignment #6 Creating a Progression

Working together with 2-3 other members of the English 600A, develop a Progression you can use in English 114A. A progression is a sequenced, scaffolded writing assignment packet that includes the following:

  1. Exercises that enable students to build skills and understandings that will help them complete a writing assignment.
  2. A well-crafted assignment prompt,
  3. Readings, lessons, and activities to help students complete the progression.
  4. A rubric for evaluating papers written in response to this assignment.

These materials should be sufficiently explicit so that a novice teacher would be able to use them with a 114A class. Please post the assignment on your site and make a hard copy for me.

 

Assignment #7: 114A Syllabus and Progressions

Draft as much as you can of a syllabus for your Fall 2015 English 114A class. The following components MUST be included:

  • The Composition and GE Learning Outcomes. These are attached to the 600A Moodle site.
  • A list of required or recommended texts
  • A list of any other required materials
  • A discussion of how you will use Moodle or another form of interactive media.
  • A presentation of the Student Learning Objectives of the course and a course description
  • A description of the course format or procedures
  • Details of your grading policy
  • Details of your attendance policy
  • A statement indicating required student attendance at an individual conference(s)
  • A statement of policy regarding quizzes or presentations
  • A statement of policy regarding plagiarism
  • A tentative schedule of major assignments or due dates

If you are unable to supply details for any of the components listed above, block out a place on your syllabus where you intend to insert this information. Your syllabus is a work in progress, and you can develop a final version over the summer.

Please put your syllabus and progressions in your digital portfolio. I will send you feedback through your email.

Assignment #11-Blog Response to Course Readings

You will write a short response to the shared reading(s) for the week and post the response to your website. Your response should show your familiarity with the assigned readings and demonstrate your engagement with them either by drawing connections between the readings (and course themes), and/or by thoughtfully reflecting on the implications of the readings and discussions.

This assignment is intended to spark and expand on our class discussions, prepare you to engage in those discussions more fully and productively, enhance your understanding of the assigned readings, explore new insights about the assigned texts, introduce you to ways of using informal writing for invention, and provide you with ideas that you may later use to develop your major projects.

Each post should be between 400 and 600 words and is due before class each week. Generally speaking, your blog post should examine one or more of these issues:
• main issues, themes, or questions/claims in the reading
• language use in the select texts
• key texts cited (and intertextual relationships)
• major questions/challenges the text pose for you
• issues/questions from seminar discussions and texts under consideration
I want you to take this assignment seriously. Not only will these responses prepare you for productive contribution to our seminar/discussions, they may also be the springboard for your longer projects.

Assignments #8: Teaching Philosophy in 60 Seconds Video

Create a 60-second video that illustrates your teaching philosophy.  Your video must meet the following requirements:

  • Your video must run 60 seconds–no more, no less—including title screen and any credits.
  • Your video must take a critical, reflective, and/or interpretive approach to your philosophy.
  • You must strip your video of all actual audio.  You may layer audio in your project as long as you avoid all literal video/audio matching.
  • You must include a title screen somewhere in your video that includes your name as the author.  You must also include credits for all materials used (audio clips, video clips, images).
  • You must secure permissions for all materials used in your project.  Also, you must give credit for all materials used in your project.  (Use CreativeCommons.com to find CC-licensed works).
  • You will shoot footage.  You may then create your video. We will screen your videos during class on the due date.

Brainstorm your Video

  • You already know your topic. Now consider your personal, academic, intellectual, spiritual, and cultural interests and communities.
  • Audience analysis: How do you decide which discourse community to enter? How do you reach them vs. another type of community?
  • What is your purpose/intent?: Exploration? Persuasion? Awareness?
  • How will you use visual/aural/alphabetical modes to achieve this purpose/intent?

Sample Video:

The Digital Story of the Nativity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHNNPM7pJA

 Assessment Criteria:

Conceptual core—major idea, argument, or point (30%)

Research component—source use, data collection (20%)

Form and content—organic relationship between form and content (10%)

Creative realization—creative approach to the topic/idea—use of rhetorical/persuasive strategies (20%)

Audience—sensitivity to target audience—choice of tone, mood, genre, diction (10%)

Timeliness—awareness and response to socio-historical context (5%)

Available tools, and author’s learning curve (5 %)

Link to Student Digital Portfolios

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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