Well, hello there America,
Yes, I'm happy to see you too! Today I would like to take a look at a section from chapter 8 (Finishing) of Stephen Koch's book, The Modern Library Writer's Workshop. The subheading that I was most particularly interested in from this chapter is Other People's Advice. In this section, Koch discusses the importance of relinquishing your paper to someone else's editorial advice, which is not to be confused with criticism. Koch explains that the difference between editorial advice and criticism is that editorial advice "is there only to help improve your work, and it has no more right to ignore your interests than a doctor has the right to ignore a patients interests" (191). This is very much different from criticism, as Koch writes, "Criticism is an intellectual enterprise--and a branch of literature--that owes you and your writing nothing" (191).
I found this section of the book to be important because of the Writing Workshop activities that we have been working on every Monday in class. After reading this section I have been able to take a look at the way in which I offer my editorial advice to the other members of my group, and how I take their advice about my work. I've realized that most times people do not want to be overly critical of another person's work for fear of hurting that person's feelings. Equally, people do not (in most circumstances) want a person to be overly critical of their own work. Koch addresses this issue by telling his readers that it is a good idea to preface any editorial advice they are about to give on a person's writing with a warning. Koch writes, "It is a perfectly legitimate--and often vital--part of editorial advice to alert a writer to the kind of criticism she or he is likely to face" (191). This way, your reading is braced for the kind of feedback they are going to recieve.
Koch then states that a writer must go over his own writing through the eyes (lense) of his imaginary "worst enemy". This allows the writer, if he/she is truly trying to see their writing critically, to analyze their writing from an objective viewpoint. By doing this, the writer is able to better identify their weaknesses and make the appropriate adjustments/corrections.
For all of you out there in TV Land who are considering way to facilitate writing workshops in your own classrooms, I would highly recommend that if you only read one chapter of The Modern Library Writer's Workshop that you make it Chapter 8: Finishing. There is a lot of helpful insight into the processes of finishing a writing piece. For many of us out in the field, this will end up being the primary focus of the writing workshops that we have our students do anyway. So, Chapter 8, check it out!
And, as always... KeEp It ClAsSy KeNt StAtE!
-Sam P.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Blog #4- Inventing Your Style
Hello agian Everyone,
So, I've been reading Stephen Koch's The Modern Library Writer's Workshop, and have come across chapter 5: Inventing Your Style. I liked reading this chapter because of the of the general truths that he brings to light about the nature of one's style in writing. I agree with Koch that a writer's style takes many forms- corresponding to the type of writing that the writer is doing. Just like speaking, writing requires a person to take a different approach and a different voice according to the intent of the writing. Obviously, I wouldn't speak to a close friend the same way that I would speak to a job interviewer. I think that it is important to teach students that they, too, must develop different writing voices for the different types of writing that they do. So, I think that it becomes the job of the teacher not only to teach the student about the different types of writing, but the appropriate voice pattern that goes with each type of writing.
The example that comes into my mind are cover letters and resumes. If I were (which I will) teach a unit on writing cover letters and resumes, I would want to spend some time helping the students to understand the audience to which they are writing, and the voice they need to use with that audience. Before I ever began to teach student the format and techniques of writing a cover letter/resume, I would make sure that I had spent ample time going over voice and audience with them.
Well, these are my thoughts for today. So, until next time- Keep it classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
So, I've been reading Stephen Koch's The Modern Library Writer's Workshop, and have come across chapter 5: Inventing Your Style. I liked reading this chapter because of the of the general truths that he brings to light about the nature of one's style in writing. I agree with Koch that a writer's style takes many forms- corresponding to the type of writing that the writer is doing. Just like speaking, writing requires a person to take a different approach and a different voice according to the intent of the writing. Obviously, I wouldn't speak to a close friend the same way that I would speak to a job interviewer. I think that it is important to teach students that they, too, must develop different writing voices for the different types of writing that they do. So, I think that it becomes the job of the teacher not only to teach the student about the different types of writing, but the appropriate voice pattern that goes with each type of writing.
The example that comes into my mind are cover letters and resumes. If I were (which I will) teach a unit on writing cover letters and resumes, I would want to spend some time helping the students to understand the audience to which they are writing, and the voice they need to use with that audience. Before I ever began to teach student the format and techniques of writing a cover letter/resume, I would make sure that I had spent ample time going over voice and audience with them.
Well, these are my thoughts for today. So, until next time- Keep it classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Blog #3- Administer the Grammar Income Test
Good day to all of you,
In today's blog I would like to discuss the University of Mottsburgh Occupational Inventory of Grammitical Knowledge found on page 195 of Harry Noden's book, Image Grammar. When I came across this grammar knowledge inventory I was immediately intrigued by it; so, I decided to try my hand at it and take the test. I discovered that the test results projected my income to be between $90,000-$150,000 (upper management). What am I doing in teaching?! Just kidding Dr. Kist.
Overall, I found the test to be very interesting, but I wonder how accurate it would be when administered to high school students. Granted that I've been in college for several years and have taken courses that concentrate on grammar, I did fairly well; but, I don't imagine that your typical high school student would do quite as well. So, my questions are this: Can this test be considered an accurate assessment for high school students? And, to what level of education is this test designed for?
For those of you reading this and are curious to test your grammatical skills, I recommend that you take the test yourself. You can find the grammatical knowledge inventory on either pg. 195 of Image Grammar, or you can click on the link above to take the test.
Happy testing, America. And, as always, Keep it classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
In today's blog I would like to discuss the University of Mottsburgh Occupational Inventory of Grammitical Knowledge found on page 195 of Harry Noden's book, Image Grammar. When I came across this grammar knowledge inventory I was immediately intrigued by it; so, I decided to try my hand at it and take the test. I discovered that the test results projected my income to be between $90,000-$150,000 (upper management). What am I doing in teaching?! Just kidding Dr. Kist.
Overall, I found the test to be very interesting, but I wonder how accurate it would be when administered to high school students. Granted that I've been in college for several years and have taken courses that concentrate on grammar, I did fairly well; but, I don't imagine that your typical high school student would do quite as well. So, my questions are this: Can this test be considered an accurate assessment for high school students? And, to what level of education is this test designed for?
For those of you reading this and are curious to test your grammatical skills, I recommend that you take the test yourself. You can find the grammatical knowledge inventory on either pg. 195 of Image Grammar, or you can click on the link above to take the test.
Happy testing, America. And, as always, Keep it classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
Blog #2- Keep a Writer's Sketchbook
Hello Everyone,
I'm calling upon my troops of INLA cohorst for help on today's blog issue. I've been reading through Harry Noden's book, Image Grammar, and have found myself asking several times, "how do I use these strategies in a real-life classroom with all the time constraints and pre-determined curriculum objectives?" Oh, and by the way, check out the link above if you want an online source for the book that breaks down the concepts and strategies into an easy-to-follow format.
Because it is an activity that I find very interesting and could see being an effective strategy, here is the example that I would like to focus on: Keep a Writer's Sketchbook (pg. 85). Now, the activity itself is easy enough to facilitate, but the amount of time required to do this strategy in its entirety is four weeks (that's a lot of time), not to mention the amount of time that it takes to familiarize students with the process of using more description in their writing. What I have to figure out is how to make the time that it takes to facilitate this activity. I could either find a text in the curriculum that has great examples of "professional sketches" that I could have students search for, or I could condense the whole activity down into a couple of class sessions. Or, I could consider whatever suggestions all of you out there in TV-Land can throw my way...
So, all my INLA Allies, check out the activity in Image Grammar, pg. 85, and throw me back your comments and ideas.
-Sam P.
I'm calling upon my troops of INLA cohorst for help on today's blog issue. I've been reading through Harry Noden's book, Image Grammar, and have found myself asking several times, "how do I use these strategies in a real-life classroom with all the time constraints and pre-determined curriculum objectives?" Oh, and by the way, check out the link above if you want an online source for the book that breaks down the concepts and strategies into an easy-to-follow format.
Because it is an activity that I find very interesting and could see being an effective strategy, here is the example that I would like to focus on: Keep a Writer's Sketchbook (pg. 85). Now, the activity itself is easy enough to facilitate, but the amount of time required to do this strategy in its entirety is four weeks (that's a lot of time), not to mention the amount of time that it takes to familiarize students with the process of using more description in their writing. What I have to figure out is how to make the time that it takes to facilitate this activity. I could either find a text in the curriculum that has great examples of "professional sketches" that I could have students search for, or I could condense the whole activity down into a couple of class sessions. Or, I could consider whatever suggestions all of you out there in TV-Land can throw my way...
So, all my INLA Allies, check out the activity in Image Grammar, pg. 85, and throw me back your comments and ideas.
-Sam P.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Blog #1 - The Dark Knight Rises
Hello again Everyone,
Yes, I know... I've missed you too! Well, to start off this new volley of blog posts I thought that I would begin with something that we can all enjoy... Batman. I, like so many of us, love the new vision and aethestics that Director Christopher Nolan has incorporated into the most recent chapters of the Batman saga. The latest edition to the Dark Knights story is going to be titled The Dark Knightt Rises and will feature the same cast of good guy characters. Yet, the verdict is still out on who will face-off against the winged hero as the movie's ultra-villian.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm pumped. The movie is set to be released July 20, 2012. But if that is too long a wait for you (and you've got a couple grand to throw down), you could always cruise over to the Netherlands where the movie will be releasing July 19th.
So, mark your calenders, folks, cause I can guarantee you that you will know where to find me- standing in the ticket line to see what will probably be the most anticipated movie of summer 2012.
Well, that's it for me today. So, like always, keep it classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
Yes, I know... I've missed you too! Well, to start off this new volley of blog posts I thought that I would begin with something that we can all enjoy... Batman. I, like so many of us, love the new vision and aethestics that Director Christopher Nolan has incorporated into the most recent chapters of the Batman saga. The latest edition to the Dark Knights story is going to be titled The Dark Knightt Rises and will feature the same cast of good guy characters. Yet, the verdict is still out on who will face-off against the winged hero as the movie's ultra-villian.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm pumped. The movie is set to be released July 20, 2012. But if that is too long a wait for you (and you've got a couple grand to throw down), you could always cruise over to the Netherlands where the movie will be releasing July 19th.
So, mark your calenders, folks, cause I can guarantee you that you will know where to find me- standing in the ticket line to see what will probably be the most anticipated movie of summer 2012.
Well, that's it for me today. So, like always, keep it classy Kent State!
-Sam P.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Blog #4 - In the Middle
Hello again, Everyone!
I would like to touch briefly this morning on a point that Atwell brings up in chapter 6: Minilessons. Atwell begins by talking about third graders and how they begin to become aware of their audience when they are completing creative works and how instead of creating work that is based in their creativity and spontaneity, they begin to create works that they believe are acceptable to their audience (i.e. teachers, peers, parents, etc.). Piaget refers to this phase of a child's development as sociocentricity. Whereas when they were second graders- free to express themselves with creativity and little fear of judgment- by the time they hit this state of sociocentricity they cater their work to the criteria they expect their work to be judged by.
Now, skipping ahead ten years. How do we get students to re-capture that creative flair they had in their youth and undo years of writing to please the teacher. Well, the anwser is: We don't. You see, there is no way to go back and change ten years worth of influence and adjustment. YET, there is still something that can be done as a high school teacher to undo some of the damage. We can create assignments with rubrics that are clearly understood by the students that call for a recapturing of that creative spark of the students' youth.
I understand that not every assignment can be a creative assignment. There is still the need to teach and assess students' understanding of formal writing styles such as book reports. But when we do assign a creative project or writing piece, we can establish clear expectations in the rubric that creativity and spontaneity of thought are important elements of the grading system for that assignment. If a teacher is able to show the students that these sorts of assignments are not just a trick to give them a bad grade, but a chance to really let their creativity flow unhampered, I believe that we may see more success when trying to get students to show some of their creative flair in their assignments. Once again, the key to this, I believe, is giving the students a rubric that shows how heavily stressed creativity is and then reiterating in class the large degree of creative freedom they have to write/present creative works. This may give them the confidence and security they need to relax a little and let their creativity flow.
These are my thoughts. Tell me what you think. And, as always, Keep it classy Kent State.
-Sam
I would like to touch briefly this morning on a point that Atwell brings up in chapter 6: Minilessons. Atwell begins by talking about third graders and how they begin to become aware of their audience when they are completing creative works and how instead of creating work that is based in their creativity and spontaneity, they begin to create works that they believe are acceptable to their audience (i.e. teachers, peers, parents, etc.). Piaget refers to this phase of a child's development as sociocentricity. Whereas when they were second graders- free to express themselves with creativity and little fear of judgment- by the time they hit this state of sociocentricity they cater their work to the criteria they expect their work to be judged by.
Now, skipping ahead ten years. How do we get students to re-capture that creative flair they had in their youth and undo years of writing to please the teacher. Well, the anwser is: We don't. You see, there is no way to go back and change ten years worth of influence and adjustment. YET, there is still something that can be done as a high school teacher to undo some of the damage. We can create assignments with rubrics that are clearly understood by the students that call for a recapturing of that creative spark of the students' youth.
I understand that not every assignment can be a creative assignment. There is still the need to teach and assess students' understanding of formal writing styles such as book reports. But when we do assign a creative project or writing piece, we can establish clear expectations in the rubric that creativity and spontaneity of thought are important elements of the grading system for that assignment. If a teacher is able to show the students that these sorts of assignments are not just a trick to give them a bad grade, but a chance to really let their creativity flow unhampered, I believe that we may see more success when trying to get students to show some of their creative flair in their assignments. Once again, the key to this, I believe, is giving the students a rubric that shows how heavily stressed creativity is and then reiterating in class the large degree of creative freedom they have to write/present creative works. This may give them the confidence and security they need to relax a little and let their creativity flow.
These are my thoughts. Tell me what you think. And, as always, Keep it classy Kent State.
-Sam
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Blog #3 - Myers Article
Hello again, Everyone.
I would like to begin today's blog by saying: It's good to see how far we've come. In Myers article sent to us via email from Dr. Kist, an excerpt from Changing Our Minds: Negotiating English and Literacy, Myers writes about some of the more antiquated tactics (to say the least) used by teachers to teach discipline and naturalization of American culture to students.
Myers writes that a very popular role of the teacher was "Drillmaster", a role in which the teacher would lead students through the lesson- providing the students only with the information the teacher deemed appropriate. Much more interesting than the role of the teacher in the classroom were the methods that teachers of the time employed to teach their lessons to students.
One method Myers gives us is called the "toe-the-line" method. This method required that students stand perfectly erect, with good posture, and read aloud to the class. This exercies was intended to increase students' mastery of volume control and oral recitation. And while yes, this is a somewhat silly sounding exercise, I believe that we still see its subtler applications in schools today. I remember many times when growing up when I would have to read aloud to the class for a length of time, whether it be for an in-class reading activity or reciting our papers to the class, we had to read aloud on many occasions throughout the school year.
Another tactic used by these "old-time" educators was a method used for voice control, called the "spelling board". The spelling board was a chalkboard, fixed on a fulcrum and able to spin, that the teacher would use to facilitate spelling lessons. If the board were positioned upright- students were to spell words quietly to themselves; if the boad was angled- in a low voice; if the board was flipped- students were allowed to shout the spelling words as loud as they liked. This kind of concept seems strikingly similar to methods I've seen used since I've began my student teaching. I haven't busted out any of my old pedigogy texts to sift through countless pages in order to bring this method's name to light for all of you; but I can describe it to you. The main idea that I see in this "old-time" method and what I've seen in our modern schools is this: It's a good idea to let students to raise a ruckus on occasion when it is discretely sanctioned by the teacher to do so. In other words, students often tend to be restless and easily distracted in school. If they are allowed to relieve some of that restlessness they will be more apt to pay attention when they are brought back to focus by the teacher. So, the teacher permits, rather encourages, the students to be loud and boisterous for a controlled length of time.
The third tactic used by the teachers of yester-year were mouth-movement exercises. This was an exercise in which the students would move their mouths to form all the basic sounds of the English language. Students with the best "mouth wagging" abilities would be complemented on their good form.
The interesting thing about all of these strategies in how "lower-order" they are in relation to Bloom's Taxonomy. Basically, the ideas only require that students be able to recite text, complete basic oratory motor functions such as voice control and sound articulation, and recall basic facts or lines of text from memory. These srategies reflected the notion of education at the time: Teachers are distributors of knowledge and students are to retain what they are taught and be able to recall it.
I think that it's safe to say that, in general, today's teachers have come a long way since the "oldin-days" of education. Thank goodness. Although, you will see a lot of similar exercises still used in modern ESL classrooms.
Keep it classy, Kent State.
-Sam
I would like to begin today's blog by saying: It's good to see how far we've come. In Myers article sent to us via email from Dr. Kist, an excerpt from Changing Our Minds: Negotiating English and Literacy, Myers writes about some of the more antiquated tactics (to say the least) used by teachers to teach discipline and naturalization of American culture to students.
Myers writes that a very popular role of the teacher was "Drillmaster", a role in which the teacher would lead students through the lesson- providing the students only with the information the teacher deemed appropriate. Much more interesting than the role of the teacher in the classroom were the methods that teachers of the time employed to teach their lessons to students.
One method Myers gives us is called the "toe-the-line" method. This method required that students stand perfectly erect, with good posture, and read aloud to the class. This exercies was intended to increase students' mastery of volume control and oral recitation. And while yes, this is a somewhat silly sounding exercise, I believe that we still see its subtler applications in schools today. I remember many times when growing up when I would have to read aloud to the class for a length of time, whether it be for an in-class reading activity or reciting our papers to the class, we had to read aloud on many occasions throughout the school year.
Another tactic used by these "old-time" educators was a method used for voice control, called the "spelling board". The spelling board was a chalkboard, fixed on a fulcrum and able to spin, that the teacher would use to facilitate spelling lessons. If the board were positioned upright- students were to spell words quietly to themselves; if the boad was angled- in a low voice; if the board was flipped- students were allowed to shout the spelling words as loud as they liked. This kind of concept seems strikingly similar to methods I've seen used since I've began my student teaching. I haven't busted out any of my old pedigogy texts to sift through countless pages in order to bring this method's name to light for all of you; but I can describe it to you. The main idea that I see in this "old-time" method and what I've seen in our modern schools is this: It's a good idea to let students to raise a ruckus on occasion when it is discretely sanctioned by the teacher to do so. In other words, students often tend to be restless and easily distracted in school. If they are allowed to relieve some of that restlessness they will be more apt to pay attention when they are brought back to focus by the teacher. So, the teacher permits, rather encourages, the students to be loud and boisterous for a controlled length of time.
The third tactic used by the teachers of yester-year were mouth-movement exercises. This was an exercise in which the students would move their mouths to form all the basic sounds of the English language. Students with the best "mouth wagging" abilities would be complemented on their good form.
The interesting thing about all of these strategies in how "lower-order" they are in relation to Bloom's Taxonomy. Basically, the ideas only require that students be able to recite text, complete basic oratory motor functions such as voice control and sound articulation, and recall basic facts or lines of text from memory. These srategies reflected the notion of education at the time: Teachers are distributors of knowledge and students are to retain what they are taught and be able to recall it.
I think that it's safe to say that, in general, today's teachers have come a long way since the "oldin-days" of education. Thank goodness. Although, you will see a lot of similar exercises still used in modern ESL classrooms.
Keep it classy, Kent State.
-Sam
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