annotatedbib
Annotated Bibliography
Brookfield, Stephen D. and Stephen Preskill. Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1999. In their book, Brookfield and Preskill discuss the many benefits of discussion in a classroom. Some of the benefits include: discussion allows students to explore a diversity of perspectives; discussion helps students acknowledge and examine their own assumptions; and it helps students become connected to a topic. This is only one chapter of the book; the other chapters are more about practical application. I plan on using Brookfield’s and Preskill’s benefits of discussion as part of my rationale, since discussion is tool I plan on significantly using in my classroom.
Ede, Lisa S. "On Audience and Composition." College Composition and Communication 30.3 (1979): 291-5. Ede argues that there needs to be greater emphasis placed on assignments in the composition classroom. Ede discusses the problems of egocentrism in writing (writer-based prose), writing for a peer audience, and writing for the teacher. Ede offers two solutions: provide a situation (and therefore a context and audience) for your students, or allow the students to create their own rhetorical situation. In my class, I will definitely use the first option; I had not considered the second option, but I find it appealing and might use it, as well.
Elbow, Peter. “High Stakes and Low Stakes in Assigning and Responding to Student Writing.” Writing to Learn: Strategies for Assigning and Responding to Writing Across the Disciplines. 69 (Spring 1997): 5-13. Elbow’s article discusses two types of assignments: high stakes (formal) writing assignments and low stakes (informal) writing assignments. Elbow focuses on the necessity and importance of incorporating low stakes writing in the classroom. Elbow claims that informal writing helps students understand topics better, informal writing is often livelier and clearer, and informal writing helps students with their high stakes assignments. Elbow also describes the different ways of responding also using the “high stakes” and “low stakes” metaphor, stating that informal writing should not be evaluated the same way major assignments are. I plan on using informal writing assignments, mid-level writing assignments (somewhere between informal and formal), and formal writing assignments in my class. I believe that informal writing assignments are important in helping students understand a topic, communicate their thoughts, or to simply engage in a discussion.
Herrington, Anne J. “Developing and Responding to Major Writing Assignments.” Writing to Learn: Strategies for Assigning and Responding to Writing Across the Disciplines. 69 (Spring 1997):67-75. Herrington asserts that major writing assignments should be inquiry or issue-based. Herrington also insists that students turn in a research plan, annotated bibliography, and research update. The instructor should “coach” and “consult” the student throughout the research process by providing feedback for each step. The final project in the class I have created is a research project which calls for a research plan, annotated bibliography, and I will ask for updates either through WebCT discussions or informal writing assignments. I think Herrington’s approach to research/major writing assignments is very conductive to student learning. If an instructor is there to help them step-by-step, instead of simply handing them an assignment sheet with a due date, students should not be so lost.
Hodges, Elizabeth. “Negotiating the Margins: Some Principles for Responding to Our Students’ Writing, Some Strategies for Helping Students Read Our Comments.” Writing to Learn: Strategies for Assigning and Responding to Writing Across the Disciplines. 69 (Spring 1997):77-89. Hodges articulates in her article that the margins and end spaces of a student’s written work is the best place for a conversation between student and teacher about a student’s writing to take place. The margins, Hodges asserts, “allow us to work one-on-one with our students and to leave a record of what work we have done that students can return to repeatedly.” However, several times students misunderstand teachers’ comments. Hodges offers a few suggestions to remedy this issue: demonstrate how you read student work, write with your students, take time to hear students’ responses to our comments, take time to help students incorporate our responses. I already make a practice of commenting in the side and end margins of papers, but I have yet to employ some of the suggestions Hodges gives for helping students understand comments. As stated in my Philosophy of Response, I plan on taking class time describing my manner of responding to student papers, allowing them to read my comments, and allowing them to respond to my comments. Of course, I will also conference with my students, helping them incorporate the comments I made into their paper.
Lindblom, Kenneth. "Teaching English in the World: Writing for Real." The English Journal 94.1, Re-Forming Writing Instruction (2004): 104-8. Lindblom discusses the “mythrules” which govern student writing; he looks at ways to move away from these “mythrules” toward real writing. Lindblom advocates students writing for “real purposes” and “real audiences.” Lindblom defines what constitutes a good assignment sheet, and he gives examples of real writing examples. Since I want to incorporate “real writing” into my class, I find this article extremely beneficial.
Lindemann, Erika. A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Lindemann addresses many important topics concerning the writing classroom in her book. The sections I found most useful are those on: freewriting, writing workshops/peer review, self-assessment, diagnostics, response, and using PCs in the writing classroom. Lindemann advocates using PCs in the writing classroom, asserting that computers can “provide timely and unique access to information” and “help students engage a variety of rhetorical situations.” This helps to support 2 sections of the class I am planning. Firstly, I plan on using webCT discussions as another forum to discuss course material. According to Lindemann, this serves to provide another rhetorical situation for the writers. Secondly, when the students begin their final research project, I plan on showing them how to access databases and the library catalog via their computers. This will allow the students a “timely and unique access to information.” Lindemann also has a section detailing why Diagnostic essays are the best way to assess student writing. I plan to give my students a diagnostic within the first week of class in order to know where they stand as writers. Lindemann also has a chapter on how to use comments appropriately when responding to student papers(she lays out a very detailed way to do this), writing workshops (peer review), freewriting, and the importance of self-assessment, all tools I would like to use in my writing classroom.
Linnakyla, Pirjo. “Portfolio: Integrating Writing, Learning, and Assessment.” Writing as a Learning Tool: Integrating Theory and Practice. Eds. Paivi Tynjala, Lucia Mason, and Kirsti Lonka. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001. Linnakyla asserts that portfolios “enhance students’ learning, particularly their self-assessment, reflection, motivation, and empowerment. Linnakyla also says that portfolios promote students’ active involvement in the learning process, and, therefore, assessment is more beneficial when using portfolios because the students have created the material, not the teacher. Portfolios also require, through writing, compilation, and reflection, the students to “face their own learning.” This is one of the reasons that I plan on using portfolios in my class—when students turn in an assignment, receive a grade, and don’t revise, and then they stuff it away in a folder or throw it away and never think about it again. Portfolios require students to at least consider and reflect upon their writing process and progress.
Lunsford, Ronald L. “When Less is More: Principles for Responding in the Disciplines.” Writing to Learn: Strategies for Assigning and Responding to Writing Across the Disciplines. 69 (Spring 1997): 91-104. Lunsford wrote this article after having conducted a study in which he sent 15 samples of student writing to twelve different readers. Lunsford then examined how developed the comments were, whether the comments were purposeful, if the comments pertained to “correctness,” if the comments were controlling, and if the response was extra-textual (meaning that it focused on an issue outside of the student’s written text). After examining the results of his study, Lunsford comes up with four “rules” for responding to student writing: say enough for students to know what you mean, don’t say too much, don’t spend very much time on matters of correctness, and focus your attention on understanding what students mean to say. I find a lot of value in the last two suggestions Lunsford gives. Firstly, I do not want to focus more on mechanics than on content when responding to student writing (I think the portfolio will also help with this), and I want to always attempt to find the writer’s message in her piece.
Millis, Barbara J. “Helping Faculty Teach Better and ‘Smarter’ Through Sequenced Activities.” To Improve the Academy 24 (2006): 216-230. I originally thought this article would help me rationalize the sequencing of my major writing assignments, but it did not. However, I did find this article to have useful information concerning small group/cooperative learning. Millis asserts that there are two main components to group work: 1. Positive interdependence and 2. Individual accountability. Millis claims that the students must work together to achieve mutual goals, but that each student must have a specific task and be accountable for completing that task. I found this article to be helpful, because discussion and small group work are the two central techniques I plan on using to conduct my class.
Oxford, Rebecca L. "Cooperative Learning, Collaborative Learning, and Interaction: Three Communicative Strands in the Language Classroom." The Modern Language Journal 81.4, Special Issue: Interaction, Collaboration, and Cooperation: Learning Languages and Preparing Language Teachers (1997): 443-56. Oxford clearly defines the differences between cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and interaction. She discusses the history, research, and approaches to each type of learning. Since I am an advocate of the use of groups in the classroom, I find this article functional in supporting my use of groups in the classroom. The article also offers examples of how to implement these methods in the classroom.
Sharon Murphy. "TV Footage in the Composition Classroom." College Composition and Communication 23.1 (1972): 50-3. Murphy advocates the use of PSAs and commercials in the classroom, citing that producing an effective commercial requires the same criteria as composing an effective paper: unity, coherence, inductive logic, deductive logic, etc. Studying commercials/PSAs can help composition students understand the importance of being concise, the importance of audience, and constructing an argument. Commercials also allow students to look for hidden meanings/agendas. I plan on using commercials and movie clips that have masculinity themes, and I find this article a helpful way to tie my use of media back to the main focus of the course, composition.
Stewart, Donald C. "A "Real" Audience for Composition Students." College Composition and Communication 16.1 (1965): 35-7. Stewart discusses the importance of having a “real” audience for assignments in the composition classroom. According to Stewart, giving the students a hypothetical audience is not sufficient, because the students will understand that they are still writing for a biased instructor. Stewart solves this problem by requiring each student submit one piece of work to a magazine or journal. Stewart noticed a renewed interest and investment in this assignment. This article is extremely useful to me as I plan on requiring my students to submit their final paper to a journal of their choice.
