Thursday, August 8, 2013

Final Reflection

1. Write in Microsoft Word and email to me as an attachment. Save a copy on your blog for safe-keeping.

2. Compositions must approach 600 words to qualify for an "A."

3. The use of texts for the reflection are: "The Pedagogy of the Oppressed," "Savage Inequalities," and "Psychology of Social Class." Points or terms or examples from each of these texts must be present to qualify for an "A."

4. In general, you are writing a reflection based on your answers to the following three questions, with the texts used to support or oppose your points. Your answer to these questions should be in the introduction as a quasi-thesis statement.

5. Questions

What are your reflections upon the role of tutoring in educational development and learning? How does tutoring fit into your larger teaching philosophy? How does tutoring and your teaching philosophy fit into your broader reflections about the issues within our contemporary educational system?

Monday, August 5, 2013

Case Study

3 full pages (min for an A)

This assignment asks you to do the following:

Begin your case study by articulating your tutoring philosophy. Introduce yourself to readers, and to the texts you'll be drawing upon, and to your main principles of tutoring. Draw upon course texts and readings by mentioning up front the major ideas you plan to cite, who wrote them, and what texts they're from.

For your statement, consider: what is tutoring? what does it do? why does it matter? Your answers to these questions could help you form your tutoring philosophy. You'll want to ultimately be able to explain the different principles of your philosophy to your readers.

When you consider your principals of tutoring, consider what theories/strategies/texts they come from. That will give you an idea about how to connect your principals to the intellectual foundations of your principals. 

Develop examples of how your tutoring experience has helped you develop this philosophy. Let your work with students demonstrate and illustrate different principles of your philosophy. In each example, give details about your work with students: what were the challenges, and how did you overcome them? How did you approach your work with students? How did you find out what worked and what didn't? Supplement your discussion with regular references to course texts.

The "case study" aspect of this assignments asks you to show your tutoring principals (the foundation of your tutoring philosophy) at work in your interactions with students while tutoring. 

In your conclusion, consider some of the more philosophical discussions we've had about the context of tutoring. What are your reflections upon the role of tutoring in education? What are your broader reflections about the role of education itself?

Class Agenda 8.5

1. Announcements
Case Study

2. Go over midterm
3. Go over Kozol
4. Go over Culture and Social Class
5. Refer to "ESL Writers" by Bruce and Rafoth
6. Edit videos

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Class Agenda 8.1

1. In-class blog: discuss how the filming process went yesterday. Remember you're writing to an outside reader. Explain what you did, why you were doing it, and whether or not you were effective. Discuss the goal of the project and whether you think that goal was met. Relate what you believe an audience will take from the project.

2. Email assessment of project to me. In a confidential email, discuss the following:

a. Please take a moment to note all the things you've done to produce your video: communications, planning, drafting, writing, reading, traveling, reporting to professor, playing a large role in the filming, and playing a large role in the editing (also consider if you helped other people produce their videos, and how). Now please rank which of these activities you did the most, in a ranked scale of 1-10 (1 being the thing you did the most, 10 being the thing you did least or not at all).

b. Please reflect on how much work you did in your group compared to your classmates. Honestly speaking, do you think you did more work on average, less work on average, or the same amount work on average? Without necessarily identifying other group members (though you're allowed to, as these reports are confidential), please rate yourself as more, same, or less and explain why.

c. Please consider how the filming went yesterday. Are you satisfied with how you believe your filming process went? Why or why not? Is there anything you would do differently? If so, what and why?

d. What grade do you think you personally deserve for this project (not the entire class)? Provide two reasons why you believe you deserve this grade. The reasons should relate to the work you did on the project.

e. Are there any issues that you'd like to bring to our attention as we assign grades? For example, did you have group members drop out of the project? Please let me know about anything you feel we need to know at this time. Remember, we won't share your writing with anyone else.

3. video editing.

iMovie
iMovie Basics

Monday, July 29, 2013

Extra Credit: respond to Chomsky

Points

For extra credit, students will write a blog (title: Extra Credit) on the Chomsky video we partially watched in class. For every 100 words, you write, you will be awarded ONE point extra credit on your quiz grade, up to five points. For every 100 words you write beyond 500 words, you will be awarded extra credit on your midterm exam, up to five points.

Task

First, summarize what you believe to be the most important three points of Chomsky's interview; these can be the points you found most interesting. React to each point by reflecting on what you find valuable, challenging, or interesting about it. You could agree, disagree, or both.

Then, reflect on how your own educational experiences compared to Chomsky's: what was most memorable about your own education? What teachers influenced you, and why?

Finally, Chomsky makes connections between his pedagogical philosophy and the larger importance of education to American culture and democracy. After defining yours, can you connect your pedagogical philosophy to these larger dimensions of life? What is this all for? What should we be doing and why?

Class Agenda 7.29

1. midterm
2. rehearsals
3. letter to bert review

Thursday, July 25, 2013

School to Prison Pipeline

We are blogging a little bit today about the school to prison pipeline. I wanted to offer a few links to the wider issue of the drug war and incarceration.

The Drug War - some facts.

The New Jim Crow.

Drugs and New Jim Crow.

On Mass Incarceration.  

My own thoughts on the subject tend to tie back to two things: money and race. First, targetting low-income kids of color makes sense for the criminal justice 'industry;' that is, all the jobs and salaries that depend on increasing amounts of criminals. Ever-expanding police and prison forces need new bodies to fill their cells - and coffers. Getting students into the system early is like tobacco companies marketing cigarettes to children: the young are your best customers. Eerily enough, students are the young "customers" for the criminal justice industry.

So why do they target low-income communities of color? Well, here race and class co-exist in a self-perpetuating cycle. Low-income communities of color have been historically disadvantaged - decades, if not centuries, of disinvestment by mostly white politicians and leaders have left many communities without many options, particularly for education. The lack of resources means that these young "customers" make for inviting targets. They can't afford lawyers, bail, and court costs like higher-income neighbors and citizens, whether those neighbors are white or not. So even if the individual cops making arrests aren't overtly racist themselves (just "following the law"), they are operating in a system where the consequences and effects of their actions are explicitly racialized: this is called institutional racism. It's how we get a racist criminal justice system even though no one administering the system believes they themselves are racist.

On the subject of black on black crime, which is a favorite mark of newspapers like the The Wall Street Journal, I have a few quick thoughts. Like Police Commissioner Kelly or Mayor Bloomberg with Stop and Frisk, these folks like to argue that low-income neighborhoods of color get targeted because that's "where the crime happens." I have to arguments: one, this is where class comes in. People without opportunities and choices tend to make decisions that only make short-term sense in the larger scope of their lives. Why invest years in a bad education in a bad school system when you can provide for yourself faster by making different choices, such as dealing drugs for quick cash? If people had better choices to make, they might make them. Two, if you look for crime in certain places, you'll find it, because "crime" exists everywhere. If you start to police other neighborhoods, perhaps you'll find more illegal behavior - that is, if you start Stopping and Frisking NYU students, you're bound to find drugs on their person. Then crime rates will go up and - wallah - that, too, will be "where the crime is." In part, their tactics rely on a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Class Agenda 7.25

1. Problem Posing Exercise Presentation
2. Films:

The US Schools to Prisons Pipeline
 School to Prison 
 Chomsky on the Purpose of Education

3. Quick in-class blog reaction

4. Video teams: screenplays

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Letter to Bert


Assignment: Letter to Bert Eisenstadt Evaluating Tutoring at the Writing Center
Peer Review: Wed 7.31
Due: TH 8.1

For this assignment, you will turn the problem-posing assignment shared in your groups and present it as a letter to the Manager of the Writing Center. The Manager, Mr. Bert Eisenstadt, knows about this assignment and is looking forward to reading what you have to say.


The letter should be 2 single-spaced pages, and should address the 3 steps from the problem-posing exercise you worked with to produce your group presentation. While what you presented in groups was excerpts from the observations of particular individuals in your group, the primary evidence in your letter should be based on your own personal observations. As you did in your problem-posing exercise, name strategies, cite sources for strategies named, and describe observations in detail. It is especially important that whenever you identify a strategy or diagnose a problem, you provide support for your ideas by quoting from the course reading materials, citing all sources, and providing a works cited page at the end of the letter. You will want to take certain moments and link them your overall teaching philosophy.

Mr. Eisenstadt will be much more likely to follow your advice if you seem like you’re basing your assessments on up-to-date tutoring theory. He may also want to read for himself certain sections of a text to which you refer.

In establishing the voice you will use in this letter, try to use the tutoring skills you have learned this semester. Remember that while it is often important and useful to be critical, it is also important that you be constructive. Remember that tutors can have bad days just like anyone else; don’t make your criticisms personal, but instead try phrasing things as problems that may need for the overall improvement of the center. Think of the Writing Center, like an essay draft, as a work in progress. Imagine your audience, Mr. Eisenstadt, as someone who will continue with his practice of managing the center long after you give him this feedback. There is a future for the Writing Center, and by writing this letter you can become a part of it.

Board Notes












Class Agenda 7.24

1. Tutoring! We are heading to E-229 at 9.23 on the dot. Please come there if you arrive late.

2. Return to class: write up your notes on the experience.

3. break

4. quiz

5. Problem-posing exercise.

6. Video teams

7.   Video: Difficult Situations

Monday, July 22, 2013

Class Agenda 7.22

1. Welcome to the new class.

On Monday we will meet in room C-128 and Wednesday we will meet in room C-245 from 9:15 - 12:45 pm.

2. Quiz

3. Writing Center Rules: discussion.

4. Blog roll: Shanae; Fizza; Lauren.

5. Group work / problem posing.

Shanice; Lupe; Rebecca

Shereen's Letter to Bert


6. Discuss Perl and Rose.

7. Film: The US Schools to Prisons Pipeline

School to Prison

8. Film: Video: Chomsky on the Purpose of Education

9. In-class writing.


Shereen's Letter to Bert


To Mr. Bert Eisenstadt,

 

            My name is Shereen Brown and I am a student in Dr. Justin Rogers- Cooper's Seminar in Teaching Writing. I registered for this course because I have a genuine love for writing and I wanted the opportunity to improve on my skills while helping others. This course provides the perfect blend and I am thankful for the learning experience. The course texts Tutoring Writing by Donald A. Mc Andrew and Thomas J. Reigstad and Active Voice by James Moffett outline key strategies in teaching writing. These books provide the necessary tools for a student tutor to have in their arsenal. However, in order to truly learn the art of tutoring writing, I believe it is necessary to see these written theories in practice. As you know, an important component of the course is observing actual tutoring sessions in the Writing Center. It is an involved, yet rewarding process that should be taken seriously as many students rely on their tutor for guidance during the writing process. As I completed the four observations at the Writing Center, I observed Collaborative Learning tutoring styles that were effective as well as excessive emphasis on LOCs that may need to be omitted for higher efficiency in the Writing Center.

 

            The most effective tutoring session I witnessed occurred during my third observation. The student came in with a paper that had been completely covered in red ink by her professor. The professor also stated numerous times that the student completely missed the subject of the assignment. The student was discouraged and did not think she would be able to accurately complete the assignment. The tutor, in this instance, encouraged the student by pointing out that the overall language and tone of the paper was well done. To assist the student in editing the piece, the tutor used Collaborative Learning to get a better understanding of what the student wanted to convey in the piece. This theory is fully explained in the book, Tutoring Writing by Donald A. Mc Andrew and Thomas J. Reigstad. The Collaborative Learning theory is described as a process in which "the tutor and the writer are connected as they question, propose, and evaluate both the draft and their interaction" (McAndrew and Reigstad 5). Using Collaborative Learning is effective because it allows the writer's voice to be heard while the tutor guides the process in the right direction. The Student needed assistance with the structure and organization of her piece. The tutor used the strategy coined “just talk about it.” The tutor simply held a conversation with the student, discussing the thesis and the major issues within it. The student was able to refine her thesis and further develop her draft (McAndrew and Reigstad 50). In Active Voice, Moffett asserts that talking about ideas that a writer will add to a written work is a natural process because “people first learn to speak through vocal exchange” (Moffett 46). Developing inner speech into writing often occurs later and in stages, in other words, it is easier for one to speak about ideas before the actual written work can be completed. This theory held true during this session because the student was more confident that she could correct the piece and had some good leads to finish the paper on her own. She promised to return to the same tutor the following day and left with a smile on her face and I left the session with a new technique to use when a student comes to tutoring deflated and distressed.

            On the contrary, I also observed techniques that I would not use during my own tutoring sessions. During my fourth observation, I witnessed a tutor that had a great rapport with a student but it crossed the fine line between professional and “too friendly.” While it is important that the student feel comfortable during the student session, I believe the tutor should maintain an air of professionalism throughout the interaction. The tutor was very honest with the student about errors made in the paper, even pointing directly to the errors and telling the student to correct it. McAndrew and Reigstad state that, "if a tutor zeroes in only on surface errors- what we refer to as lower order concerns (LOCS)- the effect on the writer may be harmful and adverse to the goals of tutoring" (McAndrew and Reigstad 17). This was evident during this session. The tutor mainly focused on LOCs during the entire session with the student. The tutor explained that she had a great rapport with the student and she could be blunt with her pointing out all of the errors in the paper because the student should “know better.” The tutor did not discuss any HOCs with the student at all. Instead of primarily focusing in LOCs, the tutor could have concentrated on helping the writer perfect the overall development of her ideas. Since the tutor and writer had a great rapport, the tutor could have utilized their positive relationship and the strategy of “Oral Composing.” When a tutor uses this strategy, he/she instructs the writer to speak about what the writer thinks he/she may write in the paper. As the writer is speaking, the tutor takes notes. This strategy can help the writer develop relevant ideas, sentences and phrases that will aid in making the paper more cohesive (MsAndrew and Reigstad 46). Since the tutor only focused on the LOCs it interfered with the tutoring process and the student left with a piece that was grammatically correct but lacking the further structural development it needed.

            As I begin the process of tutoring students, I am impelled to use as many of the positive strategies I witnessed during the observation sessions. I realize that every student will be at a different writing level and it is important to have many different tools to be able to help any student. In addition to different writing levels, students will enter the Writing Center at varying emotional states as writing can be an emotional process. As I saw with the discouraged student, it is important to give positive feedback while working with the student to improve the weaker areas of their paper. Also, it is important not to become overly friendly. The student needs to feel comfortable and the tutor must maintain an air of professionalism at all times. I believe I am prepared to tutor student and I look forward to the experience. Thank you for the opportunity.

Sincerely,

Shereen Brown

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Writing Center Rules

Note some of the Writing Center rules across the country. What do you think?

St. Phillip's College
Monroe Community College
Walden University
Skidmore College
City College

Mystery college


Sample student blogs about tutoring from 2012

Davon's First Tutoring Experience


Aaron 
Shereen's Case Study 



Maria
Mrs. Keddy's Case Study


Class Agenda 7.18

1. Tutoring!
Be yourself. Remember to smile. Be polite. Crack a joke about the situation. Feel free to explain why you're there and that you're excited to be there. Remember to ask them a few questions about the class, how it's going, about the assignment, about their concerns for it, and about what they want from it.

During the process, go through your tutorial steps that we've reviewed in class. It may help to have them read out loud some passages, or read some passages out loud yourself, to slow things down and address specific points in the text (whether one of the assigned essays, the assignment, or their writing).

At some point in the tutorial, make sure they "free-write" some new thoughts on the assignment. You might guide them in the free-write by inviting them to explain a passage they found interesting, and to give reasons for why they found it interesting.

For the tutorial, remember to leave the student with a checklist of "things to do" for their paper, specific to their individual ideas about it.

2. Blog
When we return from tutoring, our first priority will be to briefly relate any highlights or confusions to the class. Once we've digested the experience a little, you will sit down to write about it. The format can be similar to your Writing Center observations. Your job will be easier later, for your Case Study, if you can connect your experiences to specific places in the texts we've read. We will spend a good amount of time on this blog. Remember to use no last names, and you might even change the first name of the student to protect their identity.

When you're finished with the blog, you will read the blog of another person from class - and leave them a comment about their experience. You can do this in the "comment" section below the blog. Offer your peer some general reactions, and then zoom in on what you found most interesting, and address any confusions or problems they might have encountered.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Class Agenda 7.17

1. Announcements
Prepared for tomorrow? Attendance crucial.
All students that have missed more than four hours must put their reasons in writing.
Mini-conferences today: grades, etc.
Go over quiz
Get into video teams

2. Preparation for tomorrow: what will you do for 45 minutes?
Bullet-list the steps of the successful tutorial (see notes)

Videos

  Video: Difficult Situations

3. Active Voice: Moffett Group presentations

4. Break

5. Perl Discussion

6. Mini-conferences

Monday, July 15, 2013

102 essays

These are links to the essays your students read for their assignment.

http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/mcunningham/grapes/mother%20tounge.pdf
http://wiki-cik.wikispaces.com/file/view/Mukherjee-2WaysToBelong.pdf
http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/rspriggs/files/i%20just%20met%20a%20girl%20named%20marie%20text.pdf

You don't have to read them entirely (or at all), but you may want to look them over before you tutor.

Justin

Tonight's Reading

Look for it on the course blog as a link under pages.

Class Agenda 7.15

1. Announcements
Student Tutoring begins this week

2. Moffett discussion
 In Small Groups:

a) relate and define key concepts for others in class (bullets)
b) explain how to use ONE concept in classroom with students (via assignments)
c) sketch a way to create short video about concept
 
Sequence: Annie, Jamie, Natalia
Classroom Processes: Jarisel, Rebecca, Shanae, Sha-nice
How to Respond & after: Angela, Lauren, Lupe

Freire discussion
What are YOUR claims ABOUT his claims within the first 5-7 pages?

3. Video teams

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Education, Creativity, Tutoring

In our class just now we heard from two educators, Dr. Sonwalker Nish and Sir Ken Robinson. Dr. Sonwalker gave us a basic idea about the general meaning of pedagogy, which he defined as the art of teaching. He emphasized how instructors need to consider whether pedagogy is about teaching content, developing a way to learn that content, and how the design of lesson plans might be more influential, or as influential, as the material actually being taught.

Sir Ken Robinson gave a lecture on creativity and the modern education system, and his style of delivery made a point that his actual lecture didn't: humor works to get your points across, and stories do, too. He narrated his points with wisecracks and told stories to illustrate the wisdom of his views. Sure, he used some data and philosophy to discuss creativity, too, but his style was predicated on folksy humor and, at times, self-deprecation.

The gist of his remarks turns on the ways the modern education system drains creativity from students as they move through the system. He traces this impulse to the advent of factory-style education in the 19th century, during the rise of industrialism, which needed workers trained to do one or two things, and, moreover, to be obedient. It's clear that remnants of that system survive today in retail and food industries, though not on the whole, and that too much of the education system in particular still seems bent on testing students rather than fostering creativity.

Robinson defined intelligence through three terms: diversity, which tries to get students to think original thoughts and think differently; dynamic, which refers to interactive lesson designs and to the style of learning the brain likes best (here, he used the example of multi-tasking); and distinct, which refers to the ways a system would cater to individual talents and bring out what makes them passionate.

I have to go now and read the class blogs, but I feel these topics are ripe for connection to the ideas of James Moffett, which we've been studying, as well as peer tutoring itself...

...Ok, I'm back. I can't emphasize enough how much I value risk-taking and original thinking in my students. I'm convinced that even on social media the majority of argumentation and reasoning is parroting of mainstream for-profit 'opinion producers,' which we might of as celebrity infotainment and top-down, directed and enframed new sources. To me, it's very obvious why people who think differently, both in college and in the so-called outside world, are generally paid more and more highly valued in their careers. All industries go through transition, change, and crisis; what we need are people - and employees and leaders - who can adapt to new situations as they change by providing leadership and strategy to help others adjust and change to new realities. To do so, minds must learn from the past and the present to move to the future. Literally, what that means is that leaders are people who can challenge conventional wisdom.

I'm fond of the adage about people on the Titantic, when they discovered it was sinking. There were the people who saw what was happening, and told others they had to move toward the lifeboats. Then there were the people who froze, and didn't know what do, but they were willing to be led. Then there were the people who didn't believe: the Titantic was unsinkable. They went down with ship. Education should be about producing people who can conceive the crisis and have the confidence to act - and follow others, too, when they assess the situation and decide someone else has the right course of action. 

Class Agenda 7.11

1. Announcements
TUTORING: 18th (Thursday)
Wednesday the 24th
Monday: class out at 11.15
Please note where to find the reading for the weekend (on syllabus, as PDF, print or bring on e-screen)

2. Lauren and Jamie: tutoring.

3. Video: What is Pedagogy?
                                                In-class blogging: what makes good teaching? What do the videos tell us about good teaching? What do the videos leave out? Write to a sophisticated LaGuardia student outside our class, who has stumbled on your blog.
 
4. Blogs from last week
Annie
Fizza
Lupe

 
 
5. remaining dialogues
 
6. time-permitting: Watch Tutor Videos
                                                Video: Difficult Situations

                                                Video: Plagiarism and Tutoring
                                                Video: How to Write Introductions
                                                Video: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay
 
7. time-permitting: Film: The War on Kids

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Class Agenda 7.10

1. Return papers
2. Letter about papers
See board notes
3. Go over issues with papers
4. Duologues/Dialogues
5. Watch Tutor Videos: note content and style

                                                Video: Difficult Situations
                                                Video: Plagiarism and Tutoring
                                                Video: How to Write Introductions
                                                Video: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay

6. In-class writing:   In-class writing: What online videos are effective and why?

7. Time-permitting:

Monday, July 8, 2013

Dialogue/Duologue Assignment

In small groups we're considering the Dialogue drafts we composed over the weekend. The four points of feedback we're offering reflect the overall goals of the assignment:

* does the piece follow the assignment (Active Voice 50; 61)
* does the piece contain at least minimal elements of a play (stage directions, characters, and emotional moments)
* does the piece address the issue in enough complexity and originality (how many perspectives are present?)
* does the piece contain moments for research/evidence to be integrated into the perspectives? where?

One tip would be to count the different distinct perspectives that are present, and consider pairing all perspectives with at least one piece of research evidence.

Class Agenda 7.8

1. Quiz 3

2. Announcements
Observations begin this week: there's "a deal" (banked hours plus blog) (see: sign up sheet)
Attendance issues count: please exchange contact info with someone from class if you haven't
Papers back W/TH
Dialogues
Tutoring ENG 102 students
Anything else?

3. Discuss rules and style of observations

4. Watch Tutor Videos: note content and style


                                                Video: Difficult Situations
                                                Video: Plagiarism and Tutoring
                                                Video: How to Write Introductions
                                                Video: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay
                               In-class writing: What online videos are effective and why?
5. Discuss reading: match text to videos where possible -
6. Dialogues: perform in small groups: give feedback
Does the dialogue follow the assignments?
Does the dialogue contain enough elements of a play?
Does the dialogue address an issue with enough complexity and original perspective?
Does the dialogue contain moments where research and evidence can be included? Where? (Identify at least 3 locations)

7. Video teams: brainstorming ideas: narrow down to 3; will present them in next class
Team one: Angela, Rebecca, Marielli
Team two: Annie, Jamie, Natalia
Team three: Jarisel, Lupe, Shanice
Team four: Lauren, Fizza, Shanae


8. Class bank hours begin today; class must end at 11.30am

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Board notes: 6.27-7.3





Class Agenda 7.3

1. Videos

Moffett

Tutor Videos
                                                Video: What Happens in a Writing Center Visit?
                                                Video: Visit the Writing Center at WCC
                                                Video: The Do’s and Don’t’s of Peer Tutoring
                                                Video: The Texting Student
In-class writing: Video Review: Extra credit for posting to your blog before Friday.

2. Reading

With small groups of three: which of these assignments would you practice and why?
Create an original assignment, perhaps based on Moffett's principles and examples, and share it with the class.

3. Duologue: review and assessment

4. Film: The War on Kids

Monday, July 1, 2013

Quiz Two

ENG 220
Professor Rogers-Cooper
Quiz 2

NAME:________________________________________________

Which theory underpinning tutoring
writing does each sentence best correspond to?
1. One never learns alone.

2. One should be able to point to where in the text she got her interpretation from.

3. The dictionary does not dictate to us the proper words, but tells us what words people have
used.

4. Learning needs to happen in an atmosphere that is anti-hierarchical and anti-individualistic.

5. If the tutee is not talking, then the session is not going well.

6. The best way to get the tutee to figure out what he wants to say in his paper is by
listening to him, not by talking yourself.

7. This poem means whatever I want it to mean.

8. The tutor and the writer should be talking actively so the tutee will get, through conversation,
a sense of what she will put in her paper.

Class Agenda 7.1

1. Quiz

2. Reading Discussion
Annie - social constructionism: Bruffee (1-2) [absent]
Candace - social constructionism- Bakhtin (2) [absent]
Guadalupe - social constructionism: Vygotsky (2)
Fizza - social constructionism tutoring (2)
Jamie - Reader response: subjective criticism (3)
Natalia - Reader response: transactional criticism (3)
Jarisel - talk and writing: Barnes, Bishop (4)
Rebecca - talk and writing: Rubin, Dodd (4-5)
Ana Maria - talk and writing: tutoring (4-5) [absent]
Sha-nice  - collaborative learning: Bruffee, Lunsford, Ede (5)
Marielli - collaborative learning: Gere (5-6) [absent]
Lauren - feminism: Gilligan, Belenky (6)
Shanae - feminism: Maher, Tereault (6-7)
JRC - feminism: tutoring (7)

3. Videos:

What Happens in a Writing Center Visit?
                                                Video: Visit the Writing Center at WCC
                                                Video: The Do’s and Don’t’s of Peer Tutoring
                                                Video: The Texting Student
4. In-class writing: Video Review - What did you learn from the videos? Which video communicated which idea? As a prospective tutor, what was most valuable to learn? What do you still need to know?
5. Peer Review: the Moffett Paper

Peer Review Guidelines


1. Move into your PR groups.
2. Determine who will read in what order.
3. Budget 10-15 minutes per person and no more.
4. The reader reads their paper aloud.
5. Give written feedback that offers specific criticism according to criteria below.
6. Put your name on this feedback and give it to the writer.
7. Keep your written feedback and staple it to your final draft.


Writing Feedback Directions (from the text Tutoring Writing)


1. Overall. Open with comments about the essay's relationship to the assignment. Be clear about which parts fulfill the assignment and which parts need improvement.


Thesis. Organization. Evidence. Critical Thinking. 


2. Strengths and Weaknesses Use comments primarily to call attention to strengths and weaknesses in the piece, and be clear about the precise points where they occur.




3. Prioritize. Present comments so the writer knows which problems with text are most important and which are of lesser importance. .




4. Higher-Order Concerns. Don't feel obligated to do all the 'fixing.' Refrain from focusing on grammar unless it impedes your ability to understand the piece.


5. Advice. Write comments that are personal, and uniquely aimed at the blog and the writer. Literally tell the writer what you would do with the paper if you were them.


ALL WRITTEN FEEDBACK FROM PEER REVIEW MUST BE STAPLED TO THE BOTTOM OF FINAL DRAFT TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT FOR PEER REVIEW.

ENG 220 Assignment One Grading Grid:

Name:


1-10 scale
10 –exceptional; 9 – above average; 8 –slightly above average; 7 – slightly below average; 6 – below average; 5 – significant development needed; 1 – minimal or no response 

1. Thesis: Contains a central assertion that places a central idea at the forefront of the essay; thesis statements is 2-3 sentences; thesis statement answers the main question posed by the assignment  (20%)
2. Structure: Essay organized around topic sentences; each paragraph provides "they say" context; essay uses summary and paraphrase to explain main ideas from reading (30%)
3. Evidence: Essay successfully places direct quotes into each body paragraph; essay cites those quotes correctly according to MLA guidelines; essay explains direct quotations; essay contains a bibliography (20%)
4. Critical Thinking: Essay interprets quotes in original ways that go beyond class discussion; essay connects main ideas to other texts or moments in text; essay utilizes keywords and defines them; essay offers original perspectives and argument (20%)


5. Polish: Essay shows signs of revision; essay's syntax doesn't interfere with meaning; vocabulary words from class appear in essay;

ALL WRITTEN FEEDBACK FROM PEER REVIEW MUST BE STAPLED TO THE BOTTOM OF FINAL DRAFT TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT FOR PEER REVIEW.


Peer Review:
Grade:
Comments:

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Overview notes of Tutoring Writing 21-30


Class Agenda 6.27

1. Quiz

2. Brief reaction to diagnostic essays. (Life lessons, humor, firmness, communication, control, patient, calm, flexible, creative, fun, optimistic, faithful, active, empowering, caring, blunt, personal, enthusiastic)

3. Brief discussion of text: what was new to the class? What was already known? What does the class now need to know?

4. Pair work. The goal of this exercise to teach the rest of the class some of the key ideas from the reading. Your pair should answer the following questions as you define the ideas assigned to you, and write brief answers (bullets, not sentences) on the board with dry erase marker (for extra credit, you may compose a short blog about your term and post it to your blog (worth 5 quiz points):

a. What is the definition of your idea, in your own words?
b. How does one practice it as a tutor?

Natalia-Marielli: stage-process model & recursive stage-process model
Annie-Fizza: culture and politics of writing
Candace-Jarisel: priority of concerns
Shanice-Lauren: student-centered tutoring/collaborative tutoring/teacher centered tutoring
Shanae-Rebecca: chaos of tutoring/ complexity of tutoring
Jamie-Guadalupe: fuzziness of tutoring
Margo-Angela?: Body language


5. Log in to Blogger and create a blog page for yourself. Directions at right or HERE. I'll try and model basic sequence.

6. Email the link to your blog to me (this is the screen visible to the outside world, not your "dashboard" screen, which only you can see. Hit "View Blog" to get the "front door" screen to your blog, and email this link to jrogers@lagcc.cuny.edu

7. Go over Moffett research assignment.

8. View short Moffett video(s). Take notes.

9. Blog number 1: Practice the techniques of summary and reflection. Blog goal: To summarize what Moffett discussed in his video for a sophisticated LaGuardia student, and to reflect on his ideas. What seems productive to you? How would you practice it? What questions or concerns do you have?

10. (Time-allowing) - Begin to research Moffett for the paper due next week. Note you will bring a draft for Peer Review (see syllabus).

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

ROOM CHANGE FOR TOMORROW

Lab E-140 has been reserved on Thursday, June 27 from 9:15 - 11:30 am and the remainder of the semester.

Review of college paragraphs

here is the link to They Say / I Say (it's also at the right-hand side of this screen, near the top, under "blogger instructions").

And here is a sample paragraph that contains a direct quote. I will note the particular parts of the sentence that contains the direct quote.

1. topic sentence. Statement or re-statement of a supporting claim for the thesis.

2. Defining vocabulary from the topic sentence. Define the key terms you are using.

3. Introduction of text you're using to support the claim. Author, title, publication, any additional information.

4. Brief summary of the major argument of the text.

5. Brief summary of the immediate context from which you are pulling the direct quote. You do not want your reader to be confused by the meaning of the quote, or where it's coming from. Consider, too, that the text you're using was itself in conversation with other texts and authors. If you know anything about that conversation, this part of the paragraph is the time to demonstrate that.

6. The direct quote.

a. The signal phrase. She writes

b. The "direct quotation" (remember that the quote must be 'integrated' into the voice of your sentence. Avoid "dangling quotations" or "dropped quotations," in which the quote lacks even a signal phrase.

c. The (citation).

7. The paraphrase of the direct quote

8. Critical Thinking

a. agree/disagree/both
b. connect to another idea from the same text
c. connect to another idea from a different text
d. connect to another idea from another form of media (film, etc)
e. if you've already connected to other textual ideas, you can relate a useful and appropriate personal experience, or a topic from the news
f. re-state the topic sentence claim by connecting your critical thinking discussion back to your thesis

Note: as you relate the supporting ideas from the direct quote and critical thinking, it may be that all of your connections aren't a "perfect fit." be conscious of that, and honest about it. Constantly define the words you use, and be clear about what "works" with your thesis and what doesn't. In order to raise these thoughts, you'll have to ask yourself critical questions: is this really a neat fit? am I missing something? Is there a problem with the point of view I'm using? Could someone disagree with this? how?


Moffett Research Assignment

ENG 220 Research & Writing Assessment Paper
“The Ideas of James Moffett”
Research Question: What are the most important and enduring ideas James Moffett has contributed to the field of teaching writing?

This weekend you will write a 3-5 page paper answering this question based on researching James Moffett. There are two reasons we are doing this: 1) so the professor can get a sense of your abilities to both locate information on line and evaluate which information is appropriate to both the assignment and the context of teaching writing; and 2) so the professor can evaluate a sample of your writing before the end of the “drop” period. In light of reason 2, be sure to pay close attention to writing well. Be conscious of producing an error-free paper which has a thesis that answers the question, and uses topic-centered paragraphs which support your thesis and offer evidence from your research. You must also include a works cited page. Remember: this is a course that gives you the opportunity to tutor in the LaGuardia Writing Center. As the professor, I have a serious responsibility to assess your skills in these areas before I let you tutor. This difficult assignment is one of the ways I will do that.

HINT 1: Be attentive to the exact language in the title of the assignment. Do not present information that does not concern the exact words of the main question: What are the most important and enduring ideas James Moffett has contributed to the field of teaching writing?

HINT 2: If you do not know how to use the library search engines to look in Academic Search Premier, ERIC, or any other search engine that you might need, figure out how to get help. This assessment is, in part, a test of your resourcefulness—what do you do when you are presented with something that seems challenging or beyond your current knowledge base?

HINT 3: I have already conducted this search myself, and am aware of what will come up on Google when you search for Moffett using a variety of key words. I expect you to use the most informative of the online resources available to you, not just the first 1-2 things that come up on Google.

HINT 4: Because I have done this research already, I am already very familiar with the materials you will find. I will surely recognize any plagiarized material instantly, so do not plagiarize. If you plagiarize, you will not only fail the assignment but will be formally held accountable for cheating. Use summary, paraphrase, and quotation from your research to help you describe Moffett’s ideas, and always cite sources.

Good Luck!

Diagnostic: What makes for good teaching?

Diagnostic Goal: The goal of this diagnostic is have students write 200-250 word reflections on what they believe makes for "good teaching."

Diagnostic Description: Before we write these reflections, we will reflect on a short video. You may decide to respond to the video in your reflection - it's up to you. If you choose to incorporate the video, however, remember this: we are writing in this class towards an audience that is "outside" our class. Imagine yourself writing to another sophisticated LaGuardia student, like yourself, but who is in another class. Therefore, you have to "introduce" the video (and its main ideas) if you incorporate it.

You may also decide to reflect on positive experiences you've had at LaGuardia or other institutions. I only ask that you don't cite specific individuals by name. It will be imperative for you explain why you feel you've encountered good teaching, and how it was done, too. Are there any strategies you've witnessed or participated in that you'd want to repeat yourself?

Finally, you may want to take a few moments at the beginning of your writing to jot down some notes, ideas, and plans for the piece. Do you want to simply write this as a straight reflection? Or is it possible to do some light organizing first, to make this a better read for the reader?

Welcome to ENG 220! The Seminar in Teaching Writing

Welcome!

Today we will go over the syllabus, introduce ourselves, write a brief diagnostic,