Course Syllabus: revised


The Seminar in Teaching Writing
English 220.7482 (22602)
LaGuardia Community College Spring II 2013
Justin Rogers-Cooper, Ph.D
jrogers@lagcc.cuny.edu

M-W: 9.15-12.45; E-252
TH: 9.15-11.30; M-157

Office Hours:      M-TH 12.45-1.45 or by appointment
M-120E
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COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION


The Seminar in Teaching Writing combines three hours of class discussion of theory and practice of teaching writing with one hour of actual classroom experience as a participant observer and as a tutor. In class, students will discuss readings on writing theory and practice teaching and tutoring methodologies. Students will work with students in a composition or basic writing class. They will observe the class during the first half of the term and during the second half they will tutor under supervision.


INDIVIDUAL COURSE DESCRIPTION
We will stick to the traditional texts taught in this course, but our version of the class will contain several key innovations:
* We will produce short instructional videos, in teams, on some aspect of teaching writing
* We will blog our experiences with tutoring students and reviewing several films and videos (some of this will take place in class, in our computer lab)
* We will tutor students and offer feedback on writing assignments to a variety of LaGuardia students from real on-going classes happening during the Spring II summer term.
 
COURSE TEXTS
Tutoring Writing by McAndrew and Reigstad (purchase at campus bookstore)
Active Voice by James Moffett (purchase at campus bookstore)
Course Packet (purchase at NEKO copy center in the basement of the B-Building)
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GRADING
This course can be both exciting and challenging. You are being tested in your ability to teach at a high level, and are being given the possible opportunity to tutor college students. Only the best students in the class will be allowed to practice tutoring.

In addition, a passing grade must be received on every single assignment. A failing grade on any assignment means failing the entire course. You may revise any written assignments until you receive the grade you desire (see * below).

Out-of-class blogs written as take-home assignments must hit 250 words to fulfill the minimal length requirements.

Video projects will be completed with a small team. Self-evaluation and group evaluation will help me form your individual grades.

Blogs*                         15%
Moffet Paper*             10%
Dialogue Essay*         10%
Quiz Avg                     10%
Midterm                      10%
Letter to Bert*            10%
Case Study*                10%
Final                            10%
Video Project              15%

*Only students who maintain a grade of B+ or higher will be allowed to tutor. Students maintaining a B or lower will spend lab hour(s) completing additional required writing assignments.
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ATTENDANCE
Attendance to class is required every day. If you miss more than two days, you may be required to withdraw from the class. Arriving after attendance is taken means you are marked late.
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LATE ASSIGNMENTS
Each student is allowed one extension of three days. Grade for that assignment begins to drop by a partial letter grade for every day after. Quizzes cannot be made up.
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STATEMENT ON PLAGIARISM

What is Plagiarism?
When you use another person's idea or work without giving proper credit, you are committing plagiarism. Plagiarism is considered unethical and in some cases illegal. Therefore, you should always provide appropriate citations for all quotations, summaries, paraphrases, or any other work that is acquired or borrowed from other writers. The penalty for plagiarism can be severe, and university instructors are continuously developing more sophisticated methods of discovering plagiarized material. If you have any doubt about the possible consequences of plagiarism, read the following news story: Internet Watchdog Could Stop Collegiate Copycats.

Although there are various citation formats, they all require the same types of information. Listed below is the basic information you will need to copy down from each source you use while doing your research. In the end, you want your readers—if they are interested in the topic—to be able to find the document you are quoting from.

BASIC RUBRIC FOR WORKS CITED PAGE

Book
author's last and first name; title of book; publisher place and date  of publication.

Journal/Magazine/Periodical Article
author's name; title of article; title of journal/periodical; volume number; issue number or month and year of publication; page numbers the complete article appears on.

Article From Anthology
author of article; title of article; title of anthology; editor of anthology; place and date of  publication; page number of article

Web page
author of document; title of document; title of complete work (if available); date of document's loading or last revision; electronic address or URL; date of access; publication information for print version of source (if available).

ALWAYS INCLUDE Basic Citation Information





THE SCHEDULE

M-W                                      Class, Observe or Tutor (B-200)
TH                                          Lab: blogging, tutoring, class

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W 6.26                        Introductions
Syllabus

Diagnostic: What makes good teaching?
Review Expectations of ENG 101 College Essays
           
                       
Next Class (NC):        Buy Books
                                   
                                    Read Tutoring Writing pp. 21-30 & Prepare for Graded Quiz
           

TH 6.27                                 Graded Quiz on Tutoring Writing pp. 21-30
                                                Discuss Reading
                                                Video: Moffett on Media
                                               
                                                Create blogs
Blogging Moffett
                                                In-class: Review/Prepare for First Graded Research
Paper—DUE NEXT WEEK!                                   

NC                                          First Graded Research Project: “The Ideas of James
Moffett” (3-5 pp.)
Read Tutoring Writing pp. 1-7 & Prepare for Graded Quiz
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M 7.1                                      Graded Quiz on Tutoring Writing pp. 1-7
                                                Discuss Reading
                                                Watch 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
                                               
                                                Peer Review: the Moffett Paper
Maybe: Introduction to CATW Writing Test for ENG 099 students

NC:                                         Read Active Voice 46-70

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W 7.3                                      DUE:  First Research Paper (James Moffett)
                                                Letter to Professor on writing process
Tentative: Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200

Tentative In-class writing:      What I observed today at
the Writing Center: strategies used / needed OR TBA
                                               
Discuss Moffett Papers
                                                Exercise from Active Voice 46-70

                                                Film: The War on Kids
                                               
 NC:                                        Read Tutoring Writing pp. 14-20 & Prepare for Graded
Quiz
Write dialogue based on Writing Assignment based on Active Voice 46-70

TH 7.4                                                Fireworks
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M 7.8                                      Tentative:    Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
Graded Quiz on Tutoring Writing pp. 14-20
                                                Discuss Readings
                                                Watch Tutor Videos
                                                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?
                                               
                                                Group work: Share dialogues / identify research prompts
                                                Team formation: Video project
                                                                                               
NC:                                         Finish dialogues for performance
Confirm that your dialogue ideas are absolutely researchable (if not, start over)

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W 7.10                                   Tentative:    Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
Group work: share dialogues, test researchability

                                                In-class writing: what makes good teaching?
NC:                                         Revise dialogues

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TH 7.11                                 Perform dialogues
                                                Writing the dialogue essay
                                               
                                                Blogging: Review of films/videos on education

                                                Film: The US Schools to Prisons Pipeline
                                                Blogging: Review of film

NC:                                         Read Moffet “Explanation of the Program” (pp. 3-24) (*will appear on midterm)  

                                                Read: Pedagogy of the Oppressed (41-67)
                                                Text (to print)
                                                DUE: Dialogue Essay      
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M 7.15                                                DUE: Dialogue Essay
                                                Tentative:    Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
                                                Discuss Moffett
                                               
Tutor:    Students with “B+” or Higher Begin
Tutoring !!!!!!


                                                Video project teams

NC:                                         Read Sondra Perl, “Understanding Composing” (*will
appear on midterm)
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W 7.17                                    Tentative:    Observe Writing Center tutors in E-111
                                               

                                               
                                                Video project teams   
                                            
Discuss Readings
NC:                                         Read Tutoring Writing 31-41
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TH 7.18                                
                                                Tutoring!
                                               

Blogging: tutoring; film reviews
Video project teams


NC:                                         Read Mike Rose “Rigid Rules” (*will appear on midterm)

                                                Quiz on Tutoring Writing 31-41
                                               

M  7.22                                   Discuss Reading (Perl, Rose, Tutoring Writing)

                                                Group Work: Problem Posing / Evaluation of Tutoring at

                                                the Writing Center

                                                Prepare for Group Presentations

                                                Video: The Secrets of ALEC
                                                Video: ALEC/Education
                                                Video: Dean Julie Underwood
                                                Video: Diane Ravitch on Corporate Education Reform

                                                In-class writing: video review
                                                Video project teams

NC:                                          Read Tutoring Writing 42-69 and prepare for QUIZ


 W 7.24                                    Quiz on Tutoring Writing 42-69
                                                Tutoring
                                                Discuss Tutoring

                                                Video: Khan Academy

                                                Preview: Waiting for Superman

                                                Preview: The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for
                                                 Superman
                                               Video: Chomsky on the Purpose of Education
 
NC:                                         Prepare for Group Presentations
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TH  7.25                                Group Presentations of Problem Posing Exercises
                                                How to turn your Problem Posing into a Letter

                                                Blogging: revising reviews; composing letter

NC:                                         “Letter to Bert Eisenstadt: Evaluation of Tutoring in the
Writing Center”

Prepare for Midterm Exam
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M 7.29                                                Midterm Exam

                                                Film: Chomsky on education

                                                Tutor:    Students with “B+” or Higher — Tutoring !

                                               
                                   
NC:                                        Letter to Bert
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W 7.31                                    Peer Review:   2 copies of  “Letter to Bert Eisenstadt”

                                                Video Filming

NC :                                        Read Kozol: Savage Inequalities
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TH 8.1                                                            Discuss Kozol

Video Editing

NC:                                                     Read Psychology of Social Class
Begin writing your Tutoring Case Study        
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LAST CLASS

M 8.5                                     Present Case Study
                                               Cultural Divides in Writing Tutoring
                                               Video Editing
           
NC:                                       Revise Case Studies
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FINAL EXAM PERIOD

TH 8.8                                    Final Reflection: education, pedagogy, and class 
                                               Final Case Studies Due
                       
                                               Tentative: Watch Tutoring Videos
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M 8.12                                                FINAL MEETING TO RECEIVE GRADES
Tentative: Watch Tutoring Videos

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