Paper topic ideas/vague outline...

Unlike the majority of those I have talked to in this program, I have no problem with the prospect of a life spent teaching basic writers. (Of course, I can say that now because I, technically, have not even started my professional life and, therefore, have only gotten a glimpse of the horrors that that await me as a teacher of first year composition.) But, regardless, it is still the goal that I am currently working toward. I did my keyword video on “freshman English,” and I was really interested in the reactions I got from the students that I interviewed. The students had a very wide range of reactions to the questions that I posed. And while it was highly unscientific, their reactions gave me some insight into the impact freshman English is/ is not having on students. I want to use this paper as an opportunity to explore more fully the ideas that a touched on in the video. I want to explore what the supposed purpose of freshman English is seen to be across a broad number of universities, and what the differences are between the stated goals and what is actually being achieved in first year composition classes. I plan to look at websites for different composition courses across the nation in order to get a feel for the common threads that seem to run through all of the different models (or see how completely disconnected the respective institutions ideas about college composition are.) I plan to begin by looking at the history of the composition course. I will explore the reasoning behind its creation at Harvard and then go on to look at the ways that composition has evolved from this initial model. From this big-picture view of the course, I want to begin to consider the ways that composition has to be adapted to fit the local needs of the student. It would seem to be important to consider how these needs may vary according to the institution and the population it is serving. Because the video is concerned with Texas Tech students and because I do believe that different institutions have different needs, I want to look at Texas Tech students in particular. I want to see what this population is getting out of composition and how/if the outcome matches up with the goals stated for the course. I have not totally figured out how I am going to go about this, but it will probably involve either examining course evaluations or by taking a small survey of students who are or have been a part of the course. I feel that giving students a solid foundation with respect to writing skills is very important, and I just want to know how composition courses are measuring up to that goal. I am sure that much of this will end up being subject to change by the time I get further into the work, but this is just the most basic framework for what I will be doing…musings, if you will.

What is good teaching?

I think that what can be taken away from The Bedford Bibliography for Teachers of Writing is that good teaching is a number of things, but, primarily, good teaching is teaching that changes with the needs of the respective students. As times change and students change, some of the needs that teachers are required to meet will also have to change. If teachers want to continue to be effective, their methods will have to be sensitive to cultural shifts.
“By the end of the 1980s, seeing writing in social and cultural contexts was the prevailing tendency in the field.”
I think that it is of the utmost importance to consider the cultural issues that can effect and surround student writing. We are doing students as disservice if we come into the classroom assuming that all students are entering the course with the same set of skills and the same background by which to understand the skills we intend to teach them. By this I am not suggesting that all students do not have the ability to become proficient writers, but that they must come to this point by different means at different paces. We must be sensitive to the differing needs of our students and try to meet them where they are. Teachers have to be aware of the fact that gender, race, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, and other factors can have a profound impact on student writing and interaction in the classroom.
“We need to look not only at the individual writer but at the collaborative situation of his or her classroom, personal and institutional histories, and writers' and teachers' political hopes.”
Beyond just the situation of our students, we must assess our own expectations and limitations upon entering the classroom. As teachers, we must evaluate the expectations and biases we have towards our students, and try to assess how these issues are affecting the classroom setting and our ability to teach our students. We must also consider the pre-existing constraints placed upon writing by the larger culture and consider why we assign certain values to different pieces/styles of writing.

Teaching Philosophy

Billie from Georgia...who would've thunk?
http://www.isd.uga.edu/teaching_assistant/philosophy/2003/Bennett/index.html

I would not go so far as to say that Billie Bennett and I are in complete agreement with one another about all aspects of good teaching, but I thought that she presented some interesting ideas that I did not find in the other teaching philosophies that I perused…

She says that she is focused on becoming and creating “students of the universe.” It is certainly a lofty goal, but I think that the profession requires a certain degree of idealism. We have to believe that we are having some kind of far-reaching affect on our students, or I a pretty sure that we are in grave danger of having cynicism and despair set in. We have to believe in the power of learning and the profound affect it can have on a person’s life. It is also important that we maintain the view that we are also learning from our students when we are in the classroom. We cannot lose our own affection for education. We also have to believe in the power of our respective subject matter to change a human life. The term “humanities” implies that our discipline equips students to be more complete human beings. We have to believe that we are not just teaching them to write for its own sake, but that it will have some kind of greater impact on who they are as people. Perhaps this is an overly-optimistic view, but I intend to continue deluding myself as long as is possible.
I also liked her discussion about the importance of maintaining one’s own passion and trying to pass that enthusiasm on to one’s students. Obviously, I will not be capable of winning-over every student, but, to a certain extent, it is my job to try. If I no longer have a shred of my initial passion for literature and learning, it might be time for me to consider a change of profession.
I also liked the fact that Ms. Bennett put the focus on student interaction in the classroom. I think that the role of facilitator of learning is the best one that a teacher can hope to fill. I, too, hope to foster the kind of classroom experience where the students will feel comfortable to exchange ideas and discuss amongst themselves without the fear of being mocked or penalized (unless one of them says something stupid…then I will have to flog him/her.)
I depart from Ms. Bennett as bit on this last part. While I hope that my role will be secondary, do I think that the teacher has a big role in the success of the classroom experience. In many ways, the instructor must have a more clearly defined sense of purpose and direction when dealing in a more student-centered classroom. One has to work overtime to insure that the discussion that is sparked is productive and conducive to learning. I also believe that there has to be a certain degree of formality, both between the students and teacher, and between the student and his/her peers. I do not think that this has to hinder expression in the classroom but, rather, sets up expectations for appropriate academic discourse.