Hello all, and thanks to Brett for summarizing feedback from Friday's meeting.
On Monday, we'll take stock of what we've learned so far from process, post-process, and audience theories. Together with your tutoring practicum group members, compose a "Tutors' Guide to Composition Theory." (Guidelines are posted on your Google Group's page.)
For Wednesday's class, please post to your blog a response to the Bartholamae reading ("Inventing the University," p. 623 Cross-Talk). Please post your response by 9 pm Tuesday, and respond to at least one of your classmates' blogs before our Wednesday meeting.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Audience Addressed and Invoked
For today’s in-class workshop, conduct a textual analysis of Bitch magazine editorials from the perspective of 1) audience addressed and 2) audience invoked.
After you have completed both analyses in your response, consider these questions:
Friday, September 21, 2007
Process and Post-Process
Writing Prompt: This morning, we will focus on the ways in which scholarly conversations about teaching writing as a process have changed over the course of thirty years.
Based on the essays you have read so far, are there any process-oriented issues or concerns that continue to be important in post-process theories? What perspectives on writing seem to have fallen out of favor in post-process theory? In other words, how has the conversation changed over time? What similarities and differences do you notice between the process theories and research of the 1970’s and the more recent post-process theories?
In your view, is there really such a big difference between process and post-process theories? Or have post-process theories “created their own rhetorical narrative of process as content-based, thus casting process as the scapegoat” (Breuch 109)?
Based on the essays you have read so far, are there any process-oriented issues or concerns that continue to be important in post-process theories? What perspectives on writing seem to have fallen out of favor in post-process theory? In other words, how has the conversation changed over time? What similarities and differences do you notice between the process theories and research of the 1970’s and the more recent post-process theories?
In your view, is there really such a big difference between process and post-process theories? Or have post-process theories “created their own rhetorical narrative of process as content-based, thus casting process as the scapegoat” (Breuch 109)?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Revision Strategies and Peer Tutoring
Last night, an English 401 peer tutor posted the following report:
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I met with my tutee tonight. The assignment he was working on was to respond to/summarize an article in They Say/I Say. He decided to respond to the article by Graff talking about hidden intellectualism. I began the conversation by talking about things not related to the assignment. My tutee seemed a little reluctant to talk about his writing.
One thing I would like to talk a little more about are strategies to help the tutee talk about their writing.
It seemed like what he had prepared for our session was a very rough draft of his paper. I pointed out when revising he might want to pay a little more attention to the grammar. One thing I liked about our session was we were able to talk about how he liked to revise papers. His approach actually reminded me of how some of the "experienced writers" described simply writing a first draft to have ideas down and going back and organizing the ideas later. I obviously haven't seen the finished product but if he follows this strategy he should have a pretty solid final paper.
************************
In light of the research you've read for today's class meeting, how might you respond to your classmate? You might begin your consideration with general questions related to today's readings, such as
*******************
I met with my tutee tonight. The assignment he was working on was to respond to/summarize an article in They Say/I Say. He decided to respond to the article by Graff talking about hidden intellectualism. I began the conversation by talking about things not related to the assignment. My tutee seemed a little reluctant to talk about his writing.
One thing I would like to talk a little more about are strategies to help the tutee talk about their writing.
It seemed like what he had prepared for our session was a very rough draft of his paper. I pointed out when revising he might want to pay a little more attention to the grammar. One thing I liked about our session was we were able to talk about how he liked to revise papers. His approach actually reminded me of how some of the "experienced writers" described simply writing a first draft to have ideas down and going back and organizing the ideas later. I obviously haven't seen the finished product but if he follows this strategy he should have a pretty solid final paper.
************************
In light of the research you've read for today's class meeting, how might you respond to your classmate? You might begin your consideration with general questions related to today's readings, such as
- What is revision?
- How do unskilled writers write?
- How do inexperienced writers' revision strategies differ from those of experienced writers?
Monday, September 17, 2007
Writing as Process
Today's in-class work:
Part I: Find a partner or two and cluster around one computer. Copy and paste the following prompt into a document window, and compose a response based on the reading and writing you did to prepare for today’s class. You’ll have about half an hour to do this—concentrate, and pace yourselves. When you are done, please post your commentary to the course blog at http://crosstalkincomp.blogspot.com; include all your names.
Writing prompt: What I particularly want you to begin to consider is the relationship between Emig’s and Murray’s articles. What, taken together, do these two authors reveal about the nature of writing as a process or its relationship to learning? Do Murray and Emig seem to be describing the same process? What similarities and/or differences do you note?
Part II: Class Discussion
As your group finishes up, review your blog responses, as well as any other reading notes, questions, and marginal notes in your textbook. What discussion starters can you come up with—particularly good questions that will help us understand these essays?
Part I: Find a partner or two and cluster around one computer. Copy and paste the following prompt into a document window, and compose a response based on the reading and writing you did to prepare for today’s class. You’ll have about half an hour to do this—concentrate, and pace yourselves. When you are done, please post your commentary to the course blog at http://crosstalkincomp.blogspot.com; include all your names.
Writing prompt: What I particularly want you to begin to consider is the relationship between Emig’s and Murray’s articles. What, taken together, do these two authors reveal about the nature of writing as a process or its relationship to learning? Do Murray and Emig seem to be describing the same process? What similarities and/or differences do you note?
Part II: Class Discussion
As your group finishes up, review your blog responses, as well as any other reading notes, questions, and marginal notes in your textbook. What discussion starters can you come up with—particularly good questions that will help us understand these essays?
Thursday, September 6, 2007
James Berlin's "A Short History of Writing Instruction"
Monday's reading assignment is James Berlin's history of writing instruction in American colleges. For your blog response, please summarize the (1) economic, political and social changes, and (2) changes in curriculum and teaching methods for one of the following time periods discussed in Berlin's article:
1880-1900
1900-1917
1917-1945
1945-1960
1960-1975
1975-1985
Next Wednesday, you will work with a group to compose a timeline that connects each of these time periods. We'll attempt to answer the question: What continuities and contradictions have shaped the teaching of writing since the late nineteenth century?
1880-1900
1900-1917
1917-1945
1945-1960
1960-1975
1975-1985
Next Wednesday, you will work with a group to compose a timeline that connects each of these time periods. We'll attempt to answer the question: What continuities and contradictions have shaped the teaching of writing since the late nineteenth century?
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
They Say, I Say
I look forward to reading your summaries and responses to Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein's They Say, I Say. Students in my first-year composition (English 106) classes started using with the templates last week, with mixed responses to the method (agree/disagree/both). On Friday, students engaged in some provocative discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of using templates as a method of learning argumentative writing.
On Wednesday, we'll see what you have to say about They Say, I Say. Any connection between this model of argument and Bruffee's "conversation of mankind"? What does each method suggest about how people learn to write and how writing should be taught?
On Wednesday, we'll see what you have to say about They Say, I Say. Any connection between this model of argument and Bruffee's "conversation of mankind"? What does each method suggest about how people learn to write and how writing should be taught?
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