Richard Lanham seems to be a guy who really loves what he does. From everything that I read about him, I got the impression that he was doing exactly what he wanted to do in life. He has made a name for himself in the areas of technology, copyright law, and most importantly, style.
It was his work in style that I found to be the most interesting. This is an area that I am very interested in, but do not get to work with very often. In the high school setting, it seems that style gets pushed to the back. I spend most of my time working on complete sentences and actual words. It is one thing if a student chooses to use a variation of the language as a stylistic choice, but that is very rarely the case. Lanham suggests that style is the key to really understanding writing. He believes that it should be the primary focus in writing instruction. If we neglect style, we neglect the joy that can be associated with writing. We can’t be complacent in our writing and allow it to become stale and stagnant. If all writing begins to look the same, then there is no reason to write. We have to find the pleasure that use to exist in writing.
He also stresses the importance of understanding style in order to fully comprehend what a student is reading. Most readers look through the style in order to find the meaning behind the words. Others become too occupied with the style and never gain an understanding of the text because they only look at the style. Lanham suggests that in order to truly understand a piece of writing, you have to be able to look both through it see the meaning of the words, and at it in order to understand the author’s use of style. Changes in the style can affect the meaning that an author was attempting to pass along to the reader.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
I Just Don't Know
I think that Yancey is really on to something in terms of her use of the portfolio. I have often tried to find ways to incorporate portfolios into my classroom, but I have never been able to take the final step and really commit to it. Portfolios have the potential to be used as an authentic assessment that can demonstrate a student’s growth in any number of areas. I think that there is a great deal of understanding that can take place when a student is able to look at his work over a given period of time and see the progress that he has made. Given the chance to have honest reflection and time to evaluate his own words, a student can begin to look at their work critically. That is, I believe, the greatest benefit that the portfolio has to offer. Then why am I so reluctant to use them? Why can’t I just jump in like Yancey and begin to incorporate the portfolio into my classes? My biggest reason for hesitating is my uncertainty over whether my students would be willing to put forth an effort to offer an honest and critical look at their work. I have tried to do small assignments that require students to evaluate their work, and have had mixed results from it. I have students who give an actual effort to look critically at their work. These students would do just fine with a portfolio. The problem is that these students are the minority. Most of my students would offer only the most superficial review of their work and put forth only enough effort to make a passing grade. For these students, the portfolio would not have the same benefits. There has to be an evaluation component if the work is going to be worthwhile for these students. I am not sure if a half-hearted attempt at a portfolio is going to be better for these mediocre students than a more consistent feedback from me for the work that they are doing. Help me Kathleen Yancy!!
Say What?
Lindemann’s ideas were a bit hard to come to terms with at first. It seemed contrary to what we do in the high school to say that there is no place for literature in the composition classroom. I had to take a step back and try to understand where she was coming from when she made this statement. I was finally able to see that she was talking about a class that is strictly focused on composition. At the college level, this situation is the norm. For those of us in the high school level, we are not able to separate the two. We do not divide composition and literature, especially in the early years. We have to use literature alongside composition because we are expected to give them exposure to both of them. As I began to look at her statement in this light, it started to make more sense to me. I know that it is very true that the discussions that take place about the literature are usually centered on me asking questions and then hoping that someone will not only be able to answer, but also be lead to a comment of their own. It usually ends up with me doing a lot of talking and the students looking at me.
I was very interested in her thoughts on the combination of the product and process methods of writing. She has taken the benefits of each and focused on them, while avoiding many of the drawbacks. Her focus on the community and social aspects of writing is something that I think I need to focus on more with my students. They really don’t have a very clear concept of their role in any conversation outside of their immediate lives. They don’t see their work as having an impact on a larger scale. I need to work to show them that their words can impact their world in ways that they are unaware of.
I was very interested in her thoughts on the combination of the product and process methods of writing. She has taken the benefits of each and focused on them, while avoiding many of the drawbacks. Her focus on the community and social aspects of writing is something that I think I need to focus on more with my students. They really don’t have a very clear concept of their role in any conversation outside of their immediate lives. They don’t see their work as having an impact on a larger scale. I need to work to show them that their words can impact their world in ways that they are unaware of.
Technology - yes or no?
I really like what Cynthia Selfe has to say about technology. Her thoughts seem to align pretty closely to my own when it comes to the role of technology in the classroom.
She is spot on when she says that teachers must incorporate technology not only into their classrooms, but also into their own lives. Students are using the technology every day. As a teacher, I have two choices. I choose to ignore the technology around me. I can avoid email. I can pretend that text messaging doesn’t exist. I can remain clueless about things like MySpace and Facebook. I can pretend like the world has not changed in the last twenty years and that I can go on living the way that I did when I started school. I could choose to look at technology this way, and I can give up any hope of reaching the students who come into my classroom. If I remain in the dark about the technology that my students are using, I am choosing to ignore one of the biggest influences in their lives. I will never be able to really connect to students if I am unable to speak to them in terms that they can understand.
Having said that, I also have to be aware of how I approach the use of technology in the classroom. I can’t just assume that every student I meet will have equal access to all forms of technology. If I am trying to incorporate technology into my classroom, then I have to be very aware of the opportunities that my students have to use this technology on their own. I have to be able to provide them with the technology in the classroom, or assure them that they will have access to it somewhere else. If I assume that they all have a computer, I turn the technology into an oppression rather than a liberation.
She is spot on when she says that teachers must incorporate technology not only into their classrooms, but also into their own lives. Students are using the technology every day. As a teacher, I have two choices. I choose to ignore the technology around me. I can avoid email. I can pretend that text messaging doesn’t exist. I can remain clueless about things like MySpace and Facebook. I can pretend like the world has not changed in the last twenty years and that I can go on living the way that I did when I started school. I could choose to look at technology this way, and I can give up any hope of reaching the students who come into my classroom. If I remain in the dark about the technology that my students are using, I am choosing to ignore one of the biggest influences in their lives. I will never be able to really connect to students if I am unable to speak to them in terms that they can understand.
Having said that, I also have to be aware of how I approach the use of technology in the classroom. I can’t just assume that every student I meet will have equal access to all forms of technology. If I am trying to incorporate technology into my classroom, then I have to be very aware of the opportunities that my students have to use this technology on their own. I have to be able to provide them with the technology in the classroom, or assure them that they will have access to it somewhere else. If I assume that they all have a computer, I turn the technology into an oppression rather than a liberation.
Let's All Get Together
Kenneth Bruffee’s ideas on collaboration really hit home with me. As a teacher, I think that the only way that I can truly be effective in the classroom is through varying levels of collaboration.
My primary collaboration is with my students. It is my task to remain in constant conversation with them in everything that we do. When I introduce new topics, I must give my students the context for the information before I can expect them to really comprehend it. I need to be able to provide them with the “so what?” and the “ why do I need this?” when they ask for it, which they will. Giving my students information does not constitute a conversation or collaboration. I need to listen to them after I have given them the initial information. I need to encourage them to question what they are learning in order to gain a better understanding of it. Their role, according to Bruffee, is to talk about the material being covered. I need to also provide them with the skills that they will need in order to feel comfortable participating in other discourses outside of the classroom. They need to understand that their role in the conversation does not end with their graduation. My classroom needs to become a model of the dialogues that my students will hopefully partake in in the future.
In addition to my students, I need to be in collaboration with the other teachers around me. This conversation allows me to look at problems from a different perspective in order to improve my own understanding. by discussing what is going on with others, I am able to see the questions, concerns and obstacles that my students may face when they are introduced to the same material. Collaboration allows me to see material in a new way.
My primary collaboration is with my students. It is my task to remain in constant conversation with them in everything that we do. When I introduce new topics, I must give my students the context for the information before I can expect them to really comprehend it. I need to be able to provide them with the “so what?” and the “ why do I need this?” when they ask for it, which they will. Giving my students information does not constitute a conversation or collaboration. I need to listen to them after I have given them the initial information. I need to encourage them to question what they are learning in order to gain a better understanding of it. Their role, according to Bruffee, is to talk about the material being covered. I need to also provide them with the skills that they will need in order to feel comfortable participating in other discourses outside of the classroom. They need to understand that their role in the conversation does not end with their graduation. My classroom needs to become a model of the dialogues that my students will hopefully partake in in the future.
In addition to my students, I need to be in collaboration with the other teachers around me. This conversation allows me to look at problems from a different perspective in order to improve my own understanding. by discussing what is going on with others, I am able to see the questions, concerns and obstacles that my students may face when they are introduced to the same material. Collaboration allows me to see material in a new way.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
This Guy Knows Everything
As a child, I felt that my grandpa knew everything. He was able to fix a car, a faucet, a scraped knee, and even my injured pride. There was no subject that he couldn't contribute his own thoughts on. This is how I felt after meeting Dr. Burns last week. As I looked back on my notes, I was surprised to see just how much information we manged to discuss in such a short period of time. A few of these points really stand out as things that I want to really hold on to.
The first thing that I think is important to mention, is Dr. Burns' ability to tie all of these pieces together. He seemed to effortlessly make connections between some of the very different subjects we covered. I am sure that some of these connections are already present in the material, but his understanding of them help him to illustrate those connections to us. His use of the "Seven Books You Would Write as a Philospher," really made clear the connections between these different areas of study. This simple premise opened the material to a very bacis, but comrehensive understanding.
I was also very impressed with the huge amount of first-hand experience he has had in his areas of study. I found it very interesting that he was working on the primitive ancetors of the search engine, before anyone had even considered the possibilites that it would make available. I was not aware that this particluar style of programming had its roots in composition. It made it even more interesting that he is still working in this field. He has been in the field almost from its inception, which ver few people can claim. His discussion of the steps that you go through to prgram AI was similar to some of the steps that I have to take my students through as they begin to do their own research.
The first thing that I think is important to mention, is Dr. Burns' ability to tie all of these pieces together. He seemed to effortlessly make connections between some of the very different subjects we covered. I am sure that some of these connections are already present in the material, but his understanding of them help him to illustrate those connections to us. His use of the "Seven Books You Would Write as a Philospher," really made clear the connections between these different areas of study. This simple premise opened the material to a very bacis, but comrehensive understanding.
I was also very impressed with the huge amount of first-hand experience he has had in his areas of study. I found it very interesting that he was working on the primitive ancetors of the search engine, before anyone had even considered the possibilites that it would make available. I was not aware that this particluar style of programming had its roots in composition. It made it even more interesting that he is still working in this field. He has been in the field almost from its inception, which ver few people can claim. His discussion of the steps that you go through to prgram AI was similar to some of the steps that I have to take my students through as they begin to do their own research.
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