Methods of Teaching English 5367

College Composition Fall 2002

Course information on the web:

http://english.ttu.edu/Rickly/5367/fa02.htm

TOPIC

Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Rickly

Office: English 489

Office Phone: 742-2500, ext. 268

Office Hours: T, TH 12:30-4 in 211D; T-TH, 9:30-11 in 489; and by appointment

E-mail: rebecca.rickly@ttu.edu

Course Requirements:

In English 5367, we will focus on methodological approaches to teaching college composition, chiefly through classroom observation of writing classes and the writing center, close interaction with teaching mentors, and reflection on these experiences in a weekly forum. A three-hour weekly requirement includes:

• A one-hour seminar to be held Tuesdays at 8:30 (room 358) and Fridays at 11:00 (room 357).  You only need to attend one of these each week
• Participation in a regular email discussion on TOPIC; we will decide as a class whether or not to have this sent to your home email or simply left on TOPIC
• Weekly responses (in the form of "submit a draft") to readings; in addition, you should be browsing through what your classmates have written
• Regular weekly class visits to freshman writing classrooms and a two-week observation in the University Writing Center
• Regular journal entries (around 500 words) analyzing/responding to these visits
• Weekly scheduled meetings (online) with mentors to practice, assess, and discuss classroom practices
• Supervised participation in teaching activities
• One written "deliverable" from the three choices below

Written Deliverables:

You will be responsible for completing ONE of the following written assignments described below.  All of them should be from 10-15 pages in length, and should be an ongoing focus throughout the semester.  You need to let me know which one you'll be doing by September 15, and the deliverable will be due on December 2, 2002 (Dr. Carter's birthday!).

A Teaching Philosophy.  A Philosophy of Teaching Statement is a brief reflective essay concerning one's understanding about how students learn, how instruction can best assist that learning, and actions that you take to enact such instruction. It may also include your teaching goals , your learning goals for students, and areas in which you would like to further improve your teaching abilities, and how, specifically, you plan to improve.  Just as you start with a goal when you teach a lesson, you need to start with a goal in writing your teaching philosophy. Ask yourself what you want to emphasize, why you want to emphasize it, and what does your audience need to hear? You may want to write a few philosophy statements for varying audiences.

A Literacy Autobiography.  You'll read a piece by Linda Brodkey where she traces how she became literate, and do the same.  Obviously, Brodkey's piece is rather extensive; you can be as thorough as you feel you need to be to get your point across. Your goal is to trace your own literacy development to the present; you might want to go back to your earliest awareness, you might want to focus on pivotal events--the choice is yours.

An Issues-based research paper or useable document.  This document will grow out of your reading, reflections, class experiences, observations, tutoring, and teaching, and it should reflect your emerging philosophy. I envision this paper as an exploration that will lead to a professional act (e.g., a pedagogical implementation), a professional presentation, or a professional publication. You have two options:

Option 1: A reflective exploration of a theoretical problem. Based on research, reflection, and analysis, this paper will explore a problem inherent to a theoretical approach or between theoretical approaches. For example, you may opt to examine the theoretical disjuncture apparent in cognitive and social epistemic philosophies as they related to First Year Composition.

 

Option II: A Theory-to-Practice proposal or useable paper. In this option, your engagement with the theoretical material we cover in class will help you make the connections between the theoretical and the practical. In other words, you will be suggesting a pedagogical implementation, or a practical "how to" document, grounding it firmly in a theoretical base. For instance, you may opt to design a socially-based series of writing assignments on the web which emphasize the awareness of audience through the classical concept of imitatio, or a guide to commenting on student papers in the new ICON program.
 

Readings:

We will be reading and responding to short articles and excerpts that will be handed out in class or linked to the TOPIC web page.  I'll try to get these to you no later than Friday before the next class.

Schedule:

Following is a topical schedule for the semester. In your observations and meetings with mentors, try to focus in on the topics below during the week they're listed; if, however, something else comes up, don't hesitate to follow up on any opportunity. Our goal will be to seek out "teachable moments" for ourselves and our students. The mentors will have a copy of this schedule as well.

English 5367 Fall Semester 2000 Schedule

(Please note that the schedule below is TENTATIVE, and may be altered at any time)