10-Second Review: Look for the positives in today’s constraints and problems.
Title: “The Curriculum of Today: A Foreshadowing of Tomorrow.” Mescal Messmore. English Journal (April 1974), 37-41. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: The author makes the point that although elective programs have been shown to have significant problems, we should not, therefore, simply dismiss elective programs as one big mistake. We should not throw the baby out with the bathwater. We should look at what has been gained from elective programs in teaching English and build on or apply the positive characteristics to future variations in the English curriculum.
Comment: There’s wisdom in this article. Things look pretty bleak in today’s world of English with emphasis on major testing and the problems with No Child Left Behind (NCLB). We need to look at what good has come from trying to deal with these problems and build what is good into the next generation of the English curriculum. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Topic: Elective Programs in English
10-Second Review: What were some problems with elective programs in English?
Title: “My Daughter and the English Department; Or, a Second-Hand Look at High School Mini-Courses.” Elda Maase. English Journal (April 1974), 34-36. A publication of the National council of Teachers of English.
Summary: One big problem: courses were designed by particular teachers for courses they wanted to teach. If the teacher left the staff, the remaining teachers had to teach them, whether they had any interest in them or had the background to teach them. Tells of a teacher who designed a course called “Ghouls, Ghosts and Gothic” using three nineteenth-century Gothic novels. So many students signed up for the course that all the teachers on the staff had to teach it when she left—and they had to use the three novels she had identified that were difficult to read and not necessarily good Gothic novels.
Comment: One of the first things we changed in our elective program was the narrowly defined courses focusing on content and ignoring skills. We sought a balance between choice in courses and our curriculum responsibilities. The major concern was the background and interest of most teachers as opposed to the narrow interests of individual teachers.
This little bit of history in teaching English, the elective program mania that broke out in the 1970s, might not seem relevant to today’s problems in teaching English. However, if we had paid attention to the criticism of electives published in the pages of journals like the English Journal, we would not have made the mistakes we did. And we did pay the price. See my book, Teaching English, How To…. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Title: “My Daughter and the English Department; Or, a Second-Hand Look at High School Mini-Courses.” Elda Maase. English Journal (April 1974), 34-36. A publication of the National council of Teachers of English.
Summary: One big problem: courses were designed by particular teachers for courses they wanted to teach. If the teacher left the staff, the remaining teachers had to teach them, whether they had any interest in them or had the background to teach them. Tells of a teacher who designed a course called “Ghouls, Ghosts and Gothic” using three nineteenth-century Gothic novels. So many students signed up for the course that all the teachers on the staff had to teach it when she left—and they had to use the three novels she had identified that were difficult to read and not necessarily good Gothic novels.
Comment: One of the first things we changed in our elective program was the narrowly defined courses focusing on content and ignoring skills. We sought a balance between choice in courses and our curriculum responsibilities. The major concern was the background and interest of most teachers as opposed to the narrow interests of individual teachers.
This little bit of history in teaching English, the elective program mania that broke out in the 1970s, might not seem relevant to today’s problems in teaching English. However, if we had paid attention to the criticism of electives published in the pages of journals like the English Journal, we would not have made the mistakes we did. And we did pay the price. See my book, Teaching English, How To…. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Topic: Censorship
10-Second Review: A Q&A on parents’ rights in choosing what their children are assigned to read.
Title: “Some Tentative Answers to Some Questions About Censorship.” Ken Donelson. English Journal (April 1974), 20-21. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Comment: One of my very favorite writers and editors of the English Journal was Ken Donelson, I guess, because he seemed to think the way I did on issues in English education. But he also did not see things the way I did, and gave clear reasons. In this essay Donelson responds to questions about the parents’ role in selecting books for their children to read. You will, perhaps, be surprised at some of his answers. By the way, he prefaces his remarks by stating that they are his comments and they are not necessarily sanctioned by the NCTE. RayS.
Question: “Does the individual parent have the right to object to his child’s reading a specific literary work?”
Answer: “Of course he does. I believe parents have the moral right to challenge anything that interferes with the kind of education they feel their child should get. Whether or not they have the legal right is another question.”
Question: “Is a teacher being presumptuous in identifying a specific literary work as one that every student must read at a given time?”
Answer: “Yes, I would say that’s one hell of a presumptuous teacher. I can’t think of anything in literature or life that’s worthwhile to everyone at the same time.”
Question: “If you asked one hundred ‘good’ English teachers for the title of the one book that must be read by all students, how many different titles would be offered?”
Answer: “Never met 100 good English teachers ‘who could maintain with a straight face that there is any one good book or any list of great books that ‘must’ be read.’ ” [In several graduate classes, Donelson asked the question and never had a single overlapping title, but did have overlapping authors. RayS.]
Question: “What are the student’s options regarding the selection of reading material to which he is to be exposed?”
Answer: “Not very much in most schools…. Students should have the right to object to the use of Brave New World or The Grapes of Wrath or Slaughterhouse Five because they find them offensive, morally or politically or religiously. They should also have the right to object to Silas Marner or “The Vision of Sir Launfal” or Our Town or Great Expectations because they are taught with no excitement or relevance to today, nor for any other reasons teachers can justify.”
Question: “…although a parent may have something to say about the selection of a book for his child, can he prevent other members of the class from reading it?”
Answer: He can. And, from the number of censorship incidents I have see, often do so successfully. “…a single parent or a group of parents acting in concert can derail any educational system.”
Comment: Donelson has given me much to think about. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Title: “Some Tentative Answers to Some Questions About Censorship.” Ken Donelson. English Journal (April 1974), 20-21. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Comment: One of my very favorite writers and editors of the English Journal was Ken Donelson, I guess, because he seemed to think the way I did on issues in English education. But he also did not see things the way I did, and gave clear reasons. In this essay Donelson responds to questions about the parents’ role in selecting books for their children to read. You will, perhaps, be surprised at some of his answers. By the way, he prefaces his remarks by stating that they are his comments and they are not necessarily sanctioned by the NCTE. RayS.
Question: “Does the individual parent have the right to object to his child’s reading a specific literary work?”
Answer: “Of course he does. I believe parents have the moral right to challenge anything that interferes with the kind of education they feel their child should get. Whether or not they have the legal right is another question.”
Question: “Is a teacher being presumptuous in identifying a specific literary work as one that every student must read at a given time?”
Answer: “Yes, I would say that’s one hell of a presumptuous teacher. I can’t think of anything in literature or life that’s worthwhile to everyone at the same time.”
Question: “If you asked one hundred ‘good’ English teachers for the title of the one book that must be read by all students, how many different titles would be offered?”
Answer: “Never met 100 good English teachers ‘who could maintain with a straight face that there is any one good book or any list of great books that ‘must’ be read.’ ” [In several graduate classes, Donelson asked the question and never had a single overlapping title, but did have overlapping authors. RayS.]
Question: “What are the student’s options regarding the selection of reading material to which he is to be exposed?”
Answer: “Not very much in most schools…. Students should have the right to object to the use of Brave New World or The Grapes of Wrath or Slaughterhouse Five because they find them offensive, morally or politically or religiously. They should also have the right to object to Silas Marner or “The Vision of Sir Launfal” or Our Town or Great Expectations because they are taught with no excitement or relevance to today, nor for any other reasons teachers can justify.”
Question: “…although a parent may have something to say about the selection of a book for his child, can he prevent other members of the class from reading it?”
Answer: He can. And, from the number of censorship incidents I have see, often do so successfully. “…a single parent or a group of parents acting in concert can derail any educational system.”
Comment: Donelson has given me much to think about. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Topic: Black Culture and Communication
10-Second Review: Black speech patterns can interfere in communication with Whites.
Title: “Soul ‘n Style.” Geneva Smitherman. English Journal (April 1974), 16-17. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: In a two-page essay, Smitherman uses Black speech patterns to make some points about the usefulness of appreciating the patterns of Black speech. She particularly points out the Black habit of “call-response,” most familiarly heard in church services. She points out that Whites will misunderstand the same pattern in conversation to mean that the Black persons aren’t listening because they are always interrupting. The very opposite is true.
NOTE: Smitherman in her essay capitalizes “Black,” but does not do the same for Whites. Therefore, in the following quotes, I am capitalizing both Black and White when referring to race. RayS.
Quote: “Call-response—a dynamic interplay between speaker and audience. As Black communication is a two-way street, shot through with action and interaction, the listener is expected to respond verbally or non-verbally, giving approval, even direction to the route of the speaker’s rap. The best immediate ritualistic example is the church.”
“On the other hand, when the White is speaking, the Black typically responds according to the Black call-response pattern. Thus the White person gets the feeling that the Black person isn’t listening to him because he ‘keeps interrupting.’ Similarly, note that in the classroom, rich verbal response from Black kids—rather than the often-demanded quiet passive—should inflate and excite a teacher, ‘cause it mean they diggin’ on what you sayin’.”
Comment: Believe me, the whole essay is worth reading. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Title: “Soul ‘n Style.” Geneva Smitherman. English Journal (April 1974), 16-17. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: In a two-page essay, Smitherman uses Black speech patterns to make some points about the usefulness of appreciating the patterns of Black speech. She particularly points out the Black habit of “call-response,” most familiarly heard in church services. She points out that Whites will misunderstand the same pattern in conversation to mean that the Black persons aren’t listening because they are always interrupting. The very opposite is true.
NOTE: Smitherman in her essay capitalizes “Black,” but does not do the same for Whites. Therefore, in the following quotes, I am capitalizing both Black and White when referring to race. RayS.
Quote: “Call-response—a dynamic interplay between speaker and audience. As Black communication is a two-way street, shot through with action and interaction, the listener is expected to respond verbally or non-verbally, giving approval, even direction to the route of the speaker’s rap. The best immediate ritualistic example is the church.”
“On the other hand, when the White is speaking, the Black typically responds according to the Black call-response pattern. Thus the White person gets the feeling that the Black person isn’t listening to him because he ‘keeps interrupting.’ Similarly, note that in the classroom, rich verbal response from Black kids—rather than the often-demanded quiet passive—should inflate and excite a teacher, ‘cause it mean they diggin’ on what you sayin’.”
Comment: Believe me, the whole essay is worth reading. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Topic: Those Review Texts--What to Do About Them?
10-Second Review: Using the textbooks submitted to teachers for review.
Title: “Making a Virtue of Necessity.” KM Swaim. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 87-88.
Summary: When the book store ran out of required texts, the author brought to class copies of the many review copies she had saved over the years on shelves in her office. Students who had the required text summarized the information on the assigned topic in the chapter in the required text and those who had copies of the review texts found the information on the same topic in their texts—with whatever additional or different ideas they found.
Comment: You don’t have to wait for the book store to run out. Even students who have the required text can spend some time reviewing texts sent to the instructor for review to learn their special approaches to the topics in the required text. What a great idea. Now I can put to productive use the many review texts that were sitting on my shelf. Rays.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Title: “Making a Virtue of Necessity.” KM Swaim. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 87-88.
Summary: When the book store ran out of required texts, the author brought to class copies of the many review copies she had saved over the years on shelves in her office. Students who had the required text summarized the information on the assigned topic in the chapter in the required text and those who had copies of the review texts found the information on the same topic in their texts—with whatever additional or different ideas they found.
Comment: You don’t have to wait for the book store to run out. Even students who have the required text can spend some time reviewing texts sent to the instructor for review to learn their special approaches to the topics in the required text. What a great idea. Now I can put to productive use the many review texts that were sitting on my shelf. Rays.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Topic: Technical Writing
10-Second Review: Steps to take in a technical writing assignment.
Title: “Searching: A Better Way to Teach Technical Writing.” NJ Veglahn. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 85-87. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: The purpose of technical writing: “…learn to put technical information into clear, concise prose.” Show students how to find the information that they are going to put into “clear, concise prose.”
1. Choose a topic: something the student wants to know.
2. Each student presents a topic in class, and the others suggest possible sources of information.
3. Check the Internet for information on the topic. You should find tons of it.
4. Writing letters of inquiry. Students attempt to get some of the desired information by e-mail.
5. Interviewing: Each student conducts and hands in a written summary of at least one interview with an expert in the area of the search topic. Experts are asked to suggest further sources of information.
Comment: Could apply to any research paper. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Title: “Searching: A Better Way to Teach Technical Writing.” NJ Veglahn. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 85-87. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: The purpose of technical writing: “…learn to put technical information into clear, concise prose.” Show students how to find the information that they are going to put into “clear, concise prose.”
1. Choose a topic: something the student wants to know.
2. Each student presents a topic in class, and the others suggest possible sources of information.
3. Check the Internet for information on the topic. You should find tons of it.
4. Writing letters of inquiry. Students attempt to get some of the desired information by e-mail.
5. Interviewing: Each student conducts and hands in a written summary of at least one interview with an expert in the area of the search topic. Experts are asked to suggest further sources of information.
Comment: Could apply to any research paper. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Topic: Writing Journals
10-Second Review: Students reflect on their writing process.
Title: “Writing Discovery Journals: Helping Students Take Charge.” CF Haveland and A Pittindrigh. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 84-85. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Students keep a journal as they write assignments. Will help them discover what they are learning about writing. Write a final paper summarizing what they have learned about themselves as writers.
Comment: Why not? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Title: “Writing Discovery Journals: Helping Students Take Charge.” CF Haveland and A Pittindrigh. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 84-85. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Students keep a journal as they write assignments. Will help them discover what they are learning about writing. Write a final paper summarizing what they have learned about themselves as writers.
Comment: Why not? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Topic: Student-Teacher Memor
10-Second Review: Students write memo to teacher reflecting on the composition they are submitting.
Title: “Behind the Paper: Using the Student-Teacher Memo.” J Sommers. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 77-79. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: After students complete a composition, they must submit with the paper a memo to the teacher reacting to certain questions:
“What part of the essay is the most successful or best part? why? “
“What, in particular do you want me to comment on?”
“What three questions would you like me to answer about your paper as I read and comment on it?”
When the student submits a revised copy:
“Which comments, suggestions and observations of mine on your paper were useful to you in revising? Which comments were not useful?”
“What changes have you made?”
“Which aspects of this revised version do you wish me to examine most carefully?”
Comment: Helps students to reflect on what they have written. Revision reveals the comments that were helpful and not helpful. Worth a try. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Title: “Behind the Paper: Using the Student-Teacher Memo.” J Sommers. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 77-79. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: After students complete a composition, they must submit with the paper a memo to the teacher reacting to certain questions:
“What part of the essay is the most successful or best part? why? “
“What, in particular do you want me to comment on?”
“What three questions would you like me to answer about your paper as I read and comment on it?”
When the student submits a revised copy:
“Which comments, suggestions and observations of mine on your paper were useful to you in revising? Which comments were not useful?”
“What changes have you made?”
“Which aspects of this revised version do you wish me to examine most carefully?”
Comment: Helps students to reflect on what they have written. Revision reveals the comments that were helpful and not helpful. Worth a try. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Topic: Rhetoric in the Real World
10-Second Review: A method for teaching rhetoric and identifying it in the students’ real world.
Title: “Stressing Figures of Speech in Freshman Composition.” Bonnie Dover. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 67-69. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Author directly taught specific figures of speech in class:
metaphor, simile and personification.
antithesis, alliteration and antimetabole (repetition of words in reverse order).
parallelism.
anaphora; epistrophe (repetition at the beginning or the end of successive sentences or
clauses, respectively); and anadiplosis (the last word of a sentence is repeated at the beginning of the next sentence or clause.)
Asked students to collect examples of as many as possible in the real world of speaking, including popular songs; use proper citation; provide their own example of the rhetorical figures.
Comment: Sounds interesting. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Title: “Stressing Figures of Speech in Freshman Composition.” Bonnie Dover. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 67-69. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Author directly taught specific figures of speech in class:
metaphor, simile and personification.
antithesis, alliteration and antimetabole (repetition of words in reverse order).
parallelism.
anaphora; epistrophe (repetition at the beginning or the end of successive sentences or
clauses, respectively); and anadiplosis (the last word of a sentence is repeated at the beginning of the next sentence or clause.)
Asked students to collect examples of as many as possible in the real world of speaking, including popular songs; use proper citation; provide their own example of the rhetorical figures.
Comment: Sounds interesting. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Topic: Faculty Writing Workshops
10-Second Review: A writing workshop for the entire faculty.
Title” “When Faculty Write: A Workshop for Colleagues.” SH McCleod. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 65-67. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Faculty from all disciplines write and share what they have written with other members of the faculty who respond only to specific requests for response, nothing more or added. Coordinators modeled how to respond in order to head off any destructive criticism. Group should have copies of each faculty member’s papers before they meet.
Comment: Worth a try. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Title” “When Faculty Write: A Workshop for Colleagues.” SH McCleod. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 65-67. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Faculty from all disciplines write and share what they have written with other members of the faculty who respond only to specific requests for response, nothing more or added. Coordinators modeled how to respond in order to head off any destructive criticism. Group should have copies of each faculty member’s papers before they meet.
Comment: Worth a try. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Topic: Memo Writing and Audience
10-Second Review: Practicing writing memos in difficult situations.
Title: “Writing with Carbon Copy Audience in Mind.” HJ Schwartz. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 63-65. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Writing a memo with completeness, objectivity and tact. Students must write a memo on difficult professional choices:
“1. A negative evaluation of your subordinate employee (addressed to your supervisor, but with a carbon copy available to the person evaluated).”
“2. A request for more space for your department with a carbon to the department the new space will come from.”
3. “An explanation of a new policy or procedure in your department or club which some people will welcome and some will oppose.”
4. “4. A complaint letter with a carbon copy to the person you’re complaining about. (Don’t just blow off steam; try to change the policy, procedure or behavior you’re complaining about).”
A lesson in how to write for complex audiences. The author goes on to caution:
“The information you include should be relevant and complete for all audiences.”
“You should be honest and clear.”
“Your language should be objective and neutral (not biased, hostile or subjective).”
“Your tone should be tactful and appropriate.”
“Your argument should be logical (to explain and persuade as well as to inform).”
Comment: One of the few articles I have read that actually presents a challenging assignment involving concern with audience. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Title: “Writing with Carbon Copy Audience in Mind.” HJ Schwartz. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 63-65. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Writing a memo with completeness, objectivity and tact. Students must write a memo on difficult professional choices:
“1. A negative evaluation of your subordinate employee (addressed to your supervisor, but with a carbon copy available to the person evaluated).”
“2. A request for more space for your department with a carbon to the department the new space will come from.”
3. “An explanation of a new policy or procedure in your department or club which some people will welcome and some will oppose.”
4. “4. A complaint letter with a carbon copy to the person you’re complaining about. (Don’t just blow off steam; try to change the policy, procedure or behavior you’re complaining about).”
A lesson in how to write for complex audiences. The author goes on to caution:
“The information you include should be relevant and complete for all audiences.”
“You should be honest and clear.”
“Your language should be objective and neutral (not biased, hostile or subjective).”
“Your tone should be tactful and appropriate.”
“Your argument should be logical (to explain and persuade as well as to inform).”
Comment: One of the few articles I have read that actually presents a challenging assignment involving concern with audience. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Topic: Expressive Writing
10-Second Review: We should emphasize expressive writing as opposed to the five-paragraph essay.
Title: “Class, Codes and Composition: Basil Bernstein and the Critique of Pedagogy.” Myron C. Tuman. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 42-51. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: This article is primarily concerned with the process of reforming composition studies, complete with Marxist studies, a topic that has little interest for me at this time. But one issue as part of reform is “expressive” writing, personal writing, narrative writing as opposed to the now stereotyped five-paragraph-essay.
Comment: “Expressive writing” (subjective, personal, narrative) vs. the type of expository writing represented by the five-paragraph essay is another educational either/or situation. We need both, not either. I think these issues are drummed up just to gain valuable publication space.
I do have a reluctance to using expressive writing. Students sometimes become too personal in writing about things that I, the teacher of writing, have no business reading. In my classes, I assigned personal narrative writing, but I was careful to warn students not to become too personal, not to write anything that could embarrass them. “If you don’t want to hear it read aloud, then don’t write it for class. Put it in your diary,” I said.
Many people will disagree with me, but that’s how I feel about it. I’m not a psychiatrist or a psycho-therapist. I’m an English teacher. No confessional boxes in my class, please. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Title: “Class, Codes and Composition: Basil Bernstein and the Critique of Pedagogy.” Myron C. Tuman. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 42-51. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: This article is primarily concerned with the process of reforming composition studies, complete with Marxist studies, a topic that has little interest for me at this time. But one issue as part of reform is “expressive” writing, personal writing, narrative writing as opposed to the now stereotyped five-paragraph-essay.
Comment: “Expressive writing” (subjective, personal, narrative) vs. the type of expository writing represented by the five-paragraph essay is another educational either/or situation. We need both, not either. I think these issues are drummed up just to gain valuable publication space.
I do have a reluctance to using expressive writing. Students sometimes become too personal in writing about things that I, the teacher of writing, have no business reading. In my classes, I assigned personal narrative writing, but I was careful to warn students not to become too personal, not to write anything that could embarrass them. “If you don’t want to hear it read aloud, then don’t write it for class. Put it in your diary,” I said.
Many people will disagree with me, but that’s how I feel about it. I’m not a psychiatrist or a psycho-therapist. I’m an English teacher. No confessional boxes in my class, please. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Topic: Reading and Writing
Title: “Modeling a Writer’s Identity: Reading and Imitation in the Writing Classroom.” Robert Brooke. College Composition and Communication (February 1988), 23-41. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Question: Why do we read literature in writing classes?
Quote: “Reading (especially the reading of literature) has often been justified in the writing classroom because reading gives students something to imitate…. The text, it is argued, provides a ‘model’ of effective writing which students can copy, and the process of reading critically, practiced on literature, can become a ‘model’ of how writers should behave in reading their own work. Reading is thus seen as useful because it models both form and processes for writers to imitate.” p. 23.
Comment: Nice theory. I don’t denigrate any ideas for teaching writing, but I have serious doubts about this one. I remember freshman comp in college. The textbook was an anthology of literary works. The forms of these works, in most cases fiction, were not the forms I needed to learn to write. The teacher made no attempt to show us the relevance of the literary works to learning how to write. For me, a complete waste of a valuable semester. I suppose, if I thought long and hard about it, I might come up with some ideas for showing students the relevance of literary works to freshman writing. However, I’m skeptical about the whole idea. RayS.
Question: Why do we read literature in writing classes?
Quote: “Reading (especially the reading of literature) has often been justified in the writing classroom because reading gives students something to imitate…. The text, it is argued, provides a ‘model’ of effective writing which students can copy, and the process of reading critically, practiced on literature, can become a ‘model’ of how writers should behave in reading their own work. Reading is thus seen as useful because it models both form and processes for writers to imitate.” p. 23.
Comment: Nice theory. I don’t denigrate any ideas for teaching writing, but I have serious doubts about this one. I remember freshman comp in college. The textbook was an anthology of literary works. The forms of these works, in most cases fiction, were not the forms I needed to learn to write. The teacher made no attempt to show us the relevance of the literary works to learning how to write. For me, a complete waste of a valuable semester. I suppose, if I thought long and hard about it, I might come up with some ideas for showing students the relevance of literary works to freshman writing. However, I’m skeptical about the whole idea. RayS.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Topic: Research Paper
Title: “Writing for Real People: A Client-Centered Approach.” JC Cooper. College Composition and Communication (October 1993), 386-388. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Author wrote to people in a variety of professions and jobs asking them for suggested topics in their fields for research papers. If students used one of the topics, she sent them a copy of the research paper.
“One local family asked for information on von-Hippel-Lindau disease after a son had been diagnosed as suffering from it. The student who completed this project managed to find material, much of it unpublished, not available to local doctors…. A local manufacturer of playground equipment asked for a paper on playground equipment in other countries. A retirement home requested a paper on property tax exemptions for charitable institutions.”
Comment: Sounds good if the topics are “researchable,” i.e., materials, people, etc. are available to the students. Since information on almost every topic can be found on the Internet, this problem should not be hard to deal with. The advantage is that the topics are likely to be real problems for the person in the profession and the researcher. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Summary: Author wrote to people in a variety of professions and jobs asking them for suggested topics in their fields for research papers. If students used one of the topics, she sent them a copy of the research paper.
“One local family asked for information on von-Hippel-Lindau disease after a son had been diagnosed as suffering from it. The student who completed this project managed to find material, much of it unpublished, not available to local doctors…. A local manufacturer of playground equipment asked for a paper on playground equipment in other countries. A retirement home requested a paper on property tax exemptions for charitable institutions.”
Comment: Sounds good if the topics are “researchable,” i.e., materials, people, etc. are available to the students. Since information on almost every topic can be found on the Internet, this problem should not be hard to deal with. The advantage is that the topics are likely to be real problems for the person in the profession and the researcher. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Topic: Students as Teachers
Title: “Writing for Answerability: Bakhtin and Composition Studies.” HR Ewald. College Composition and Communication (October 1993), 331-348. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: One of the author’s ideas is that students teach some elements of writing to the students in the class.
Comment: In theory, a good idea. You learn best when you teach it. Be sure to help students prepare for what they are going to teach. Without this help, students are likely to simply tell what they want the other students to learn and will have no understanding of preparing students for what they will learn, purpose for teaching, a variety of activities for teaching it and evaluation of what the students have learned. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Summary: One of the author’s ideas is that students teach some elements of writing to the students in the class.
Comment: In theory, a good idea. You learn best when you teach it. Be sure to help students prepare for what they are going to teach. Without this help, students are likely to simply tell what they want the other students to learn and will have no understanding of preparing students for what they will learn, purpose for teaching, a variety of activities for teaching it and evaluation of what the students have learned. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Topic: Revision
Title: “Explicating Our Tacit Tradition: John Dewey and Composition Studies.” Stephen M. Fishman. College Composition and Communication (October 1993), 315-330. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Why don’t students revise? Because they think they should get it right the first time. Another view? Writing apprehension develops as writers realize the differences between their intentions and the actual product.
Comment: Both reasons might be right. So what? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Summary: Why don’t students revise? Because they think they should get it right the first time. Another view? Writing apprehension develops as writers realize the differences between their intentions and the actual product.
Comment: Both reasons might be right. So what? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Topic: Epigraphs and Writing
Title: “Making a Place for the Poetic in Academic Writing.” JH Peritz. College Composition and Communication (October 1993), 380-385. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Having the students write an epigraph after the title of the composition should help them reinforce unity. Suggests that the epigraph be supplied after the composition is considered complete. To find the epigraph, they read an article on the same topic as the composition. The epigraph gives depth to the composition.
Comment: They can find epigraphs in quotes online or in Bartlett’s. While they are at it, students should use bold-face headings throughout the composition if it consists of multiple pages. Bold-face headings will also reinforce unity. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Summary: Having the students write an epigraph after the title of the composition should help them reinforce unity. Suggests that the epigraph be supplied after the composition is considered complete. To find the epigraph, they read an article on the same topic as the composition. The epigraph gives depth to the composition.
Comment: They can find epigraphs in quotes online or in Bartlett’s. While they are at it, students should use bold-face headings throughout the composition if it consists of multiple pages. Bold-face headings will also reinforce unity. RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Topic: Professional Writing
Title: “Teaching Discourse and Reproducing Culture: A Critique of Research and Pedagogy in Professional and Non-Academic Writing.” Carl G. Gerndl. College Composition and Communication (October 1993), 349 – 363. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: The author says we need more research into the actual nature of types of professional writing: “The biochemistry student who plans research on gene splicing, the industrial engineer planning to do production analysis, and the computer engineer working on software application are all entering substantially different professional discourses.” p. 361.
Comment: How does the generalized teaching of writing that occurs in most beginning writing courses in college apply to the real world of writing in the professions? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Summary: The author says we need more research into the actual nature of types of professional writing: “The biochemistry student who plans research on gene splicing, the industrial engineer planning to do production analysis, and the computer engineer working on software application are all entering substantially different professional discourses.” p. 361.
Comment: How does the generalized teaching of writing that occurs in most beginning writing courses in college apply to the real world of writing in the professions? RayS.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Topic: Students' Evaluation of Teachers
Title: "Evaluation By Students.” Marilyn E. Stassen. English Journal (March 1973), 459-460. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English.
Summary/Quote: “Student evaluations of teachers can be helpful if they focus more on the course being taught than on the eccentricities of the teacher. They can offer valuable guidance to teachers as they evaluate and reconstruct the course for the next year.”
Suggested Student Evaluation Form: List at the top the units taught during the year. Then:
1. In my opinion__________ was the best activity or unit of the year because…..
2. In my opinion __________ was the worst activity or unit of the year because….
3. In my opinion this teacher’s greatest strengths are ___________.
4. In my opinion this teacher’s major weaknesses are ___________.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
Summary/Quote: “Student evaluations of teachers can be helpful if they focus more on the course being taught than on the eccentricities of the teacher. They can offer valuable guidance to teachers as they evaluate and reconstruct the course for the next year.”
Suggested Student Evaluation Form: List at the top the units taught during the year. Then:
1. In my opinion__________ was the best activity or unit of the year because…..
2. In my opinion __________ was the worst activity or unit of the year because….
3. In my opinion this teacher’s greatest strengths are ___________.
4. In my opinion this teacher’s major weaknesses are ___________.
The purpose of this blog is to summarize articles on teaching English/language arts, from kindergarten through college, published in English education journals from the past.
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