The Interest and Sources and Methods In my undergraduate at Western my largest frustration came from peer feedback days. I knew I was a good enough writer that most of my class would enjoy what I wrote, and so when it came time for my piece to be critiqued a got a chorus of “it […]
Author: David
El Aleph
I would like to see as close to a full spectrum of diversity represented in writing studies as possible. I don’t understand why monofocal teaching methods are acceptable since it is clear that no one learns exactly the same as anyone else. I recognize this is a huge change to pedagogy as it currently exists, […]
Why we have Research IRBs
Citation McGee, Sharon J.. Practicing Socially Progressive Research: Implications for Research and Practice. p. 143 Summary McGee lays out the origin of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that have their history steeped in blood starting after World War II in the shadow of the Nuremburg Trials, and they follow what are known as the Nuremburg […]
You’ve got to intersectional(ize)
The focus of this research design will hopefully to be examining the role of intersectional education, which will bring up questions of consent, safe and brave spaces, internationalized texts, and compassionate communication. Even laying all of that out, my first question is if it’s too much, and then at one point is it not enough? […]
Don’t Poke the Bear
The idea of being adversarial is a difficult one for me to parse. In thinking of Somnolent Samantha, I’m reminded of an earlier article I believe we read here where the instructor began thinking they knew what the students needed, then decided their students were all imbeciles, then decided some of them maybe are worthwhile, […]
New Language for a New Pedagogy
I really appreciated the look at gender and queerness in relation to plagiarism, and the way that Moore Howard at the end gives the reader separate language in the form of fraud, insufficient citation, and excessive repetition. I had almost thought we weren’t going to receive those tools when she said “I hate cheating” thinking […]
Brief Glimpses
I’m not sure how the students who I interact with see themselves as writers. The two complaints I hear the most are that the students are only writing for their instructor’s sake, or that they aren’t sure where to go with a specific prompt. I find that prompting the students is easier than dealing with […]
Looking Capable (for 11/8/18)
I’m responding here to the last essay in the emotions grouping from Student C. This essay is a great example of written work that is well done. I see excellent connections to multiple secondary sources, self-reflection on the process of writing, and then bringing it together with a personal connection that unites the piece together. […]
The Secret is Writing is as important as Math
I think Shaughnessy’s concern about the rules is a huge part of what makes students struggle as writers. Reading it, I wondered what the advantages of learning how to teach ESL courses and applying those strategies to teaching English composition. So much of the English language and the linguistic rules hide in the background that […]
Why do we have an Ideal?
I imagine that a class like this can teach intersectionality and critical thinking. One of my cheesiest undergrad instructors would say that every day he comes to class he teachings “life and truth.” That idea, like imagining an ideal for English 101, seems sweetly arrogant because it assumes that we understand the ideal situation or […]
Reframing Knowledge
I don’t believe many of the students I have worked with have much of a coherent worldview. Most of them seem to have white neoliberal leanings, with some of the more cynical ones appearing to be more set in their ways. I notice that when someone does not have a solidified view on a topic, […]
White Privilege
To look at how I differ from my students, the first task is to label my identity. I am a white man, and I am older than most of my students. I am cisgender, yet do not regularly discuss my sexual orientation, but pass as a hetero-allosexual. I believe I am neurotypical. I require corrective […]
Internationalize This
Citation Frigo, Stefanie A., and Collie Fulford. Introducing Bringing the Outside In: Internationalizing The WAC/WID Classroom. p. 7. Summary Stefanie Frigo and Collie Fulford of North Carolina Central University begin their article, Introducing Bringing the Outside In: Internationalizing the WAC/WID Classroom, by defining internationalizing as the inclusion of international texts and ideas into the US […]
Use Your Words and Own Your Work
My central mantra for what I do is that I should be able to take pride in my work. That is something I find quite difficult in these blogs alone, which do not have an instructional push to engage with the text, and sometimes it is difficult to see how it might engage with the […]
Bilingual Writing
Citation Hirsch, Linda, and Carolina DeLuca. WAC in an Urban and Bilingual Setting: Writing-to-Learn in English y En Espanol. p. 13. Summary WAC in an Urban and Bilingual Setting focused on the class of Professor Carmen Marin and how she and a writing fellow developed a former humanities course, taught in English, for second language […]
Words of the Body
When the question of bodies comes up, the first place I worry off to is the possibility of bodies being sexual, and how it would make me extremely uncomfortable to think about students in a sexual way or for them to think about me in that way. Aside from the push of heteronormative culture to […]
I’d rather talk about Crowley
English 101 at Western is an introduction to the expectations for writing in other courses, and it also provides accessibility to grad students seeking to attend Western who need financial assistance. The issue with English 101, as pointed out by Crowley, is that it is a required class, which gives students a valid sense of […]
Cute, but not much depth
I chose to read African American Language is Not Good English and Logos is Synonymous with Logic. My interest in both of these comes from my background is learning and hoping to someday teach Spanish, and in my enjoyment of theory linked all the way back to Plato. I find all these articles interesting, especially […]
Prepared for Trouble
In entering Allison’s classroom on Wednesday, 10/3, I came prepared to be challenged. I remember her and Megan being the two most vocal instructors describing the difficulties their students were posing. While I imagined some of the wandering eye problems would be less applicable to me, due to my privilege, I did think they would […]
Backwards Buildup and Scaffolding
Before reading Murray or Bean, I wanted to get down my I imagine teaching to be relaxed this quarter. I feel good about the years of instruction experience I have in dance, and my years as a writing group facilitator. These skills, coupled with my studies on Marshall Rosenberg’s theory of Nonviolent Communication, and my […]