Week 5: Code Switching and the Freshman English Classroom

  During class, we had a lengthy discussion on grammar errors in the freshman writing course. Specifically, we talked about the degree of punishment necessary for comma splices and vague pronoun referents. I really like what Kerry wrote on this topic, and will be using her thoughts as a spring board.
  Particularly, I think her comparison of freshman writers with ESL students. The mistakes students make in "academic writing" is similar to students learning a new language. Kerry insists that as instructors, we should help the students learn from these mistakes, as we would someone learning a foreign language.
  I proposed in class the incorporation of code switching exercises in the classroom. Code switching is a sociolinguist term that means that people switch linguistic codes depending upon their audience. Most examples involve students who speak several different languages or interact with groups across socioeconomic backgrounds. However, I submit that code switching occurs in a much wider demographic. For example, here is a brief comparison in my life: I spoke differently when I worked the line at Outback Steakhouse than I speak now in front of my classroom. I speak differently in this blog than I do when conversing with my son.
  Code switching, to me, is not necessarily as dependent upon ESL or economic status, as the intended audience. That is why grammar is irksome to students; it involves learning new codes. When I was in public school, I had grammar principles drilled during English. I had to diagram sentences (FULL NERD DISCLOSURE: I still get excited about sentence diagrams. I love deconstructing sentences, and seeing how the individual parts work.). Now a days, I am not sure how much grammar instructions students receive before entering college freshman writing. Perhaps someone viewing this post can shed some light on this.
  One of the biggest struggles I have had thus far as a composition instructor has been helping students identify an article's audience, and because I've tied audience to codes, I created an exercise that I hope helped students. Before class, I wrote several intended audiences onto index cards. I had the students split into small groups, and passed out the audience. The students then had to summarize an article's contents, keeping in mind their audiences. The original learning outcome was to identify rhetorical choice, and how audience affects the contents' presentation.
  However, a subsequent outcome goes back to code switching. One group whose audience was "frat boys" found themselves trying to incorporate a certain type of phrasing. They wanted to refer to their audience using "bro" or "dude." I told them to shy away from stereotypes. Perhaps in teaching for academic writing, I should encourage students to resist the urge to write "academically," to use complex sentence structures or convoluted words. Maybe I should stress clarity of thought over pre-conceived notions of "higher" writing. Maybe in teaching freshman writing, I should help students ease into academic codes, and in this way, help them avoid grammatical errors.
  What do you think? Share some horror stories of bad grammar, or is code switching a viable solution in the freshman writing curriculum?

Week 3: The Lore Box

  In "The Geography of Knowledge," Louise Wetherbee Phelps expands on North's concept of the "lore box." Where North sees lore as "the accumulated body of traditions, practices, and beliefs in terms of which Practicioners understand how writing is done, learned, and taught" (qtd. on 868), Phelps defines it as "procedural knowlege," meaning there is a reflexive moment (869). The accumulated knowledge of North's model must go through periods of revision, addition, and editing. In other words, it goes through experience. Phelps writes, "Lore is experience that has been expressed, circulated, imitated, sustained, and confirmed by repetition, achieving canonical status as 'common sense' through its range of cultural distribution and its staying power" (869).
  As I am new to teaching, I am gathering procedural knowledge for my lore box. Here are some items I have placed in my box, either through my limited personal experience or through observing good teachers. I invite you to comment on my post, and share your knowledge, that I may build, reflect, and refine my lore box.
Lore Box:

• Online discussion (through discussion boards or blogs) leading to classroom clarification
• De-center the classroom through online learning and student-led discussion
• View my role as facilitator/mediator instead of taskmaster/master of the "knowledge"
• Weekly writing assignments that prepare students for lesson's objectives
• Annotation sessions
• Writing prompts based off current issues (allows for civic engagement on local, state, federal, and/or global levels)
• Validation before Criticism in comments
• Set daily writing goals and stick to them
• Comprehensive, detailed, and timed lesson plans 
• Integration of visual media to engage students and break up lecture/discusssing
• Project-based learning (Social activism/Civic engagement)
• Social contract theory (have students help construct classroom policies)
• Think of revision/editing process as a "do over," instead of busy work
• Group work built on Vygotsky's ladder
• Develop voice through identifying audience
• Overwriting for summaries and creative writing
• Expansion/Contraction exercises

Work Cited

Phelps, Louise Wetherbee. "The Geography of Knowledge." College English 53:8 (Dec. 1991): 863-85.            .pdf file.

Week 3: What's the purpose of freshman writing?

  The reading for this week discussed for the most part the theory-practice split in composition studies. Kerry, acting as classroom instructor, divided the class up into a Socratic Seminar, and posed three questions for the group. They were:

• What's the ideal relationship between practice and theory?
• Is there anything that mediates that relationship?
• Can there be a discipline without practice and/or theory?

  If I may, I would like to share my brief thoughts on these three questions before diving into the purpose of freshman writing. In regards to the ideal relationship between practice and theory, some in the class posited the division is largely constructed by connotations surrounding these two words. The relationship could be viewed as mutually beneficial (symbiotic) instead of parasitic or in constant opposition. I drew a venn diagram with theory and practice overlapping each other. I believe that theory and practice anchor one another, and inform each other. Yes, there is theory for the sake of theory, as there exists practice not informed by theory.

Borrowed from maass.nyu.edu, from this lesson plan

  I believe the mediating force between theory and practice is layered and contextualized based on community. On one level, composition teachers share ideas through an academic community. These ideas disseminate in conferences, department meetings, and idle chat. Professionals glean ideas and theories from one another. The more basic level is the classroom. Professors have an obligation to their students. As they implement or experiment with different theories or practices, they should chart how these new thoughts work within the classroom environment.

  Finally, a discipline should be reflexive. It should challenge and be contentious. It should develop new theories that can reshape the discipline. In composition studies, the nearly complete transition from physical to digital communications is a point of discussion. How do composition theorists accommodate for new modes of communication? How do the old citation models work within an "open source" community? The composition classroom is in a state of flux, and professors have a responsibility (some would say ethical imperative) to adapt to their students' changing world.

  This final idea (on which some theorists and practitioners will vehemently disagree with me) leads to the subject of this post: What is the purpose of freshman writing courses? Are they to simply prepare students for the rigors of academic writing? Are they developed to teach them critical thinking skills? Are they shaped in such a manner to prepare students for civic engagement? Ultimately, the question is up to the individual professor or writing program. For my own opinion, I think freshman writing courses teach students critical reading skills that transition to writing, as well as "real world" engagement with difficult topics. A rhetorical reader can create critical distance from a topic, gather information, and form their own decision. Perhaps I am pulling from ancient rhetoric from Greece, but freshman composition classes help students become better citizens in their communities.

  I am intrigued with social activism models in freshman writing class, and how a professor can help students become engaged at the local level. I have not implemented those principles, but it is something I am considering for another semester.

English 5060: Week One

   Am I sending my students mixed messages?
   If you were to scroll through this blog's archive, you would notice a few things. One, the layout is fantastic! I remember being being very proud of it.Two, I used this blog for two classes. Both were were during my undergraduate program, so you may notice a three year gap in posts. Finally, if you go through those posts, you will notice a singular thread. The two classes involved technology, either in the classroom or as a lens for understanding western civilization. Because of these teachers, I have become interested in the intersections of digital spaces with the classroom. This interest extended into a Theory and Practicum for Teaching Rhetoric and Composition (a course I took during my Master's program). My term project and paper both dealt with incorporating the ideas behind Twitter into the first-year writing program.
   That said, I find myself hesitant to go "all in" with technology in the sections I teach. There already is a substantial amount of technology in the Texas Tech First-Year Writing Program. The course is hybrid, so the student's only meet once a week. They submit all assignments into the Raider Writer. I set up a class blog for my students. There, they can access the week's presentations (made in Prezi, of course), a summary of the week's class, and suggested reading questions to prepare for next week. It provides another avenue for students to contact me if they have questions, or respond to one another through comments. There is also a "blogroll" filled with important links for the students.
  Yet, I discouraged students from using cellphones or computers during class. My condition is that if there is research to be done and I allow it, then they may use their electronic devices. I expect them to use "traditional" tools (pen? paper? a highlighter?) to annotate their textbook, although for their St. Martin's Handbook, I showed them how to annotate, set bookmarks, and add "sticky notes." So again I ask: Am I sending my students mixed messages?
  Perhaps the better questions were posed during the first class meeting for ENGL 5060: What is my responsibility? Is it to the institution or to the students? These are questions I must continually answer and redefine, not only during this course, but throughout my teaching/academic career. As it stands now, I don't think responsibility is mutually exclusive to one party or the other. I have studied the course work my students are taking. It allows for less distractions in the classroom (side note: I have been a student. I technically still am one, so I understand the temptation to get off track when using a computer in the classroom. I also know as a teacher how distracting one person's decision to check Facebook can have on the students around him or her.). I think the hybrid curriculum also allows students to see a correlation between online communication and academic writing.
   I may get in trouble with some sociolinguists, but I am going to appropriate the term "codeswitching" here. Traditionally, this term refers to a person's ability to switch from one language, with its system of syntax and grammar, to another language. "Language" is loosely defined. It could refer to two separate languages (say, Portuguese to Japanese), but it also could mean switching within a language. The way one speaks at home may not be appropriate for a work environment* (*I recognize there are issues with my reading there. Please, let us have a meaningful conversation in comments regarding this. Thank you.)  Here, language takes on a class positioning. Might I offer another place for codeswitching: online communication. Students need to recognize that what is appropriate for an online forum or comment section is not right an academic paper... Well, unless they're doing research into the discourse of the Internet, but even that exception is tempered by rhetorical terms. Rhetoric involves writers (or speakers) understanding their audience, and then finding the most useful persuasive devices to influence the audience. "You suck," pales in comparison for what some youTube users write in response to a disagreement.
  In learning rhetoric, students can recognize the rhetorical devices needed not only for a good academic paper, but (hopefully) to enable for less virulent communication online.

Mashpedia

Isn't the semester over? That's right it is, but I think this site is wicked cool, and ties in what Drs. Burton and Zappala were trying to teach us.

Mashpedia is a website devoted to connecting as many different sources together on any given subject. For kicks and giggles, I looked up the classic comic book character, the Hulk. The site brought up the wikipedia article, images, tweets, blog posts, books, and other sources. Intrigued, I looked up Jaymay; here is the link.

How cool is this site! Instead of going to traditional sources like Google or Wikipedia, Mashpedia connects all those sources. In their About page, the authors point out the site is for learning and redefining how we learn.

Where have we heard that?

Final Reflection Post and New Beginnings

For those who are new reader of this blog, let me catch you up: at the start of this semester, I began a Digital Civilization class. In it, we students would explore late Western History using a digital lense. We were asked to redefine ourselves along the way. I started this adventure in Digital Civilization with a post detailing how my learning paradigm would shift and my PLN would explode of the map. Well, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that this class shook my learning to the core. I learned so many new tools throughout the semester. I can now Skype without problems on my end (which is important for my job teaching English to students across the world!). I use Diigo all the time now to remember sites and citations I will need for future classroom settings. I now view history in a different light, because the professors who taught the class challenged us to change perspective.

This class was different in that most of the reading done was interesting. I learned plenty from my own readings and bookmarks, but I learned exponentially more from my classmates. Their blog posts throughout the semester have been above par. I refer you to these nominations for my favorites. This is a wildly inventive class, and shows some humility on the part of Drs. Burton and Zappala. They gave the class the reins and I am grateful we took to the concept. Social learning is vastly important for the new digital age.

Now, the beginnings. I am not certain if I will maintain this blog as much as my other. I am inviting you all to follow Mike Lemon. On this blog, I post portions of my creative writing, including poetry, flash stories and concepts. I need your feedback in building my portfolio, because.................................................(wait for it)...................... I'm going to grad school! I decided that the layover in high school teaching would not benefit me or my future family. Therefore, I will be applying for graduate schools here and in Texas. I am pursuing either both a Masters and Doctorate.

Thank you to my classmates for a wonderful semester. You are all truly future leaders in your fields. Let's keep in touch through the Web and MeetUp. Also, let's pressure Burton and Zappala to teach this class again! Others need it as much as we do.

Nominations (Much Too Late)

In celebration of the all too familiar "my dog ate my homework" topos, I present to you my excuse for being late for this blog post.
Tuesday, November 30
Upon talking with my African American professor, I realize that the day of reckoning was nigh at hand; my term paper was due in seven days. My research lacking, I resorted to self pity and stress, then willed myself to a nap.
Wednesday, December 1
I am rushing to get a full rough draft into my Shakespeare professor, with the irony being we did peer editing solely on the first paragraph. Knowing I had nominations at hand, I also realized that I had to pull an all nighter at work. I found time for a nap.
Thursday, Dec. 2
I am not good at making decisions. Instead of attending class, I text Kristen and tell her I can't make it. I crash until one in the afternoon. Later that evening, I meet with my group and start editing for the conference that is to be held in a week. I then ship off to work.
Friday, Dec. 3
I am writing most of the morning, then have an afternoon and evening filled date that involves Korean food, socks, rock concert, a Christmas party, and the vintage French film "The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jakob."
Saturday, Dec. 4
Work, meet with group and edit some more, realize that life would be easier if I switched back to an English major (more on this in another post), college football, writing on two term papers, Scrabble and sleep.
Sunday, Dec. 5
I know I should nominate some people by now, but instead I work on term papers and think about grad school (I swear a post is coming about my educational future).
Monday, yesterday
I'm writing all day; no time for a nap. I watch a documentary on Black Masculinity and Jack Johnson, then go to work.
Tuesday, Today
I am writing down useless information, vying for sympathy from the masses, but expecting none. One term paper is due in eight hours and lacks three pages, but nonetheless, here are some nominations for Best Bloggers:
Overall Cohesion: Kristen Technology in Exile

• This was not a required nomination, but I think from every blog I've read in this class, Kristen has kept hers on one topic: Digital Civilization and Tibet. There is a cohesion there that Drs. Burton and Zappala encourage for good bloggers.

Historical Content: Sarah Willis Pacemaker

• Talk about a powerful blog post. She not only brought in the history behind the pacemaker, she shared her personal history. While I blogged about roadways, she brought in something more powerful. A wonderful example of connecting the history to oneself.

Self Directed Learning: Ariel Future Shock & Facebook Etiquette

• Ariel does a nice job bringing in different sources for this idea. I had read a few articles about this subject, but more along the lines of employment and job security. She takes the idea of future shock to another level, and I found it enjoyable to read.

Computing Concepts: Madeline Coloring Art on Photoshop

• Madeline consitently creates some fo the best computing posts; she incorporates screenshots, step by steps, and finished products into wildly simple instructions. I chose this post in particular because I believe she used it to accomplish another project for this class; namely, the creation of a coloring book for Gulliver's Travels.

Best Overall Design: Sean Uma Pitada de Tolices

• Wow, what a beautiful design for your blog. If you are looking for conciseness, easy user interface and clear directions as to where to go, check out what he is doing with this blog.