I really like the
idea of starting with strategies such as self literacy narratives. It seems
like a great way to get students engaged while gauging their abilities. Developmental writers can benefit from sentencing combing, imitation
exercises, and Christensen rhetoric. They all seem useful but balance is key.
While some approaches are more applicable than others, I don't think there is one
particular method that is best. It would be wise to cover a bit of everything;
each approach has its strengths and weaknesses that complement each other.
Grammar could be covered through interactive
exercises like the examples we tried in class. For essay writing and organization, I
would want to cover strategies like PIE format, outlining, and reverse
outlining would be great.
My main concern is that I don't really know what kind of reading material to assign. I have to admit that it is a huge roadblock for me. I can't think of anything that would be relevant for an IRW course. All I can think of is American literary figures like Hemingway, Hawthorne, and Poe. How do you know what is a good related reading?
Themes that can hold students' attention would be ideal. I think students would find practical themes the most engaging. In my experience, students will lose focus and motivation if school is the only purpose of the activity/concept. I'm not sure how I can design and implement such themes, but I would like to emphasize practicality and usefulness. A theme like "Transitioning into the Digital Age" seems like it would be something engaging and useful. The teacher could assign related readings while the draw of new technology could keep students interested. The readings and materials in class could give students something to look forward or talk about. Additionally, it is a relevant topic that students can take into the "real world." They will likely find more applications for technology centered themes than the five paragraph essay.
I agree with you that a hybrid approach combining elements from all three models is bests.
ReplyDeleteBy "practical" I assume you mean a theme that will benefit the student in life after college? I kind of like the idea, especially the theme of technology, because it's something students will grapple with throughout life acquiring technical skills for work and recreation. One possible drawback is that some students might not love technology. I love it myself but some people I know hate it. They hate having to deal with it. I suppose whatever you choose as a theme might not please all students.
I like the idea of "Transitioning into the Digital Age," as well. Susan brings up an interesting point in her comment––"some people I know hate it"––but that's the beauty of it. It's a controversial topic, in which people could take the position that technology is harmful to society and the process of socialization. There is a difference between a topic which people like or don't like and a topic that is too narrow (as we will see, I think, when we discuss the sample unit plans this week).
ReplyDeleteRay, I like what you have to say about keeping students engaged. The theme I chose in my blog this week for a unit plan was college-related, which coud have some draw backs. Perhaps students might not be fully engaged in such a theme because they just don't want to think about something they are immersed in...
I like the idea of "Transitioning into the Digital Age," as well. Susan brings up an interesting point in her comment––"some people I know hate it"––but that's the beauty of it. It's a controversial topic, in which people could take the position that technology is harmful to society and the process of socialization. There is a difference between a topic which people like or don't like and a topic that is too narrow (as we will see, I think, when we discuss the sample unit plans this week).
ReplyDeleteRay, I like what you have to say about keeping students engaged. The theme I chose in my blog this week for a unit plan was college-related, which coud have some draw backs. Perhaps students might not be fully engaged in such a theme because they just don't want to think about something they are immersed in...
I like the way your course brings together the various pedagogical approaches we've been discussing, as I think that all of them can be useful in the classroom, if used at different times.
ReplyDeleteI think that "Transitioning into the Digital Age" could be a compelling topic for a unit. I wonder if it might work best as a single unit within a larger course that covered other topics as well? Maybe it will depend on how many readings you'd want to cover on the digital age. Or perhaps you can find other sub-topics within this broader topic of the digital age. These are just initial thoughts; I think the course could go in either direction, depending on which texts you would assign. I wonder if looking at a composition textbook with readings on the digital age might help to spark ideas on this?
It sounds like an engaging and exciting course. Good luck!
This is a very engaging theme, Ray. I just finished up a similar theme with my students. They read some articles about positives and negatives of social media, and an article on the benefits of television. The best thing about these readings/class discussions was that it made me question my own assumptions about my students' relationships to media. For example, many of them talked about how they didn't like Facebook anymore (maybe it's already becoming dated); this was surprising to me. I think you can do a lot with this theme. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete