To begin with, I have no experience in the classroom so this class is to teaching what my theory class is to writing. My teaching philosophy will be a conglomerate of different theories and practices I feel might work, and maybe some that I have a hunch will fail.
In Flower and Hayes' A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing, "Poor writers will depend on very low-level goals, such as finishing a sentence of correctly spelling a word." Why do students focus on the low-level goals? Are these writers wearing blinders, preventing them from seeing the large issues of a paper?
What sort of expectations should I have as a first-time FYC instructor next fall?
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3 comments:
I would say that you are going to get a variety of students. Expect that some will write beautifully, absorb everything you have to say in class, and apply it to their writing experience. Others will struggle to complete a sentence, misinterpret what you say in class, and have no idea how what he/she does in class is relevant to improving their writing. Most are going to be somewhere in the middle. After all, these are college students. Mostly freshmen, yes, but determined enough to get into college. Everyone is definitely teachable, just don't be disappointed if you don't reach everyone. Teaching and learning is interactive. It requires both teacher and student to work.
Try to remember that freshman comp. students may not have had much experience writing. It might overwhelm the students to teach them high-level goals. Our mission is to develop the students' skills and knowledge to serve as a base from which they continue to evolve their skills. I would think that you should expect students to be disinterested, tired, hung-over, etc. Try to pay closer attention to the students who do come to class and seem generally interested. Expect it to be demanding and even discouraging; however, if you can reach even one student, it will be ultimately worth it.
I have found that many of my students literally do not see the connections between their skill-building brief assignments and their larger essays until those connections are specifically explained. During last week's in-class peer critiquing, I heard a lot of comments like "why did this person use this huge quote instead of just saying it in their own words??" When my response was, "You mean, why didn't he or she draw on the summary skills we practiced in Brief Assignment 1," about 80 percent of the room filled with "ohhhhhh" facial expressions.
Many of us haven't experienced this sense of disconnect firsthand. Writing came more naturally to us, and it's hard to see these assignments as being difficult. But think about it...if you WERE focusing on the "low-level goals" instead of the broader goals, just how excruciating would 1301 be?
As Eric says, expect some tired, hung-over, resistant students. But also expect some who are engaged. My long-term goal is to see all of mine pass 1301; my shorter-term goal is to find one way to spark each student's interest in writing....however briefly. I have seen some of those sparks take students from back-row sleepers to front-row participants. Vicki has said it well: both teachers and students have to work.
Cathy
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