So, I'm teaching a Creative Writing class this semester. I have never taught Creative Writing before, and I've only done a little of it myself. It's going to be an interesting semester in that respect, but that's not what I wanted to write about.
To start the class, I asked the students to write a short piece that explores and discusses the history of their writing: where did they learn? What do they like writing about? How have they grown? What do they like and dislike about writing?
Their responses were mostly what I expected: they started in elementary school. They wrote lots of creative pieces when they were younger. They had a teacher at some point who really lit a fire for them about writing.
Another common thread was the dislike of structured writing assignments in academic classes. This is not surprising, especially coming from a group that is highly creative and fights against conformity. This is also not a problem for me as the teacher; the Creative Writing class is an elective and is therefore more flexible in terms of structure and how we go about class each day. Doing a true writing workshop structure here is not a problem.
No, my issue with the dislike of structured academic writing is in how it works in a mainstream, required English or Social Studies class where almost all of the writing assignments are teacher-controlled.
I understand the arguments from the teacher's perspective: We have standards that must be met, and to our knowledge, this is the best way to demonstrate mastery of standards and skills. Also, many of our students will be heading to college after high school, and each discipline has its own writing structure that students must work with and within. Isn't it best that they get accustomed to that now? Then there's the organizational nightmare that would result if every kid got to pick what and how and about what they were going to write. I get that. It runs through my head on a daily basis.
However, I absolutely get where students are as well. I don't like having something forced on me more than anyone else does. I know that students are more excited and interested in writing when they can choose what to write about. I know that each of them are in different places with their writing and need instruction/direction/help to varying degrees and on varying topics and skills.
So, how? How do I/we create a space that accomplishes the goals we need to without sacrificing student ownership of their learning? How do I/we do that in the traditional high school environment? What needs to change or be present to make this work? What's the hybrid?
I'm throwing this out there in hopes that someone has some good ideas to share. Please share away! I'll do the same as I come up with ideas. :)
That's it for tonight. Take care!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
More practicing...
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| This is my awesome cast from The Crucible this past spring |
Using Blogs in Learning and Everyday Life
First of all, I am really enjoying the Richardson book. It's very engagingly written and offers some very practical, applicable ideas. I also really appreciated how he encourages teachers to try the tools for themselves for awhile before introducing them in the classroom. I often feel like I immediately need to start using tools that are introduced to me, so a reminder that it's okay to take time to learn for yourself first is very welcome and reassuring.
I started using a blog, primarily for my Masters coursework at the U, about 2 or 3 years ago. I have posted several posts about more daily life, personal stuff, but most of my interaction with blogs has been educationally-based. I have received a few comments about my postings, and those comments were very cool to receive, so I understand the draw of having an authentic audience, but I've never really received the interaction that Beach and Richardson describe in their books. I probably need to write more often, with more depth, and use stuff like tags more often. :)
Educationally, I can definitely see the benefit of blogs. Right now, I'm teaching a Creative Writing elective. Each day, I'm having kids do about 5-10 minutes of writing around a journal prompt, and then giving them time every so often to go back and re-visit or re-write any journal they were drawn to. I could save some class time by posting my journal prompts on my course Moodle, and then asking each student to create a blog and do their journal prompts on their blogs. They could then subscribe to each others' blogs and comment on each others' writing. I could also require them to find and subscribe to blogs of other creative writers to provide them with models and samples. Or we could team up with another Creative Writing class in another building, either in our district or outside, and have the kids comment on each others' writing. That would be a great way for them to get authentic, continuous feedback on their work.
Whether I use blogs with my regular English 9 kids or with my mixed grade level CW kids, I would really like more instruction and practice in teaching kids how to provide quality feedback to each other. I think that's one major piece that is missing from my writing instruction in general, that would totally change what the kids and I do. I think it would be absolutely essential to teach the kids this skill before starting any online writing, as one of the purposes/benefits of online writing is receiving feedback from peers.
I'm definitely going to have to put together some lessons on appropriate use and privacy before we go online as well. Both Beach and Richardson point out the fact that kids are using these different medias constantly, but without much guidance in terms of benefits and drawbacks, consequences, privacy issues, and all that good stuff. So, a good deal of front-loading is going to be necessary.
Very excited about this. Just reminding myself that I don't have to do it all at once, right now, this very minute... :)
I started using a blog, primarily for my Masters coursework at the U, about 2 or 3 years ago. I have posted several posts about more daily life, personal stuff, but most of my interaction with blogs has been educationally-based. I have received a few comments about my postings, and those comments were very cool to receive, so I understand the draw of having an authentic audience, but I've never really received the interaction that Beach and Richardson describe in their books. I probably need to write more often, with more depth, and use stuff like tags more often. :)
Educationally, I can definitely see the benefit of blogs. Right now, I'm teaching a Creative Writing elective. Each day, I'm having kids do about 5-10 minutes of writing around a journal prompt, and then giving them time every so often to go back and re-visit or re-write any journal they were drawn to. I could save some class time by posting my journal prompts on my course Moodle, and then asking each student to create a blog and do their journal prompts on their blogs. They could then subscribe to each others' blogs and comment on each others' writing. I could also require them to find and subscribe to blogs of other creative writers to provide them with models and samples. Or we could team up with another Creative Writing class in another building, either in our district or outside, and have the kids comment on each others' writing. That would be a great way for them to get authentic, continuous feedback on their work.
Whether I use blogs with my regular English 9 kids or with my mixed grade level CW kids, I would really like more instruction and practice in teaching kids how to provide quality feedback to each other. I think that's one major piece that is missing from my writing instruction in general, that would totally change what the kids and I do. I think it would be absolutely essential to teach the kids this skill before starting any online writing, as one of the purposes/benefits of online writing is receiving feedback from peers.
I'm definitely going to have to put together some lessons on appropriate use and privacy before we go online as well. Both Beach and Richardson point out the fact that kids are using these different medias constantly, but without much guidance in terms of benefits and drawbacks, consequences, privacy issues, and all that good stuff. So, a good deal of front-loading is going to be necessary.
Very excited about this. Just reminding myself that I don't have to do it all at once, right now, this very minute... :)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Censorship: A Mini-Unit
Lesson 1: As an anticipatory set, I would create and administer a survey to students, asking them about their tastes in music, TV, film, and books. As a class, we would then create a graphic representation of the information gathered and refer back to it as we worked through the mini-unit. Then, the students would be asked to reflect in writing in discuss as a class the following questions:
This reflection and discussion would lead into a discussion of what censorship is and it’s history. I would probably find an article on censorship from our school’s media center databases, and ask the students to read it for the following day’s activities.
Lesson 2: After reading the assigned article, students would hopefully have a better idea of what censorship is, where it comes from, and what people do to stop it. We would put our ideas into practice by examining a specific example. I might use the “Cop Killer” song that we used in class, or I might find another, more recent song by someone like Eminem. As a class, we would listen to the song and analyze the lyrics. After we analyzed the song, the students would break into groups and each group would be assigned an identity: concerned parent, music industry executive, minority or group “attacked” in the song (women, homosexuals, African Americans, etc), teenager, school principal, etc. Each group would be asked to identify the stake their particular identity had in the song and its distribution, and also come up with a statement summarizing why this identified person would or would not support the censorship of this song. This would serve as preparation for the culminating activity.
Lesson 3: The Great Censorship Debate! This lesson might take several days to complete, due to the amount of prep work required.
1. Of the music, films, TV shows, and books that you enjoy, are there any that your parents don’t like or don’t want you to watch? What are those songs/shows/books?
2. Why do you think your parents don’t want you to listen to/watch/read those things?
3. Why do you like those songs/shows/books?
This reflection and discussion would lead into a discussion of what censorship is and it’s history. I would probably find an article on censorship from our school’s media center databases, and ask the students to read it for the following day’s activities.
Lesson 2: After reading the assigned article, students would hopefully have a better idea of what censorship is, where it comes from, and what people do to stop it. We would put our ideas into practice by examining a specific example. I might use the “Cop Killer” song that we used in class, or I might find another, more recent song by someone like Eminem. As a class, we would listen to the song and analyze the lyrics. After we analyzed the song, the students would break into groups and each group would be assigned an identity: concerned parent, music industry executive, minority or group “attacked” in the song (women, homosexuals, African Americans, etc), teenager, school principal, etc. Each group would be asked to identify the stake their particular identity had in the song and its distribution, and also come up with a statement summarizing why this identified person would or would not support the censorship of this song. This would serve as preparation for the culminating activity.
Lesson 3: The Great Censorship Debate! This lesson might take several days to complete, due to the amount of prep work required.
The Situation: An English teacher at the local high school wants to use the Harry Potter books as required curriculum in his or her 9th grade English class. Certain groups are furious and do not want the books used at all, while other groups are supportive and would like to see the books used. To figure out what to do, tProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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school board will be holding an open meeting to hear from both sides of the argument, as well as allow attendees to ask questions, before they make a decision.
The Set-up: Students will be assigned to one of three groups: Those in favor, those opposed, and the audience. All students will be given a day or two in the media center to research ALL sides of the issue. Then, each group will meet together to compare notes and come up with a strategy. For the actual arguers, they will prepare a statement expressing their view and a refutation and rebuttal of the opposing side. The audience will prepare insightful questions to ask both sides during the Q&A section of the debate. For greater challenge, students could be given different identities within their larger groups as well.
The Debate: Students will have a day in class (preferably a block day) to have their debate. If they desired, students could invite the building administrators or actual school board members to hear their debate and offer some insight and feedback.
Reflection: Following the debate, students would reflectively discuss what they discovered and offer evaluative suggestions on what they think should be done. They could also discuss censorship and its ramifications as a larger social issue as well.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
News Analysis: Teaching Ideas
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7Bmso-style-name%3A%22Table+Normal%22%3B+%09mso-tstyle-rowband-size%3A0%3B+%09mso-tstyle-colband-size%3A0%3B+%09mso-style-noshow%3Ayes%3B+%09mso-style-parent%3A%22%22%3B+%09mso-padding-alt%3A0in+5.4pt+0in+5.4pt%3B+%09mso-para-margin%3A0in%3B+%09mso-para-margin-bottom%3A.0001pt%3B+%09mso-pagination%3Awidow-orphan%3B+%09font-size%3A10.0pt%3B+%09font-family%3A%22Times+New+Roman%22%3B+%09mso-fareast-font-family%3A%22Times+New+Roman%22%3B%7D+%3C%2Fstyle%3E+%3C%21%5Bendif%5D--%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-size%3A130%25%3B%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3B%22%3EAnalysis+of+Sports+Coverage%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fspan%3E++%3Cp+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+face%3D%22georgia%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3EI+would+start+off+with+a+Think-Pair-Share+that+asks+students+to+talk+about+who+their+favorite+%3Cst1%3Astate%3E%3Cst1%3Aplace%3EMinnesota%3C%2Fst1%3Aplace%3E%3C%2Fst1%3Astate%3E+sports+heroes+are+and+why.+After+students+have+a+chance+to+share+their+thoughts%2C+I+would+ask+them+for+their+opinions+on+media+coverage+of+MN+sports+teams+and+athletes%3A+Are+their+certain+players+that+are+covered+more+often+and%2For+more+in+depth+than+others%3F+Why+do+you+think+that+is%3F+Is+the+attention+deserved%3F+What+makes+an+athlete+%E2%80%9Cmedia-friendly%E2%80%9D%3F%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3EI+would+then+present+their+task+to+them.+Students+will+break+up+into+4+teams.+Each+team+will+be+assigned+one+of+the+four+major+broadcast+stations+to+cover%3A+ABC%2C+NBC%2C+CBS%2C+and+Fox.+Team+members+will+then+be+required+to+watch+the+same+local+newscast+on+their+assigned+station+each+night+for+one+week.+They+will+focus+specifically+on+the+Sports+section+of+the+newscast%2C+and+even+more+specifically+on+the+coverage+of+MN+athletes.+As+they+watch%2C+students+will+write+what+they+observe%2C+using+a+system+developed+in+class+to+code+the+content.+Each+day+in+class%2C+students+will+have+time+in+their+groups+to+check+in+and+discuss+their+findings+from+the+night+before+and+compare+logs.+Once+the+week+is+over%2C+students+will+collect+and+examine+all+of+their+logs+to+identify+recurring+patterns+or+themes+related+to+the+local+coverage+of+MN+athletes.+Once+patterns+or+themes+have+been+identified%2C+students+would+participate+in+a+round-table+discussion+in+class+of+what+these+patterns+and+themes+mean+and+how+they+affect+Minnesotans.+Students+could+then+undertake+different+types+of+culminating+projects%3A+they+could+write+a+letter+to+the+station+they+covered+that+lays+out+the+findings+of+their+study%2C+the+ramifications+of+their+findings%2C+and+suggestions+for+the+station%3B+they+could+create+a+satirical+newscast+that+questions+and+challenges+the+patterns%2C+themes%2C+or+stereotypes+they+found+in+their+analysis%3B+or+they+could+create+a+genuine+newscast+that+rectifies+the+problems+or+issues+they+discovered+in+their+analysis.+%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp++style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3Bfont-family%3Ageorgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-size%3A130%25%3B%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp++style%3D%22font-weight%3A+bold%3Bfont-family%3Ageorgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Cspan+style%3D%22font-size%3A130%25%3B%22%3EAnalysis+of+Race+and+Gender%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3E%3Co%3Ap%3E+%3C%2Fo%3Ap%3E%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp+style%3D%22font-family%3A+georgia%3B%22+class%3D%22MsoNormal%22%3EThis+would+be+very+similar+to+the+previous+activity+I+described%2C+but+more+generally-focused%2C+like+our+news+analysis+we+did+in+class.+Students+would+be+asked+to+watch+the+same+news+broadcast+every+night+for+a+week.%3Cspan+style%3D%22%22%3E++%3C%2Fspan%3EBefore+that+week%2C+students+would+create+a+system+to+codify+what+they+see.+They+would+specifically+be+looking+for+race+or+gender+in+the+newscast%3A+Who+are+the+newscasters%3F+Do+certain+races+or+genders+get+assigned+certain+types+of+stories+more+often%3F+Is+screen+time+even+between+races+and%2For+genders%3F+What+about+the+film+techniques%E2%80%94are+certain+types+of+shots%2C+etc+used+more+frequently+with+anchors+or+reporters+or+interviewees+of+particular+races+or+genders%3F+Again%2C+any+number+of+authentic+assessments+are+available%3A+students+could+write+a+letter%2C+create+a+newscast.+They+could+write+an+article+about+their+findings+and+publish+it+to+a+wiki+or+blog%2C+or+they+could+send+it+to+a+local+newspaper+for+publishing.+They+could+invite+local+news+personalities+or+station+managers+into+the+classroom+for+a+panel+or+round-table+discussion.%3C%2Fp%3E++
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Friday, June 11, 2010
TV News Analysis: WCCO, 10pm, 6/11/10
Viewing Log
| Station: WCCO Date: | |||
| Time | Type of content | Type of stories | |
| 5 min, 13 sec. | News—local | Crime stories: attempted sexual assaults, a stabbing in an office building, a possible kidnapping, follow-up to attempted bank robbery Labor news: Nurses’ strike and video clip of confrontation between nurses and hospital employees Health/Wellness story: more people affected by e. coli-infected milk from MN farm Human interest: Pool safety classes founded by members of family of girl who died in pool accident Public concern: Pack of coyotes spotted in | |
| 4 min, 08 sec. | News—national | Environmental: Gulf of Mexico-BP oil spill Global-local connection: Three MN hikers being held in Natural disaster: Flash floods in AK Human interest: Teenage sailor found and being returned home Editorial on parents of teenage sailor allowing her to sail around the world on her own | |
| 6 min, 02 sec | Sports | International: World Cop National: U of NE joins Big 10—2 separate stories Local: Recap of tonight’s Twins game, Vikings mini-camp—A.P. a no-show, Childress upset High school: current state tournaments—softball, track, lacrosse | |
| 2 min, 06 sec | Entertainment/education | Nightly segment called “Good Question” with Jason DeRusha | |
| 3 min, 31 sec | Weather | Full forecast and recap @ end of news | |
Reflection:
I will admit it: I do not normally watch the news. That probably makes me a poor citizen, but the news is usually so depressing and not as informative as I’d like it to be, so I just skip it. I scan the newspaper at lunch every day for my daily take and occasionally click on stories online that interest me. Therefore, it was interesting for me to sit down and actually watch the news, top to bottom tonight.
The first thing I noticed was that WCCO follows the shock news pattern for its ordering of stories. The first three stories tonight all concerned crimes, with the most recent and dramatic story starting the broadcast. I will give the station credit for not sensationalizing the story of the attempted sexual assaults. The story was informative and to-the-point and clearly did not want to scare people more than necessary, but it would have been good for them to include some safety tips for women as part of the story. The next biggest local news story (based on the amount of time allotted) was the story on the nurses’ strike. This is obviously a big story due to the number of people affected by the strike and the contract negotiations. I felt like the story positioned me to respond favorably to the nurses because they talked about how some nurses weren’t allowed to return to work today and how that was in violation of their contract. The story claims the hospitals are saying there’s no specific clause describing procedure for nurses returning from strike, which makes the hospitals sound a little sketchy and retaliatory.
The biggest national story is, not surprisingly, the oil spill in the Gulf. Given our nation’s renewed interest in the environment plus the recent focus on that region due to Hurricane Katrina, it’s no wonder that this story garners a lot of attention. The popular opinion definitely seems to be that BP is totally responsible for this mess, and the story reinforces that opinion. It also contains some shock value, as it reports that scientists are now claiming that more oil leaked out then was originally thought. Now that the spill has been mostly contained, the news media need to keep up the interest in the story, and reporting new findings like this keeps the story fresh and engaging.
Sports definitely got the most coverage, with the most time devoted to local sporting news, like the Twins victory over the Braves, Adrien Peterson skipping the Vikings’ mini-camp today, and the on-going state high school tournaments. The reporters did a nice job covering the Adrien Peterson story because they shared both Brad Childress’s frustration and a teammate’s support for Peterson’s decision. It’s not ground-breaking news, but Minnesotans expect a pretty high level of responsibility and work ethic from our sports figures, so this story would be of interest to many MN sports fans.
We Minnesotans love to discuss the weather, mostly because we get so much of it, which explains why the weather was allotted 3 ½ minutes in the broadcast. I also enjoyed the entertainment-driven nightly feature called “Good Question” with Jason DeRusha. Viewers email or text in questions of any variety and DeRusha investigates to find the answers. Tonight’s questions related to the rainy weather we’ve been experiencing lately, the nurses’ strike, how streets are named, and why police officers are allowed to be on computers while they’re driving when regular citizens aren’t allowed to text. I think this segment is designed to make viewers feel like they’re a part of the show and be entertaining and educational at the same time. In a small way, it encourages curiosity and investigation, which is always good.
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