Using Comments to Foster Community & Communication

One of the biggest problems I have when teaching peer revision is getting students to comment on each others’ drafts. Student often lack confident enough in their own opinions and reactions, so they believe they have nothing of value to say when giving feedback. So while I’ll never completely prevent their reticence to commenting, I chose to do some work that might warm students up to the task. 

For homework, I asked students to reflect on their time in college. Since most (with the exception of two or three) of the students in my classes are entering freshman, I’ve been assigning reflective writing assignments over the weekend. This particular assignment was the “4S” reflection. Students wrote about what Surprised them about their first weeks in college, what Sacrifices they are making to be in college, what Solutions they are having to come up with for the problems they are encountering, and what they think or feek about becoming a Scholar. Low stakes writing. But meaty enough questions relevant for students transitioning into college.

A Fresh Start & Two Commitments

It’s the beginning of a new semester! Despite the typical turbulence that comes with a new year it’s an exciting time. I get to meet one hundred and twenty plus new students, most of whom are first-time freshman.College is as new to them as Hogwarts was to Harry Potter It’s been refreshing greeting students who are excited for this next phase of their lives. And for a few days, I get to wear the mantle of authority, an ersatz Dumbledore. 

Adding to joy of the new semester is reuniting with colleagues I haven't since May.. Rekindling personal and professional relationship - all refreshed after a few months off - feels great. 

Making, MOOCs, and The Writing Thief

Meet Henry Aronson by Slidely Slideshow

I've joined a MOOC, a "Massive Open Online Course, specifically the Connected Learning MOOC sponsored by the San Diego Writing Project. We're studying Ruth Culham's The Writing Thief: Using Mentor Texts to Teach the Craft of Writing, hence the name of our Google+ Community: The Writing Thief MOOC. 

As if I'm not busy enough. It's finals week. Grades are due next week Friday. And it's the holiday season. Maybe I'm avoiding work or perhaps (and?) personal issues. Whatever. This is how I have fun.

Teaching Text Types: Music & Micro-Lecture on Masculinity

One of the most significant lessons I learned from the San Diego Area Writing Project (SDAWP) is the notion of simultaneously teaching two or three different text types about similar topic or theme. What a great way to analyze writing strategies and purposes by comparing and contrasting two compositions.

By text types, I mean one of three categories: narrative, informative, and argumentative, types cribbed from the Common Core. While I'm aware of (and in agreement with) certain criticisms of Common Core, I appreciate the simplicity of three categories. The text book I've used in the past lists nine text types, making the lesson more about memorizing terms than about applying strategies. Three is easier to handle. 

Last week, I asked students to consider two different compositions, an old school hip hop music video and a Youtube "micro-lecture." Both address language, bullying, and masculinity, but one leans more heavily on narrative, the other on informative. 

Attitude of Gratitude #3: Celebrating a Commitment for Learning

The title of my blog, Feeling the Burn, comes from a beloved catch phrase from San Diego Area Writing Project's 2014 Invitational Summer Institute. An important SDAWP tenet is that in order to be effective writing teachers, we need to (guess what?) write.

A lot. 

Every day, we wrote to warm up. We write to reflect on reading. We drafted personal narratives poems, and positions papers. The leaders put us through our paces. One leader in particular, chanted the mantra "feel the burn" slogan, urging us to value being placed a learners' position. I gained a greater appreciation for the anxieties students have about writing (and sharing!) their ideas. Knocked me down a peg . . . or three. 

Me, journaling at the Institute.

What does this vignette have to do with today's question, "What am I most proud of to date in your teaching career?"  Being selected for the Summer Institute, for sure, is one of my proudest achievements. The program compelled me to  "feel the burn" associated with the activities I used to nonchalantly assign students, mandating tasks with only the barest hint empathy for their fears about writing. The program shocked me into a greater appreciation for students' position of vulnerability - and the potential joys they could experience when making their writing and thinking public. 

This particular professional development experience illustrates something I celebrate about myself, an attitude that gives me a sense of pride: my willingness to engage in life long learning. My whole endeavor becoming a teacher was just such a risk. I went back to graduate school at the age of forty, ready to try something new. 

That willingness to learn, to place myself in environments that compel me to grow, is something I treasure dearly. I'm hella grateful for the experience with the Summer Institute. I learned (and practiced!) habits of the mind that make me a more effective teacher. Just as important, I learned new habits of the heart that make me a much more empathetic teacher. I'm proud of my willingness to keep learning, to risk being teachable. It's my goal to remain teachable, to maintain a beginner's mindset. 

I'm grateful for the Sweet Writing Life blog for inspiring this post. The blogger reminds me of all the ways I'm committed to being a life-long learner. I should have just cut-and-pasted her post! 

Personal Learning Network: A Work in Progress

I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I've never heard the acronym "PLN" until last year. It wasn't until I joined a book study group with San Diego chapter of the National Writing Project that someone introduced me to the term "professional/personal learning network". The term helped me name and appreciate the informal professional development activities I do. And, just as naming often does, I can intentionally look for more of the same situations - face-to-face and virtual - that enhance my teaching. 

The infographic above captures some of the things I do to keep up with professional development. I have always engaged in "hallway conversations", not fully appreciating how those informal meetings improve my teaching. Several of my colleagues should charge me billable hours for all the consultations they do for me. My peers recharge my batteries, providing feedback and support. Often my peers help me see what I'm missing, reminding me that I cannot see the entire picture. 

In terms of more formal, scheduled PLN activities, I've become an active member of the San Diego Area Writing Project (SDAWP) I am attended this past summer institute for K - 16 teachers. Each of the 20 or so participants did a teaching demo, and, if I'm lying, I'm dying, an element of each demo has found it's way into my teaching. Seeing the expertise and experiencing my peers demos' showed me how to improve my craft in ways I couldn't have predicted. SDAWP helps feel like part of a larger community of teachers and reduces the isolation that often comes with being a teacher. Just this weekend, this summer's fellows met for an informal reading group/reunion. We're studying Angela Maiers' Classroom Habitudes. How invigorating it was hearing how my peers from elementary, middle, and high schools, and community college adapt Maier's princiles into their curriculum.  And we've started our own FB group to support each other and share strategies. 

The internet has become a huge part of my PLN. The folks at SDAWP introduced me to Twitter, Pinterest, Te@chThought, Edudemic, Edutopia, and a host of teachers who tweet and blog. Many of the new and productive Ideas I've incorporated this last year come directly from social media. And many of the provocations and questions that I consider when planning lessons and approaching learning problems come from my social media networks. Where I formally  pooh-poohed Twitter and Pinterest, I am now a huge fan. Huge. Obssessive (see yesterday's post). 

This past year has been full of growth and reflection. My experience with calling what I already informally did serves as an important lesson: simply naming a practice, in this case, developing a PLN, can facilitate further growth. Now that I know what I'm actually doing (and wanting!) makes it easier to sustain and nurture these and other forms of professional development.