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THEORY IN THE TEACHING OF COMPOSITION: ENG 4043 Department of English and Philosophy, ASU, Spring 2009 I. COURSE: "Theory in the Teaching of Composition," ENG 4043.001 Description: An introduction to teaching composition based on current research and theory with special emphasis on practical applications in the secondary school classroom. Classroom: Wilson 303 Class meet: MW 2:00-3:15 Instructor: Dr. Rob Lamm Office: Wilson 308 Phone: 972-3043 Fax: 972-3045 e-mail: rlamm@astate.edu Office hours: Monday & Wednesday, 1:00-2:00 & 3:15-4:00, and appointment II. TEXTS: Lindemann, Erika. A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. Oxford UP. Proett and Gill. The Writing Process in Action. NCTE, 1986 Packet photocopies, to be announced Access to Internet, email, word processor, jump drive, and printer Recommended: Padgett, Ron, ed. The Teachers and Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms III. ASSIGNMENTS: a. Microteaching lesson: 10% b. Writer's journal: 5% c. Term project 10% d. Anthology contributions: 10% e. Portfolio: 15% f. Exam (midterm) 15% g. Exam (final): 15% h. Sparks review: 10% i. Quizzes (over reading material) 10% a. Microteaching Lesson: You will plan, deliver, and self-assess one 10 minute “microteaching” lesson that is oriented toward the writing process. If you work collaboratively (two or more students combining their allotted times), your team will have to determine the focus of the unit and the sequence of activities. In a post-discussion, the class will reflect on the merits of delivering that lesson in that fashion. Include a lesson plan that follows a template: objectives, activities (in detail, with estimated times), list of materials, credit for sources. I suggest that you use your microteaching lesson as part of your Term Project. b. Writer's Journal: This is an informal journal. It will be graded more by volume and thought-content, less by organization and technical correctness. Write (on the average) five minutes, three times each week. You should record your discoveries and insights with a focus on writing and teaching; you may also include samples of your drafts of other writing assignments. Thirty full-length entries qualify as an A; 30, a B; 25 a C; 20, a D; 15-less, an F. c. Term Project: This is a writing unit, consisting of at least five lesson plans (including sequence of activities and allotted times), resources (actual print, visual, and/or audio materials), and an evaluation rubric for the final products. The unit assignment may be any kind: creative, research, technical, business, student newspaper, or others. Prepare the unit as if you were really going to teach it. d. Anthology contributions: You will submit two pages of photocopy-ready text for a class anthology. These works may include anything written for this course during the semester. This may include a page of your journal; it likely will include pieces of writing that you began in class but completed as self-assigned homework. e. Portfolio: You will prepare a portfolio of your writings, illustrating and briefly explaining the following: (1) stages of writing a single piece of writing, from start to finish, (2) samples of four genres you can produce, and (3) one of your best products. The whole portfolio should have a introduction explaining to any reader the nature of the contents and your purpose for assembling them into a portfolio. Also, each of the three sections should have an introduction that explains what the artifacts are meant to illustrate. It is even better if the writing samples are annotated in some way to show important features; however, this can also be accomplished through a short introduction to each piece or section. The portfolio should be bound neatly and be self-explanatory to other readers. f. & g. Exams: The students and instructor of the course will work collaboratively to design exams. Some of the final and midterm will be drafted throughout the semester. i. Sparks review: ASU produces an on-line literary journal, Sparks. I’ll provide a YA book for you to review. The format for the reviews can been seen on the website, by example. Reviews are approximately 100 words. Submit the reviews directly to me through email as an MSWord attachment. j. Quizzes. Expect quizzes over reading assignments. IV. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS OF THE COURSE: · Workload: The amount of reading and preparation for each class meeting varies, but the course outline (see below) will enable you to plan well ahead for what you must have completed by a given date. · Disability policy: Any student with a disability should see the instructor at once about necessary accommodations. Should a disability prevent a student from completing the course requirements as outlined by the instructor on the first day, an alternative procedure will be determined by the instructor. · Plagiarism, cheating, or other unethical means of completing class assignments: minor infractions reduce the grade of the assignment; major infractions are referred to university authorities. Refer to student bulletin. · Flexibility clause: Within reasonable limits, the course outline and assignments are subject to alteration when such alterations better suit the objectives of the course without unduly inconveniencing the students. V. THE NATURE OF THIS COURSE: The chief purpose of this course is to convey how to teach writing effectively. Certainly, this means learning various techniques, methods, and activities that help students become better writers. However, in order to know the best methods of teaching, a teacher must know why certain methods are preferable over others—this is where theory and research become invaluable. Every method demonstrated in this course is included presumably for a good reason, a reason based on theory and research. You should be actively curious about the why for every how.
This course embraces components of lecture, discussion, workshop,
and seminar: lecture provides condensed explanations, discussion
encourages a flexible exchange of information, workshop requires you to
practice the techniques you are learning, and seminar makes you more
responsible for your own development. Most of the students taking “Theory in
the Teaching of Composition” eventually will become teachers themselves. You
are expected to think and act not just as a student but also as a co-teacher of
the course: you take responsibility of ensuring that the atmosphere of the
classroom is positive and productive. SCHEDULE for ENG 4043, Theory in the Teaching of Composition—Spring 2009 January 12: Introduction to course; Writing Process; Theories and Practice 14: Frameworks and Assessment (ACTAAP); Objectives and Lesson Plans 29: Writing Across the Curriculum 21: Humor Writing 26: Poetry Writing 28: Research Writing February 2: Rhetoric for Writing Teachers, C. 1 “Why Teach Writing?” 4: Rhetoric: C. 2, “What Is Writing?” 9: Rhetoric: C. 3, “…Process?” 11: Rhetoric: C. 4, “…Rhetoric? 16: Rhetoric: C. 5, “…Linguistics?” 18: Rhetoric: C. 6, “…Cognition?” [Language Arts Festival, Saturday, February 23] 23: Mid-semester exam: Chapters 1-6 & January coursework. 25: Teacher research: class session TBA March 2: Rhetoric: C. 7, “Prewriting Techniques”; Sparks review due 4: Rhetoric: C. 8, “Shaping Discourse” 9: Rhetoric: C. 9, “Teaching Paragraphing” 11: Rhetoric: C. 10, “Teaching about Sentences” (CCCC San Francisco) 16: Rhetoric: C. 11, “Teaching about Words” 18: Rhetoric: C. 12, “Teaching Rewriting.” Sparks Review due. 23: SPRING BREAK 25: SPRING BREAK 30: Rhetoric: C. 13, “Developing Writing Assignments April 1: Rhetoric: C. 14, “Responding to Student Writing” 6: Rhetoric: C. 15, “Designing Writing Courses” 8: Rhetoric: C. 16, “Teaching Writing with Computers” 13: The Writing Process in Action 15: Term Project workshop; Anthology assignments due, photocopy-ready 20: Term Project workshop; Portfolio due 23: Term Project workshop; Writer’s Journal due 27: Review for Final Exam; Term Project due May 4: FINAL EXAM, 12:30–2:20 a.m., Wednesday. |
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Website updated January 6, 2009 |