Class 2/6/2008

Class 2/6/2008 (I enjoy the festive font, so I hope no one is put off by it.) I really enjoyed our class discussion today, especially the "what is most important in a writing assignment" bit. I feel that our class is a good mix of opinions, and that everyone has the maturity to realize that there usually isn't a right answer in the classroom; what works for one person may not work for another. I just wanted to say that I appreciate all of our differences :)
Moving along, the reading that supplemented today's discussion was had about a 50/50 interesting/boring ratio. I really liked the article about journaling in the classroom, although we discussed in class about how the author did not tell future teachers what to do in case they received personal life-threatening information in a journal. I think that the best possible way to solve this issue, as someone so intelligently said in class, would be to check with the principal about policies on such things and follow them accordingly.
The most interesting thing that happened in class was the compiling of necessary details in a writing assignment. As I was at the board, loathing the chalk, I didn't really appreciate the list that I was given. There are a lot of crucial tidbits that every student writing assignment needs, and indeed there were lots given in class. However, we broke it into 5 categories, and I am putting them in the order that I would put them in (i.e. chronological importance)
1. Planning
2. Purpose/Objective
3. Be clear
4. Motivation
5. Evaluation
Note: These five all interweave in smaller details; thus, if you think a detail goes under another category, this is why!

1. Planning involves wrapping up every detail of the assignment before it is handed out: whether the students will work individually or in groups, how the assignment will tie-in with the unit, how much time the students will take on it, etc. This is all entirely on the teacher's part.
2. The purpose or objective of the assignment essentially is questioning why the teacher is assigning it: what will the students learn? How will they learn it? Is the outcome going to happen as you plan? It is imperative that the students be given assignments that actually make their brains work, and not just be "kept busy". This too is also all on the teacher's part.
3. Be clear in all things when explaining the assignment to the students: tell them exactly what you mean in the prompt, tell them what you expect them to learn, and tell them the logistics of the assignment. This includes all minute details, such as font, margins, and other miscellaneous information that you might not think to include.
4. The motivation also ties into "why are we doing this assignment" mentality. Students don't want to do assignments that generally aren't for a grade or just discarded; students abhor "busy work" because they are putting effort into something that isn't rewarded. A grade is generally motivator enough for students, but others may dig deeper, wanting to know how this will help them academically. As a teacher, you need to have prepared an assignment that will benefit students.
5. Evaluation. This includes a grading rubric, among other things. The rubric needs to be explained to the students before they turn in their assignments, as it will help them to know what you are looking for. Also, it helps to give students a model that they can look off of for examples of the finished product you had in mind. It's also good to keep in mind that as English majors, we tend to look for grammatical errors in everything we read. However, this is not a good method for grading students' papers. We as teachers should read for content, and then go and correct the grammar following our grading rubrics.This is crucial.

~~~~I am already confused about our planning assignment, so if anyone else is we should get together and work on them!