assignments ENGL493 Seminar in Writing and Writing Studies: The Art (Pedagogy Case Study)
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THE ART: PEDAGOGY CASE STUDY
Reading about a certain kind of pedagogy can give you the impression that people pick a pedagogy and run with it. But, in real life, as is the case with most things, the practice of an idea on a day-to-day basis looks different and feels different than it does when you read about it in a book. The second part of the major project that will take up our time during the first half of the semester is a site visit and case study write up of a first year writing class on the BSU campus. A number of faculty here at Bridgewater have volunteered to be watched. In the early days of class I will pass around a sheet with times and instructor names. You should sign up for a particular faculty member and contact them via email (cc me) fairly soon in order to arrange a time to visit. The reason I'm having you sign up is because it would not be good for folks to all ask one particular teacher exclusively. We need to not abuse our volunteers.
I have told faculty that you would visit one class and probably email or set up an appointment for a short (like 15 to 20 minute) follow up for specific questions.
You should take good, detailed notes about your site visit--a la ethnography. Once done with that, you'll take a look at what you've got, think about what sort of follow up questions you might ask that takes advantage of your 15 minutes, and then gather all of the information you've got to do some analysis.
Be respectful of both the teacher and the students in the class. Obviously, make arrangements to visit the class beforehand. But, also, ask about what is OK for you to do in the class. Can you join in small groups? Can you talk to student? I can imagine it will feel weird doing a project that involve watching your teachers, but you are not there to evaluate. You are there to observe.
If you are reading this assignment at the beginning of the semester, you might be worried that you don't know how to analyze this data. But we will practice this sort of observation and writing in our class, and we will talk about what to pay attention to when you do your site visits. Don't forget, also, we'll be reading from Gary Tate's book as you are doing the assignment.
Please note as well that I haven't selected certain faculty over others. I just asked for volunteers. You might think they should be embodying a certain pedagogy or that you should be looking for a particular pedagogy, but that's not what this assignment is about. You'll see whatever there iis to see; you'll try to explain to others what you think you've seen and if says what you think it says. If you are looking for guidelines for what to look for when you are in the classroom/talking to the teacher, take a look at the guidelines (below) for the reflection that you will include in the midterm portfolio.
Ultimately, this assignment will help you to think about the intersection of theoretical life and real teaching life. Because they do look different.
The Reflection
For inclusion in your midterm portfolio, you will collect your notes from your observations and any notes that you have from the interviews and try to answer the following questions. Please try to write this more like an essay rather than a list of questions. Use the questions to guide the content of your reflection, but have an over-arching thesis that the evidence you've gathered over the semester helps to prove. Use the Gary Tate material, as well, to help you explain what you see.
1. What kinds of writing pedagogy/pedagogies do you feel like you saw were at work in this classroom?
2. Does the faculty member see these pedagogies at work? Do they have a different name for them? Or would they say that this is this just what they do?
3. From your observation, how do the students seem to feel about the experience of the class as it pertains to learning how to write?
4. What does the teacher via the pedagogies that you think you see in the classroom seem to value ? About writing (see question five below), but also about how literacy, education, reading, error, etc.?
5. What does this teacher, this pedagogy, this classroom say about what writing is, why we do it, what it does out in the world? What does this teacher, this pedagogy, seem to say about the writing process? What does it seem to say about what it takes to be a successful writer? Maybe even a successful student?
Your reflection should include observation and information gleaned from the site visit and your interview as evidence of your overall point about the class and its values is.
Reflections should be about 5 pages, double-spaced, and typed. 10 or 12 point normal sort of font. You'll have the chance to workshop this document in class before the midterm is due. You can earn extra credit toward the project and the midterm portfolio by consulting other scholars that talk about pedagogies that you believe you are seeing in the classroom (these authors would be selected from those authors Tate et al talks about in the different section in the book). In the midterm portfolio, you'll want to turn in both your notes and observations and your final, revised reflection in order to earn full credit for the assignment.
Reading about a certain kind of pedagogy can give you the impression that people pick a pedagogy and run with it. But, in real life, as is the case with most things, the practice of an idea on a day-to-day basis looks different and feels different than it does when you read about it in a book. The second part of the major project that will take up our time during the first half of the semester is a site visit and case study write up of a first year writing class on the BSU campus. A number of faculty here at Bridgewater have volunteered to be watched. In the early days of class I will pass around a sheet with times and instructor names. You should sign up for a particular faculty member and contact them via email (cc me) fairly soon in order to arrange a time to visit. The reason I'm having you sign up is because it would not be good for folks to all ask one particular teacher exclusively. We need to not abuse our volunteers.
I have told faculty that you would visit one class and probably email or set up an appointment for a short (like 15 to 20 minute) follow up for specific questions.
You should take good, detailed notes about your site visit--a la ethnography. Once done with that, you'll take a look at what you've got, think about what sort of follow up questions you might ask that takes advantage of your 15 minutes, and then gather all of the information you've got to do some analysis.
Be respectful of both the teacher and the students in the class. Obviously, make arrangements to visit the class beforehand. But, also, ask about what is OK for you to do in the class. Can you join in small groups? Can you talk to student? I can imagine it will feel weird doing a project that involve watching your teachers, but you are not there to evaluate. You are there to observe.
If you are reading this assignment at the beginning of the semester, you might be worried that you don't know how to analyze this data. But we will practice this sort of observation and writing in our class, and we will talk about what to pay attention to when you do your site visits. Don't forget, also, we'll be reading from Gary Tate's book as you are doing the assignment.
Please note as well that I haven't selected certain faculty over others. I just asked for volunteers. You might think they should be embodying a certain pedagogy or that you should be looking for a particular pedagogy, but that's not what this assignment is about. You'll see whatever there iis to see; you'll try to explain to others what you think you've seen and if says what you think it says. If you are looking for guidelines for what to look for when you are in the classroom/talking to the teacher, take a look at the guidelines (below) for the reflection that you will include in the midterm portfolio.
Ultimately, this assignment will help you to think about the intersection of theoretical life and real teaching life. Because they do look different.
The Reflection
For inclusion in your midterm portfolio, you will collect your notes from your observations and any notes that you have from the interviews and try to answer the following questions. Please try to write this more like an essay rather than a list of questions. Use the questions to guide the content of your reflection, but have an over-arching thesis that the evidence you've gathered over the semester helps to prove. Use the Gary Tate material, as well, to help you explain what you see.
1. What kinds of writing pedagogy/pedagogies do you feel like you saw were at work in this classroom?
2. Does the faculty member see these pedagogies at work? Do they have a different name for them? Or would they say that this is this just what they do?
3. From your observation, how do the students seem to feel about the experience of the class as it pertains to learning how to write?
4. What does the teacher via the pedagogies that you think you see in the classroom seem to value ? About writing (see question five below), but also about how literacy, education, reading, error, etc.?
5. What does this teacher, this pedagogy, this classroom say about what writing is, why we do it, what it does out in the world? What does this teacher, this pedagogy, seem to say about the writing process? What does it seem to say about what it takes to be a successful writer? Maybe even a successful student?
Your reflection should include observation and information gleaned from the site visit and your interview as evidence of your overall point about the class and its values is.
Reflections should be about 5 pages, double-spaced, and typed. 10 or 12 point normal sort of font. You'll have the chance to workshop this document in class before the midterm is due. You can earn extra credit toward the project and the midterm portfolio by consulting other scholars that talk about pedagogies that you believe you are seeing in the classroom (these authors would be selected from those authors Tate et al talks about in the different section in the book). In the midterm portfolio, you'll want to turn in both your notes and observations and your final, revised reflection in order to earn full credit for the assignment.
