Part the First: To continue our discussion of margin and center groups, and indirect and direct communication--I think some of those concerns really come into play when we're talking with writers about revision. We questioned in class about how direct to be about a writing situation, and I think we often should lean towards the explicit--name the rules and the idea that writing works a certain way in certain situations (or rather, people expect it to look a certain way). It is one thing to ask a writer, "Is there anything about this introductory paragraph you'd like to change?" That's an indirect question, a la, "Would you like to take a bath now?" Some of us understand that neither is intended as a question, even though phrased as such. It is another thing to say, "This introductory paragraph does not seem to me to have as much of a focus as an academic essay usually does. Many faculty like to see a thesis statement early on in the paper, often towards the end of the introductory paragraph. Why don't we talk about what is possible for this paragraph?" Is that too heavy handed? I'm interested in what you think.
Part the Second: We had a good day at Xavier on Friday, and the folks there put on a good meeting. An improv group, some thoughtful talks, and good food. Just what a conference should have. We especially liked the idea of having whiteboard walls; we're going to buy some paint and do the same in our space. Also, our work connects well with the improv theme that the Xavier folks put forward. We might even be able to conduct an improv workshop at the next OWCC meeting, at Miami University, in Oxford, on October 5th. I'll keep you updated. But, do ask Autumn, Jennifer, Ana Jeanne, Evan, and Keri for their thoughts. We can talk some on it in class, too.
Blog post now ended.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday Evening
It's just impossible to ignore the coincidence. People are blogging about the crows at Wittenberg, and who should be on Austin City Limits this weekend? Steve Martin. Why are these events connected? Because Steve Martin's Grammy-winning album is entitled The Crow, and he played the title track.
That's too much to ignore. And we'll also make the song the Monday Music selection on our Facebook page. You've all linked to our Facebook page, right? We've got folks from Utah, Indiana, Columbus (OK, that's a city, not a state, but still), and other locales. Check it out if you haven't yet.
Not much else on this blog post. I have enjoyed reading through your reflections, and I'll have something written up for you all on Tuesday. (Of course typing that now commits me.) Until then, watch the video and have a good Monday.
That's too much to ignore. And we'll also make the song the Monday Music selection on our Facebook page. You've all linked to our Facebook page, right? We've got folks from Utah, Indiana, Columbus (OK, that's a city, not a state, but still), and other locales. Check it out if you haven't yet.
Not much else on this blog post. I have enjoyed reading through your reflections, and I'll have something written up for you all on Tuesday. (Of course typing that now commits me.) Until then, watch the video and have a good Monday.
Friday, February 17, 2012
A General Note
What a beautiful day. It's the kind of day to go outside, take a walk, breath in some air, enjoy the sun. I would argue that any day is really a pretty good day, but today just seems especially nice. Hope you've had a chance to take a moment and notice it.
Also, I wanted to mention that we are six weeks in to the semester now (yes, already), and so, if you're counting blog posts at two a week, you should probably be about twelve. We'll be, or rather, you'll be writing up some blog reflections before break, noting what you've had to say so far this term, but now could be a good time to just double check where you are. And, if necessary, you could blog this weekend. For one thing, think about the names we had on the board yesterday: which ones did you most agree with? Why?
You could also blog about your summary work. Is it easy to write a summary? More difficult? Why? You could even see if you use any of the suggestions from Graff and Birkenstein about quoting and paraphrasing other writers. Just a thought.
We'll also talk soon about what we might do in the second half of the semester. We have a lot of TBA (to be announced) days, and we should fill them. I have some ideas, but I'd like to bounce them off of you, too.
All right, that's my blog, for the moment. Now it's time for a fellows meeting, and then I have some reflections I'm looking forward to reading.
Also, I wanted to mention that we are six weeks in to the semester now (yes, already), and so, if you're counting blog posts at two a week, you should probably be about twelve. We'll be, or rather, you'll be writing up some blog reflections before break, noting what you've had to say so far this term, but now could be a good time to just double check where you are. And, if necessary, you could blog this weekend. For one thing, think about the names we had on the board yesterday: which ones did you most agree with? Why?
You could also blog about your summary work. Is it easy to write a summary? More difficult? Why? You could even see if you use any of the suggestions from Graff and Birkenstein about quoting and paraphrasing other writers. Just a thought.
We'll also talk soon about what we might do in the second half of the semester. We have a lot of TBA (to be announced) days, and we should fill them. I have some ideas, but I'd like to bounce them off of you, too.
All right, that's my blog, for the moment. Now it's time for a fellows meeting, and then I have some reflections I'm looking forward to reading.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Listening In
Yesterday was an example of my favorite type of class. Why's that, Mike, because you mainly get to stand around? Fair question, but no. To be able to stand in the room and listen in on all the conversations, that's the reward. Those conversations are the focus of our class, how to shape them, how to notice them, how to analyze them, how to improve them. At heart, what we do is sit and talk with a writer. But how we talk, that's the question. Stephen North even mentions in his first article that our talk is what we need to examine, to consider. And it is always wonderful for me to be able to be surrounded by such talk. Especially first sessions.
I mentioned yesterday many of the good moments that I heard--readers responding as readers. "This confused me here because I wasn't expecting it." "Do I take this to be your conclusion?" "Do you want to make more of an argument here?" There did seem to be conversations happening, not any one-sided lectures. And I do think some of the 101 folks got to see/experience what it is like to have a reader solely focused on your writing for a time. That's valuable, and I hope they will take from the talk both some revision ideas for their paper and the desire to have another conversation again.
I'm looking forward to reading your reflections.
I mentioned yesterday many of the good moments that I heard--readers responding as readers. "This confused me here because I wasn't expecting it." "Do I take this to be your conclusion?" "Do you want to make more of an argument here?" There did seem to be conversations happening, not any one-sided lectures. And I do think some of the 101 folks got to see/experience what it is like to have a reader solely focused on your writing for a time. That's valuable, and I hope they will take from the talk both some revision ideas for their paper and the desire to have another conversation again.
I'm looking forward to reading your reflections.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Reading Aloud
A neat piece from the NYTimes about reading aloud. Here's an especially relevant paragraph for our work:
But listening aloud, valuable as it is, isn’t the same as reading aloud. Both require a great deal of attention. Both are good ways to learn something important about the rhythms of language. But one of the most basic tests of comprehension is to ask someone to read aloud from a book. It reveals far more than whether the reader understands the words. It reveals how far into the words — and the pattern of the words — the reader really sees.
How do we read a student's paper? Is it just a half-mumbled reading, more to ourselves than the writer? Or is it a true measure of comprehension? An act of communication that shows us and the writer what is making sense and what isn't? I still think the act of reading a student's paper is a performance. It should be done so that we garner the most meaning we can from it. Read boldly and for purpose. Make sense of the text.
But listening aloud, valuable as it is, isn’t the same as reading aloud. Both require a great deal of attention. Both are good ways to learn something important about the rhythms of language. But one of the most basic tests of comprehension is to ask someone to read aloud from a book. It reveals far more than whether the reader understands the words. It reveals how far into the words — and the pattern of the words — the reader really sees.
How do we read a student's paper? Is it just a half-mumbled reading, more to ourselves than the writer? Or is it a true measure of comprehension? An act of communication that shows us and the writer what is making sense and what isn't? I still think the act of reading a student's paper is a performance. It should be done so that we garner the most meaning we can from it. Read boldly and for purpose. Make sense of the text.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Topics to Blog About
1. The scenarios that we had in class today. What were your thoughts about them?
2. A "what if" scenario from your list. What are you concerned about, and how might you handle it?
3. The audio response. How well does it work for you? How does it compare with other types of responses that you've received?
4. Following Sarah's lead, write about what you learned from your profile essay assignment. How did it go? What did you discover that surprised you?
5. Something else that's on your mind.
Sit down; type out your thoughts. I look forward to reading them.
2. A "what if" scenario from your list. What are you concerned about, and how might you handle it?
3. The audio response. How well does it work for you? How does it compare with other types of responses that you've received?
4. Following Sarah's lead, write about what you learned from your profile essay assignment. How did it go? What did you discover that surprised you?
5. Something else that's on your mind.
Sit down; type out your thoughts. I look forward to reading them.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Our Words
To follow up on the vegetables. The piece by Thonus is, again, a valuable one. Here is data on what actually happens in a session vs. what students report happen. Those might overlap, but in research we can't confuse one for the other. We might have stories about how sessions go, what we talk about, how we talk about it, but without recordings and analysis, we're not really sure about it. Nor do we necessarily know what parts of the conversation most influence writers. What changes do they make to a paper? Why? One of the current advisors, Devoni, just wrote a piece for Writing Center Journal about how one student's paper changed over time given their sessions. She had the good fortune to be a writing fellow for the course and thus could see the various drafts of the essay. She worked from those to note the changes in wording and organization and then tried to tie those changes back to her conversation.
And I think all of us who value language will value Thonus's article. If we believe that every word matters in writing, then why not so in speech, too? Granted, there is the immediate context for speech, the ephemeral quality of our language (and still the ability to correct and revise on the spot), but we can say a lot with each word. Every word is loaded with baggage of some kind, connotations that will differ slightly for every listener. With the Thonus article, on pp. 183-184, I challenge you to read aloud each of her examples. How do they sound? How can they sound different depending on your tone? Think on how you might make suggestions to a writer. What sounds best?
And, I also wanted to comment on the evaluative language in sessions. Some of you mentioned that an advisor commented that an argument was "good," and even that word can be problematic. One suggestion I have is to phrase praise in terms of you as a reader: "Well, for me this argument made sense. As I read the prompt, it seems that your paper does indeed address the questions and criteria." That grounds the conversation in a reader-to-text relationship and does not commit us to some general evaluation of a text as good or solid or really neato. Make sense?
And I think all of us who value language will value Thonus's article. If we believe that every word matters in writing, then why not so in speech, too? Granted, there is the immediate context for speech, the ephemeral quality of our language (and still the ability to correct and revise on the spot), but we can say a lot with each word. Every word is loaded with baggage of some kind, connotations that will differ slightly for every listener. With the Thonus article, on pp. 183-184, I challenge you to read aloud each of her examples. How do they sound? How can they sound different depending on your tone? Think on how you might make suggestions to a writer. What sounds best?
And, I also wanted to comment on the evaluative language in sessions. Some of you mentioned that an advisor commented that an argument was "good," and even that word can be problematic. One suggestion I have is to phrase praise in terms of you as a reader: "Well, for me this argument made sense. As I read the prompt, it seems that your paper does indeed address the questions and criteria." That grounds the conversation in a reader-to-text relationship and does not commit us to some general evaluation of a text as good or solid or really neato. Make sense?
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