The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Topic: Two Views of Writing
Title: “Moving to the Center: Disorientation and Intention.” M Wilson and M Niemczyk. English Journal (May 2008), 34-39. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The audience for the journal is secondary schools.
Summary: “The timed writing test demands that Sarah summon what she currently knows, as if writing is simply the act of copying what is already in her mind.”
Donald Murray: “The writer does not write down words to photograph what is in his head, he uses words to set an experiment in motion.”
Comment: Real writers, in some types of writing, memos, etc., can write it almost right the first time. However, timed writing assessments are not memos. Real writers, when the writing requires thought, prepare, draft, revise and edit. In the SAT’s 25-minute timed writing assessments, the topics demand thought. Twenty-five minutes in the SAT would be good for memos. 25 minutes is not enough time to do the preparation, drafting and revision needed for thinking and writing.
I know this. What is a practical alternative to a timed 25-minute writing assessment? RayS.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Classroom Policy
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Topic: Classroom Policy
Title: “On the Margins in a High-Performing High School: Policy and the Struggling Reader.” JK Franzak. Research in the Teaching of English (May 2008), 466-505. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The audience for the journal is all levels.
Summary: Studies official classroom policies in teaching literature and reading in high school and finds that “phantom policies,” policies believed by the classroom teachers to be policies, conflict with the “inscribed” (official) policies developed in the district office. The phantom policies, assumed by the teachers, controlled instruction. Example of a phantom policy: 9th grade must teach Romeo and Juliet and The Odyssey. With no evidence of the existence of such a policy, teachers believed that they were required to teach these two works of literature.
“Most apparent is the deeply ingrained belief that teachers do not formulate policies because policy originates outside the classroom as part of a political process.” p. 470.
“Since the inscribed [official] policies of the school did not acknowledge the existence of struggling readers, it was not surprising that the school lacked a means of identifying students who could use additional support in reading.” p. 495.
“The lack of adequate inscribed or phantom policy focusing on reading instruction meant that the teachers did not explicitly engage in reading instruction.” p. 497.
“The implication of the lack of inscribed [official] policy regarding struggling readers was clear. It was the students’ responsibility to adapt to the discourse of high school English.” p. 498.
The general conclusion of the authors is that teachers need to be involved in the development of the inscribed [official] policies.
Comment: Whew! “Policies” already. In my day they were curriculum guides, developed by teachers in the summer to be taken by teachers as suggestions for dealing with problems in teaching English. Teachers used those ideas and practices that they found helpful and, frankly, ignored the rest. The assumption was that teachers knew best how to teach. What comes around goes around. I predict that “policies” developed by administrators in the district office as a result of No Child Left Behind will be replaced by curriculum guides developed by teachers. Problems will still exist on how to help teachers who were not members of the summer workshop see the advantages of practices that will be good for kids, like the struggling readers in this study. RayS.
Topic: Classroom Policy
Title: “On the Margins in a High-Performing High School: Policy and the Struggling Reader.” JK Franzak. Research in the Teaching of English (May 2008), 466-505. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The audience for the journal is all levels.
Summary: Studies official classroom policies in teaching literature and reading in high school and finds that “phantom policies,” policies believed by the classroom teachers to be policies, conflict with the “inscribed” (official) policies developed in the district office. The phantom policies, assumed by the teachers, controlled instruction. Example of a phantom policy: 9th grade must teach Romeo and Juliet and The Odyssey. With no evidence of the existence of such a policy, teachers believed that they were required to teach these two works of literature.
“Most apparent is the deeply ingrained belief that teachers do not formulate policies because policy originates outside the classroom as part of a political process.” p. 470.
“Since the inscribed [official] policies of the school did not acknowledge the existence of struggling readers, it was not surprising that the school lacked a means of identifying students who could use additional support in reading.” p. 495.
“The lack of adequate inscribed or phantom policy focusing on reading instruction meant that the teachers did not explicitly engage in reading instruction.” p. 497.
“The implication of the lack of inscribed [official] policy regarding struggling readers was clear. It was the students’ responsibility to adapt to the discourse of high school English.” p. 498.
The general conclusion of the authors is that teachers need to be involved in the development of the inscribed [official] policies.
Comment: Whew! “Policies” already. In my day they were curriculum guides, developed by teachers in the summer to be taken by teachers as suggestions for dealing with problems in teaching English. Teachers used those ideas and practices that they found helpful and, frankly, ignored the rest. The assumption was that teachers knew best how to teach. What comes around goes around. I predict that “policies” developed by administrators in the district office as a result of No Child Left Behind will be replaced by curriculum guides developed by teachers. Problems will still exist on how to help teachers who were not members of the summer workshop see the advantages of practices that will be good for kids, like the struggling readers in this study. RayS.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Writing Process
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Topic: Writing Process
Title: “Diana Gabaldon ‘Worms’ Her Way to Success.” Jessica P. Morrell. The Writer (July 2008), 18-21. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers. Its goal is to keep the writer’s spirits up.
Quote: In recounting her methods of writing, Dian Gabaldon uses the phrase, “…in the back of my mind.”
Comment: Ms. Gabaldon is referring to how she works on her writing while she goes about the rest of the business of her life. She is working on her writing in the back of her mind. Many writers have told how they compose mentally before they ever put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. If you haven’t cultivated this process of working on your writing while you perform your daily chores, you need to practice it. Whenever I encounter a problem in my writing, no matter what I am doing, that problem is not far from my consciousness. I have even solved writing problems while half-listening to sermons in church. Ouch! RayS.
Topic: Writing Process
Title: “Diana Gabaldon ‘Worms’ Her Way to Success.” Jessica P. Morrell. The Writer (July 2008), 18-21. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers. Its goal is to keep the writer’s spirits up.
Quote: In recounting her methods of writing, Dian Gabaldon uses the phrase, “…in the back of my mind.”
Comment: Ms. Gabaldon is referring to how she works on her writing while she goes about the rest of the business of her life. She is working on her writing in the back of her mind. Many writers have told how they compose mentally before they ever put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. If you haven’t cultivated this process of working on your writing while you perform your daily chores, you need to practice it. Whenever I encounter a problem in my writing, no matter what I am doing, that problem is not far from my consciousness. I have even solved writing problems while half-listening to sermons in church. Ouch! RayS.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Beginnings and Closings
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Topic: Beginnings and Closings
Title: “The Opening Page of a story Must Grab the Reader: How Crucial Is the Last Page?” Richard Boich. The Writer (July 2008), 8. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers. Its goal is to keep the writer’s spirits up.
Summary: A well-crafted first page will cause the reader to buy the book. A lack-luster ending will make the book forgettable and the buyers regretful that they bought it.
Comment: That’s a bit strong, but it’s worth remembering. RayS.
Topic: Beginnings and Closings
Title: “The Opening Page of a story Must Grab the Reader: How Crucial Is the Last Page?” Richard Boich. The Writer (July 2008), 8. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers. Its goal is to keep the writer’s spirits up.
Summary: A well-crafted first page will cause the reader to buy the book. A lack-luster ending will make the book forgettable and the buyers regretful that they bought it.
Comment: That’s a bit strong, but it’s worth remembering. RayS.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Writing Process
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Topic: Writing Process
Title: “How to Live with a Hero.” John D. MacDonald. The Writer (September 1964). Republished in The Writer (July 2008), pp. 22-23. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers. Its goal is to keep the writer’s spirits up.
Summary: “John D. MacDonald (1916-1986) wrote 21 Travis McGee books.” In the final paragraph of this article, he talks about learning to write: “After more millions of words than I would care to estimate, I am still learning.”
Comment: I said it in my book, Teaching English How To…. and I say it again: I never stop learning to write. Each new piece of writing has some challenge that causes me to think about how to write it. Each new assignment for a professional article requires something different from all the other articles I’ve written. I think this advice is helpful for your writing students. Was it Hemingway who said we’re all apprentices in a task that no one masters—or something like that? RayS.
Topic: Writing Process
Title: “How to Live with a Hero.” John D. MacDonald. The Writer (September 1964). Republished in The Writer (July 2008), pp. 22-23. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers. Its goal is to keep the writer’s spirits up.
Summary: “John D. MacDonald (1916-1986) wrote 21 Travis McGee books.” In the final paragraph of this article, he talks about learning to write: “After more millions of words than I would care to estimate, I am still learning.”
Comment: I said it in my book, Teaching English How To…. and I say it again: I never stop learning to write. Each new piece of writing has some challenge that causes me to think about how to write it. Each new assignment for a professional article requires something different from all the other articles I’ve written. I think this advice is helpful for your writing students. Was it Hemingway who said we’re all apprentices in a task that no one masters—or something like that? RayS.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Speaking
The purpose of this blog is to share interesting ideas I have found in recent American professional publications dealing with the teaching of English at all levels, elementary, secondary and college.
Topic: Speaking
Title: “What Toastmasters Can Do for Writers.” John K. Borchardt. The Writer (July 2008), p. 37. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers. Its goal is to keep the writer’s spirits up.
Summary: A pitch for Toastmasters, a non-profit organization that costs to join. Many people participate. The interesting idea in this article is the 7-minute pitch for your book or article to editors. Advice: Grab ‘em at the start. Get to the point. Another exercise: “Table Topics.” Someone asks a question. You have 15 to 30 seconds to prepare a one-to-two minute answer. Another exercise: 30 seconds to present your qualifications.
Topic: Speaking
Title: “What Toastmasters Can Do for Writers.” John K. Borchardt. The Writer (July 2008), p. 37. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers. Its goal is to keep the writer’s spirits up.
Summary: A pitch for Toastmasters, a non-profit organization that costs to join. Many people participate. The interesting idea in this article is the 7-minute pitch for your book or article to editors. Advice: Grab ‘em at the start. Get to the point. Another exercise: “Table Topics.” Someone asks a question. You have 15 to 30 seconds to prepare a one-to-two minute answer. Another exercise: 30 seconds to present your qualifications.
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