tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83856494800837570892024-03-13T19:42:20.249-07:00English UpdatesRayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.comBlogger1157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-54935487143553164002012-08-09T05:22:00.000-07:002012-08-09T05:22:15.687-07:00Revision<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
Should I revise as I write?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “In revision, there are two camps: revise as you go, or
get it all out and revise later. Robert Olen Butler, author of From <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Where You Dream: The Process of Writing
Fiction</i>, stresses the importance of revising as you go. His reasoning is
that each detail must work with everything else in the story, and it’s not
possible to move forward until you have those details set.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">“Some
writers may take this approach with bigger chunks of text, rather than revising
sentence by sentence. Revising a chapter or a scene can help you clarify your
intentions in those passages before moving forward.” P. 7. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">With shorter material, I don’t revise
until I finish the draft. With my book, I think I should have used the author’s
recommended approach of revising larger chunks. I might have made fewer
mistakes in my final copy</i>. RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Should I revise as I write?” Brandi Reissenweber. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Writer</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">August 2012</b>),
7. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-57136168211152498282012-08-08T05:03:00.002-07:002012-08-08T05:03:32.700-07:00The Nature of Writing<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What is the writing process?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “ ‘If you want to be a great writer and you have a
choice between being brilliant and lazy or being a little clueless but
motivated, choose the latter. You stand a far better chance. Sure, such
intangibles as creativity, talent and inspiration play a role, but work is
where the real action is.’ So says Alexander Steele in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York’s Acclaimed Creative
Writing School</i>, an excellent book from Gotham Writers’ Workshop. He’s
focusing on what I’ve always referred to as the ‘creative slog’: You come up
with a story idea, sketch out some details—and then the real work begins. It’s
rarely an easy process because creativity isn’t linear, point A to point B;
it’s far more complex, unstructured, exasperating, chaotic and, yes,
exhilarating.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>P. 6. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My favorite idea in this editorial is
“Creativity isn’t linear….”</i> RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Nothing Neat About It.” Jeff Reich, in “From the Editor.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Writer</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">August 2012</b>),
6. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-47204344872640273392012-08-07T05:33:00.000-07:002012-08-07T05:33:05.516-07:00Teaching in Low-Achieving Schools<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What’s it like to teach in a low-achieving school?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “I teach at a low-achieving school. Well, I don’t see
it that way, but the state of Pennsylvania does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Julia deBurgos School, in Kensington, is one of many Philadelphia schools
designated as ‘low-achieving’ on a state Department of Education list published
last week. The list is based on the 2010-2011 state test scores in reading and
math—and nothing else. And even though my school made what’s defined as
‘adequate yearly progress’ on those tests, there we were on the list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “Now,
under the new Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit, my students will have the
‘opportunity’ to go to ‘better’ schools. The main problem is this: My school is
not a bad school. My school is incredible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “A
staggering 95% of our students come from poor families, nearly 30% are learning
English, and at least 16% have special needs. You will never hear me use those
numbers as excuses, though. I tell anyone who will listen that my students are
some of the most intelligent, engaging, enthusiastic, and resilient children in
Pennsylvania.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">[<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Comment</b>: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The author goes on to cite several examples of children, in spite of
handicaps, who were successful in school</i>. RayS. ]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “It
would never cross my mind to call a student ‘bad.’ But now the state is
labeling entire schools—and, in turn, communities—‘bad.’ That is distressing
not only because I know my colleagues and I are committed to excellence, but
also because it will be one more way society is telling our students they are
unworthy.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Note</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
Hillary Linardopoulos teaches third grade at Julia deBurgos School. She can be
reached at MrsL132@comcast.net.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Dispatches from a ‘Low-Achieving’ School.” Hillary Linardopoulos. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Philadelphia Inquirer</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wednesday August 1, 2012</b>), A21. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-12534708513049648152012-08-06T05:13:00.005-07:002012-08-06T05:18:49.931-07:00Much Ado<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Question</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">: What’s wrong with President Obama’s slogan,
“Forward.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Punctuation
Nerds Stopped by Obama Slogan, 'Forward.'<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">From Both Sides of the Aisle, a Question: Is
Ending It With a Period Weird?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By </span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=CAROL+E.+LEE&bylinesearch=true"><span style="color: #093d72; letter-spacing: 0.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">CAROL E. LEE</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> [</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Since
many of my readers do not read the <u>Wall Street Journal</u>, I thought it
better to include the entire article to give them an idea of how much fun it is
to read the <u>Journal</u>. If the editors of the <u>Journal</u> object, I will
withdraw it immediately.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My purpose is
to increase <u>Journal</u> readership. </i>Rays.]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The.
Obama. Campaign. Slogan. Is. Causing. Grammarians. Whiplash.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Forward."
is the culprit. It was chosen to reflect the direction Mr. Obama promises to
take the country if re-elected. It also is designed to implicitly convey the
opposite: that likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney would set the nation in reverse.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Obama
campaign slogan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Simple
enough. Except the moment seven characters became eight, things got
complicated. Period. Even for some in the president's orbit, the added
punctuation slams the brakes on a word supposed to convey momentum.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"It's
like 'forward, now stop,' " said Austan Goolsbee, the former chairman of
the National Economic Council who still advises the Obama campaign. He added,
"It could be worse. It could be 'Forward' comma," which would make it
raise the question: "and now what?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
president signed off on his own slogan, but evidently isn't sold.
"Forward! Period. Full stop," he has joked to his campaign staff,
according to an Obama adviser.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On
that, if on nothing else, Mr. Obama has bipartisan support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"It's
sort of a buzz kill," said Rep. Pete King (R., N.Y.).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
period was a subject of a spirited debate as Mr. Obama's senior advisers and
outside consultants spent hours in a conference room at their Chicago campaign
headquarters deliberating over the perfect slogan, according to an adviser who
was in attendance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Does
a period add emphasis? Yes! Does it undermine the sense of the word? Maybe!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">President
Obama campaigning in Florida this month. He has joked with staffers about the
slogan's punctuation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">David
Axelrod, the president's longtime messaging guru, is a champion of the period.
"There's some finality to it," Mr. Axelrod said. For those who think
it stops "forward" in its tracks, he has a suggestion: "Tell
them just to put two more dots on it, and it'll seem like it keeps on
going."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
period debate hasn't been confined to the upper echelons of the Obama campaign.
Politicians, grammarians and designers who brand people and products have
noticed it, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"There's
been some speculation that the period really gives the feeling of something ending
rather than beginning," said Catherine Pages, an art director in
Washington, D.C. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
1992, George H.W. Bush's line, "Who do you trust?" generated chatter
about the use of "who" versus "whom." Dwight Eisenhower's
1952 slogan "I like Ike" is clearly a sentence, but didn't include a
period. George W. Bush's "Yes, America Can" slogan included a comma;
Mr. Obama's "Yes We Can" chant four years later did not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Meanwhile,
the title of the super PAC supporting Mr. Romney, "Restore Our
Future," seems to bend the rules of space and time, if not grammar.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Those
who brandish red pens for a living are divided on whether Mr. Obama's campaign
slogan passes muster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"It
would be quite a stretch to say it's grammatically correct," said Mignon
Fogarty, author of "Grammar Girl's 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in
No Time." "You could say it's short for 'we're moving forward.' But
really it's not a sentence."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
only single words that properly end with a period are verbs, Ms. Fogarty added,
or interjections such as "wow."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">George
Lakoff, a linguistics professor at University of California Berkeley who is
well-known in Democratic circles, has a different verdict. He says that the
slogan respects the period's proper use because "Forward." is an
imperative sentence.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"You
can look at the period as adding a sense of finality, making a strong
statement: Forward. Period. And no more," Mr. Lakoff said. "Whether
that's effective is another question."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Joining
the Obama campaign is the alternative rock band fun., which added a period on
forming in 2008. In a written statement, two of the group's founders, Jack
Antonoff and Andrew Dost, described the punctuation as "our way of
sedating the word fun. We love how quick and sharp 'fun' is, but in no way do
we intend to give people the impression that we're going to walk into rooms
doing back flips."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/null" name="U7175187126PSC"></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On its page-one nameplate and elsewhere, The
Wall Street Journal maintains its period, a holdover from the 1800s. No one at
the paper knows why the Journal kept it when other papers gradually dropped
their traditional periods, a spokeswoman said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
presidential campaigns, discussions over slogans often focus on pre-emptive
damage control. "We'd sit around the conference rooms and have these
discussions," said Steve Hildebrand, a deputy campaign manager for Mr.
Obama's 2008 campaign. "You wonder if they're going to catch on; you
wonder if people are going to make fun of them."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shortly
after the 2012 line was unveiled in April, late-night talk show host Jay Leno
said, "That's a good message for Obama. He's telling voters, whatever you
do don't look back at all those promises I made. Just look forward."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mr.
Romney has called the "Forward." slogan "absurd," and has
seized on it to argue Mr. Obama's policies would take the country "forward
over a cliff."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mr.
Romney's slogan, "Believe in America" (no period), has its share of
critics as well. "I think that's about as close to a standard slogan as
you can possibly get," said Fred Davis, a Republican media consultant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rep.
Steve Israel of New York, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee and a former public-relations manager, said he prefers the period
over an exclamation point or nothing at all.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Forward
without a period leaves open the question: 'In what direction?' " Mr.
Israel said. "But that's just the old, frustrated, former public-relations
executive in me."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
is possible the president isn't the best judge of his own marketing. During his
successful 2008 run, Mr. Obama told his campaign staff he wasn't sold on the
slogan "Change We Can Believe In," according to a book written by
close aide David Plouffe.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
also thought the campaign's signature symbol—a red, white and blue rising
sun—was "cheesy," recalled longtime Obama adviser Robert Gibbs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
period has mysteriously been dropped in several recent Obama campaign ads.
Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said there is no particular reason behind
the omission. "Stay on your toes—anything could happen," he said.
"Do not be surprised if we introduce a semicolon."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Write
to Carol E. Lee at </span><a href="mailto:carol.lee@wsj.com"><span style="color: #093d72; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">carol.lee@wsj.com</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Wall Street Journal</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">, July 31, 2012. Internet. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
</div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-58343060411938602322012-08-05T05:05:00.003-07:002012-08-05T05:05:30.669-07:00Reading, Writing and ESL Students<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Note</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Normally, I do not publish my blog, <u>English
Updates</u>, on weekends. However, I publish several other blogs during the week
having to do with ideas in English education that are not current, but still
useful. On weekends, I will publish samples of these ideas. </i>RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><strong><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Question</span></span></strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">: Why should reading and writing be taught together in working
with ESL students?<br />
<br />
<strong>Answer/Quote</strong>: “Most experts agree that although not identical,
reading and writing are similar…and mutually supportive…language processes.” <br />
<br />
<strong>Quote</strong>: “In her informative and thorough review of research on
reading and writing relationships, Stotsky (1983) concluded that (1) good
writers tend to be better readers than are less able writers, (2) good writers
tend to read more frequently and widely and to produce more syntactically
complex writings, (3) writing itself does not tend to influence reading
comprehension, but when writing is taught for the purpose of enhancing reading,
there are significant gains in comprehension and retention of information , and
(4) reading experiences have as great an effect on writing as direct
instruction in grammar and mechanics.” <br />
<br />
<strong>Comment</strong>: <em>My own experiences bear out the effects of
reading on writing. In the early 1970s, I conducted a workshop for fifth- and
sixth-grade teachers on establishing a writing curriculum for grades 5 and 6.
In the course of the workshop, we invited six people for whom writing was an
important part of their professions. They included children’s books authors,
newspaper writers, and a lawyer. Five of the six writers said that they had
never learned to write in school, but they never remembered being without a
book as they passed through the grades. I think it’s pretty clear, both from
the research and from my personal experiences, that reading influences
writing—for native-English speakers and ESL students</em>. RayS. <br />
<br />
<strong>Title</strong>: “Comprehending through Reading and Writing: Six
Research-Based Instructional Strategies.” N Farnan, J Flood and D Lapp. Pp.
135-137. In <em>Kids Come in All Languages: Reading Instruction for ESL</em>
Students. Eds. K Spangensberg-Urgschat and R Pritchard. Newark, DE: IRA. 1994,
108-131. <o:p></o:p></span></h3>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-58805005848641499372012-08-04T05:28:00.000-07:002012-08-04T05:28:21.131-07:00Reading Materials for ESL Students<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Note</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Normally, I do not publish my blog, <u>English
Updates</u>, on weekends. However, I publish several other blogs during the
week having to do with ideas in English education that are not current, but
still useful. On weekends, I will publish samples of these ideas. </i>RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Question</span></span></strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">: What are some criteria for selecting materials to be used by
ESL students? <br />
<br />
<strong>Answer</strong>:<br />
.<strong> Language Experience</strong>. Use language experience as one method
for reading lessons. Students individually or in groups dictate information or
stories that are recorded by the teacher on chart paper o blackboard, etc., and
the children then re-read aloud and silently what was recorded. <br />
<br />
<strong>. Real-world print materials</strong>. Signs, advertising, etc.<br />
<br />
<strong>. Basal readers in the past have been largely narrative. Content texts
are usually expository</strong> and organized differently from narrative. Use
the directed reading assignment for both types of material. (Find out what the
students already know about the topic and/or build background by discussion,
pictures, etc. Read the title, sub-title, first paragraph, first sentence of
each intermediate paragraph, last paragraph. What have they learned? Raise
questions that they want to answer. They read the text to answer their
questions. Discuss. And apply the information in some way.)<br />
<br />
<strong>. Children’s literature and trade books</strong>. Use books whose
illustrations support and extend meaning.<br />
<br />
<strong>. Read aloud,</strong> with discussion.<br />
<br />
. <strong>Provide books dealing with the children’s native culture</strong>.<br />
<br />
<strong>Title</strong>: “Selecting Materials for the Reading Instruction of ESL
Children,” VG Allen in <em>Kids Come in All Languages: Reading Instruction for
ESL Students</em>. Eds. K Spangensberg-Urgschat and R Pritchard. Newark, DE:
IRA. <strong>1994</strong>, 108-131. <o:p></o:p></span><br />RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-85995888625024477002012-08-03T05:32:00.000-07:002012-08-03T05:32:04.213-07:00Vision of English Education<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What hope is there for English education in the English-speaking countries?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: I
offer my personal vision: The use of the directed reading assignment in every
subject, every day, to produce what Olive Niles predicts will occur—no reading
problems. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">> The
directed reading assignment begins as teacher directed and ends up as student
directed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">> It
begins with assessing what student already know about the topic to be read. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">> It
is enhanced by a survey or sampling of the text that narrows the focus of the ideas
to be read. Both of these steps are important in building up the background
information on the topic to be read. The more people know about the topic to be
read, the better they will comprehend it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">> It
includes pre-teaching of unfamiliar vocabulary, usually in context and if a
dictionary is called for reducing the meaning of each unfamiliar word to two,
or at most, three words for easy recall. That way, students will see and
recognize the unfamiliar words. They do not see or recognize unfamiliar words
if they are not called attention to beforehand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">>
After sampling or surveying the text, students summarize what they have learned
and raise questions about what they want to know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">>
They read to answer their questions. They discuss their answers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">>
They apply this information or deepen it by consulting other resources, most
notably the Internet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Here’s
how each type of material uses the directed reading assignment:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Textbook Chapters (Expository)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Assess
student knowledge of the topic to be read. Survey the chapter by reading the
title, sub—titles, first paragraph, the first sentence of each paragraph and
the last paragraph. Note unfamiliar vocabulary and read the words in context,
or, if a dictionary is necessary, reduce the meaning of the words to two, or,
at most three words for better remembering. Summarize what has been learned
about the contents and raise questions to read to answer. Discuss what has been
learned. Apply the information or deepen it by using other resources, most
notably the Internet. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Books of Exposition or Information<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Assess
student knowledge of the topic. Read the title, first and last paragraphs of
each chapter. Summarize what has been learned. Raise questions about what
students want to know. Discuss their answers to these questions after reading.
Apply this information or deepen it by consulting other resources, most notably
the Internet. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Novels<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Read
for ten minutes near the beginning of the novel. Summarize what has been
learned. Raise questions about what students want to know. Read for ten minutes
in the middle, three-fourths through the novel and near the end, but not the
end. After each sampling, students summarize what they have learned and raise
questions about what they want to know. Order the questions according to
questions of fact, interpretation or criticism. Read and discuss the answers to
their questions. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Short Stories<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Read a
paragraph a page or column. Summarize what has been learned. Students raise
questions about what they want to know. Organize the questions according to
questions of fact, interpretation an criticism. Read and discuss the answers to
their questions. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">That’s my vision. And it is achievable,
but it will take a lot of work—and teaching</i>. RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-82626120122811339442012-08-02T05:13:00.001-07:002012-08-02T05:13:27.461-07:00State of English Education (3)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What are some educators’ assessment of English education today?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Some Snippets from the U.S.</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"> “If teaching is a difficult act, teaching about teaching
is more complex still….” P. 300. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> Q</o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">uote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “So
much change in teacher education is often in response to external demands and
state mandates, requiring teacher educators to be flexible and creative enough
to manage these external pressures without sacrificing quality teacher
preparation.” P. 303. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “Let
me be clear, though: I am not opposed to the evaluation of teachers (or
students, for that matter). Like any professional, a teacher should be held to
certain standards and able to demonstrate proficiency with those standards.
But, to paraphrase Shaun, those in charge of education in the United States
seem to have little trust in teachers’ ability to do their jobs well and
continue to develop hoops for teachers to jump through to prove they are doing
what they should be doing.” P. 304-305. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The state of English education in
Australia, England and the U.S. is pretty depressing</i>. RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “The
‘Wonders’ of Teaching English and Preparing Teachers of English in the United
States.” G Marshall, L Reid, and M Shoffner. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">English Education</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">April
2012</b>), 300-311. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-29542043181591487982012-08-01T05:04:00.001-07:002012-08-01T05:04:21.144-07:00State of English Education (2)<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What are some educators’ assessment of English education today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “I have now been working in English education for 34
years (12 years on high schools and the rest in teacher education) and have
worked all that time (with one exceptional year in the United States) in
England itself…. The whole education system has seen wave after wave of major
‘reforms,’ all introduced as the solution to some politically perceived
problem, such as falling reading standards (no evidence) ; the reforms than
have a few years of life before they are either dropped or superseded by
another ‘major reform.’ However, many of the policy mistakes and ideological
(not educational) impositions suffered in “England now seem to be taking hold
in other English-speaking countries, most recently the United States
(Standards) and Australia (National Curriculum).”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Overall, the current government is intent on the usual ideological concerns of
the right, so the most visible and influential sign will point toward the past,
to correct spelling, to handwritten examinations and the appreciation of great
texts.” P. 299. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“English in England still attracts highly motivated, enthusiastic, and
promising student teachers; however, 40 percent leave between 5 and 5 years
into their careers, a dreadful waste in every sense, of money on training and
of good people just beginning important professional lives. It is possible that
the current government will overreach itself with too many reforms at once and
that teacher unions, parents, and the media will generate a combined campaign
that will lead in a different direction. Perhaps it will even lead to an age of
Informed Professionalism, when English teachers regain much control over
curriculum and assessment? The other direction, sadly much more probable, is a
period of much anxiety and instability and with further restrictions to the
curriculum, to teacher autonomy and to the nature of teacher training, with an
emphasis of on-the-job learning and no attention to reflection and academic
knowledge. As Robert Johnson put it in his famous blues song: ‘I got the
crossroad blues this mornin Lord/babe, I’m sinkin down.’ ” Pp 299-300, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sound familiar</i>? RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“English at the Crossroads in England? Andy Goodwyn. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">English Education</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">April
2012</b>), 292-300. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-12455015019850914522012-07-31T05:47:00.003-07:002012-07-31T05:48:19.633-07:00State of English Education (1)<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What are some educators’ assessment of English education today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “For me, however, one idea that resonated was the
importance of ‘emotional’ or affective engagement in teaching and learning.
Being ‘engaged’ with one’s learning is acknowledged as crucial if students are
to be successful learners. The concept of engagement has been described as
including three aspects—behavioral, cognitive, and affective…. To be fully
engaged students need to experience all three of these aspects simultaneously,
but for most students in schools this rarely happens. Usually we can coax or
cajole our students into being behaviorally engaged, and sometimes we
successfully design tasks and activities that promote good, active<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cognitive engagement; in my experience,
however, it is rare that we are able to get students to really engage emotionally
with what we are doing in English, and their most frequent feelings associated
with what we do and study in English are boredom or indifference.” P. 289. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How’s that for an honest assessment of
students’ “engagement” in English studies</i>? RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Teaching English in New Zealand: An Experience of ‘Ache’ ”? Shaun Hawthorne. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">English Education</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">April 2012</b>), 288-292. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-30292657143717694992012-07-30T05:03:00.002-07:002012-07-30T05:03:21.283-07:00Stereotyping Adolescents<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What are the effects of stereotyping adolescents?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “Lesko (2001), in her genealogical examination of th
cultural construction of adolescence, argues that ‘common characterizations’ of
adolescence (e.g., adolescents as full of raging hormones, adolescents are
coming of age into adulthood) comprise ‘a sealed system of reasoning’ that
constrains educational practices and possibilities within secondary schools.
She explains, for instance, how some educators make linkages between ideas
about adolescence and classroom practices and roles in the following ways:
‘Since adolescents have raging hormones, they cannot be expected to do
sustained and critical thinking…. Since adolescents are immature, they cannot
be given responsibilities in school, at work, or at home.’” Pp. 254-255. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I cannot identify with that statement
about stereotyped adolescents. I’m not holier than thou. I just always looked
at my students as individuals with individual characteristics. I just don’t
recognize that kind of reasoning</i>. RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Deficits, Therapists, and a Desire to Distance: Secondary English Pre-service
Teachers’ Reasoning about Their Future Students.” R Petrone and MA Lewis. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">English Education</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">April 2012</b>), 254-287. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-647014926774974362012-07-29T05:25:00.004-07:002012-07-29T05:25:52.839-07:00Assessing ESL Students' Reading<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Note</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Normally, I do not publish my blog, <u>English
Updates</u>, on weekends. However, I publish several other blogs during the
week having to do with ideas in English education that are not current, but
still useful. On weekends, I will publish samples of these ideas. </i>RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><strong><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Question</span></span></strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">: How use multiple assessments of ESL students’ progress in
reading?<br />
<br />
<strong>Answer/Quote</strong>: “Use multiple measures of reading progress that
reflect comprehension and interest, not just skills. Such measures might
include:<br />
.checklists of oral reading performance.<br />
<br />
.reading strategies the child uses<br />
<br />
.reading comprehension skills (“comprehends oral stories,” “literal
comprehension,” “inferential comprehension”)<br />
<br />
.interests (“samples a variety of materials”)<br />
<br />
.applications (“participates in reading groups,” “writes dialogue journal
entries.”) Encourage students to maintain a dialogue journal with you in which
they assess their own progress as readers. <br />
<br />
Include all observations, checklists, and the students’ self-assessments in
individual portfolios that are used to maintain information on students, to
communicate with other teachers about the students’ progress, to communicate
with students about their progress, and to communicate with parents.” P.100. <br />
<br />
<strong>Comment</strong>: <em>Once again, this advice seems to be pertinent to
a self-contained class of ESL students, rather than the regular English
teacher, but might be adapted to the regular teacher’s program</em>. RayS. <br />
<br />
<strong>Title</strong>: “Instructional Approaches and Teaching Procedures.” AU
Chamot and JM O’Malley. Pp. 82-107. In <em>Kids Come in All Languages: Reading
Instruction for ESL Students</em>. Eds. K Spangensberg-Urgschat and R
Pritchard. Newark, DE: IRA. <strong>1994.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-37076356424370683672012-07-28T05:16:00.004-07:002012-07-28T05:16:27.844-07:00Writing and ESL Students<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Note</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Normally, I do not publish my blog, <u>English
Updates</u>, on weekends. However, I publish several other blogs during the
week having to do with ideas in English education that are not current, but
still useful. On weekends, I will publish samples of these ideas. </i>RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Question</span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">: How should writing be taught to ESL students?<br />
<br />
Answer: “Teach writing at the same time as reading.” The
authors suggest beginning with language experience: <br />
<br />
“…start with a language experience approach in which the teacher or an aide
transcribes a story that students dictate after they have developed it
individually or collectively. These stories can be handwritten in large print
on a chalkboard or paper and should be copied over by students so that they
have their own record of the stories they have created and can read them later.
<br />
<br />
“Students’ stories should be written exactly as they are dictated. The teacher
should use correct spelling, but preserve students’ sentence structures, even
if they are incomplete or ungrammatical. Only in this way can students feel
ownership of their stories.”<br />
<br />
They should write for different purposes (“…to share experiences with a friend,
tell a story, explain a concept, show a sequence of activities, persuade
another person, or summarize information.”) <br />
<br />
Comment: <em>For older ESL students, I suggest 10-minute
essays. At the beginning of each class period, students write for 10 minutes on
a topic of their own choosing. The writing should be no longer than 10 minutes.
They should not try to write a whole essay.</em><br />
<br />
<em>That night the teacher corrects what the students have written, completing
sentence structure, correcting spelling, adding or subtracting punctuation, and
altering word choice if the words are inaccurate. </em><br />
<br />
<em>The next day, the students study the corrections, ask questions about what
they do not understand. That night they re-write the previous day’s 10-inute
essay and keep in a folder a copy of the original and the corrected version for
later reference. </em><br />
<br />
<em>Why? The teacher is modeling how to correct and edit problems in writing
English. </em><br />
<br />
<em>Of course, students will also learn to write full-length essays. These
essays will be corrected in the same way that the essays of native speakers of
English are corrected—by labeling and explaining problems</em>. <br />
<br />
RayS. <br />
<br />
Title: “Instructional Approaches and
Teaching Procedures.” AU Chamot and JM O’Malley. Pp. 82-107. In <em>Kids Come
in All Languages: Reading Instruction for ESL Students</em>. Eds. K
Spangensberg-Urgschat and R Pritchard. Newark, DE: IRA. 1994.<o:p></o:p></span></h3>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-89590981370406197882012-07-27T04:53:00.002-07:002012-07-27T04:53:59.191-07:00Teaching College Writing<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What are some questions about the teaching of college writing?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">>
“How much writing was assigned beyond the required basic and college-level
writing courses? Were students prepared for the volume of writing required?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">>
“To what extent were students writing in genres other than the essay? Did
students expect to write in modes other than the academic essay?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">>
“What role did revision have in writing instruction at the college? How did
students’ understanding of this task differ from that of faculty?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">>
“When faculty assessed student writing, was the emphasis on higher-or
lower-order concerns? Did faculty feedback match student expectations?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">>
“How extensive was faculty commentary on student writing? What purpose did that
commentary serve? To explain a grade? To guide revision? Both? How did students
process the commentary?” p. 556. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">From</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">
Tinberg and Nadeau: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Community College
Writer: Exceeding Expectations</i>. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP. 2010. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How would my readers answer these
questions</i>? RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Review Essay: Beyond Typical Ideas of Writing: Developing a Diverse
Understanding of Writers, Writing, and Writing Instruction.” SK Miller-Cochran.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and Communication</i>
(<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>), 550-559. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-26088161950344506712012-07-26T05:20:00.003-07:002012-07-26T05:20:26.484-07:00Writing Well<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What is another conceptualization of the writing process?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “To write well, writers must be willing to be remade,
to not always know, to be challenged, to be a little bit out of control, to be
doubted, and maybe, most importantly, to be believed. If writers can open
themselves to these processes, their writing, instead of serving as a static
representation of a single moment in timer or thought, becomes a kind of live
documentation of growth.” P. 497. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I think this statement means that writers
must take their ideas seriously, be willing to have them challenged and then
their writing consists of documents that demonstrate growth. Thought-provoking</i>.
RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Toward Graduate-Level Writing Instruction.” Laura R Micciche with Allison JD.
Carr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and
Communication</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>),
477-501. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-40822464936422167232012-07-25T05:20:00.001-07:002012-07-25T05:20:31.366-07:00Revision<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What does it take to revise one’s written work?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “What was significant wasn’t the recognition of
patterns or habits and their rhetorical strengths or weaknesses, but rather, in
order to undertake that analysis, I had to look at my writing as something
worth analyzing as an object worthy of study. When I began to think of my
writing as something other than a transaction between teacher and student, I
began to give the craft the attention it deserved.” P. 494. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When it counts, students will revise.</i> RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Toward Graduate-Level Writing Instruction.” Laura R Micciche with Allison JD.
Carr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and
Communication</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>),
477-501. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-47074143734384714332012-07-24T05:14:00.002-07:002012-07-24T05:14:58.895-07:00Writing Process<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What is one version of the writing process?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “I have learned that badness is just part of my
process, and I love the badness for helping me get to better-ness. If I want to
accomplish anything, I have to allow myself to have bad ideas, to write bad
sentences, to make bad claims. Badness, I think, is my first language. The fun
is in the process of sorting it out, translating, recomposing in a more artful
language others can understand and appreciate.” P. 491. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Toward Graduate-Level Writing Instruction.” Laura R Micciche with Allison JD.
Carr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and
Communication</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>),
477-501. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-55451833570542945722012-07-23T05:15:00.002-07:002012-07-23T05:15:49.844-07:00The Joy of Writing<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What are the rewarding moments in writing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “My favorite thinking is when I’m playing with an idea,
wrestling it down into sentences and I kind of lose myself in the rhythm of the
keystrokes and the wonder of seeing my thoughts take shape on the screen. And
then, a particularly clever bit of text, a question or an insight—something I
didn’t even know I knew—stares right back at me expectantly. ‘Huh,’ I think to
myself, now recalibrating my next move. ‘That’s good.’ ” P. 489. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Toward Graduate-Level Writing Instruction.” Laura R Micciche with Allison JD.
Carr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and
Communication</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>),
477-501. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-28183817869694385892012-07-22T05:03:00.003-07:002012-07-22T05:03:50.375-07:00Reading Aloud to ESL Students<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Note</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Normally, I do not publish my blog, <u>English
Updates</u>, on weekends. However, I publish several other blogs during the
week having to do with ideas in English education that are not current, but
still useful. On weekends, I will publish samples of these ideas. </i>RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #2198a6; font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><strong><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Question</span></span></strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">: What can regular classroom teachers do in working with ESL
students?<br />
<br />
<strong>Answer</strong>: Read aloud daily to students.<br />
<br />
<strong>Quote</strong>: “ESL students of all ages and levels of reading
proficiency benefit from listening to stories, poems and information texts….
Select materials which…contain pictures or illustrations…. Ask students to
predict what comes next…. Follow the reading with discussion of meaning of the
text, possible alternative interpretations, and predictions of what will come
next.” <br />
<br />
<strong>Comment</strong>: <em>All of these techniques will be useful to native
speakers of English.</em> RayS. <br />
<br />
<strong>Title</strong>: “Instructional Approaches and Teaching Procedures.” AU
Chamot and JM O’Malley. Pp. 82-107. In <em>Kids Come in All Languages: Reading
Instruction for ESL Students</em>. Eds. K Spangensberg-Urgschat and R
Pritchard. Newark, DE: IRA. 1994.<o:p></o:p></span></h3>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-78564053937225776582012-07-21T05:11:00.001-07:002012-07-21T05:12:58.947-07:00Language Experience for ESL Students<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Note</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Normally, I do not publish my blog, <u>English
Updates</u>, on weekends. However, I publish several other blogs during the
week having to do with ideas in English education that are not current, but
still useful. On weekends, I will publish samples of these ideas. </i>RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 7pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><strong><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Question</span></span></strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">: How can teachers build on ESL students’ experience and budding
English language skills? <br />
<br />
<strong>Answer</strong>: Language experience is a technique in which the
students dictate information or ideas, the language of the students is recorded
by the teacher on chart paper, blackboard, white board, etc., and then the
ideas are re-read by the students from the chart paper, etc. <br />
<br />
This technique is appropriate for ESL students of all ages, even adults.
“However, the language experience approach is not intended to be the sole
approach to reading, for students also need to learn how to read texts written
by others.” <br />
<br />
<strong>Comment</strong>: <em>I think I could adapt the language experience
approach to my regular English class. This is the first useful technique I have
encountered in this article</em>. RayS. <br />
<br />
<strong>Title</strong>: “Instructional Approaches and Teaching Procedures.” AU
Chamot and JM O’Malley. Pp. 82-107. In <em>Kids Come in All Languages: Reading
Instruction for ESL Students</em>. Eds. K Spangensberg-Urgschat and R
Pritchard. Newark, DE: IRA. 1994.<o:p></o:p></span></h3>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-53449327913794248702012-07-20T05:21:00.000-07:002012-07-20T05:21:08.600-07:00Learning to Write<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
How did we learn to write?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “I can’t remember ever learning to write a critical
essay. How do I know how to do the things I do? …. The obvious answer—the one I
would give my own students if they are asking me the same question—is that I’ve
learned by reading. But I am not satisfied with that answer Because the kind of
writing I have written as a graduate student is not the kind of writing I’m
reading. I read scholarship that is innovative and surprising, work that expands
my perspective and work that I admire. And though my writing at times
approaches innovation and surprise, I am not always sure how I have achieved
that effect and how I can replicate it. More often, my writing feels tired,
overwrought, self-conscious…. Where did I learn to be boring? How can I unlearn
it?” p. 485. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good question</i>. RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Toward Graduate-Level Writing Instruction.” Laura R Micciche with Allison JD.
Carr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and
Communication</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>),
477-501. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-12547579962851112492012-07-19T05:14:00.001-07:002012-07-19T05:14:24.000-07:00Writing Instruction<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What is writing instruction today and what should it consist of?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “Even while the disciplines are incorporating a wider
variety of styles, genres, and methodological approaches, the majority of our
classrooms still privilege more or less linear, thesis-driven, print-based
scholarship. To become better writers, we must become more careful, deliberate,
and daring writers. But to become these things we need better models. We need
to read more varied texts and we need exposure to more varied pedagogies.” P.
484.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A lot of truth in that statement</i>.
RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Toward Graduate-Level Writing Instruction.” Laura R Micciche with Allison JD.
Carr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and
Communication</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>),
477-501. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-506308133598807902012-07-18T05:29:00.002-07:002012-07-18T05:29:30.768-07:00Learning and the Process of Writing<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What is the paradox between learning and writing?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “Learning is messy. But writing—a primary tool in
learning—is supposed to be near, tidy, straightforward, and smart in the end. I
don’t always feel smart and I can’t think in tidy sentences.” P. 484. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">An analogy I can think of is the use of
word processing. No matter how well written by a student, word processing makes
the writing look neat and professional in appearance</i>. RayS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “Toward
Graduate-Level Writing Instruction.” Laura R Micciche with Allison JD. Carr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and Communication</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>), 477-501. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-84868085730689749542012-07-17T06:24:00.003-07:002012-07-17T06:24:32.526-07:00Purposes in Writing<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What is the difference in purpose for writing a paper in a seminar and writing
for publication?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer/Quote</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: “The paradox of graduate writing is this: there is a
fundamental difference between writing for a seminar and writing for
publication. The purpose of a seminar paper is to demonstrate that one has
learned whatever she was supposed to have learned. Conversely, the purpose of
writing for a journal or conference is starting or joining a conversation. One
is about giving answers; the other is about asking questions, and the two are
not easily reconciled.” P. 483. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Toward Graduate-Level Writing Instruction.” Laura R Micciche with Allison JD.
Carr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and
Communication</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>),
477-501. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385649480083757089.post-43783255116833522692012-07-16T05:20:00.003-07:002012-07-16T05:20:46.748-07:00Graduate Level Writing Instruction<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Question</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
What would a graduate-level writing course consist of?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Answer</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: The
authors suggest that a graduate-level writing course in English would be a
course in which the graduate students learn how they learned to write. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Comment</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Including how they are learning to write
as they write at the present moment</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I
think this article is significant. The authors explore their own writing and
purposes throughout the article. Very interesting</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In the following blogs, I give examples of this thinking about learning
to write</i>. Rays. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in -2.2pt 0pt 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Title</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">:
“Toward Graduate-Level Writing Instruction.” Laura R Micciche with Allison JD.
Carr. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">College Composition and
Communication</i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">February 2011</b>),
477-501. <o:p></o:p></span></div>RayShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15007813818956485839noreply@blogger.com0