Writing Marathon

We began our morning at the Greenhouse.  As soon as we walked in the door, everyone stopped the chatting and just began to take in the space.  Each of us took inspiration from beautiful flowers, sounds of the birds chirping and the water flowing, or just the humid and warm air.  I don't do a lot of journal writing, or free writing for that matter.  Most of my writing is work or task related, soI was a little worried about what I would possibly write.  I was pleasantly surprised that I could find a topic each time.  Each location was distinctly different and provided the inspiration that I needed.

This picture of a flower is from the Greenhouse.  I was intrigued by it's plant because it began in a planter that was about 2-3 feet off the ground and reached all the way to the top of the building and then back again, multiple times.  I wonder how old it is?  How fast it grows?  How far it would stretch if rolled out?  These flowers look more like pink leaves but they turned this beautiful pale pink after they fell off the plant.    

Our second stop was the woods next to the tennis courts.  It reminded me of a camping trip to Yellowstone National Forest that I took with my family when I was about eight years old.  I really enjoyed thinking about this trip and letting the memories just wash over the moment.

The last location was to refuel at Cafe Paradiso.  While I was in the bathroom, I noticed a message on the wall: Tell us something that you love about yourself.  There were about 15-20 responses on the wall that ranged from "I love my work ethic" to "I am a mom."  It made me happy to see the positive statements that people shared with strangers in such an unlikely place.  I was hoping there would be more statements, that more people had positive things to say about themselves.  But I don't know how recently the message had been posted and I do wonder if it's hard for people to write on the wall.  Is this vandalism?  Or is just that difficult to share and announce a positive attribute?  What would I write on the wall?  What positive characteristic would I want to anonymously share with the world?

 

Teaching Demo Reflection

Since I was the first demo, besides Tiffani's demonstration, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I do feel like, for the most part, it went well.  If I had the chance to do it again, I might make a few improvements:

--reorganize the beliefs and contentions so that there is clear division between the two and develop some stronger claims
--have the first group create found poems from The House Made of Dawn.  I was worried that there wouldn't be enough time, but instead of having them focus on just a response, I should have just had them create poems.  It's not that the exercise wasn't useful and the participants didn't accomplish the objective, it's just that it might have been a little more interesting.  My purpose for using that text was to show that the close reading would help them sort out some of the details from that particular section of the text.  And that absolutely happened.
-I might have spend more time during the presentation looking at actual artifacts--the student examples of double-entry journals and found poems

The process of completing the demo was also productive.  Taking the time to sit down and think about why I use a particular practice and the various ways that I use the practice was insightful.    Through the research, I found some additional modes of using the double-entry journal in the classroom that I will most definitely use as well.  The conversation afterwards was by far the most useful portion of the demo.  I really valued the discussion of possible methods for using the exercises that one could implement into various classes and modes.  Emily's suggestion to use the double-entry journal for analysis and quote explanation support was a great suggestion.  I will definitely use that in the fall.  It was also useful to hear from teachers about the ways that they found the activity productive and helpful.  

I Search for I-Search Books in the Main Stacks

I've been in the stacks once before, but it was during graduate school and I got lost.  Nothing has changed since then and it is still quite the labyrinth.  Jessica offered to come with me since she had never been in the stacks. After locking up our bags and a brief tutorial from the librarian, Jessica and I headed into the stacks.

Using this handy directory

we took the elevator down to the 1st floor only, and of course, we couldn't find the book.  Argh!

This is where we thought it should have been,

but it wasn't.  It wasn't here because it turns out that we were on the 1st floor and not the basement floor.  The kind librarian that was working in the stacks told us that we could only get to the basement from the West elevator.  So, we hopped onto the elevator again, entered the basement, and found the right shelf.  Our next obstacle to conquer was the moving shelves.

 

 
Despite their simplicity, slow movement, and safety controls, we still had visions of getting stuck between the shelves as they closed.  Nothing like that happened.
We moved the shelves and then, voila!  Conquered the stacks!

Here it is, and btw, do you get the comedy of the title here--I-Search for Success, and we were successful?  Hilarious.

It was then no problem to find the last book on floor 3.5.  And yes, there is a 3.5 floor.  I don't know how that works out architecturally, but the magic elevator took us to that floor.    

I learned that while the stacks are a little exciting, it's probably easier to have a librarian retrieve the book for you.  It just depends on your level of patience, navigational skills, and time on that given day.  It takes about 5-15 minutes for a librarian to retrieve your book which is about the same amount of time it took for Jessica and I to find my books.  However, there is something valuable about wandering through the stacks in order to really understand the vast collection of books that the U of I holds.  I think that every U of I student should be required to retrieve a book from the stacks at least once during their time at U of I.   

While Uni's library's collection is minuscule in comparison to this library, I still think it's valuable to have students find actual books in the library.  When my students are working on a project, we often collect books on reserve for the students to use and consult, as well.  It can be a a struggle to get them to use these books because they would rather consult the internet instead.  I think most of us face this constant battle.    

My I-Search for Tomorrow

I-Search Tomorrow:

 

--I-search for success : a how-to-do-it manual for connecting the I-search process with standards, assessment, and evidence-based practice /

Main Stacks: 379.158 D912i

 

--Making the writing and research connection with the I-Search process

    Oak Street Facility--025.5678223 J853m2006

 

--Write for Research: Empowering Content Area Learning

    Main Stacks Call Number:  808.042071 St881w

 

Goal for Week 2

My goal for the inquiry project is to read through all the resources that I have found so far.  I am about a quarter of the way through.  I'd like to read and take notes on all the sources so that I feel like I have a good understanding of the creation of the I-Search essay and the ways that it has been used in the classroom and therefore evolved and changed since first suggested by Macrorie.

Next week, I'd like to organize the content into specific ideas so that I can see how my inquiry publication will be organized.   

I also realized this afternoon that I still need to complete my teaching demo reflection (opps!), so that'll be first on my list tomorrow morning. 

First Week Reflection

During the last half hour or so, write a blog post reflecting on your first week’s learning and experiences across the activities of the SI (writing time, demos, student work analysis, inquiry).

I just can't say enough positive words about this professional development, and truly, I think it's the combination of all of the components.  Since I've already had the privilege of doing not only my teaching demonstration but also my student work analysis, I have been able to see the incredible advantage to sharing with my colleagues.  I have thoughts to ponder in terms of student feedback, analysis, and essay expectations.  The feedback that I received for the teaching demonstration was also incredibly useful in terms of methods of using a double-entry journal.  These are also concepts and ideas that I can absolutely take back to the classroom. 

On top of this, the three additional teaching demonstrations (including the Zines) can be used in my classroom.  One of the most surprising elements of this week was to see how each of these demos could be adapted in so many different ways.  I can absolutely use storyboards, even with my juniors and seniors.

The writing time has been incredibly useful as I am completing some work that needs to be done that I wouldn't be able to otherwise complete.  I am using this time for a combination as syllabus development and writing personal essays.

The inquiry, will be in time, very useful.  I plan to research and then develop an essay prompt before I'm done.

That's all I got today.  Later gator (or Polar Bear). 

Inquiry Sharing Project Space

Interactive Gallery Walk

Lot's of great feedback and ideas about methods of conferencing.  And to be honest, as I look at the feedback, it seems that trial and error might be my best method of inquiry for conferencing.  I will have to figure our what works best for my classroom.

With that said, I am going to change my topic and research I-Search essays.  I essentially know what they are, but I do not know the specifics or best practices in teaching these essays.  I would like to feel confident teaching this genre before next spring and will not have enough time during the school year, or other times of the summer for that matter.

Some questions that I would like to answer:    
What are some good resources for I-Search?
What are the specific requirements for an I-Search essay?
Topic, page length, balance between actual research and narrative, purpose, best practices?
Time frame? How long to do the research and write?
Examples?
Where might students use this kind of writing outside of the classroom?
Why?  Why this form/genre instead of straight research essay?

So, that's where I am right now.  Happy Wednesday! 

Reflections on Student Work Analysis

In one word: fantastic.

More? Ok.  

To begin with, I received an incredible amount of feedback that highlighted areas that I think my students should have developed and even mastered at this point in the semester when the essay was actually written.  Because this student has not, and s/he is not the only one, that tells me that instead of complicating the essay with elements such as literary criticism, that next fall I should focus on crafting issues such as word choice, develop of introduction, conclusion, transitions, and cohesion.

Considering that the student essay was a literary analysis and much of the analysis in the essay was surface level, between this discussion and my teaching demonstration, I have some ideas about developing more of a focus on low stakes writing that continues to develop this skill.  Emily suggested using double-entry journals for not only analysis but also developing connections to textual evidence.  I love this idea.    

I also appreciated the affirmation that the evaluations and observations I have of this student's writing are part of the consensus.  Comments confirmed the same strengths and weaknesses with the student's writing but also in the assignment.  Now I can consider what elements to keep and maybe provide more scaffolding or elements to remove all together. 

I also think that as Hannah noted, the process highlights the blinders and loopholes we develop as teachers of our students.  It's easy to sometimes make excuses for their choices.  Because as we all know, writing doesn't happen in a bubble.  Just because there is an essay due does not mean that all the teenage issues dissipate.  However, this process illuminated the constant need to be as objective as possible when grading but remember that there is a value in knowing how far this student has come. 

And lastly, the student work analysis activity helped me consider more ways of responding to the student writing --in terms of "I noticed" and "I wonder" so that the words are less about evaluation but more about a conversation. 

Teaching Demo

Teaching Demonstration

Resources for the We Do:

Group 1:

House Made of Dawn
N. Scott Momaday

Instructions:

1. Read the Prologue and the two pages of the first chapter--"Longhair"
2. Draw a line on your paper to divide it in half. 
3. On the left side of the paper record a passage from the reading that you find interesting, beautiful, or intriguing in some way.
4. On the right hand side, explain why you chose this passage. 

 If there's time, chose another passage and complete the process again.  
____________________________________________________________

Group 2:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie

Instructions

1. Read the first chapter "The Black Eye of the Month Club"  
2. Draw a line on your paper to divide it in half. 
3. On the left side record a passage from the first Chapter 1 that you find interesting, surprising, shocking, or just simply intriguing.
4. On the right side answer the following questions for the passage:  Why did you choose this passage?  What feelings and emotions does the passage evoke for you? Do you find anything confusing?  Do you have questions?   

If there's time, chose another passage and complete the process again. 
_____________________________________________________

Group 3:

Defining Racism: "Can We Talk?"
Beverly Daniel Tatum

Instructions:

1. Read pages 3-4 of the above text (finish after the portion that discusses Cleopatra--and sorry about the structure of the document).
2. Draw a line on your paper to divide it in half
3. On the left side of the paper record the below passages while leaving space on the right side to respond:
1.  "Consequently, most of the early information we receive about "others"--people racially, religiously, or socioeconomically different from ourselves does not come as a result of firsthand experience.  The second hand information we do receive has often been distorted, shaped by cultural stereotypes, and left incomplete" (Tatum 3).
2. Cleopatra story.  
4. On the right side, for both the passage and the Cleopatra story, choose one of the following ways to respond: 
1. think (critical perspective--connect to other readings, discussions, activities, or film)
2. wonder (ask questions but try to answer some of your questions)
3. reflect (explain feelings and emotions)
4. connect (describe and/or narrate personal connections) 

___________________________________________________________

Additional Resources for Teaching Demonstration:

Double-Entry Journal Instructions

Student Example of Double-Entry Journal

C. Lynn Jacobs Article--Silent Double-Entry Journal Instructions

Student Examples of Found Poems

Inquiry Ideas

Inquiry Ideas

I have a few ideas at this point: conferencing, I-Search essays, and classroom climate. I feel like I could easily research I-Search without spending three weeks on this, and I think classroom climate is something that I will work on for my gender studies course.  I think that conferencing will be the focus of my three week long inquiry.

Where does my idea come from?
When I was a teacher at Eastern, I can confidently say that the majority of instructors conferenced with students 3-4 times per semester.  We would cancel class and host conferences for two weeks.  Each teacher would meet individually with each student and provide feedback on a particular essay.  Teacher evaluations would generally cite these conferences as the most beneficial element of the course.

Two years ago, now at Uni, I tried to incorporate conferences into my curriculum.  Because of time, space, and student work, I feel like these conferences were an utter fail.  They were time consuming and just plain difficult to accomplish.

What questions do I have?
Given time constraints, do I have to read the essays before hand in order to give constructive feedback?  Sort the students based off these needs?  Do I even read the essays for the conferences?  Do I conference with multiple students?  How does that affect the feedback that I give?  Will it make students uncomfortable because it could potentially show weaknesses?  Will it be just as useful?  Do I have them prepare questions ahead of time?

What is your goal?
My goal is to develop a conferencing method that is equitable, conscientious, efficient, and useful. 

I'm here