As I reflect back on my high school experience of reading The Great Gatsby, I do not find it very memorable. I remember being bored, and I remembered the car accident at the end. Was my teacher not engaging or was I not attentive enough? This time, I am loving it. I think a big part of my enjoyment in the novel is the background information that we learned about Fitzgerald and his life in addition to his deliberate use of detail. I appreciate that he labored over every word until it sounded the way he wanted it to. I love his phrases, such as "It [Daisy's voice] was full of money--that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle in it, the cymbals' song of it . . ." (Fitzgerald 120).
As a prospective teacher, I want to know how to engage my students. Perhaps I need to give them background information on the author's life and writing style. For instance, because I read the letters of Jean Toomer, I had more appreciation for his book Cane. Maybe students need more opportunities to engage with the text and author. I do not remember learning anything about Fitzgerald or his careful use of language when reading the novel in high school. Now I appreciate it very much. I also wonder if having undergraduates lead a short discussion session on an aspect of the novel would engage them. I know that when I wrote the lead on the Eggs, I was forced to do research and find out more about the book on my own, which also contributed to my love for the book.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
My Thoughts on Grading in the Classroom
When I taught 9th grade literature, I felt as if I never mastered the act of grading papers. How many points should I assign to each question? How do I grade essays (what is more important--grammar, content, clarity....)? I figured it out as I went, but I still look back and wonder, "Did I grade too easily at time? Too hard at others?"
These questions rushed back to me as I was reading Showwalter's Teaching Literature, especially chapter 3 in the section called "The Business of Teaching" in which Showalter designates two pages to discuss the issue of grading. In fact, she starts out the section stating, "Grading is one of the most fraught areas of university teaching for everyone involved--students, teachers, administrators, parents, and politicians" (57). So, it's not just me...grading is a controversial issue for all involved.
In my Theories of Composition and Rhetoric class, we discussed the various focuses and theories used when teaching how to write. We read and discussed Fulkerson's article, "Four Philosophies of Composition," in which Fulkerson lays out the four types of axiologies for writing: formalist (values internal features divorced from content, such as grammar), expressivist (is very student-focused--self-discovery and expression), mimetic (demonstrates sound reasoning, logic, and accuracy), and rhetorical (effectively communicates and impacts a specific audience). The reason I mention this is because Fulkerson suggests that teachers make it obvious in their assignments what type of response we want, and what we will be grading. For instance, if you are grading the student from an expressivist standpoint, you should start the prompt with, "In your opinion, explore..." or "Express your opinion about..." On the other hand, if you are grading a student from a rhetorical standpoint, you should state your essay prompt differently, such as, "Persuade..." or "Effectively demonstrate..."
Showalter makes a similar suggestion as Fulkerson. She emphasizes clarity of assignments as well. She suggests, "Giving students models of what you expect and how you will grade helps." This makes a lot of sense. Presenting students with samples of good writing and being very clear on what one expect can only help. As a graduate student, I have found that there is nothing more frustrating than a professor giving unclear or ambiguous instructions. I want to know how I will be graded and what outcome the professor is expecting. Furthermore, an article that I was exploring from ERIC Digests by Bruce Speck, "Grading Students' Classroom Writing: Issues and Strategies," suggests that teachers should give students clear expectations for an assignment as well as detailed feedback to help them with future assignments.
When I return to teaching again (whether it is at the secondary level or college level), I will be sure to be clear on my expectations for each assignment given, and I plan to give feedback. I liked Showalter's advice of beginning with a positive comment and then indicating three specific areas of improvement (59). Then the student is getting valuable feedback that he/she might actually read without getting overwhelmed.
These questions rushed back to me as I was reading Showwalter's Teaching Literature, especially chapter 3 in the section called "The Business of Teaching" in which Showalter designates two pages to discuss the issue of grading. In fact, she starts out the section stating, "Grading is one of the most fraught areas of university teaching for everyone involved--students, teachers, administrators, parents, and politicians" (57). So, it's not just me...grading is a controversial issue for all involved.
In my Theories of Composition and Rhetoric class, we discussed the various focuses and theories used when teaching how to write. We read and discussed Fulkerson's article, "Four Philosophies of Composition," in which Fulkerson lays out the four types of axiologies for writing: formalist (values internal features divorced from content, such as grammar), expressivist (is very student-focused--self-discovery and expression), mimetic (demonstrates sound reasoning, logic, and accuracy), and rhetorical (effectively communicates and impacts a specific audience). The reason I mention this is because Fulkerson suggests that teachers make it obvious in their assignments what type of response we want, and what we will be grading. For instance, if you are grading the student from an expressivist standpoint, you should start the prompt with, "In your opinion, explore..." or "Express your opinion about..." On the other hand, if you are grading a student from a rhetorical standpoint, you should state your essay prompt differently, such as, "Persuade..." or "Effectively demonstrate..."
Showalter makes a similar suggestion as Fulkerson. She emphasizes clarity of assignments as well. She suggests, "Giving students models of what you expect and how you will grade helps." This makes a lot of sense. Presenting students with samples of good writing and being very clear on what one expect can only help. As a graduate student, I have found that there is nothing more frustrating than a professor giving unclear or ambiguous instructions. I want to know how I will be graded and what outcome the professor is expecting. Furthermore, an article that I was exploring from ERIC Digests by Bruce Speck, "Grading Students' Classroom Writing: Issues and Strategies," suggests that teachers should give students clear expectations for an assignment as well as detailed feedback to help them with future assignments.
When I return to teaching again (whether it is at the secondary level or college level), I will be sure to be clear on my expectations for each assignment given, and I plan to give feedback. I liked Showalter's advice of beginning with a positive comment and then indicating three specific areas of improvement (59). Then the student is getting valuable feedback that he/she might actually read without getting overwhelmed.
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