Reading Aloud

I do it too.  I read from the prompt.  I read from the Anteater's Guide to Writing and Rhetoric.  I have them read from the prompt; I have them read from the AGWR, or from my single author text.

But there has to be a better way than this pour knowledge into their heads model.  Have them write about the prompt, and ask them to then explain to the rest of the class what they have understood.  Have them write down questions about the assignment and take a sample of those questions.  This lets you know what they actually know and how they understand what the task is that is before them.

How do I use group work effectively?

"What's your major?"  "Me, too, I'm undeclared."  Every instructor has heard comments, or ones like them, when they thought they had given a full-proof assignment, one guaranteed to keep students on task.

Personally, I believe in group work -- students can form relationships that can aid their intellectual development and research over the course of the quarter.  And in my more generous moments, I think that even some of the "irrelevant" or "off-task" behavior can be useful.  But we all want students to make good use of the time that we give them to work on in-class assignments.  Here, I outline a few ideas (some thieved) for how to keep students on track during group time.

1.  Use a quiz question to drive the discussion.  This can be a good way to follow up a quiz.  For good and for ill (see Alfie Kohn on motivation, punishment, and reward), they take quiz materials seriously, and if they have done some writing immediately prior to the small group discussion, they will then have something substantial to lean back on when they begin their discussion.

2.  Give them one clear task, and make sure that the task is not just connected to content, that either you or they eventually connect it to the next major assignment on the horizon.  I'll supply a few ideas below.

3.  Some people are good at making use of competition to keep the groups focused.  For example, I know of one instructor who puts together Jeopardy games.

4.  Avoid having different groups working on different questions.  When you re-convene, it means a conversation between you and each small group, while the other groups (usually) struggle to pay attention with more or less success.

How do I file an SDR? See my students permission forms?

1.  Login to the writing studio.
2.  Click Classes Taken
3.  Click class files
4.  Click Administrative
5.  Click New SDR instructions (F08)

The permission forms are there as well, and are searchable by section number or student name.

I don't know anything about this topic!

Me neither. ;-)

Although it's true that when you have taught one version of C a number of times, you will find it easier to quickly assess, for example, the viability of a topic, you can do that by listening to students and asking them a few key questions: What is the problem? Who is hurt by this problem? What do the people who are hurt by this problem have in common? Is this topic more appropriately dealt with in a book or in a short article? Who is one person that is the real expert on this problem? Sometimes, you have to look at them and say, with great compassion "What keywords are you using?" or  "You need to research and read for 5 or 10 more hours, and then come back and talk to me again. I look forward to hearing what you find out." They don't yet know how to do this. Hold high, relaxed, expectations.

What do I do with class time?

It's true, you aren't all reading Jane Eyre, and then coming in to discuss it. But there is plenty to do in class. Many ideas will come across the listserv, but let's start with these categories: research, writing and critical thinking skills. The student's ability to acquire these skills is central to the class. In this way, 39C is not a content class in the same way that some other classes you may have TA'd. There is a primary text, and sometimes the content there is useful to the work that they are doing on their own project. But more often, the primary text is an example -- positive or negative -- although we would be very happy indeed to have our students reach the level of the writers we teach, whatever flaws we see there. An example of careful research, use of evidence, and critical thought. Even topic sentences!

How Do I See My Students' Sources?

Click on Class Roster

Click on View All Student Work

Click on the Student's Work

Check that you have the date set properly (e.g., see past 30 days)