Brief outline of my paper concerning Literature in Composition

Like Stacey, I was overwhelmed at the amount of information (and misleading information) about my topic. Likewise, my research isn't completely finished. But wait, hold on a second--I have extensively searched through books and found plenty of pertinent information that both supports my idea and is easy for me to refute. I haven't finished poring over articles on J-Stor yet, but my book research is complete.
Anyway, my topic is the use of literature in teaching composition (I'm for it). Repeatedly reading literature helps develop the analytical and comprehension skills necessary for producing sound writing. First, though, I'm going to specifically define literature by itself and its relation to the classroom. There are many broad definitions of literature that contribute to its vagueness, and most of these definitions are similar in that literature is exclusive. Elevated. An impenetrable canon, almost. I'm going to create a definition that is more specific by making it broader--that is, more inclusive.
I will briefly discuss the history of the term literature and its beginnings at Harvard, but then proceed to discuss its modern definition and relation to the classroom. One major point that I'm going to refute is the access current students (and professors) have to creating literature that can be useful. For example, Nancy Comley states "How often are the works of the faculty of the Iowa Writers Workshop studied in the classrooms of the Iowa English Department?" Yes, but how often are they studied in classrooms elsewhere? That's important, right? (This is just the beginning) After creating a definition of literature, I will build on Hirsch, Birkets and others who think that reading literature should be used in the composition classroom, and present my own ideas as to why this is so.

Composition within My Teaching Philosophy

I'm a creative writer, and I'm not sure if I will teach or not. But, if I do teach, I'm sure that I won't be teaching composition for the most part. However, here are three ideas from the history of composition that influences philosophy of good teaching:

1) Nineteenth Century: The creation of rules for correct grammar, the use of literature in composition, the creation of the English department.

Harvard established the Boylston Professorship of Rhetoric in 1806, with Edward Channing as its first notable chair. Channing formulate rules for correct grammar, style and organization that were taught prescriptively in writing instruction. I plan on teaching grammar to my students thoroughly, so they will have an idea of how to create sound, acceptable writing in a professional setting. I don't plan to only teach grammar, though; literature will be my main focus. Francis Child began implementing literature in the study of composition, which led to the creation of the English department. I plan on teaching literature to my students to help them become better writers. I believe that the best way to become a good writer is to read excellent writing. I'll teach the importance of grammar as well, but hopefully not like Child: "Child bitterly resented the time he had to spend correcting student compositions. He delegated as much of this work as he could to faculty underlings and concentrated on enlarging Harvard's offerings in literature." I plan on taking time to evaluate every aspect of my students' writing, so I can do my best to facilitate their growth in this area. My overall focus will be on the students, and how they relate to the study of grammar, literature and personal writing.

2) The progressive shift in educational theory in the early 20th Century. "The progressives believed that the purpose of education is to integrate a diverse population into a community of productive citizens. Progressive education sought to equip students with intellectual and social skills they would need as adults and to give attention to the needs of each individual student." I completely agree with this theory of education. The job of a teacher is to provide their students with skills they will need for the future, whether those skills are general or specialized. Also, I plan on interacting with each student individually, to make sure that they understand what is being learned and to evaluate their growth. When a student leaves the classroom, he/she should have learned something that they can use to their own benefit, and that will help their overall growth into adulthood.

3)The importance of writing about literature. "In progressive hands, however, writing about literature became a way to understand one's own responses to the text." I believe that reading literature and writing about literature helps you develop quality analytical and comprehension skills. Writing about literature helps you become a more careful reader, which helps you pay more attention to models of good writing, which helps you better understand what sound writing is, which helps you create sound writing, etc. I feel that the process of reading and writing is circular, in that everyone can become a better writer, in some way. The cycle of reading and writing increases your skills in each, and continues on.

Sample Teaching Philosophy...

The philosophy I chose is Kevin Garrison's from the 5367 page. I searched the internet for teaching philosophies and looked at many webpages by different universities, but I couldn't find any multimedia ones. It turns out that Kevin Garrison's, from Tech, is pretty good. Here are three things I like about his philosophy:

1) His philosophy exhibits a unique perspective of teaching. Mr. Garrison's hearing is severly impaired, and has been his whole life. Consequently, he's experienced a lot of adversity throughout his education, but he's overcome it all--eliminating those barriers, even. "As a child, doctors told me that my reading skills would never surpass the fourth grade level. I was told that I would never graduate high school. I was told a lot of things. What I wasn’t told was that all things are possible. I do read beyond the fourth grade level, I graduated high school, and I graduated college. I did so, in part, because of the help of teachers who cared." This has enhanced his resolve to be a phenomenal teacher--an instructor who takes an active interest in his students' lives. "Therefore, I resolve to spend sufficient time and energy towards the development of lesson plans, to read modern pedagogical theories, to allocate time for office hours conducive to the needs of the students, to use reflective practices, and to study the views most prominent in the discipline in which I am engaged. " This is a great attitude to have about teaching, and conveys everything a teacher should strive for in order to achieve the best educational opportunities for their students.

2) Because of his hearing loss, Mr. Garrison has a unique perspective of communication as well. I like his plan to use collaborative exercises in the classroom, which allow students to hear and be heard. He also has a great appreciation for nonverbal communication. The most important thing to him is not knowing that his students heard him, but that they know that he listened to them.

3) Garrison also has a great appreciation for technology. Many different devices have allowed him to communicate more effectively. Likewise, he understands that technology can enhance communication in the classroom. He plans to incorporate email, multimedia and the internet into his teaching. He realizes that not using such technologies, that are prominent in today's society, can limit the scope of education. Accordingly, he includes a video of himself teaching and listening to his students at the end of his philosophy.

Just a Little Literature--Keyword Project

My keyword is literature. When I first began planning my video and what it was going to discuss, I realized my own definition of literature probably wouldn't be enough--"Books and stuff that are pretty good." However, I also realized that the textbook's definition of literature doesn't cover everything, either. It discusses literature in relation to composition, showing how they are similar in some ways, but for the most part literature is quite separate from composition. After reading the short article in Keywords, I realized that no single definition of literature would be enough to cover the word as a whole.

So, I decided to incorporate a few detailed definitions of literature, including a more specific version of my own. I'm also going to include some misconceptions/misinterpretations of what literature is, as well. This won't completely cover everything, but it will give the audience a solid idea of a few definitions of literature, and also show them that there are many other definitions out there. I plan on using a power point with voice over, but also plan to include a few video clips.

Teaching in Different Directions

First off, sorry this is so late. I've been out of town for a wedding since Thursday and haven't had internet access (no really, it's true.) Anyways...

I'm not really sure who I am as a teacher yet. I'm not sure if I'm going to teach in a classroom, but right now I work with/teach/lead youth at my church out here and am sure that I will continue to do so later in life. I've learned many things about how I teach through working with my youth. I think that I teach the best when I'm leading others in a lesson, rather than teaching them all that I know. I've found that students are more receptive to new ideas, knowledge or concepts when they're involved in the lesson and have a share of the "authority" of teaching/learning. Not the main share, of course, but they each have a sense that their knowledge, ideas and voices are integral to the lesson. That their presence is important. And when students understand that they're important in the classroom, they'll want to learn more, interact more, understand more of what everyone has to say. That's why I think that I'm most effective as a teacher when I'm leading students through a lesson, bouncing ideas off them and listening to/discussing what they bounce back at me. I'm at my best as a teacher when students learn from everyone in the classroom, not just from me.

Also, I'm a big believer in active learning. I've found that applying the lesson (usually in writing) helps me to understand it more easily. Learning isn't only a hands-on experience, but there are definite, concrete benefits of application. A great example is grammar. We can learn, theoretically, how to write or use correct grammar from lectures and handouts (or more appropriately, learn how to tell others how to write or use correct grammar), but the best or only way to learn how to write is to write. A lot. And then keep writing everyday. This happens because you take the knowledge and use it to teach yourself to write through practice. The same goes with teaching. Teaching is a great way to better learn a concept. I've experienced this when I've presented papers in my classes, because teaching my ideas to another helps me better understand what I'm trying to say. Which is why I think that teaching is a form of active learning, except that the teacher has the main share of learning authority in the classroom. And a bigger salary. Well, sometimes.

"Of Course I Know How to Write" - A response to "The 7 Deadly Sins of Writing"

I found this article to be hilarious and revealing at the same time. It's easy and at times enjoyable to laugh at some bad--horrible--mistakes within students' writing, but this article reminded me that a few of my professors have probably shaken their heads in dismay while reading one of my papers. The first glaring problem is dangling modifiers. I didn't fully know what a dangling modifier was until I read this article. And the examples Yagoda supplies are obviously bad, poorly written sentences. Funny, too. But after thinking about my own writing in relation to this first sin, I know I've committed it as well, many times over.
The thing is, these sentences probably sounded great--even intelligent--in the writers' minds before they put them down on paper. I know that I've written a sentence like these and thought "Man, that's a damn good sentence," because it seems intelligent. The wording and structure are complex, so the sentence seems to be handling two or more thoughts or ideas at once. And doing a good job of it. The problem with these "complex" sentences is that the subject gets lost amidst a bunch of crap.
One thing that I've noticed regarding sentence structure--maybe a dangling modifier, but I'm not sure--is beginning sentences with prepositional phrases or participles starting with "because." Many students do this, and I'm sure that I've done it/still do it as well. Here's an example: "Although Jan likes to eat chocolate, she went with vanilla." Sentences like this one would be much stronger and efficient if the subject is stated first. It would sound better, as well. I think we should guide our students toward writing less-complex sentences. Or, if they use complex sentences, to state the subject first. Simpler sentences may not seem like good writing to the students, since they lack mind-numbing complexity, but teaching them that conciseness and effectiveness in writing is a highly intelligent craft will ultimately result in better communication of their ideas.

Sorry, don't know why it posted twice. I thought I deleted the extra one, my index says there are only two posts, but the blog shows otherwise. Just disregard one or the other. Or both, if you like.

"You can't have a close-knit community online." It's like you read my mind.

The luxury of online communication is distance. A person can be connected to someone or a group of people online while not actually being completely connected, in that they're still, in reality, sitting alone in front of a computer. This distance is said to make effective communication easier, though, because a person can feel more comfortable, organize his/her thoughts, talk with a colleague while being naked, etc.

This distance within the online community, though, keeps the community from being closely-knit. The social context and "rules" of face-to-face communication do not apply to online communication. For example, I would be pretty pissed if someone stood up and left while I was mid-sentence. While communicating online, though, a person can get up and leave the room or go do something else for an extended period of time. They have the freedom to do so, just like the person on the other end of the fiber-optics cable.

The general feelings about distance and online communication, positive or negative, depend on how one defines close-knit. A person can argue that because of distance, they are more comfortable and open to ask/answer personal questions, and thus online communication enables them to dig deeper and build personal relationships much easier. But is this genuine empathy? It is easier, yes, to be more open in faceless communication, but the act of investing interest in another online isn't as sincere as the same act in person. Striving to dig deeper despite one's nervousness or comfort zones indicates a stronger, more genuine desire to develop a relationship with another. This authentic empathy--an active interest in others' lives--is what creates a closely-knit community.