April 24

Today, we talked about grades in place of doing a writing into the day.  We spent the rest of class working on things for class, such as the final reflection, meeting with panel groups, revising, etc.  Megan also met with panel groups four, five and six.  In the last 20 minutes, we filled out instructor evals.
Homework:

• Post your final drafts and your final reflection to your blog before class on Monday.
• Panel groups one and two will present on Monday.

April 17

Today, we graded ourselves on participation.  We spent the rest of class working on things for class, such as the final reflection, meeting with panel groups, revising, etc.  Megan also met with panel groups one, two and three.

No Homework.

*Note: No class on Monday, April 22

Freedom Writers

Dangerous Minds

Gilmore Girls

Dawson's Creek

Boy Meets World

Dead Poet Society

April 15

For writing into the day, we responded to the question: In relation to an English class, what do you think of when you hear the word "reflection"?

The class responded with the following:

• Sharing thoughts and/or opinions
• Looking back on what you're thinking
• Talking about how you have improved, what you have learned and how you will use it in the future
• Write in first person
• Should be honest
• Can be a conversation or individual writing.

Megan then gave the following a working definition for this class:

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines reflection as: “(1) the action of bending or folding back [and] (2) consideration of some subject matter, idea, or purpose¹.” Reflecting in a writing classroom combines these two definitions.

“Reflection is thinking for an extended period by linking recent experiences to earlier ones…The thinking involves looking for commonalities, differences, and interrelations beyond their superficial elements.²” “The act of reflection, therefore, becomes crucial to [students’] education. It serves as the bridge between experiences and learning.^3”

“Meaningful reflection considers three questions:

1. What—what happened?
2. So what—what does it mean? 
3. Now what—what is the next step?⁴” 

We talked about the Final Reflection assignment.  On the last day of class, you will need to put the on your blog:

• In one post, you will imbed the final drafts of the major assignments (see the document "Using Scribd to Post to Your Blog" on Moodle for how you should do this)
• In another post, you will write the final reflection letter

Finally, we used Megan's SI Reflection (http://megansreflection.blogspot.com) as a model for the final reflection and discussed it.

What types of things might you link to or use as examples in your final reflection?

• Blog posts
• Daybook entries
• Drafts
• Pictures - Writing into the Day comics, research, screen shots
• Writing into the Day
• Quotes
• Multimodal project
• TedTalks videos
• Movie clips from the Pop Culture Representations of School discussions
• Syllabus
• Reflections of workshops, instructor comments and conferences

What kinds of things might you talk about in your reflection?

• How I developed throughout the course (like a timeline)
• Show my progress
• Show how my writing or my topic of inquiry has changed throughout the course

Homework:

• Bring in your letter to the elementary school student and the original letter from the student
• Post the letter to your blog.

Note: If you want to conference with Megan individually, follow the link on Moodle.
Note: All drafts for extra feedback must be email to Megan by midnight tonight.

April 10

Today, we started class by talking about the letters we will be writing back to elementary school students (due Wednesday).  Then, we wrote into the day about our writing processes for the Joining the Conversation Part #2 (Academic).  Finally, we got into our inquiry groups and workshopped our papers.  If there were four people, the paper was discussed for 15 minutes.  If there were five people, the paper was discussed for 12 minutes.  

 

Homework:

• On your blog, answer the questions on the "Workshop Reflection for Your Blog" handout.
• On your blog, answer the questions on the "Self Assessment Reflection" about Part #3.
• Post Part #3 on your blog and on Moodle.

Note: On Monday, bring your laptop.  We will be talking about reflection and will do a model activity using computers.

Note: The last time to email Megan drafts for extra feedback is Monday by midnight.

April 8

Today, we wrote into the day by answering these two questions:

1. Why shouldn't you use second person (you, yours) in academic writing?
2. Why should you write formally in academic writing?

Then, we got into our inquiry groups and discussed specifics of how to turn the dialogue into an academic piece.  We came up with the following:

• Add more factual information.
• Use direct quotes.
• Get rid of slang.
• Take out play features (cast, setting, etc.).
• Change to academic format (indent, punctuation, etc.).
• Add citations (MLA, APA or Chicago).
• Take out second person.
• Introduce the topic/situation.
• Define important terms.
• Organize your paper based on your topic/purpose.

Finally, in our inquiry groups, we read the Swales piece, talked about how to introduce our academic pieces and had individual work time.  In the last ten minutes of class, Megan handed out and explained the current grades.

Homework:

• On your blog, respond to the four questions in your email about Megan's comments on your Annotated Bibliography.
• Post your first draft of Part 2 to your blog.
• Bring hard copies of Part 2 for your inquiry group to workshop on Wednesday.

April 3

Today, we wrote into the day about our writing processes for the Joining the Conversation Part #1 (Dialogue).  Then, we got into our inquiry groups and workshopped our papers.  If there were three people in the group, the paper was discussed for 20 minutes.  If there were four people, the paper was discussed for 15 minutes.  If there were five people, the paper was discussed for 12 minutes.  

 

Homework:

• On your blog, answer the questions on the "Workshop Reflection for Your Blog" handout before class on Monday.
• Bring the Swales reading (on Moodle) to class on Monday.

Note: On Monday, bring your Annotated Bibliography, your dialogue and your sources on an electronic device.  We will talk about how to start your academic piece and spend time drafting in class.

April 1

For writing into the day, we responded to the quote (in italics) that is at the beginning of the Multimodal Piece assignment description in the syllabus.  Then, we discussed the Mulitmodal and Panel assignments.  The panel descipriton is as follows:

• Groups of 3-4 people grouped by topic of inquiry
• Show (and explain, if necessary) your multimodal project
• Explain why you chose that form
•  Discussion 

• Entire panel time: 30-35 minutes
• 10 minute (minimum) discussion
• Start out by asking if the class has questions (if so, discuss)
• Prepare 3-4 questions about your panel’s topic to discuss with the class if you have extra time

Finally, as a class, we designated panels. I emailed this list to the class. 

 

Homework:

• Post the first draft of your Joining the Conversation dialogue on your blog.
• Bring hardcopies of your draft for your inquiry group to class on Wednesday.

* You are no longer required to post comments on the blog.
* The last day to revise a draft for additional feedback from Megan is April 15.

March 27

Today, we wrote into the day about our writing processes for the Annotated Bibliography.  Then, we got into our inquiry groups and workshopped our papers.  If there were three people in the group, the paper was discussed for 20 minutes.  If there were four people, the paper was discussed for 15 minutes.  If there were five people, the paper was discussed for 12 minutes.  While groups worked, Megan passed around a notebook for each person to write down his/her current inquiry question.

Homework:

• On your blog, answer the questions on the "Workshop Reflection for Your Blog" handout before class on Monday.
• Post your second draft - five sources - to the blog (copy and paste) and to Moodle (a Word file) before class on Monday.  You will post your paper in the forum called "Post Your Annotated Bibliography Here."
• On your blog, answer the questions on the "Self Assessment Reflection for Your Blog" handout before class on Monday.

Note: On Monday, bring your Annotated Bibliography and your sources on an electronic device.  We will have some time to start working on the Joining the Conversation dialogue.

March 25

Today, we responded to a quote by Kenneth Burke for writing into the day.  (This quote can be found at the beginning of the Joining the Conversation assignment description.)  Then, we talked about the Joining the Conversation assignment.  The due dates are as follows:

• April 3 - Dialogue (Step 1) first draft due on the blog; workshop in class 
• April 10 - Academic Paper (Step 2) first draft due on the blog; workshop in class 
• April 30 - Inquiry Project Paper (Step 3) first draft draft due on Moodle and the blog

We analyzed the example Annotated Bibliography that was sent in an email on Wednesday.  Finally, we spent the last 15 minutes of class working on our Annotated Bibliographies.

Homework:

• Finish your Annotated Bibliography for the first three sources.
• Bring hardcopies of your Annotated Bibliography for your workshop group.

March 18

Today, we responded to one of two quotes about active reading for writing into the day.  Then, we talked about the uncoming assignment, Annotated Bibliography, and the schedule for the next few weeks.

After that, we used two active reading strategies (Annotating - Marking up the Text and Dialogic Journal).  We discussed and practice these stategies with the two articles we brought to class.

Homework:

• Pick the strategy that you like best of the two.  Complete this strategy on two articles you know you will be using for your Annotated Bibliography.  On your blog, post pictures, scan or a typed version of your active reading strategy for the first four pages of your source.  If your source is not four pages long, complete the strategy for the whole sources and post that.  (Example, if you are using a newspaper article, use the Annotating or Dialogic Journal on the whole article and post that.)
• Bring two articles to class on Wednesday.  You need to be sure that you will use these articles for your inquiry project.  Come to class having read and fully understood them.

February 27

Today, we responded to a quote about research on the Web for writing into the day.  Then, we discussed the Research Proposal.  The Proposal does not need to go on Moodle (as it states in the assignment description).  Instead, we will bring a hard copy to the conference.  The Proposal will still need to be posted to the blog before the conference.  It would also be smart to bring a daybook to the conference to take notes.

After discussing the Proposal, we read the "Finding Credible Sources" handout in small groups.  We watched a video about the Primerica Scam and discussed whether it was credible:

How is the video credible?

• They stated that major companies support them.
• They used many statistics, numbers and facts.
• They showed how they have a strong foundation as a company.
• They showed interviews with upper management.
• They showed the "myths" that people were saying about the company so the video appeared more objective.
• They discredited the Internet.
• They showed interviews with people who had made money with the company.

How is the video not credible?

• Being part of the NYSE doesn't make a company credible.  Just look at Enron.  It is power, not credibility, that gets a company on the NYSE.
• They could easily make up the numbers.
• They talked about themselves rather than the people below them.
• They were very defensive.  They explained how everyone else was wrong.
• It was very biased.
• They blind you with talk of money.

How could they make the video more credible?

• Explain how to get involved with the company and what they actually do.
• Explain what the goal of the company is.
• Get real customers to talk about the services.
• Quote credible sources.
• Show a rating.

Then, we talked about why Wikipedia is considered an uncredible sources in academic (anyone can write on it) and how we can use it to our advantage.  Wikipedia is a good starting point.  It can give the reader a foundational understanding of a subject.  Then, the reader can follow (and use in a paper) the citations provided at the bottom of the Wikipedia article.  Make sure, though, that the source that it takes you to is credible before you use it in your paper.

Finally, we wrote about what participation grade we believe we deserved based on the following: participation in whole group, participation in small group, coming prepared to class, volunteering to read and staying attentive in class.  (If you were absent, please email this to me before Spring Break.)

Homework:

• Post the answers to the "Self Assessment Reflection" handout on your blog before Monday at noon.
• Post your second draft of your Exploratory Essay to your blog before Monday at noon.
• Post your second draft of your Exploratory Essay to Moodle before Monday at noon.  Post it in the forum called "POST YOUR EXPLORATORY ESSAY HERE." If you do not turn in the essay on Moodle before noon on Monday, you will receive a zero for this assignment.

Note: On March 11 (the day we come back from Spring Break), we will meet in Room 125 in the library.

February 25

Today, we wrote into the day about our writing processes for the Exploratory Essay.  Then, we got into our inquiry groups and workshopped our papers using the method discussed last week.  If there were three people in the group, the paper was discussed for 20 minutes.  If there were four people, the paper was discussed for 15 minutes.  If there were five people, the paper was discussed for 12 minutes.

Homework:

• On your blog, answer the questions on the "Workshop Reflection for Your Blog" handout before class on Wednesday.
• Post your second draft to the blog (copy and paste) and to Moodle (a Word file) before class on Monday (March 4) at noon.  You will post your paper in the forum called "Post Your Exploratory Essay Here."

February 20

Today, for writing into the day, we answered questions about the purpose of workshopping.  After discussing the writing into the day, we got into small groups and made a list of do's and don't's of workshopping using "Responding - Really Responding - to Other Students' Writing," the "Revision is" handout and our past experiences with workshopping.  We made a class list of the Do's and Don't's, which is as follows:

 

Do

• Comment on specifics
• Be specific
• Balance critique
• Ask questions
• Tell the writer what he/she made you think about
• Give detailed comments
• Balance comment length - be brief but specific
• Make suggestions
• Point out clarity issues
• Explain what you understood about the paper
• Know what stage of writing the writer is in
• Comment on grammar only if it messes up clarity
• Think about the context of the paper
• Talk about specific points and give a summary of your opinions
• Back up your opinion

Don't

• Don't be mean
• Don't be nice
• Don't re-write
• Don't have grammar be the main focus
• Don't be the teacher
• Don't change the writer's method and style 

Then, we discussed the handouts about reflections.  After workshopping next class, we will answer the questions on the "Reflection for Workshop" handout on the blog.  Then, when we hand in the second draft, we will answer the "Self Assessment" questions on the blog.  After conferences (which will take place the week after Spring Break), we will answer the "Reflection for Conferences" on the blog.

 

We read a newspaper article about a 6-year-old boy who took his mother's car to go see his dad.  We picked a perspective in the article and each person wrote a narrative from that point of view.  Then, we used the following steps to workshop Megan's narrative:

1. The writer address 2-3 concerns about the work
2. The writer reads the paper aloud
3. The writer and readers discuss the paper.  The writer asks questions and pushes readers to explain criticism.

For the last five minutes, we wrote out our current inquiry questions and our weekly availability.  Megan will be using these to schedule conferences.

Homework

• Finish writing your first draft of the Exploratory Essay.  (It must be three pages.)
• Post a copy of your draft to your blog before class.
• Bring four hardcopies of your draft with you to class.

February 18

Today, we wrote about what we have learned and/or thought about since the beginning of the semester.  Then, we got into our inquiry groups and wrote out our golden lines on giant post-it notes.  We walked around to read all the quotes and had the following discussion:

• When we see the quotes standing alone, they seem more significant than when we read them in the article.
• The quotes sum up the article as a whole.
• Every group had the quote about humanities giving richness in life.
• I wanted the author of the article to give more examples.  For example, he could have explained more about how humanities leads to richness in life.
• I like his teaching methods.  For example, he made his students figure it out on their own.  He highlighted the creativity and diversity of the classroom.
• The quotes made us think about the benefits of liberal arts.
• Rich people are above social norms.  They can get away with things that would make other people weird.
• You should take classes based on what you are pursuing.  Not everyone needs a liberal arts education.
• If you don't know what you want to do in life, you shouldn't focus on one subject.  You should do something like a liberal arts education.
• You should be able to choose your course path.
• There should be more flexibility in the kinds of liberal arts classes you take.  They should have classes that would be more related to specific majors instead of these broad catch all classes.
• They should have whole universities devoted to one occupational focus.
• There are schools like that, culinary school for example.  They still have to take liberal arts classes.
• Why not take them?  Liberal arts classes aren't going to hurt.  They can only help you.
• Liberal arts classes will help you interact with people.
• People who don't want to take liberal arts won't have the drive to apply what they learn.
   

After this discussion, we reread the assignment description for the Exploratory Essay and talked about the "Exploratory Essay - Further Explanation" handout.  Then we did brainstorming about the Exploratory Essay in partners.  We wrote about our ideas and then talked them over with our partners.

Homework:

• Read Swales' article "Responding - Really Responding to Other Students' Writing."  As you read it, pay attention to the do's and don't's of workshopping (peer review).
• Post a reading response.

February 13

For writing into the day, we listed everything we know about a country or countries.  Then, we watched two short videos about 21st century skills and global competition.  After these videos, we discussed questions (on the PowerPoint) in small groups, then have the following whole group discussion:

• These skills are essential to be able to compete.
• Some jobs don't need as much global awareness.  You won't need it for criminal justice or health care, for example.
• Global awareness could never hurt.  You will meet people from other places all the time.  It doesn't mean you have to go to those countries, but you will encounter them in the US.
• The amount of global awareness depends on your job.  Everyone needs the basics but the depth will vary depending on your future goals.
• We need to know what's going on in the news.  Things that happen in other countries affect us here.  We need to be more aware because it will make us more prepared for what is going to happen.
• Global awareness makes us better morally.  We will realize how much we have.
• It would help us be more critical thinkers.  You can apply smaller concepts to a global world.  You will develop skills that might help you pick up on things other people might not notice. 
• People in the US judge others for other countries because those in the US are uninformed.  If we are informed, we can give those people more respect.
• American students don't have the drive.  We don't work as hard as people in other countries.
• We need to have a higher value of education.  In other countries, they don't have access to education like we do.  In the US, almost everyone can pass high school.
• It's too late to start learning language in high school.  We need to start in elementary school.
• Most countries do that.  They start learning English in Kindergarten and keep learning it.
• One person being globally aware will help the people around that person be more globally aware too.
• Students should go on more field trips.  You should learn something over the year and go on a field trip to apply what you learned.
• Field trips help you learn without realizing you are learning.
• Field trips make students more creative.
• We need to structure our schools to be more competitive, like the elite schools in the "Social Class" reading.
• Other countries (like Finland) don't use multiple choice.  We use it because it's easier.  It takes work to teach critical thinking instead of the factory model of education. 
• Teachers need to connect current events to the subject matter.
• People can point out Americans in other countries because they know more about us.
• In other countries, they don't work when they are in school.  We don't focus on education; we focus on the future and what we want.
• It's interesting to learn about other cultures.  It breaks down stereotypes.
• Knowing Spanish and French doesn't help you compete with the big countries.  You need languages like Chinese.
• We should do more study abroad when we are younger.

Then, we read the descriptions of Liberal Education and Montessori Education.  In small groups, we discussed what we thought of these methods.  In the last five minutes, we wrote down what we were thinking.

Homework:

• Read "On the Uses of a Liberal Education."
• Post a reading response on your blog.
• Bring your golden line to class with you on Monday.

February 11

Today, we responded to a quote from "More Babies Please" for writing into the day.  Then, we had the following discussion:

• In the 1900s, women were the primary caretakers and now there is equality between men and women for careers.  That may be decreasing the value of having a family.
• Part of the problem is a need for welfare reform.  The system is abused.  Women will have children with multiple fathers to get more welfare income.
• A lot of people are not raising families.  It's more than just a lack of education or low economic status.
• A large number of women are thinking they'll never get married.  Why?  Is there really a shortage of marriageable men?  Where did the marriageable men go?
• According to last night's reading, the guys aren't dependable.  The women don't see the men as able to hold up their half of the relationship.
• On page 73, the girls say that the men try to tell them what to do.  Maybe they don't want to marry because they don't want to be controlled.
• What makes a man "marriagble"?  Who decides?
• Men have children out of wedlock too.  This quote is stereotypical.  It's not just women.
• In the reading, most women pregnancies were unplanned.

Then we brought the discussion back to "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower" (continued from last class):

• Everyone should have the opportunity to go to college, but not everyone can keep up with the work that college requires.
• People need to know the basics before going to college.
• Not everyone will want to go or should go.  
• Degrees are of lesser value now because everyone has a Bachelors.
• Lots of students cannot afford to go to grad school so they don't end up going.
• But then why bother getting the Bachelors if you can't do grad school (if you need grad school for your career)?
• Why is society making it so difficult to get a degree and to get a job?
• Classes should be weed out classes.  People should not need to apply to upper-division programs once they are already accepted into the college.
• Aren't you wasting your time if you don't get into the programs?
• But it makes people work harder because it's a competitive situation.
• It makes people more prepared for the work force.
• Weed out classes are better because they will show you who will stay/survive in the program and won't waste time and money.  The hard classes also prepare you better for the work force.
• It just shows the importance of guidance and support before college.  We all need someone who will be very real and honest about the realities of college, particular majors, how to pay for college and what the procedures are to get a job after college.
• Advising and preparation is necessary, but it is currently lacking.
• People focus on getting into college but not what happens when they get there.
• Not everyone should go to college.  Some people already have paths that don't involve college that will be just (if not more) successful.
• Experience has social capital value in society.  There are things that cannot be taught in school.
• No one should be forced to go to college, but everyone should have the opportunity.
• In the first year of high school, you should take a pre-college course to see if college is for you.
• Even if you don't go to college, there might be classes you could take to give you an edge (business classes, for example).
• Some view not having an education as a bad thing.
• According to society, yes, everyone should go to college.
• In the past, little to no school was required to get a job.  Now jobs are requiring junior college at minimum.
• Why does society require more school?  Is it because of modernized technology?
• Part of it is that major issues have happened if training is like a game of telephone (word of mouth).
• It's more dependable to have formal education.  It standardized things.
• There is also more push in jobs for continuing education.
• General education courses are not about getting a degree. They are about critical thinking about the job and the world around you.
• If you are only trained in one field, how will you be qualified for another position?  You need a broader education.
• If everyone went to college, who would do the other jobs (fast food, manual labor, etc)?  We need people in those jobs. 
• If everyone went to college, people would get very small amounts of financial aid.
• Even if you can afford it, should you have to pay for it yourself?
• Many people cheat the system for financial aid.  
• But how would you determine whether they are cheating?
• Some people make too much money to get aid, but not enough to pay for college without loans.
• If you are qualified for college and don't have money, you can get a scholarship.
• The big scholarships are for minorities and low income.
• You can work a job and go to college.
• You can do University of Phoenix.  You can do online school.
• There are trade class at some schools.  These trades could can give you a back up if college doesn't work out.
• Financial aid should be based on effort.  There should be an application process similar to college admission applications.
• Scholarships should be balanced between merit-based, GPA-based and needs-based.
• You need to be doing stuff for scholarships (volunteering, extra cir. activities) throughout high school.  You cannot just do it your senior year and expect to get scholarships.
• The people who do the work are the ones who get the scholarships.
• GPA is not the best determiner for scholarships.  And community service is easy when you already have the time and money.  It should be based on needs.
• But even if your parents have money that doesn't mean your parents will pay for you.
• Cheating is available to everyone, but not everyone does it.
• There should be a space on FAFSA to indicate who is paying for the college.
• Some parents think that children should have to work for college.
• Why should parents have to pay?  Your college doesn't affect them.
• What about parents who wouldn't let their kids have hobs in high school?
• Should people take time off between high school and college to earn money for college?
• Aren't you going to college to get a job?
• There should be bracketed scholarships.
• It goes back to being educated about education.

Homework:

Post what you are thinking about today's discussion.

February 6

After responding to a comic for writing into the day, we got into groups based on the assigned sections of "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work."  In these groups, answered questions (found on the PowerPoint) about the assigned section.  Then, we divided up the groups so that each of the new groups had at least one person representing each section.  These new groups shared what they had read.  In essence, after this group work, each person knew what the whole article said even though he/she hadn't read the whole thing.  We had the following discussion about the reading:

• Schools and districts can be subdivided by social class.  The higher social classes take the upper level courses.
• It was the type of activities that were used in the classroom that determined the social class of the kids.  What you learn is dependent on how you are taught.
• For example, the students from the elite class were encouraged to disagree with others, were given more control and were given the ability to be in charge.  These are characteristics for CEOs.
• We could tell which classes we are from
• As the social class gets higher, the control moves from the teacher to the student and there are fewer rules.
• The levels of the classes were preparing students to either be followers or leaders.
• The students were taught to be and think like their parents.
• I am reminded of the video about creativity.  Creativity is put in the elite schools, so obviously they realize that creativity is a good thing in schools.
• It might be harder for lower classes to be taught and to learn in the same way as the higher classes because they do not have models for that kind of learning at home.
• Teachers of higher class classrooms had more trouble with classroom management because, in those classrooms, success is measured by the ability to question authority and to be the maverick.
• The level of respect for students went up as the social class went up.
• Trade programs (supposedly easy courses) actually become more difficult for students who are used to AP classes  (supposedly hard courses) because the AP students are used to being able to think through a problem.  The trade program classes, instead, are more about memorization.
• You don't know how much a person can learn (or in what ways) until you push them.

In groups, we read through "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower" and discussed these questions:

1. Does everyone have an equal and open opportunity to go to college?
2. Should everyone go to college?

In the last five minutes, we wrote down what we had discussed in small groups.  We will continue that discussion in whole group on Monday.

Homework:
Read your assigned sections of Women without Class and post a reading response to your blog.
*Note: The reading is labeled Women without Class on Moodle.  The chapter you are reading (and the title you will see when you print it) is called "How Working Class Chicas Get Working-Class Lives."

If you were absent today, please email me so you I can assign you a section of the reading.

January 30

Today we began by responding to a quote by Cizek for our writing into the day.  Then, Megan walked through "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" and highlighted the important parts of the article.  These parts discussed the intended benefits of this Act.  After that, we got into our inquiry groups and made a list of the positives of standardized testing according to Kaplan (using "My 54 Year Love Affair with the SAT).  We listed the following:

• The SAT can be used for lower income kids to be able to get into more prestigious schools
• It tests thinking ability rather than just facts from the core subjects
• The SAT levels the playing field
• It tests the "why" and "how" of subjects rather than the "what"
• The test requires a student to apply knowledge rather than regurgitate facts
• It provides a fair way of assessment
• It is the "academic yardstick for college admission"
• It is reliable and predictable
• It tells you where you are compared to other test takers

Then, we watched a Why Standardized Testing Fails (a TEDTalks video) and had the following discussion about the ideas in the video:

• Students should be taught the way that they learn
• Grades do not define the whole person/student
• You need a what to figure out how much knowledge a student has gained and testing is the easiest way to do that.
• Tests are easy and convenient for schools
• If you changed testing, you'd need to redo the whole educational system.
• How would teachers fairly grade?  Would they look at the quality of the work, effort, the potential of the student?  It would be subjective
• Tests should be paired with something else
• Testing scores can hinder confidence.  Assessing on potential should help give a student something to strive for.
• Broader tests (with more than one right answer) would work against the careers that require only one answer like math and science careers
• People rely on testing because of laziness. 
• Should we have different classes based on the student's learning style?
• No, students need to learn to adapt to different situations.
• Creativity is too opinion based to test
• Everyone knows testing doesn't work, but no one can come up with a better way.
• Even if someone did, people don't want to change.
• Most colleges base admission on test scores.  It's an easy way to filter people out.
• Essays and recommendation letters should be added to the admission process in addition to test scores.
• The college should look at the applicant as a whole student rather than a number.
• Jobs look at GPAs when they are hiring.  Again, they look at the number.
• What you learn in school rarely helps on the SAT
• GPA measures more than intelligence.  If someone has a high GPA, he/she also likely has social skills, good relationships with teachers and the ability to participate.
• Classes at some schools might be easier than at other school so GPA is not really the best judge for admission.
• The same issues apply with class rank.  The IB programs have more weight so those students usually have the highest rank.
• Admissions aren't using the best numbers because of the variables

Homework:

• By Sunday at midnight:
1. Post answers to the four questions as a reflection for the comments you received on your paper today.
2. Comment on two blog posts from your inquiry group.
• By Wednesday before class:
1. Read your assigned section of "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work" and post a reading response.

If you missed class, you need to email me so I can send you an electronic copy of your paper and the questions for reflection as well as assign you a section of the reading.

January 28

Today, we responded to a quote by Paulo Freire for the writing into the day.  Then, we got back into the groups from last class, watched clips from Dangerous Minds, Gilmore Girls and Freedom Writers and answered the same five questions from the "Pop Culture Representations of School" handout.  We combined the eight groups into four groups and answered the next three questions on the handout in small groups.  Finally, we listed the similarities among the movies and TV shows and discussed the last two questions on the handout as a whole class.  The discussion was as follows:

Similarities:

• Teachers motivate students to achieve success in school
• The students will continue going to school after interacting with the teacher
• The teachers saw potential in the students and helped them realize that potential
• The students realized how important education is for their future
• Education is a choice
• There is always a rebel who questions and pushes the teacher
• There is no middle (average) student
• The student is responsible for learning
• The teacher is responsible for pushing students and for teaching creatively

Which of these school stereotypes do you see in school in real life?

• In college, all the responsibility is on the students, but in high school the teacher will push the students to their potential
• Teachers care, even college professors
• The extremes of the students were very present in high school but it is harder to tell who is what kind of student in college
• Most students won't outright say to the teacher that school is pointless
• There are students who will play the martyr role
• You can tell who the martyr students are even if you don't know them well
• Why don't students take advantage of the support system at school even if they don't have it at home?
• Some students look at teachers like they look at their unsupportive parents so they misinterpret the teacher's motives when the teacher tries to push them
• Why do students go to school if they don't care about school?
• Free meals
• See friends
• To tell their parents that they went
• Teachers in movies are always motivated, but that's not always the case in real life.
• In other countries, people don't have the education opportunities we have.  We take it for granted.
• You always have a choice to learn and to do better.
• Why would you let yourself fail?  You'll just have to take it again and, in college, pay for it again.
• Some people need more attention.  That attention is easier to get in high school.

What does success look like in school?

• Pulling from prior experiences to motivate you to learn even when school is hard
• Gaining motivation from friends and teachers
• Liking what you are doing
• Motivating yourself
• Working hard
• Success can start at any age
• Involvement
• Getting A's, especially in hard classes
• Getting your priorities in order
• Success can be measured differently depending on what the student's motivation is (social, academic, etc.)
• Pushing yourself
• Working toward something that will earn income
• Being well rounded
• Social skills
• Handing in work on time
• Going to class
• Time management
• Having confidence in school
• Working on things you aren't good at
• Believing you can do well on tests and assignments

Homework:

Watch "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" (a video on Moodle) and answer the questions (also on Moodle) on your blog.

January 23

Today, we did a writing into the day about a Calvin and Hobbes comic.  Then, we looked at examples of blog comments (from the class' actual blogs) and talked about what makes a "good" comment.  We came up with the following:

• Asking questions about information the author did not think about initially
• Making connections
• Offering information (such as links to readings) to keep the author thinking, reading and writing
• Offering a different point of view
• Giving examples of other kinds of writing
• Constructive criticism (exploring the author's weaknesses and/or strengths in writing)
• Giving feedback
• Creating a discussion with the author
• Answering the author's questions
• Starting a debate
• Thinking critically about the post before commenting

Then, we started watching clips from movies and TV shows that depict school.  We watched clips from Dead Poet's Society, Boy Meets World and Dawson's Creek, and answered the first five questions on the "Pop Culture Representations of School" handout about each set of clips.  We will continue this next class.

Homework:

• Read "My 54 Year Love Affair with the SAT."  Read only the first five pages (page = a page of the book, not an 8X11.5 page.)  Stop reading at the three stars.
• Post a reading response on your blog.
• Post an additional post to your blog.  This can be a post about anything we have talked about in class or anything you are thinking about in the topic of school/education.
• Comment on two of your inquiry group's posts.

January 16

Today, we did a Writing into the Day about the characteristics of school and discussed the characteristics in groups of two or three.  Then, we did the mind-body exercise with our names again and another game called "Zip, Zap, Zop."  We did "Zip, Zap, Zop" to help us pay more attention to and be more aware of each other.  We compared this game to a class discussion and talked about how, in a discussion, people need to be aware of each other, how each person needs to take a turn speaking and how to know when it's your turn to speak.

After these games, we talked about the due dates and expectations for this week as well as the expectations and due dates for the Exploratory Essay (the first draft is due February 25 for workshop; the second draft is due on March 4).  During this talk, we discussed the idea of taking risks in our writing and how I want my students to constantly push themselves as writers.

Finally, we watched part of "Education is Broken," a TedTalks video (minutes = 0:00-5:30; 9:30-10:30).  While we watched the video, we wrote down lines that seemed interesting to us and then spent some time writing down what we were thinking after watching parts of the video.  For the last 15 minutes, we talked about the concepts in "Education is Broken."  During this talk, the following ideas were discussed:

• In high school, people are pushed through a number of classes.  However, there is a point to these classes because they help you pass the test, which helps you get to the next stage (graduation and college).
• We should not be forced to take a bunch of classes about things we are uninterested in.  We should take classes that focus on our strengths and interests.
• High school is a "factory."  You are pushed to complete certain tasks, repeat those tasks on a test and then dump the useless information over the summer.  You are supposed to go through school "knowing your role."
• We should not look at subjects as separate.  We should push ourselves to find the connections and interactions between classes and to ask and answer difficult questions. 
• Students should be pushed to find the connections between classes and their future occupations.
• When teachers make a student write, learn, think, etc in a particular way (for a specified curriculum and a statewide test), they are taking away the student's individuality and choking his/her voice.
• Even teachers get frustrated because they are forced to teach to a test or to a particular curriculum because the administration thinks they should.  This also leads students to expect to be given a rubric or a particular set of actions to take in order to succeed.  When you aren't given this rubric, it can be really scary.
• In high school, students are trained to split up their subjects.  When they walk into Math, they need the Math mindset.  When they walk into English, they need the English mindset.  This doesn't help in college, though.
• Some classes can provide a student with a break from their major classes.  Therefore, having the "subjects are separate" mindset can help a student relax while he/she is in the class that provides a break.
• In writing, there is a particular context a student needs to follow, but (at least in this class) you can push yourself by taking risks and, at the same time, cater to your own style.
• The biggest change between high school and college is the idea that now a student can choose his/her own academic path.  In high school, a student is forced to take particular courses.  In college, a student can change his/her major and choose different classes to take.
• General education courses in high school are beneficial because they allow a person to change his/her interests.  They give a person enough background knowledge in a subject to enable to person to go in different directions for their majors and/or careers.  After high school, the person can then elaborate on a particular knowledge in college.

Homework:
In addition to the homework from last class, write and post on your blog your Writing History Response before class on January 23.

January 14

Today, we did a Writing into the Day with a quote about positive thinking.  In response to this quote, we had a debate about whether positive thinking leads to success.  Some people said that positive thinking is the key because no one will believe in a person if he/she does not believe in him/herself.  In addition, positive thinking can give a person the motivation to work hard enough to succeed.  Other people argued that, although positive thinking is important, a person cannot be over-realistic and needs to have a goal in order to succeed.  In other words, just because a person thinks he/she will succeed, the person is not guaranteed success.  We also talked about how having positive thinking in failures can lead to success. Finally, we talked about how motivation can come from negative thoughts as well, but positive thinking tends to give a person more motivation than the negative thoughts.

After our discussion, we did a mind-body exercise to help us remember each other's names.  Then, we discussed how to post and comment on the blog as well as the expectations for reading responses and inquiry process posts.  Next, we discussed the Writing History Response (due January 23 on your blog and on Moodle).

For the last 30 minutes of class, we brainstormed about our trajectories as writers and students using the "Writing Timeline" and "School Trajectory" handouts.

Homework:
Post the following on your blog (in one post) before next class:

• A picture and/or description of the interaction between your writer and student timelines.
• Respond to the last bullet point and at least 3 other bullet points on the "Writing Timeline" handout.
• Respond to all the bullet points on the "Schooling Trajectory" handout.  Read the last arrow on this handout.  If you do not feel that you answered these questions in your picture or description of the interaction between your writer and student timelines, answer them.  If you feel like you answered them with the timelines, then you don't need to write anymore.

Respond to at least two of your inquiry groups' posts by Sunday (January 20) at midnight.

January 9

Today, we covered the course objectives and policies as well as the sequence of assignments.  We also talked about how to read the daily calendar as follows:

• The "In Class" column explains what will be covered in class that day.
• The "Homework for Tonight" column explains the homework that will be due the next class.  For example, the homework in the row of January 9 (today) will be due on Monday.
• Anything in italics signifies things what needs to be brought to class.  The in-class readings are not italized, though they will still need to be brought to class too.
• Anything in small caps signifies something that is due on Moodle.

We also responded to quotes about trajectory.  We talked about how small decisions can lead to big changes, how perspective can change what one sees and experiences and how "city" can mean a real city or become a metaphor for anything else that experiences change.  We thought about the connections between the different uses of trajectory and how the defitniton of trajectory can change the purpose and experience of school.

Homework: Create a blogger account and post the hyperlink to Moodle.  The subject should be your name.  Make sure to bring your laptop or tablet with you on Monday.