Philosophy of Writing Reflection
I need to unpack my Philosophy of Writing- right now it’s more like my Philosophy of Education in a very general sense. I feel like my Philosophy of Writing is really disjointed at this point because it’s evolving and changing with each day- at times it feel a little overwhelming. In between taking twelve graduate hours, working at the Writing Center, and actually teaching writing, I have theories, ideas, and concepts coming at me from all directions. Right now, I just trying to sift through all of this new information and still retain what I hold to be true in my own teaching while still enhancing my knowledge in a positive way.
Writing Assignment Design Reflection
This unit is a semi-revised version of what I’m currently teaching. I’ve added questions and activities that I wish I would have originally executed. I feel like this unit could be very effective in teaching students in Developmental Writing how to use comparison and contrast. In the unit, I use a great deal of essays, which is in response to my research project. The essays work really well within the unit because I’m to show my students example of comparison and contrast and I’m able to refer back to them.
Midterm Reflection
How has your view of writing and the teaching of writing evolved over the first half of the semester?
I really enjoy this class, but most days I feel like I have more questions than answers. I assume that this is a good thing. It’s like I take two giant leaps forward, only to take one giant leap back. I keep reevaluating my ideas and the notions I thought I had firmly in place. I have never been a huge fan of writing. I can write a paper with considerable ease, but I have a strong aversion to writing. It boils down to the fact that I don’t enjoy doing things that I don’t feel like I’m good at. Writing makes me feel frustrated and incompetent. Writing conjures up feelings of not being “good enough” or underachieving, so I avoid it like the plague. I realize that it’s probably sacrilegious to be in the field of English and not be fond of writing. I believe in writing and I know how important it is for my students to enjoy writing and to excel in it- but I don’t enjoy it on my own. I think before college I loved writing and putting my thoughts onto paper, but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that way. However, my own perception of writing has begun to change over the course of this class. Through seeing the Daybook in theory and in practice, I’ve been able to experience writing in a “low stakes” format that allows for exploration and process. This whole notion of getting students to own their writing and getting their writing to matter has really inspired me. As I stress ownership to my students, I try to own my own writing. It’s been difficult, but I’m getting there.
What do you hope to accomplish or learn over the next half of the term?
During the second half of this class, I want to answer (or at least attempt to answer) the questions I’ve accumulated. I want to be able to take what I’ve learned in class and effectively apply it to my teaching in a way that enhances my students’ writing experience. I also want to just really hash out some of the ideas that I’m struggling with: assessment, using literature, using grammar, what is good writing, etc. I don’t necessarily want clear answers, but I at least want to come out with a better understanding.