[Teaching_Basic_Writing] What Works for You: Online? Hybrid?
F2f?
Linda Stine
stine@lincoln.edu
Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:06:00 -0400
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Karen:
Thanks very much for starting your posting with such a nice model of a
"praise" post. :-) I think what makes technology so interesting to
me is the way it forces me to rethink my pedagogy over and over again.
Reading the list of different kinds of prompts that you sent made me
think about how I ask and answer student questions in f2f class, as well
as how I expect them to post online. Right now my students are in the
midst of preparing their writing portfolios. One of the requirements is
that they include an initial discussion posting and a response to one of
their classmates' postings, both accompanied by a writer's statement
that explains what the postings show about their writing skills. I'm
going to share your list next time around; it will give them some useful
language to describe and analyze what they've written.
I too value hybrid teaching because of the advantages it offers,
especially the way discussions (or blogs) can be used. For me they've
replaced the private journal I used to have students keep. I can
certainly see their value in helping students gain deeper understanding
of reading selections. I wonder what other ways list members are using
discussions, whether in hybrids or totally online.
What do you anticipate you'll miss most when you teach your all-online
class this summer? Do other listserv members who have done distance
learning courses before have any advice for a newbie?--Linda
Karen Uehling wrote:
>Linda,
>I read your post on online and hybrid teaching, and I especially liked
>the use you made of the ten points from "Ten Recommendations from
>Research for Teaching High-Risk College Students" from the JOURNAL OF
>DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION.
>
>I was lucky enough to receive a grant for training in hybrid teaching
>in the summer of 2005, and this experience has transformed my teaching,
>especially of upper-division and graduate courses. Certainly my
>preferred teaching format is now hybrid: half on-line and half
>in-person. This summer I am going to try a completely online
>upper-division writing course for English majors.
>I also have tried applying some of what I have learned to
>basic/freshman writing. One area that is amazingly improved online is
>the discussion of readings. In my advanced courses, I assign each
>student to "lead" the discussion of a reading on Blackboard using the
>Discussion Board feature--leaders most post an opening statement or
>"lead" that deals with a variety of specifics, such as summary, quotes
>with commentary, response, genre, connection to course, "something about
>the author," and questions for discussion. The specific items vary
>depending on the course. All the students must post at least twice to
>the discussion, and the leader leads and keeps the discussion going. We
>do about two discussions per week.
>
>All of that is background to the following set of prompts for a
>discussion board for BW; I found these prompts in Bernstein's TEACHING
>DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING, a text I have used in graduate courses on the
>teaching of BW. I like them because they are specific, and they are a
>great beginning place for students to begin to learn about how to
>position themselves in online discussion. I post these guidelines to
>demonstrate to students how they might respond to one another in
>discussion.
>And one more quick point: I always lead the first reading myself, as a
>demonstration, so students can see what I'm wanting from a leader. This
>is crucial for online teaching.
>
>Prompts for online discussion From Virginia Crank, "Asynchronous
>Electronic Peer Response in a Hybrid Basic Writing Classroom" in
>Teaching Developmental Writing: Background Readings, ed. Susan Naomi
>Bernstein (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004): 288-299:
>
>Affirmation and repetition ("I agree. This is a scary trend.")
>Disagreement ("I think living to 100 would be terrible.")
>Correction ("I think you missed the author's main point.; he does not
>say that medical tests have been done.")
>Piggybacking or taking a thread in a new direction ("I agree that
>melatonin sounds good. I worry, however, about the consequences for
>pregnant women.")
>Questioning to promote further thought ("I see your point about animal
>testing; are there any other ways to determine if something is safe for
>humans?")
>Relating personal experience ("My grandmother also had Alzheimer's, and
>we would have done anything to prevent it.")]
>Rethinking original position ("I hadn't really thought about that
>aspect of it; I think I might be a little less enthusiastic about
>melatonin now.)
>Offering similar examples ("I agree. We thought that diet drug was
>safe, too.")
>Prediction ("I think they're going to figure out that this stuff isn't
>all that safe.")
>Praise ("Excellent point! You really write clearly; you said what I
>think I was trying to say, only better.")
>
>Karen Uehling
>
>
>
>Karen S. Uehling
>Associate Professor
>Department of English
>Boise State University
>1910 University Drive
>Boise, ID 83725-1525
>
>Office: 208-426-1825
>Fax: 208-426-4373
>
>
>
>>>>Linda Stine <stine@lincoln.edu> 4/10/2007 7:23 AM >>>
>>>>
>>>>
>Thanks, Laura, and thanks especially to Karen for all the CCCC updates;
>
>I didn't get to attend this year, so I really appreciated the
>information.
>
>I was hoping this month that we could continue the interesting
>discussion of the promise and the problems of online teaching/learning
>
>that Thomas Henry started back in February. What kind of online
>options
>are all of you out there using? Do you use WebCT or Blackboard or
>other
>such courseware just as a supplement to a regular f2f writing class?
>Do
>you teach a hybrid course, with some portion of instruction done
>online? Do you teach a totally online course? Do you teach a
>traditional face-to-face class but are contemplating venturing online?
>
>It would be nice to get a sense of what the list members are doing and
>
>what kinds of successes or failures people are experiencing.
>
>To start the sharing, I teach a regular computer-lab-based writing
>course that is supplemented by WebCT, and I also teach a hybrid version
>
>of the same course in which students meet one week in class and the
>next
>week online for the course of the 15-week semester. (My students are
>all working adults; classes meet all day on Saturdays.) I love the
>additional contact options online learning offers commuting students;
>my
>experiences suggest that adding an online component encourages rather
>than limits that important sense of being part of a learning community.
>
>To me, that sense of belonging and the flexibility of working around
>family/work schedules are perhaps the two main reasons I think BW
>students can flourish in online learning. What has your experience
>been? I look forward to hearing from everyone. Report in when you can
>
>and let's start the conversation! --Linda
>
>
>
--
Linda J. Stine
Professor, Master of Human Services Program
Lincoln University, PA 19352
Phone: 215-590-8213
Fax: 215-387-3834
E-mail: stine@lincoln.edu
***************************
Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.
***************************
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Karen:<br>
<br>
Thanks very much for starting your posting with such a nice model of a
"praise" post. <span class="moz-smiley-s1"><span> :-) </span></span>I
think what makes technology so interesting to me is the way it forces
me to rethink my pedagogy over and over again. Reading the list of
different kinds of prompts that you sent made me think about how I ask
and answer student questions in f2f class, as well as how I expect them
to post online. Right now my students are in the midst of preparing
their writing portfolios. One of the requirements is that they include
an initial discussion posting and a response to one of their
classmates' postings, both accompanied by a writer's statement that
explains what the postings show about their writing skills. I'm going
to share your list next time around; it will give them some useful
language to describe and analyze what they've written.<br>
<br>
I too value hybrid teaching because of the advantages it offers,
especially the way discussions (or blogs) can be used. For me they've
replaced the private journal I used to have students keep. I can
certainly see their value in helping students gain deeper understanding
of reading selections. I wonder what other ways list members are using
discussions, whether in hybrids or totally online. <br>
<br>
What do you anticipate you'll miss most when you teach your all-online
class this summer? Do other listserv members who have done distance
learning courses before have any advice for a newbie?--Linda<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Karen Uehling wrote:<br>
<blockquote cite="mid461BA7B6.F1C4.0085.0@boisestate.edu" type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Linda,
I read your post on online and hybrid teaching, and I especially liked
the use you made of the ten points from "Ten Recommendations from
Research for Teaching High-Risk College Students" from the JOURNAL OF
DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION.
I was lucky enough to receive a grant for training in hybrid teaching
in the summer of 2005, and this experience has transformed my teaching,
especially of upper-division and graduate courses. Certainly my
preferred teaching format is now hybrid: half on-line and half
in-person. This summer I am going to try a completely online
upper-division writing course for English majors.
I also have tried applying some of what I have learned to
basic/freshman writing. One area that is amazingly improved online is
the discussion of readings. In my advanced courses, I assign each
student to "lead" the discussion of a reading on Blackboard using the
Discussion Board feature--leaders most post an opening statement or
"lead" that deals with a variety of specifics, such as summary, quotes
with commentary, response, genre, connection to course, "something about
the author," and questions for discussion. The specific items vary
depending on the course. All the students must post at least twice to
the discussion, and the leader leads and keeps the discussion going. We
do about two discussions per week.
All of that is background to the following set of prompts for a
discussion board for BW; I found these prompts in Bernstein's TEACHING
DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING, a text I have used in graduate courses on the
teaching of BW. I like them because they are specific, and they are a
great beginning place for students to begin to learn about how to
position themselves in online discussion. I post these guidelines to
demonstrate to students how they might respond to one another in
discussion.
And one more quick point: I always lead the first reading myself, as a
demonstration, so students can see what I'm wanting from a leader. This
is crucial for online teaching.
Prompts for online discussion From Virginia Crank, "Asynchronous
Electronic Peer Response in a Hybrid Basic Writing Classroom" in
Teaching Developmental Writing: Background Readings, ed. Susan Naomi
Bernstein (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004): 288-299:
Affirmation and repetition ("I agree. This is a scary trend.")
Disagreement ("I think living to 100 would be terrible.")
Correction ("I think you missed the author's main point.; he does not
say that medical tests have been done.")
Piggybacking or taking a thread in a new direction ("I agree that
melatonin sounds good. I worry, however, about the consequences for
pregnant women.")
Questioning to promote further thought ("I see your point about animal
testing; are there any other ways to determine if something is safe for
humans?")
Relating personal experience ("My grandmother also had Alzheimer's, and
we would have done anything to prevent it.")]
Rethinking original position ("I hadn't really thought about that
aspect of it; I think I might be a little less enthusiastic about
melatonin now.)
Offering similar examples ("I agree. We thought that diet drug was
safe, too.")
Prediction ("I think they're going to figure out that this stuff isn't
all that safe.")
Praise ("Excellent point! You really write clearly; you said what I
think I was trying to say, only better.")
Karen Uehling
Karen S. Uehling
Associate Professor
Department of English
Boise State University
1910 University Drive
Boise, ID 83725-1525
Office: 208-426-1825
Fax: 208-426-4373
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<blockquote type="cite">
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Linda Stine <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:stine@lincoln.edu"><stine@lincoln.edu></a> 4/10/2007 7:23 AM >>>
</pre>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->Thanks, Laura, and thanks especially to Karen for all the CCCC updates;
I didn't get to attend this year, so I really appreciated the
information.
I was hoping this month that we could continue the interesting
discussion of the promise and the problems of online teaching/learning
that Thomas Henry started back in February. What kind of online
options
are all of you out there using? Do you use WebCT or Blackboard or
other
such courseware just as a supplement to a regular f2f writing class?
Do
you teach a hybrid course, with some portion of instruction done
online? Do you teach a totally online course? Do you teach a
traditional face-to-face class but are contemplating venturing online?
It would be nice to get a sense of what the list members are doing and
what kinds of successes or failures people are experiencing.
To start the sharing, I teach a regular computer-lab-based writing
course that is supplemented by WebCT, and I also teach a hybrid version
of the same course in which students meet one week in class and the
next
week online for the course of the 15-week semester. (My students are
all working adults; classes meet all day on Saturdays.) I love the
additional contact options online learning offers commuting students;
my
experiences suggest that adding an online component encourages rather
than limits that important sense of being part of a learning community.
To me, that sense of belonging and the flexibility of working around
family/work schedules are perhaps the two main reasons I think BW
students can flourish in online learning. What has your experience
been? I look forward to hearing from everyone. Report in when you can
and let's start the conversation! --Linda
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Linda J. Stine
Professor, Master of Human Services Program
Lincoln University, PA 19352
Phone: 215-590-8213
Fax: 215-387-3834
E-mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:stine@lincoln.edu">stine@lincoln.edu</a>
***************************
Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.
***************************
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