[Teaching_Composition] NEW MODULE

[Chris Anson]

--Apple-Mail-35-957429037
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset=WINDOWS-1252;
	delsp=yes;
	format=flowed

A lot of teaching goes on in what some theorists have called a tacit =20
domain. We=92re certainly conscious of planning class sessions, =20
designing assignments, choosing reading material, leading =20
discussions, grading papers, and helping students in the learning =20
process. But without opportunities to engage systematically in =20
reflection, we often forget to ask ourselves how we know something is =20=

really working in the classroom, or whether our trusted assignment is =20=

really the best way to engage students, or whether this form or that =20
form of small-group work leads to the strongest gains in student =20
ability or learning. As Socket (1987) puts it, tacit knowledge =93finds =20=

expression in the knower=92s performance without a self-conscious =20
awareness,=94 although it may still be =93describable and observable by =20=

others.=94 At this level of inquiry, then, the processes of teaching =20
are embedded in our daily routines, and we assess them according to =20
the principles of =93intuition in action=94=97that is, =93an immediate =20=

experience of a teaching situation in its entirety, without any need =20
or possibility of distance, analysis or sequencing=94 (Johansson & =20
Kroksmark 2004).

Theories of instructional development suggest that once we move =20
outside the realm of our own classrooms, a lot changes. By virtue of =20
sharing what we do with others, we=92re pushed to reflect more fully =20
and  systematically on our own teaching, which often leads to =20
=93reflective inquiry=94 or even informal action research=97investigating =
=20
our own methods to find out how successful they are, and then =20
actively experimenting with new methods.

In this month=92s module, Amy Hawkins leads us in a discussion of the =20=

ways that collaborative, community-based faculty development can lead =20=

to improvements in our teaching, our expertise, and our students=92 =20
learning. Amy=92s module describes a number of strategies that can =20
create a culture of interest in teaching. The challenges of creating =20
such a culture are not trivial, including fighting against the belief =20=

that time spent doing things outside the classroom is =93extra,=94 and =20=

not part of one=92s instructional workload, or that sharing one=92s =20
teaching with others means giving up on the autonomy and =20
instructional privacy that so many teachers enjoy. But as Amy =20
persuades us, faculty development is about both self-improvement and =20
improvement for the good of a community. Please visit Amy=92s module at =20=

the TeachingComp Web site: http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/tc/ =20=

and then come back to this list to share your thoughts.

Amy Hawkins is Director of Composition at Columbia College in =20
Chicago. She received her BA from the University of Michigan in Ann =20
Arbor, where she majored in American culture; her MA in Popular =20
Culture from Bowling Green State University in Ohio; and her PhD in =20
English (Composition and Rhetoric) from Wayne State University in =20
Detroit. Her areas of interest include ethnography as a pedagogical =20
approach to the writing classroom, computers and composition, popular =20=

culture, and GLBT writing/studies. Amy has recently co-authored (with =20=

Suzanne Blum Malley) a composition textbook titled Translating =20
Culture: A Rhetoric for Ethnographic Writing in the Composition =20
Classroom.

Our thanks again to Cindy Haller for helping us to think about and =20
share practices for teaching source integration. We got off to a slow =20=

start, but a lot of great ideas emerged once we starting focusing on =20
this topic.

So . . . let=92s consider ourselves a community of learners as we =20
engage in some more faculty development.

Chris Anson, Moderator




--=20
Chris M. Anson
Professor of English
Director, Campus Writing and Speaking Program
Interim Director, Ph.D. in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media
Box 8101 (OR) 131G Tompkins
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC  27695-8105
(919) 513-4080
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~theansons/Portcover.html



--Apple-Mail-35-957429037
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset=WINDOWS-1252

<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal">A lot =
of teaching goes on in what some theorists have called a tacit domain. =
We=92re certainly conscious of planning class sessions, designing =
assignments, choosing reading material, leading discussions, grading =
papers, and helping students in the learning process. But without =
opportunities to engage systematically in reflection, we often forget to =
ask ourselves how we know something is really working in the classroom, =
or whether our trusted assignment is really the best way to engage =
students, or whether this form or that form of small-group work leads to =
the strongest gains in student ability or learning. As Socket (1987) =
puts it, tacit knowledge =93finds expression in the knower=92s =
performance without a self-conscious awareness,=94 although it may still =
be =93describable and observable by others.=94 At this level of inquiry, =
then, the processes of teaching are embedded in our daily routines, and =
we assess them according to the principles of =93intuition in =
action=94=97that is, =93an immediate experience of a teaching situation =
in its entirety, without any need or possibility of distance, analysis =
or sequencing=94 (Johansson &amp; Kroksmark 2004).<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV =
class=3D"MsoNormal">=A0<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal">Theories =
of instructional development suggest that once we move outside the realm =
of our own classrooms, a lot changes. By virtue of sharing what we do =
<I>with others</I><SPAN style=3D"">, we=92re pushed to reflect more =
fully and<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">=A0 </SPAN>systematically on =
our own teaching, which often leads to =93reflective inquiry=94 or even =
informal action research=97investigating our own methods to find out how =
successful they are, and then actively experimenting with new =
methods.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV =
class=3D"MsoNormal">=A0<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal">In this =
month=92s module, Amy Hawkins leads us in a discussion of the ways that =
collaborative, community-based faculty development can lead to =
improvements in our teaching, our expertise, and our students=92 =
learning. Amy=92s module describes a number of strategies that can =
create a culture of interest in teaching. The challenges of creating =
such a culture are not trivial, including fighting against the belief =
that time spent doing things outside the classroom is =93extra,=94 and =
not part of one=92s instructional workload, or that sharing one=92s =
teaching with others means giving up on the autonomy and instructional =
privacy that so many teachers enjoy. But as Amy persuades us, faculty =
development is about both self-improvement and improvement for the good =
of a community. Please visit Amy=92s module at the TeachingComp Web =
site: <A =
href=3D"http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/tc/">http://www.mhhe.com/so=
cscience/english/tc/</A> and then come back to this list to share your =
thoughts.</DIV><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal">=A0<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span">Amy Hawkins is =
Director of Composition at Columbia College in Chicago. She received her =
BA from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she majored in =
American culture; her MA in Popular Culture from Bowling Green State =
University in Ohio; and her PhD in English (Composition and Rhetoric) =
from Wayne State University in Detroit. Her areas of interest include =
ethnography as a pedagogical approach to the writing classroom, =
computers and composition, popular culture, and GLBT writing/studies. =
Amy has recently co-authored (with Suzanne Blum Malley) a composition =
textbook titled <I>Translating Culture: A Rhetoric for Ethnographic =
Writing in the Composition Classroom</I>.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV =
class=3D"MsoNormal">=A0<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal">Our =
thanks again to Cindy Haller for helping us to think about and share =
practices for teaching source integration. We got off to a slow start, =
but a lot of great ideas emerged once we starting focusing on this =
topic.<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal">=A0<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV =
class=3D"MsoNormal">So . . . let=92s consider ourselves a community of =
learners as we engage in some more faculty =
development.<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV =
class=3D"MsoNormal">=A0<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal">Chris =
Anson, Moderator<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal"><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal"><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV class=3D"MsoNormal"><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; =
border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; =
font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: =
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; =
border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; =
font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: =
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>--=A0<BR>Chris =
M. Anson=A0<BR>Professor of English=A0<BR>Director, Campus Writing and =
Speaking Program=A0<BR>Interim Director, Ph.D. in Communication, =
Rhetoric, and Digital Media=A0<BR>Box 8101 (OR) 131G Tompkins=A0<BR>North =
Carolina State University=A0<BR>Raleigh, NC=A0 27695-8105=A0<BR>(919) =
513-4080=A0<BR><A =
href=3D"http://www.home.earthlink.net/~theansons/Portcover.html"><FONT =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" color=3D"#0011ED"><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: rgb(0, 17, 237); =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"color: rgb(0, 17, 237); =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; =
">http://www.home.earthlink.net/~theansons/Portcover.html</SPAN></SPAN></F=
ONT></A>=A0<BR></DIV><BR =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN> =
</DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>=

--Apple-Mail-35-957429037--