ENG/EDU 502: Professional Learning Community

Teaching Academic Writing

Fall 2008

Missouri Western State University

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

Department of Education

 

Instructor: Tom Pankiewicz

Office: Eder 222R

Office Hours: By Appointment

Phone: 816-271-4156

pankiew@missouriwestern.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

ENG/EDU 502: Professional Learning Community (1-2 credits each; may be repeated for a total of four credits)


            Professional Learning Communities emphasize enhancing student achievement by involving classroom teachers in a cycle of inquiry, reflection, and action in regard to a particular issue regarding literacy instruction. Teachers question common practice, explore specific problems, consider research and evidence that proposes solutions, try some of those solutions in their teaching, and evaluate the results, starting the cycle anew.
 

COURSE PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES

I have always found teaching academic writing challenging. I struggle to help my students navigate the gulf between the comforts of the personal essay and the thought-filled logic needed in the argument. While I have read various definitions of academic writing and lists of academic skills to hone, I have find difficulty in maintaining my students’ interest and enthusiasm for such writing projects.  Conducting research, analysis and critical thinking are not high on my students’ favorite activities lists. Yet I know that my students’ success in an educational environment will be based on their ability to write in academic genres. I must teach academic writing. How can I teach academic writing more effectively, more successfully?

            We will study several texts that examine academic writing and literacy. Through the reading and discussion of these materials, we will establish a working definition of what we mean by academic writing and the goals our students should achieve. We will write an “academic” essay following a genre or textbook assignment. Following this writing, we will reflect on our writing, discuss the processes we use, and suggest classroom approaches to teaching academic writing. Finally, participants will develop units for their own classroom and post drafts of those units on the Prairie Lands Teacher Resource Wiki.

 

MATERIALS

Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006.

 

Teaching Composition. Ed. T.R. Johnson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

  1. Keep a reading log. One-page log entries will be due at the beginning of most sessions.  One of the following log entries will be suggested each week:
    • A professional critique. What specifically does the text say? How do these ideas apply to the elementary school, middle school, high school or college classroom?
    • A series of questions for discussion. Introduce or comment on each question.
    • A personal response. How do the ideas presented affect you as a writing teacher? Do you agree or disagree with the author? 

 

  1. Define Academic Writing.

 

  1. Compose a 3-5 page practice essay on an “Academic Writing” assignment.

 

  1. Publish a new unit, featuring academic writing, for your classroom use. The unit will include:
    • A unit introduction and overview including rationale and expectations;
    • A specific writing assignment;
    • A sequence of lessons (How will you teach this assignment?);
    • A scoring guide or explanation of how the unit will be evaluated;
    • A personal reflection on writing the unit.

 

  1. Post the unit on the PLWP Teacher Resource Wiki.

 

  1. Participate in class activities and discussions.

 

GRADING POLICY

            No individual grades will be assigned for any activity, writing or presentation; however, each activity, writing, and presentation will receive critical responses from the instructor and from the workshop teachers. The purpose of this Prairie Lands Writing Project course is to bring teachers together to improve the teaching of academic writing; those who have joined this PLC have demonstrated a commitment to a reflective inquiry of their own teaching. Frequent grades—an outside assessment of quality or effort—may damage the reflective inquiry community that Prairie Lands hopes to establish. 

            We plan, therefore, to assign only the grade of A. An “A” represents the following characteristics have been achieved:

 

·         Community: The teacher has participated fully in the activities of the course. The teacher has shared writings, ideas, thoughts, and reactions, and has raised questions to enhance the learning and understanding of the other participants in this course. The teacher has contributed to the creation of a strong and memorable course.

 

·         Expectations: The teacher has met all course requirements or expectations published in this syllabus.

 

·         Reflection: The teacher’s writing and conversation explore connections between this course and the teacher’s classroom and between this course and the art of teaching.

 

If the instructor feels that a teacher is not achieving the characteristics of Community, Expectations, and Reflection as described above due to absences, late or missing work, inconsistent effort, or disruptive actions, the instructor will meet with the workshop participant to discuss his concerns. A failing grade will only be assigned to a teacher who fails to meet or refuses to meet the characteristics of Community, Expectations and Reflection.

 

POLICIES

Academic Honesty Policy and Due Process:

Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms. Please see the Western Student Handbook and Calendar for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf

           

Attendance:

            We expect you to participate fully in every session.  If you cannot make a session, please call the instructor so he will know not to expect you. See Grading Policy above.

 

Student Disability:

            Any workshop participant who has a disability that prevents the fullest expressions of abilities should contact the directors as soon as possible so that we can work to provide assistance as needed.

 

 

Tentative Schedule

I am certain this schedule will be revised.

 

I. The Inquiry Question

August 25 – Introductions. Course overview. What is academic writing? A tentative definition.

 

September 1 – Labor Day.

 

September 8 – Read Slevin, “Letter to Maggie,” TC 59. Bring an academic writing assignment to share.

 

September 15 – Read TBA. Complete academic writing assignment. Reflection and evaluation.

 

II. The Process

September 22 – Read Perl, “Understanding Composing,” TC 140 and/or Rose, “Rigid Rules . . .” TC 148.

 

September 29 – Read Booth, “The Rhetorical Stance,” TC 163 and/or Elbow, “Closing My Eyes as I Speak,” TC 172. Share the topic for your new unit.

 

October 6 – Read Graff and Birkenstein, Preface, Introduction and Part 1, ix – 47. Modifying Graff and Birkenstein for earlier grades. Share the writing assignment for your unit.

 

October 13 – Read Graff and Birkenstein, Part 2, 49 – 97.  Share a practice draft.

 

October 20 – Read Graff and Birkenstein, Part 3, 99-132 and Berthoff, TC 292.

 

October 27 – Read TBA. Share the sequence of lessons, mini-lessons, writing skills and research skills.

 

III. The Product

November 3 – Read selections from Responding to and Evaluating Student Writing, 377- 466. Share scoring guide or evaluation expectations.

 

November 10 – Read selections from Responding to and Evaluating Student Writing, 377- 466. Bring a draft of the unit for peer review and for a trial run by selected students from your class or selected students from another teacher’s class or from your writing group).

 

November 17 – Read TBA. Unit reflection. What worked and what did not work?

 

November 24 – Selected reading and discussion.

 

December 1 – Publicly present a revised copy of the unit. Post a working draft on the PLWP Teacher Resource Wiki.

 

IV. The Final Result

December 8 – Final class.  I hope we will now have personal working definitions of academic writing and will be able to argue how academic writing should best be taught.