California State University's Assignment Template

            I feel that this chapter had a lot of useful ideas for bringing writing into the classroom. One subsection I like is “Using Model Language.” Many times, students won’t introduce a quote in their writing as they were never told to do so. They just jump write into the quote. I felt this section was useful as it can show students not only that they have to introduce their sources, but also how to do so.

            Another section I found useful was Revising and Editing. “Rhetorical Analysis of a Draft” had some great information and things students should look for when revising their own and their peers’ papers. Often times, when students hear “edit your papers,” they think only of surface edits: spelling, punctuation, grammar, and conventions. This helps give students things to look for when making revisions to their paper, which will ultimately result in stronger writing. I recently taught a lesson that used many of these same ideas. Students had written rough drafts and were getting ready to peer review them. Before students traded papers, I had them look at a sample paragraph and discuss the changes they would make to them. Most of the changes were stylistic errors instead of helping to improve the content. I showed them some ways to help improve the content of the paper and handed out a worksheet with questions on how to improve the content of their peers’ papers. This made students look more in-depth when editing their drafts.

            Another idea this section presented that I felt would be useful is both the teacher and student keeping index cards to track changes to each draft. When many students edit and revise their paper, they do so to the original document. Because of this, students are unable to see what they started with, only what they ended with. By seeing how writing progresses, students are able to see common mistakes they make and ways to improve them. Writing will improve over time as students are able to cut out editing time as their first drafts are of better quality. 

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Instruction

                I feel that common standards are a good thing as all students learn the same basic principles needed to thrive in today’s world. While I agree with standards, I disagree with standardization, particularly among curriculums. Just as no two students are the same, no two teachers are the same. Department-, school-, or district-wide curriculums may seem like a good idea in theory, but is difficult to pull off. Teachers have different teaching styles and interests and use this to teach their students. If all teachers are forced to teach the exact same material in the exact same way, teachers can lose a lot of the passion they put in to crafting a lesson. Teachers need to be allowed to put their own spin on the material they present to the classroom.

                Teachers can still help their students rise to the standards without being standardized themselves. The Common Core State Standards illustrate the concepts students need to comprehend. Teachers can create their own curriculum in order to teach their students these skills. As well as adding their own spin to a lesson, teachers can help individualize to their students. Like Kyle’s issue in the article, classroom have varying levels of diversity. Some students may learn in specific settings or through different teaching styles, and standardized curriculums don’t allow for this. Teachers can vary their curriculum in a way that is beneficial to all students’ learning and still make sure that the common core standards are introduced into the classroom.

                As for the standards themselves, one thing I like is how standards remain mostly the same through grade levels: Standard W.9-10.1 and W.11-12.1 both say that students should be able to “Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.” Although ninth and twelfth grade students are asked to know the same concepts, they are required to know more about them. Students are introduced to the same standards year after year, but each year gain a deeper understanding of them as they expand on their previous learning.

Discussions in a Democratic Society

                This chapter made me think of previous courses I took that were mostly discussion based. I feel that this is one of the best learning styles as multiple viewpoints are presented. Oftentimes, students may present perfectly valid viewpoints that the instructor hasn’t even thought of. Also, these type of lessons/courses are more engaging and have a more lasting effect on students. I have always paid more attention to what is going on in group discussions over just the instructor lecturing the whole room. Discussion allows for more two-way communication, whereas just lecture is mostly one-way. Students are able to ask clarifying questions of the instructor in a lecture-style environment, but they are only exposed to a single viewpoint. By being exposed to multiple, diverse viewpoints, students can increase their critical thinking skills by exploring how they all tie together or clash with each other.

                One part of the chapter that explored the downsides of discussion-based learning that I thought was interesting was how quieter students might not contribute as much to the conversation. One way I would try to circumvent this in a classroom would be to introduce the discussion topic to the class and have them individually write out their response and opinion on the topic. After every student has responded, I would then open up the discussion to them. Now that each student has their own answer, they may feel more inclined to share it with the class and compare it to other students’ opinions. If these students still choose not to volunteer, I could call on random students to share their viewpoints when the discussion starts to die down, so as not to cut in too much. Since they already have an idea written down, they won’t be as flustered and put on the spot.

                I also liked what the chapter said about the different dispositions, particularly autonomy. Discussion are important for being introduced to a wide array of opinions and viewpoints, but that doesn’t mean a student’s personal opinion has to change. In fact, being exposed to more viewpoints can help a student stand by their original statement. The student now has more viewpoints with which to compare theirs to and can use that to strengthen their argument. While there may not be a right or wrong solution to the topic being discussed, holding on to one’s own viewpoint while still considering and incorporating others’ can help increase understanding and learning.