When the teacher is ready, the student will appear. - adapted from a Chinese Proverb
Preparatory Composition
Over the years what has become obvious about teaching this course, more so than others, is that learners do much better mastering the basic writing skills when the baggage that accompanies them to class is unpacked.
If nothing else, ENG 098 is a course about developing judgment and, as Mulla Nasrudin is less famous for saying than Samuel Clemens, good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment. Most of the students who place into this section of English had less than thrilling adventures in composition during high school. Often, the experiences were so negative not only have their inherent communication skills atrophied but their imagination and motivation have suffered serious collateral damage. Freewriting does a body good and in my sections at least, it is practiced as a daily discipline. From time to time, items used in my sections of ENG 098 of 098 will available through the pulldown menu above. Happy trials! |
College Success
I love this course because it makes the unwritten, affective curriculum central to acquisition of the cognitive skills and mastery of course objectives under discussion.
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Migrant Literature
Somewhere at 30k feet in the air, it dawned on me that movements of people across oceans and over time have shaped the world we live in. By the time the plane landed, the outline of the course was clear. I know, sometimes the obvious escapes the notice of even those paid to repeat it. Enjoy the observations of learners who shared with me their new eyes.
SM's Beyond Hard Work |
English 102
Sometimes, from the very cauldron of confusion, a great and clarifying light appears. This was my experience with Composition II Fall Semester 2012. I hadn't taught the course in years and the textbook I'd ordered was not available on the first day of an eight-week class online, so we went with what had been ordered for part-timers. An anthology to which, on general principle, I'm opposed. More on that elsewhere.
Initially, I'd bought into the pride goes before the fall thinking, having been incredibly encouraged by the 'career bests' of the previous eight weeks' classes. But now I see the circle of life flows on with light and darkness taking necessary turns. Below are links to student portfolios that took the assignment to another level. KF's Legacy TO's Generations |