Methods of Teaching English
ENGL 425/ [4 credits]
Spring 2006
Dr. Sean Meehan
Course website: http://webs.morningside.edu/meehan/englished/methods.htm
office hours [Lewis 310]: Monday 12.30-1.30 and Tuesday 11.30-1.30
All other times welcome by appointment
office phone: 274-5268
There is then creative reading as well as creative writing.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The American Scholar” (1837)
The aim of education is to enable individuals to continue their education.
--John Dewey, Democracy and Education (1916)
I opened books like jars.
--Annie Dillard, An American Childhood (1987)
Composing a Language Arts Course
Course Texts:
[Available in Campus book store]
Jim Burke, The English Teacher’s Companion (Heinemann, 2003).
Stephen Tchudi and Diana Mitchell, Exploring and Teaching the English Language Arts (4th ed. Longman, 1999).
Additional material may be posted on the web.
Course Overview and Focus:
The official title is Methods of Teaching English. My alternate title, “Composing a Language Arts Course,” indicates that our emphasis will be on learning and understanding the creative process that is the foundation for teaching English, or better yet, the language arts: reading, writing, literacy, media, inquiry, learning. Teaching a course in English is much like writing an essay or story, composing a book: it is multi-dimensional, multi-media, a highly engaging process that has as its ultimate objective the engagement of your students in this very engaging process of learning about language and writing and literacy. The primary focus of this course is thus the following: To engage and inspire students in understanding and experiencing the methods of teaching English that will in turn engage and inspire your own (future) students. A keyword of the course is experience: How can students experience the arts of language and the power of literacy fully and effectively? How do your own experiences as a student and (in your practicum) as a teacher of the language arts inform your development? What experiences do we want our students to have? At the end of this course I intend for all my students (namely, you) to experience an understanding of these methods of engagement such that you will leave with the requisite confidence and a useful portfolio to begin composing and teaching language arts courses of your own.
Course Objectives:
The learning objectives of the course correlate and reproduce the Standards for English language arts teaching as defined by NCTE.
Standards for the English Language Arts
Sponsored by NCTE and IRA
The vision guiding these standards is that all students must have the opportunities and resources to develop the language skills they need to pursue life's goals and to participate fully as informed, productive members of society. These standards assume that literacy growth begins before children enter school as they experience and experiment with literacy activities—reading and writing, and associating spoken words with their graphic representations. Recognizing this fact, these standards encourage the development of curriculum and instruction that make productive use of the emerging literacy abilities that children bring to school. Furthermore, the standards provide ample room for the innovation and creativity essential to teaching and learning. They are not prescriptions for particular curriculum or instruction. Although we present these standards as a list, we want to emphasize that they are not distinct and separable; they are, in fact, interrelated and should be considered as a whole.
1.
Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an
understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States
and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands
of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts
are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods
in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g.,
philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend,
interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience,
their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word
meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their
understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence
structure, context, graphics).
4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual
language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with
a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write
and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with
different audiences for a variety of purposes.
6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language
conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative
language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.
7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by
generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate,
and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts,
artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their
purpose and audience.
8. Students use a variety of technological and information
resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and
synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for
diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic
groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
10. Students whose first language is not English make use of
their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to
develop understanding of content across the curriculum.
11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective,
creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to
accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and
the exchange of information).
These same standards inform the English department objectives. The point of the course, then, is for you to leave it having first-hand experience with these objectives as both a student of English and a teacher. To leave the course, in other words, ready to continue your education. Yet another way to put this—in terms of the Morningside College outcome that this course serves: you will understand the value of life-long learning and be better prepared to create and convey that value in your own (future) courses.
Course Expectations and Policies:
Some crucial things you can expect from me as an educator and the leader of your experiences in the course.
Response: One of my roles is to assess your learning in the course so that I can help in that process. That means more than giving you a grade. It means giving you the response (employing a variety of methods of assessment, some with numbers, some without) that you will need to understand your own learning and thus perform in this course (and beyond it) more effectively and thoughtfully—the main objective of this and any course I teach. I understand that you may be more used to “grades” alone rather than this broader emphasis on response and qualitative assessment; feel free to talk with me whenever you feel you need a response that is more oriented toward a number.
Curiosity: I am a learner and love the process of learning; that is why I teach. This means that my curiosity for the subjects in this course and my desire to learn more about them will be part of the course and should encourage you, I would hope, to be equally curious and passionate about your learning. I will be a leader of the course but be prepared to have me follow your lead as well.
Flexibility: Since I am a learner and the course is therefore a work in progress, you should expect the course to evolve. We will follow a general syllabus with assignments given in advance; but be prepared for some changes to be made based on where we are going at a given time. You should always consult the course web page for updates. Regarding disabilities: If you have an identified disability which may impact your performance in this class, schedule an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss adaptations or accommodations which may be necessary to provide you with an equal opportunity for success in this course.
Some crucial things I will expect from you as a student (and fellow learner) in this course.
Participation: If you are going to participate more effectively and thoughtfully in your own learning (an objective of the course) you will need to participate on a daily basis. Class participation is a key component of the course and will be part of your overall grade. It involves keeping up in your journal writing, speaking and listening actively in class, being prepared for discussions, and using technology effectively and appropriately (see my Technology Use policy posted on the web). Since you can’t participate if you are absent, unexcused absences will affect your grade. An excused absence is one where you have spoken with me in advance about your need to miss class. Here is my attendance policy:
--After two absences (your free pass), each absence will count -10 from your final participation grade.
--A student who misses 50% of the classes by midterm (this includes classes missed before signed into the course) will automatically fail the course.
--Students may have the opportunity to add extra credit points to their participation grade. See me if interested or concerned about your absences.
Communication: Keep in touch with me about how things are going for you, difficulties you are having with your work, confusion, curiosity, excitement. Communicating how things are going is also a key part of participating thoughtfully in your own learning. My late work policy: As a rule, if you have not communicated with me in advance about turning in an assignment later than the due date, you will loose credit for that assignment. An assignment more than one week late will receive a 0.
Integrity: You can’t participate thoughtfully if you aren’t being fully honest with me, with your colleagues, and with yourself. Plagiarism is one form of dishonesty. In general, using the ideas and language of another without giving proper credit is plagiarism. Any student guilty of such plagiarism is subject to serious penalty for the assignment (failing) and for the course overall. We will talk about how to credit properly the use of another’s work as well as how to distinguish between collaboration and sharing (both of which are important in education) and plagiarism. For more on plagiarism and the policies of the College, consult the College Catalog and Student Handbook.
Progress: Throughout the course I will be looking for and assessing your progress as a way to help you make that progress. I will expect you to be striving for progress in all aspects of the course, willing and eager to do the work that progress requires.
Assessment:
I will use a variety of evaluation methods to assess your performance and determine your grade. These methods will be discussed in advance. The general scale I will use for determining final grades should be familiar to you (+ and – at each level may also be applied):
A/Excellent/90-100
B/Good/80-89
C/Average/70-79
D/Poor/60-69
F/Failing/below 60
What follows is a rough guideline for how your progress and work in the course will count toward your final assessment:
Participation (including practicum field experience): 25%
Reading (quizzes, focal points, midterm, presentations): 25%
Writing (journal, essays, lesson plans): 25%
Final portfolio: 25%