Transcript analysis - or - "Like, if, for, say..."

On your blogs, I'd like you to reflect on the transcripts as a whole. Begin with whatever you notice, whatever is standing out to you in general as you go through them. But also include, as you write, your reflection on the questions I've introduced in class:

First, what are the patterns you see in these transcripts? When I asked this question initially, I was thinking in terms of linguistic patterns (like the Initiation - Response - Evaluation (IRE) sequence I mentioned today), but viewing the performances today brought out other patterns too, such as the need for strategies to involve more students in the discussions. So look not just for patterns that show up in the language, but also issues or themes that seem to stretch across the transcript set.

Second, and using these transcripts as texts to begin your reflection, what kinds of goals do you imagine having for your class discussions? Or, perhaps another way of thinking about this is: in what ways can you imagine class discussions supporting the goals you imagine for your class in general?

I am convinced, now, that performing these transcripts is vital to getting at what's going on in them. I've always had a lively engagement with them in 338, but nothing as rich as what we've already gotten to, just in the 3 we've looked at. But: I want to encourage all of you to go over these a few more times, and practice the readings so that they sound as much like natural as you can pull off.

I might create a verb - "Gregging" - from today's performances, to refer to a student running off with an initiated question. As in, "I think you're Gregging right now."

Transcripts

I posted what I've received via email to the D2L page, under "classroom transcripts." Many of you are not yet included, however, and if you don't see yours there please email it to me.

Trees and students

At this point, there is only one hope for saving the grove of trees that stands immediately to the north of Wilson Hall, and that is a concerted student response. Here's the story:

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/montana_state_university/article_c9eed5e6-1816-11e2-b464-001a4bcf887a.html

Students sometimes forget how much power they have. Just thought I'd remind you.

Bad Moon Rising

For Wednesday, I would like you to answer these two questions on your blog:

1. What does College and Career Readiness (CCR) mean? In what ways can that be defined as an educational goal? (Use your own words, not the definition within the Common Core.)

2. What other goals can you imagine (besides CCR) for your students' literacy? In other words, in what ways besides CCR do you want your students to be literate?

Literacy

For Monday, please read through your classmates' blogs and write down what sort of variations you see in the definitions of literacy and illiteracy. What do these words mean to us?

Please begin reading: Plan on finishing by Friday

I have posted an article on D2L titled "Margins at the Center"; please begin reading this article by Wednesday and plan to have it finished by Friday. I put this up here because I want to use it to explore some primary cultural ideas we have about literacy and illiteracy, and while I tried to find a better article to use for this, I thought perhaps you would appreciate this writer's take on it.

For Monday

     For Monday, please write in your blogs a definition of what the word "literacy" means to you. Think of it not only in the noun form ("literacy") but also in the adjective form ("literate") and think also about what it means in relation to its opposite ("illiteracy" and "illiterate").  What does it mean, do you think, to call a person "literate"? To call a person "illiterate"? What is the divide between someone who is literate and someone who is not - that is, when can you say about someone "they are [oops - "he or she is"] now literate"?

For Friday

Hi there - for Friday, come in with the Hartwell article read - I'll expect you to have figured out what he means by his different definitions of grammar, which is where we'll start in class.

Also, please post to your blog your own ideas about the place of grammar instruction in your own classroom. If you don't think it has a place, explain why. If you do, what kind of grammar, by Hartwell's definition, is the instruction you are talking about? What expectations do you have for how it will help students? Please post this before class on Friday.

Obama's English

Check out this article on Obama's language, posted by Angela to her blog. Very interesting in light of our class so far, for many reasons, especially because the authors assert that "while racial and ethnic minorities (and working-class whites) must continue to learn “standard” American English — the country’s dominant language — all children surely need to learn to understand and appreciate the nuances of America’s diverse ways of speaking."  That sounds familiar!

Obama's English

If you see pieces like this, or that connect with what we're doing, please let me know. They really add energy to the material.

Hartwell and Grammar

For this week, I'd like you to read "Grammar, Grammars, and the Teaching of Writing" by Patrick Hartwell.  Please have it finished by Friday, but started by Wednesday. It's on D2L.