IL 2243: Theory and Practice in Teaching Writing

Syllabus IL 2243: Theory and Practice in Teaching Writing

COURSE DESCRIPTION In this seminar, we’ll experiment with our own writing, keeping a notebook, generating drafts, then engaging with peers in a writing response group. In the process, we will consider our students’ experiences and perspectives, as well as commentary and examples by professional writers. We’ll then delve into various approaches to the teaching of writing from both theoretical and applied perspectives. We will explore (and problematize) process-based, skill- based, and genre-based approaches to teaching writing. We will also consider writing developmentally, and will examine student work samples—our own and various carefully assembled collections—to determine next coaching steps and possible mini-lessons. Class activities are designed to “try on” several key dimensions of a literacy coach/specialist’s role and responsibilities. I will look for evidence that you are considering new perspectives that have implications for your professional practice in your analytic and reflective writing. I encourage you to examine your own experiences, philosophies, and cultural beliefs as they relate to our topic this semester.

COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: 1. Enact increasingly strategic, informed writing instruction in classroom settings. 2. Model for learners, based on personal writing experience, reflection on classroom practices and student work, and study of research. 3. Look at student work through developmental and strategic lenses, and make plans based on what is seen. 4. Locate and evaluate a variety of powerful resources for professional learning and practice-based inquiry.

REQUIRED MATERIALS  Applebee, A.N. & Langer, J.A. (2013). Writing instruction that works: Proven methods for middle and high school classrooms. New York: Teachers College Press.

 Dyson, A.H. (2013). ReWRITING the Basics: Literacy Learning in Children’s Cultures. New York: Teachers College Press.

 Graham, S., Bollinger, A., Booth Olson, C., D’Aoust, C., MacArthur, C., McCutchen, D. & Olinghouse, N. (2012). Teaching elementary students to be effective writers: A practice guide. (NCEE 2012-4058). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. (Available online)

 Graham, S., Bruch, J., Fitzgerald, J., Friedrich, L., Furgeson, J., Greene, K., Kim, J., Lyskawa, J., Olson, C.B., & Smither Wulsin, C. (2016). Teaching secondary students to write effectively. (NCEE 2017-4002). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (Available online)

 Professional book on some aspect of teaching writing, 2015-2017 publication date, from Guilford, Heinemann, NCTE, Stenhouse, or Teachers College Press. You’ll select a text through discussion with instructor.

Additional readings available online or through the University Library System (ULS) NOTE: Readings without linked PDF files and not from the required texts for this course are available through the University Library System. Please refer to the instructions for Logging in from Off Campus. Locate the articles using PittCat+. In most instances you can simply highlight and copy the article title from this page and paste it into the PittCat+ search field to locate the article.

ASSIGNMENTS

I. Discussion Board Postings (20 points) Please participate in our classroom discussion by posting on the Discussion Board during the weeks specific questions are given. You are responsible for posting substantive responses to questions no later than 12 Midnight (EST) on Wednesday of each week. Additionally, please comment on the responses of others no later than 12 Midnight (EST) on Sunday. Excellent responses concretely reference readings, share insights and questions, and make connections with professional practice. (See rubric)

II. Writing Experiments—Notebook, 3 Starts, 1 Revised/Developed Piece (30 points) Select a lined, inexpensive composition notebook. Personalize it by decorating with photos, drawings, magazine cut-outs, and favorite quotations. This will be your Writer’s Notebook. For three weeks, please engage in reflective writing, at least three times a week, writing for at least 10 minutes each session. In the process of generating these entries, it may be that you start a piece of writing that you select for further development. However, for each of the first three weeks, I’ll provide a writing invitation that I ‘d like you to draft. So, by the end of the first three weeks, you should have at minimum, 9 journal entries and 3 draft texts. Select one promising beginning, and work on this for at least 30 minutes. This text is what you should share in your response group during Week 4.

III. Analysis of student work samples (20 points) After reviewing various collections of student work from Reading Rockets, Reading and Writing Grade By Grade, Scholastic Art and Writing, and Oregon Department of Education High School Scored Student Writing, select one or two of your own students and gather multiple samples of written work, preferably across subject areas or several months of tasks. Remove student names and copy the writing samples in order to annotate. Read through the work carefully, 2 2 and then write a 4-6 page analysis of the student work, comparing it to other examples of student work you have been reviewing. What strengths seem evident? What areas of struggle are apparent? What “next steps” might you take in conferences or classroom lessons? Submit both the collection of student work (as a scanned electronic file) and your analysis.

IV. Evaluation of recently published professional text on teaching writing (30 points) In consultation with the instructor, and with others in the class, select a recently published (2015-2017) professional book on the teaching of writing. Keep track of the books you considered but rejected, and be able to explain why you selected this particular book for purchase and review. Read the book, seeking to determine central questions, key ideas, frameworks used by the author, and possible audiences that might benefit from reading the book. Using the template provided by the instructor in our class Google Drive folder, prepare a summary and analysis of the book. Collectively, we will be creating a defacto “guidebook” to a set of current professional texts. In addition, using VoiceThread, prepare a 5-minute book talk for your peers, highlighting useful aspects of the text and offering caveats regarding audience and purpose. Then, write a 1-2 page process reflection on how you made decisions along the way.

COURSE EVALUATION

EVALUATION Percentage of Item Evaluated Point Value Final Grade Discussion board posts 20 20% Writing experiments 30 30% Analysis of work samples 20 20% Evaluation of writing text 30 30% Total 100 100%

GRADING SCALE

Grade Points

A+ 97-100 A 94-96 A- 90-93 B+ 87-89 B 84-86 B- 80-83 C+ 77-79 C 74-76 C- 70-73 D+ 67-69 D 64-66 D- 60-63 F Less than 60

GRADING POLICY Students are welcome to revise and resubmit work for re-evaluation, in consultation with the instructor. Consistently late discussion board posts or late assignments will affect overall grade. Educators and other professionals enrolled in online M.Ed. courses do well to block off several windows of time each week for each course taken to focus on course readings, responses, and assignments. Contact the instructor immediately if any problems, confusions, or complications arise.

TOPICAL OUTLINE Refer to the course Schedule.

TEACHING METHODS In my experience, professionals learn best when they have opportunities to experience the content (in this case, writing and the teaching of writing) directly, then reflect upon those experiences in light of professional inquiry, study, and experimentation. The effect of this work is amplified if conducted in a professional learning community, and if professional learners intentionally tie course assignments to their current work contexts. I encourage connection, collaboration and engagement between all enrolled in the course. Students will be asked to participate in a writing response group, and then, to collectively produce a guidebook (from their individual evaluations of new professional texts)—so we all become acquainted with a plethora of newly published resources.

PLAGIARISM & ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh's Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.

4 4 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 140 William Pitt Union, at 412-648-7890 or 412-383-7355 (TTY) as early as possible, but no later than the fourth week of the term or visit the Office of Disability Resources website as early as possible, but no later than the 4th week of the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.

ACCESSIBILITY Blackboard is ADA Compliant and has fully implemented the final accessibility standards for electronic and information technology covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. Please note that, due to the flexibility provided in this product, it is possible for some material to inadvertently fall outside of these guidelines.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE These materials may be protected by copyright. United States copyright law, 17 USC section 101, et seq., in addition to University policy and procedures, prohibit unauthorized duplication or retransmission of course materials. See Library of Congress Copyright Office and the University Copyright Policy.