Course Syllabus (REVISED)

The Seminar in Teaching Writing
English 220.0907 (LEC 64003)
M: 10.30-12.45; E-261                                  W: 10.30-12.45; E-266

Justin Rogers-Cooper, Ph.D: jrogers@lagcc.cuny.edu
Office Hours:      M-F 9.15-10.15, or by appointment: M-109A

Course Blog: TBA
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COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION
The Seminar in Teaching Writing combines three hours of class discussion of theory and practice of teaching writing with one hour of actual classroom experience as a participant observer and as a tutor. In class, students will discuss readings on writing theory and practice teaching and tutoring methodologies. Students will work with students in a composition or basic writing class. They will observe the class during the first half of the term and during the second half they will tutor under supervision.

INDIVIDUAL COURSE DESCRIPTION
We will stick to the traditional texts taught in this course, but our version of the class will contain several key innovations:

* We will produce short end-of-the-semester podcasts on some aspect of teaching writing
* We will blog our experiences with tutoring students and review several films and videos
* We will tutor students and offer feedback on writing assignments to a variety of LaGuardia students from real on-going classes happening during the Spring II summer term.
* We will write a Case Study that combines what we learned from tutoring with our own pedagogical philosophies.

 COURSE TEXTS
Tutoring Writing by McAndrew and Reigstad (purchase at campus bookstore)
Active Voice by James Moffett (purchase at campus bookstore)
Other readings (provided by professor as links or PDFs)
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GRADING
This course can be both exciting and challenging. You are being tested in your ability to teach and learn at a high level, and are being given the possible opportunity to tutor college students. Only the best students in the class will be allowed to practice tutoring.

In addition, a passing grade must be received on every single assignment. You may revise any written assignments until you receive the grade you desire (see * below).

Out-of-class blogs written as take-home assignments must hit 200 words to fulfill the minimal length requirements.

Video projects will be completed with a small team. Self-evaluation and group evaluation will help me form your individual grades.

Blogs*                                     20%
Moffet Paper*                        10%
Dialogue Essay*                    10%
Quizzes                                   10%
Midterm                                 10%
Letter to Bert*                       10%
Case Study*                            10%
Final                                        10%
Podcast                                   10%

*Only students who maintain a grade of B+ or higher will be allowed to tutor. Students maintaining a B or lower will spend tutor hour(s) completing additional required writing assignments.
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ATTENDANCE
Attendance to class is required every day. If you miss more than two days, you may be required to withdraw from the class. Arriving after attendance is taken means you are marked late.
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LATE ASSIGNMENTS
Each student is allowed one extension of three days. Grade for that assignment begins to drop by a partial letter grade for every day after. Quizzes cannot be made up.
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STATEMENT ON PLAGIARISM

What is Plagiarism?
When you use another person's idea or work without giving proper credit, you are committing plagiarism. Plagiarism is considered unethical and in some cases illegal. Therefore, you should always provide appropriate citations for all quotations, summaries, paraphrases, or any other work that is acquired or borrowed from other writers. The penalty for plagiarism can be severe, and university instructors are continuously developing more sophisticated methods of discovering plagiarized material. If you have any doubt about the possible consequences of plagiarism, read the following news story: Internet Watchdog Could Stop Collegiate Copycats.

Although there are various citation formats, they all require the same types of information. Listed below is the basic information you will need to copy down from each source you use while doing your research. In the end, you want your readers—if they are interested in the topic—to be able to find the document you are quoting from.

BASIC RUBRIC FOR WORKS CITED PAGE
Book
author's last and first name; title of book; publisher place and date  of publication.

Journal/Magazine/Periodical Article
author's name; title of article; title of journal/periodical; volume number; issue number or month and year of publication; page numbers the complete article appears on.

Article From Anthology
author of article; title of article; title of anthology; editor of anthology; place and date of  publication; page number of article

Web page
author of document; title of document; title of complete work (if available); date of document's loading or last revision; electronic address or URL; date of access; publication information for print version of source (if available).

ALWAYS INCLUDE Basic Citation Information


TENTATIVE SCHEDULE: This schedule will shift around Writing Center Observations and In-Class Peer Tutoring as they arise.

M  9.8                      Introductions
Syllabus
Diagnostic: What makes good teaching?
Review Expectations of ENG 101 College Essays
                    
Next Class (NC): Buy Books
                                     Read Tutoring Writing pp. 21-30 & Prepare for Graded Quiz
           

W 9.10                        Graded Quiz on Tutoring Writing pp. 21-30
                                         Discuss Reading
                                         Video: Moffett on Media
                                         Create blogs; Blogging Moffett
                                                
In-class: Review/Prepare for First Graded Research Paper

NC: Begin Researching and Writing “The Ideas of James Moffett” (5 pp.)
Read Tutoring Writing pp. 1-7 & Prepare for Graded Quiz
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M         9.15                          Graded Quiz on Tutoring Writing pp. 1-7
                                                Discuss Reading
                                                Watch Tutor Videos:
                                                Video: What Happens in a Writing Center Visit?
                                                Video: Visit the Writing Center at WCC
                                           In-class writing: Video Review
NC: Read Tutoring Writing pp. 14-20 & Prepare for Graded
Quiz
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W        9.17               Graded Quiz on Tutoring Writing pp. 14-20
                                   
Maybe: Introduction to CATW Writing Test for ENG 099 students
                                                Video: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay
In-class writing: what makes good teaching?

                                                Tentative: Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
Tentative In-class writing:      What I observed today at
the Writing Center: strategies used / needed OR TBA    
NC:    Review Moffet “Explanation of the Program” (pp. 3-24) (*will appear on midterm)  
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M         9.22                   Tentative:  Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
                                         Video: The Texting Student
                                         Video review (in-class writing)
NC Class:   Read: Selections from Moffett
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W        9.24                 No Class                
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M 9.29                                    Discuss Moffett Reading
                                    Peer Review: the Moffett Paper (@ 2 ½ pages)   
Tentative: Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
                                                Discuss Readings
                                                Watch Tutor Videos
                                                Video: Difficult Situations
                                                Video: Plagiarism and Tutoring
NC:      Read Active Voice 46-70;

W 10.1            DUE:  First Research Paper (James Moffett)                                 
In-class: Letter to Professor on writing process
Tentative:  Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
Exercise from Active Voice 46-70
Writing the dialogue essay
                                
NC:  Write dialogue based on Writing Assignment based on Active Voice 46-70
                                                
M 10.6            Group work: Share dialogues / identify research prompts
                       

NC: test researchability; confirm that your dialogue ideas are absolutely researchable (if not, start over); add research to dialogues
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W 10.8                           Perform dialogues
Finish dialogues for performance
            Tutoring:    Students with “B+” or Higher Begin Tutoring !!!!!!
Tentative:    Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
                                           Film: The US Schools to Prisons Pipeline
                                           Blogging: Review of film

NC: Finish Dialogue Essay

M 10.13              College Closed
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W 10.15          DUE: Dialogue Essay; Perform Dialogue
NC: Read Sondra Perl, “Understanding Composing” (*will appear on midterm); Read Tutoring Writing 31-41

M  10.20         Quiz on Tutoring Writing 31-41; Discuss Perl
                            Tutoring Begins Around this Week!?
                                    Blogging: tutoring; film reviews

Group Work: Problem Posing / Evaluation of Tutoring at the Writing Center
                           Prepare for Group Presentations

NC:         Read Tutoring Writing 42-69 and prepare for QUIZ

W 10.22           TUTORING!

                      Quiz on Tutoring Writing 42-69
                        Group Presentations: Problem Posing
                     Videos: Difficult Situations                                               
                      Video: Plagiarism and Tutoring
                   NC: Read Mike Rose “Rigid Rules” (*will appear on midterm)

M 10.27          Discuss Rose
                       Group Presentations: Problem Posing
                       Video: What is Pedagogy?
                       Ted Talks: Sir Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity
                       NC: Read Kozol “Savage Inequalities”

W 10.29         Discuss Kozol
NC:  Read “Cultural Divides in Writing Tutoring”
                         Midterm Review
Chomsky on the Purpose of Education

M 11.3               MIDTERM            

W 11.5            Discuss “Cultural Divides”
Peer Review:   2 copies of  “Letter to Bert Eisenstadt”   

M 11.10          DUE: “Letter to Bert Eisenstadt: Evaluation of Tutoring in the Writing Center”
                         Video: The Secrets of ALEC 
                            Video: ALEC/Education
Video: Diane Ravitch on Corporate Education Reform
Read: Pedagogy ofthe Oppressed (chapter two)
                                                                  Text (to print)

W 11.12          Discussion of Pedagogy of the Oppressed      
Group Activity: Pedagogy of the Oppressed and your philosophy of pedagogy   

CASE STUDY: Begin writing your Tutoring Case Study        

M 11.17                      NC: Read “Psychology of Social Class”

W 11.19          Discuss “Psychology of Social Class”

M 11.24          [Date left open to catch up on shifted work due to Peer Tutoring]

W 11.26          Case Study: Peer Review

M 12.1                        Present Case Study


W 12.3            Case Studies Due
Podcast on Case Studies       


W 12.10          Final Exam

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