tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469514378360237874.post219856151557552883..comments2023-09-05T07:08:22.612-07:00Comments on First Year Writing at Utah Valley University: A "What do I do with this" PaperUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469514378360237874.post-980089244273673162008-09-16T13:33:00.000-07:002008-09-16T13:33:00.000-07:00I spend tons of time setting up each paper assignm...I spend tons of time setting up each paper assignment, walking them through the steps, going over the sample students essays in the text, etc. I find I get lots better papers from the students and good comments from them that I'm clear on what I want from their papers.<BR/><BR/>I think people who've observed my class might think going over paper assignments so thoroughly and "patiently" up front is a little boring, but I've seen good results from it, so I would rather do that than stuff that seems more creative and ambitious but leaves them more confused about what to actually do in the paper. These students in English 1010 need some pretty specific, basic-level orientation, I find.Christopher Bigelowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01417741940958662788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469514378360237874.post-72634551313568227362008-09-16T11:57:00.000-07:002008-09-16T11:57:00.000-07:00Good post, Jill. Glad to see this blog getting a f...Good post, Jill. Glad to see this blog getting a few entries. I have a sneaking suspicion I'm one of the only adjuncts who uses RSS feeds to get updates on blogs, so I hope I won't be the only one making comments.<BR/><BR/>I really like the statement you made about being self-reflective and seeing how your teaching is both strong and weak. I find that if a large majority of my students didn't "get it," it's usually my problem for not communicating well enough or not giving them enough preparation. I think it's good to be humble and be willing to make changes when something obviously isn't working.<BR/><BR/>Re: suggestions for back-tracking.... maybe this isn't healthy, but I just make a note of the problem and just change it the next time I teach the class. I also regularly solicit feedback from my students about how to improve assignments or course curriculum so that I can implement it in the future. I always tell the students in my first time teaching a class that they're my guinea pigs and I need their help to make the class better for students in the future. For the most part, they're very forgiving. It helps some students to realize their teacher is a human too.Alyssa Rockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17705164408001258447noreply@blogger.com