Eric Fisher Stone – E-portfolio

Teaching Philosophy Statement

Teaching is a exercise of selflessness; it is an act altruism, of humility and patience. A teacher provides the gift of learning to students.

My students are improving better than they themselves may be aware. I tell my students that writing is a lifelong process, not a one-time performance, and they seem to understand the importance of revision and thorough practice at writing, which is a craft, not performance. Writing, to paraphrase Paul Valery, is never finished, only abandoned.

Teaching has opened to my eyes to the variety of experiences an my pupils bring to the classroom. I have become more sensitive and aware of my own privilege as a straight white male in the continuum of experience my students bring to campus. Teaching freshman composition is not as simple as having students bubble in answers on a test. The process and challenge of being a freshman in today’s universities largely relates to their own awareness of, and their effectiveness of using rhetoric in various situations.

Students, in thinking critically about rhetoric, also think more critically about ethics, as various forms of written, oral, visual and electronic media and advertisements have many aims, oftentimes manipulating the audience towards buying a product, or the rhetoric in speeches believing in political platitudes which may sound appealing on a superficial level, and yet lack morality and coherence. To understand not only what is being stated, but how it is being stated, allows students to think more deeply about the communication they encounter in everyday life, and in discerning good rhetoric from bad rhetoric, allows them to be more responsible citizens of Iowa, the United States and the world. Rhetoric, as the Roman educator Quintilian wrote, is “a just man speaking well.” It is not enough to make an argument logical; it must appeal to the audience. It is also not enough to make an argument pretty; it must be a good argument.

One challenge to students today is the overwhelming influence of consumerism. Writing can also be effected by this capitalist mode of being. However, writing must be more than a product, it must a continual metamorphosis through revision and reiteration. Therefore, in commenting on student papers, an instructor must pave the pathway to revision and encourage the student in their growth as a writer and critical thinker. Erika Lindemann, a lifelong educator who did saw composition courses to be of wider importance than simply literature or grammar courses, wrote on product-based pedagogy “Because students are regarded as novices, deficient experts, or worse, unruly and incorrigible people, many traditional teachers mark students’ papers as copy-editors would, rarely commenting on content but copiously “correcting” the text, generally at the level of the word or sentence” (Lindeman 292). Teaching is not simply a job, or a career. The success of teachers mirrors the success of students. Pupils of great teachers have influenced the world, and therefore it is important for a teacher to respect the potential of even a disinterested student.

I hope to be one day as proud of my teaching as I am of my writing, being that writing is what I am best at. My ultimate goal in teaching is not only to help my students be better writers, but better citizens and human beings by more critically and carefully examining the world whose information they receive in print and media. Teaching does not benefit the teacher as much as it benefits his or her pupils. Teachers ultimately become better instructors when they learn from their students.

Observation 1, Thursday September 2, 2016

My initial observation was done by my mentor, Michelle Tremmel. My lesson was more of a lecture than a lesson, and this was noted, being that Iowa State University is a student-based institution, meaning my students should have more active input in their learning. My mentor and I discussed creating more complex lesson plans after my first observation.

I began my first class by calling roll, and I mentioned the upcoming Assignment 2, which involved writing a letter to a friend, and using a map. I had uploaded maps to Pinterest of places that did not exist, (fantasy worlds such as Alice in Wonderland) but the purpose of the exercise was to show the focal point of the maps. I asked the students questions and praised my students when they answered them, any answer being praiseworthy, even if it were not the exact answer I wanted. My students then completed a group-activity answering question, and each of the groups contributed one answer. The rest of the class, even though it was a long Thursday class, comprised of me discussing rhetoric and questioning the class on it.

Dr. Tremmel gave me resources on lesson plans in our follow up. I have since been using a lesson plan with six activities, each detailed with bullet-points. As stated above, I lack organizational skills which come naturally to other people, and the new templates for activities were longer and more detailed, enough to last through a 75 minute class. The biggest issue besides the lecturing method of teaching I had, was a connection to the student’s own processes. The group activity seemed too much like busywork than adequate preparation for the assignment. That busywork however, did not fill up the required class time.

Observation 2, Tuesday October 4, 2016

By my second observation, I was following the template shown to me by Dr. Tremmel. I had six activities. The first involved my opening statements (however I forgot the day’s objectives) and those opening statements were still in the lecture mode. But I had relevant work for my second activity, which was for students to work on their own, finding pictures. Small groups were going to make their own memes, which they did. Dr. Tremmel said my activities had more relevance this time. However, the class ended five to ten minutes too soon. But there was much improvement.

Observation Notes from Danielle Buchanan’s Class

Danielle began by handing her students back her papers. She had a calm and warm demeanor which helped her seem approachable to her students. Some activities, regarding Assignment 3, was watching a video while her students did a similar analysis of the clip to the artwork of Assignment 3. The students then were placed into two groups and had a debate on various aspects of the video. There was an incentive, a can of tuna for whoever the class deemed the winner of the debate.

I learned a lot from Danielle’s calm demeanor, which seemed compassionate and attentive. She did not have my stiffness, and nervousness, which can put walls between myself and my students. I liked her idea of giving out a reward. That becomes a motivating force for the students to be attentive and participate.           

Several techniques I have observed from Danielle were quite useful. She had written a quotation on the chalkboard before class with a quote from Ludwig Wittgenstein, “The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” Relevant quotations and pieces of information I have often imparted verbally, but placing a quotation each day on the chalkboard shows thematic concern for the day’s objectives. Although the objectives were not about linguistic theory or modern philosophy, a quotation on the board makes the students trust their instructor, due to the preparedness required to write quotations on the board. When Danielle wanted to use background music for a writing exercise and the audio did not respond, she said “Silence is music too.” Danielle’s flexibility and presence of mind to make profound insights instead of panic, is a teaching poise I could use. When technology fails in my class I become worried the students believe I am incompetent, however, if the students are already looking to me for instruction in the first, it is unlikely they think this. Danielle also used phrases I have not in my in class exercises. “Share, Think, Feel” was written on the board in regards to the response of a video. These three steps, are in logical order of how the students were instructed to respond. These obvious and clear steps prevent freshman from being confused.

The video showed various people being told “You are beautiful” and most of them are pleasantly shocked. However, one young lady in the video became aggressive and angry when being told this. Danielle’s students were able to have a solid and mature discussion of the material which may seem emotionally volitile to some classrooms, but the “Share, Think, Feel” instructions were not obtuse, and yet gave the students enough freedom to speak about their insights on the video, but restricted them from tangents or awkward conversation.

Observation Notes from Shelby Rae Stringfield’s Class (Lab)

Rae’s class began with her uploading student’s images to Moodle. There groups of three presenters and there were three images uploaded and projected onto the lab’s projector screen. Each person in the group did a brief presentation, and after all three finished, the class clapped for them.

Her class was calm and respectful of her while she mentioned various artworks on campus and the descriptions and interpretations of them, including a work of art from her undergraduate campus, the University of Tennessee. All of it seemed to cohere well in her Wednesday lab class.

The main thing I learned from Rae, is to give time to the students. Let them do presentations instead of just groupwork and Q and A sessions with the entire class. This will make me a better listener, and a better evaluator of the O portion of the W.O.VE. curriculum.

I have learned from Rae’s patience and her method of presentations. These were not presentations for Assignment 5 but it was a good idea to practice presentation before they were formally a part of the students’ grades in the next assignment. Practice in presentations, makes them more efficient just as practice in writing and in teaching allows skill to develop.

Observation for Claire Elizabeth’s Class

This was a 250 class taught by Claire Elizabeth. Students did presentations this day and that was primary activity being that this was a Monday class, the presentations were able to fill all 50 minutes.

The class began by turning in their reflections of the assignment. The students read from written papers to the class. Claire’s students were instructed to ask questions after each presentation, and there at least three questions per presenter. The audience clapped after the presentation was over, and again after the questions were complete.

The first student’s presentation was about being an adrenaline junky and leaping off waterfalls for the rush it brings. One student mentioned an experience where he sang in choir, and cited the various chemicals and hormones in the brain during anxiety. Another student researched the history of homophobia, and concluded not much has changed in regards to the mistreatment of the LGBT community.

I found Claire’s preparation useful in terms having students ask questions, so that the class will have to focus on their peers. Claire listed the various presenters and called them off. Her preparation beforehand gave me ideas in how to create lesson plans with the O component of WOVE.

Lesson Plan — Thursday, September 29th, 2016

Objectives

• Turning in A3 and reflections on A3
• Audience Awareness
• Introduction to A4

Activity 1

• Students will hand in their Assignment 3 in hard copies
• They will do a reflection prompt that I uploaded to Moodle where they will write on two
• In class reflection writing question: 1. How am I improving from assignment 2 to 3, and what do I still need work on?

Activity 2

• How would you write assignment 3 if you wrote it for a different audience?
• Brainstorm how you’d write it for a different audience
• Audience 1. Fourth Graders
• Audience 2: Vietnamese Speakers who are learning English
• Audience 3: A close friend or family member
• Audience 4: A High School senior who is prospective student at Iowa State

Activity 3

• Show the Assignment 4
• QA of the Assignment
• Ask who the audience is for Assignment 4
• It is needs an academic audience

Activity 4

• Groupwork based on the Object Learning Worksheet, mention evaluation
• I will include different images than I had yesterday for the class
• They will be printed out by me and not on computers like on Tuesday, because we’re not in a lab, six pictures to make one for each group.

Activity 5

• In Class Writing: These four questions
• How did the office visits prepare you for your paper? 2. How did the peer response help? 3. What can I do to make the office visits more productive? 4. Is there any way I can improve group critiques? If so, let me know.
• Students will hand these in to me.

Activity 6

• Wrap up for next week

Reflections on this Lesson

This lesson was largely successful because my students seemed to comprehend the rhetorical implications of different audiences’ needs. My first section is naturally lesson engaged than my second; however they have a basic conceptualization of rhetoric even if their understanding had not fully transferred into practice at that point in the semester. However, I noticed in their A4 papers, most of my students in both sections used a more formal voice for a more academic audience. I am not sure if this was a credit to my teaching, or if they had naturally become acclimated to collegiate assignments from all of their classes.

To improve this lesson, I would have mentioned its objectives at the start. Between my first and second observation, I regressed in explaining the day’s objectives to my students, so that there was a pattern to the activities, and that the activities were not random occurring and had a pedagogical logic to them.

I still struggled, and continue to, in making more detailed activities so that my students are not finished with them too soon.

Lesson Plan for Tuesday (Lab) October 25, 2016

Objectives:

• Peer Group Review
• Reflection, and how we do it
• Audience

Activity 1: Peer Review

• Students will be put into their groups
• Students will critique each others’ writing

Activity 2 Reflection activity

• Students to stay in their respective groups
• Watch the Ted Talk from Draw on Reflection
• How have you used reflection based on the Ted talk in your essays?
• How have you used reflection in your group work?
• How has reflection aided your peer group?

Activity 3: Audience activity

Each group will come up with one advertisement: Write the advertisement and you don’t have to visualize it!

1. Write advertisements for a new car that hasn’t been invented yet. What is the car called? How does it look like?
2. Write a campaign statement for a new political party. What is your party called, and what is on its platform?
3.  A new computer game. What is your game called? What is the goal of the game and who is the right player for this game?
4. A new movie to be played in theaters. What is the title of your movie? What is the plot of your movie? Think about who would like to see this movie.
5. A new fast food establishment. What is your fast food establishment called? What is on the menu? Who would eat there?
6. A new multitool (like a Swiss Army Knife or a Gerber Wrench.) What is your multitool called? What kind of tools will it have? Think about who buys these kind of tools, and how they might be useful.

Activity 4

• Look at Assignment 5

Activity 5

• Homework: Bring the Final Draft of A4

Reflections on this Lesson

I was somewhat rushed in my preparation for this lesson. Although I had completed the lesson plan by class time, my mind was not at ease when teaching regarding the Ted Talk on DRAW, and knowing that my students could sense that I was nervous, I feared that they believed I was unprepared. Sometimes, especially with my first class, my students do not trust in me as teacher, for whatever perceived incompetence they sense in me. This is largely due to my nervousness, and sometimes inability to immediately resolve a technical issue on Moodle, thus having skepticism on not making straight As on their assignments. This seemed to be one of my off-days at the beginning of the lesson. After the Ted Talk, my execution of the activities was much smoother and by the second class, my nervousness was gone, and I had the practice of the previous lesson to draw upon.

The advertisement activity was fun for the students, because it allowed them to not simply analyze rhetoric from someone else, they created it. My first class in the fourth group 4 imagined a Disney-type film where it gently snowed puppies from the sky, and cats must save the world. I thought this was very creative choice, even being a little jealous of it as a writer myself. Thus, I began to learn from my students that day.

Works Cited

Lindemann, Erika. “Three Views of English 101.” College English, vol. 57, no. 3, 1995, pp. 287–302. www.jstor.org/stable/378679.