Questions?

Questions - reading/ writing across the curriculum;
ecology/ eco- composition; communities and literacy; visual rhetoric

research - across the curriculum and across the community - environmental issue in a school?

In what ways are we looking at different types (genres? but no, more -- purposes?) of writing in writing studies?

why not call it literacy studies? Are we ignoring or not embedding the READING? Need to look at Bazerman - writing to learn

reading informs writing!!!!!!!!! why the disconnect!! where are reading studies

women - narratives - sports vs. male narratives; opportunity for voices to be heard? 1 in 4 years, Olympics vs. every football, basketball, golf season

production - generative processes - art and writing - reading and producing texts - looking at art and producing art. "harmonies"

spaces...literary nonfiction science books - speaking to the masses

Reimagining public spaces - high line

Ideas - sustainability in higher ed - ways in which cross-curricular plays into this

From discussion:
knowing in action (trapeze)

reflection in action (jazz improv)

reflection in practice (inquiry...instructing)

Also ...why NWP (don't talk about how ineffective peer groups are -- just want to arrange different peer groups - reading back and forth could be helpful for a sort of reflection...but learning craft may need to happen elsewhere ) was difficult. Also, comments on 20 most common errors (its an error - and, but -KNOWING how to do this, then play with this for poetry)

Reflexive - reciprocal practice 

- how to provide some kind of research in writing classrooms

- writing students - engagement with social justice/ social practice

Mind-sets and writing - college composition. Mind-sets and equitable education. - Dweck

Research - reading coaching - writing "coaching" - how adults gain access to evolving compositional studies through the years.

Rhetoric of :green art

Research - the writing conference - editing? Revion?
Prewriting - results on tests
peer conferencing

- post development: rust belt
- ecofeminism

Also - research language surrounding the idea of craft
And research surrounding the language of design (sustainable)
technology as sustainability - alternatives to oil
transportation
homes - building (green)

more research ideas

sustainability policy - investigate
the research of the creative process - they mystery

some research ideas

Some more ideas:
1. Teacher empowerment, research
2. Discourse - environmental justice
3. reading/ writing connections
4. composing outside of the classroom in other social spaces - same/ different literacies
5. Discourse - rise and fall of extractive communities

weeks of 3.26 and 4.1

Week of 3.26 – 3.29

In looking at the variety of research design, I should mention the way research is presented in the Reading Courses I am also taking at SRU. I am finishing up a Reading Master’s program at Slippery Rock this spring; I fell into it when attending to earn an 18 credit reading cert. to help my chances in landing a teaching job in the area job market. That turned into a master’s program, which turned into a job at KSU (both in English & Study Strategies, which turned into this course!).

I wonder why it took so long for me to explore this – but the connections between the ways in which I am collecting data in the Reading courses and this course are glaringly obvious & I would do well to consider them through the lenses we’ve adopted in class.

Epistemology: The program as a whole has been grounded in theorists: Frank Smith, Rosenbaltt, Dyson & Heath.

Reading Practicum Course:

Methods : Case study; 2 students in at-risk school (determined by free and reduced lunches).

informal/ formal reading assessment measures – interest inventory, reading attitude assessment (uh…no, did not choose “Garfield”), IRI (informal reading inventory -I chose Jerry Johns’ Basic Reading Inventory) & two assessements to use as exit evaluations.

Case study format – reflect on results from initial assessments to determine a reading “prescription” for each student. I determined my students needed help with comprehension and inference & would benefit from high interest subjects. Also, they could use some help with figuring out vocabluary. Subsequent meetings clarifyed ways in which we worked on each of the above points we decided we’d work on. Drawings, connecting text to life, other texts and themselves through a written formant, keeping a vocab journal etc. were some strategies that emerged (oh, we were encouraged to use a text called The Next Step in Guided Reading by Jan Richardson).

Representation: Case study – which includes student work, my own reflections which track decisions made for subsequent lessons based on student work, discussions held with students outside of lessons, notes on parent night.

Documentation:

Explicit recommendations for future reading moves that can be completed with each student as referenced by data collected.

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To be honest, I was less than enthusiastic about this class before heading in. I was more interested in working with struggling adult readers vs. 6^th graders. I also wasn’t thrilled with the set up of some aspects of the case study…submitting lesson plans, notes on documentation, data – and the book which was clearly written for elementary students was not appealing…at first. I was working with college students, and had my own system of informal assessments to gauge reading and writing. At first, the data collection and documentation seemed like a royal pain. BUT…interesting. As the weeks continued on, I began seeing real “shifts” in the students. We were working on comprehension by summarizing/ notetaking (I had seen enough graphic organizers in my years of teaching to have my fill for a lifetime), but what was interesting with working with these guys was the ways in which I was able to look at HOW they were reading & trying to comprehend new material. And what they were responsive to…and not. This micro-level movement…and documentation, was surprisingly enlightening. I figured teaching a few concepts to 6^th graders would be just another assignment – but to the credit of my instructor, who made us LOOK at how students were responding to what we were doing, I really started to see movement in what the boys were capable of.

As noted in another class post, this “research” is more complex than I have noted above. Forces like the basketball program to which this “sudy table” was tied, the coach, the low teacher-student ration were huge. But it was a more helpful course than I’d originally thought it would be. Really looking at what was happening through my vs. what I wanted to have happen was good practice for future research.

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Week of 4.2 – 4.4

I am also enrolled in a coaching course, which is more about the practice of reading leadership and collaboration in a public school setting. I am pretty sure this is no longer my path in life, but nevertheless find the data collection to be quite interesting. One of the aspects of this class that I really enjoy is the way in which “coaching” is offered as a model for a variety of instructors sharing information and considering their own classrooms as places of research…and careful research allows teachers to have more of a “voice” in school policies.

In this course, we’ve done a few classroom visits (I chose to visit English courses taught at Kent by my colleagues) to take a look at ways in which literacy are being taught. We’ve explored some coding systems…helpful to get some experience with this & pretty informative to see what can be gathered in a given classroom session.

This ties into the texts you’ve given to me at near the beginning of the semester about the teacher-researcher, and, in sort of full-circle style realization, I realize I need to go back to those (Ack, haven’t read them yet).

I also make a connection to the recent response I made to Chris’s Carini post…exploring what is going on in Tuscon in regards to Ethnic Study courses is fascinating (and, at this moment, quite unsettling and sad).

I find myself reconsidering how research could be used in such a scenario…and it speaks, I feel, so much to texts we’ve considered over the semester & last semester. Reciprocity: Partnerships between Universities and other spaces (here, a Tuscon’s public high schools), Sustainablity: How such partnerships can be maintained, Sponsorship: ways in which literacy is controlled by groups – the power this holds.

Edweek.org offers the following in response to research surrounding the issue. I am not well-versed enough in research yet to know what weight this holds…but I am interested in learning more – as well as looking more closely at the research sorrounding this issue.

Research Org. Calls for Reinstatement of Ethnic Studies in Tucson

By Lesli A. Maxwell on February 23, 2012 4:25 PM

The governing body of the American Educational Research Association recently approved two resolutions that call for the reinstatement of a Mexican-American studies program in Tucson's public schools and the repeal of an Arizona law that bans such programs.

Last month, the Tucson school board voted to shut down its popular, yet controversial Mexican-American studies program after Arizona's schools chief ruled that the program violated a new state law that prohibits public schools from offering courses that are designed for a particular ethnic group, advocate ethnic solidarity, or promote resentment toward a race or group of people. The school system faced a loss of $15 million in state funding if the ethnic studies courses continued.

In their recent monthly meeting, AERA council members unanimously approved the two documents—one directed at the Tucson school board and the other at the Arizona Legislature.

AERA council members argue that there is a large body of scientific evidence that demonstrates the positive impacts of such ethnic studies courses on the academic acheivement of students. The group also offered to assist Tucson school officials in designing a Mexican-American studies course that would not run "afoul of the restrictions in the recently passed legislation."

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A couple of other musings, I have long been interested in alternative education programs that help young adults access educational opportunity. But what is most eye-opening is the ways in which these programs offer a different "ecology" than the traditional high school model. Forgive the metaphor, but I can't help but consider how the education field and the ecology field have much in common.
Agribusiness mirrors the "one size fits all" system seen in many schools -- I've seen some schools attempt to try something else, but feel challenged to consider educational writing research in areas outside of the typical high school/ college writing program. I've written about student writing in a job training program in which I worked recently.

Today I ran across a Philly program (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-dropping-in-an-innovative-program-tries-to-get-drop-outs-back-in-school/13556/ )that looks at youth who have dropped out of school (there is an acknowledgment of complex reasons: personal, social, environmental) as "clients" who need to find an educational course to reconnect with schools. This may take the shape of job-training, home-schooling with supports, alternative schools for adult learners, accelerated GED courses, connections to community colleges. The social worker & educational program, I think, is similar to the ecologist in acknowledging that students do not fit a standard education system. (Note...one of the reasons many students gave for dropping out was the rampant violence in schools...and I believe what is not always explored is the complexity in which students participate in violence...and for what reasons they do so). Makes me think about ways in which our students may be accessing writing in ways that are outside of our notions of public schools & what that might mean.

Blythe

Instead of one line of questioning being pursued, the very act of

research leads us into unexpected areas. For instance, the research method itself

may raise unexpected questions: Why did a chosen method prove less effective

than we expected? Would another method, or a modification to the original one,

work more effectively in this situation? Sometimes projects yield entirely unexpected

results: We were looking for X, but we were surprised to discover Y and

Z instead. – Blythe, 282

The Blythe article was certainly an intriguing read… in the past few weeks, it seems each piece presented offers a new angle on possibilities for research. Blythe, with the focus on “sustainable relationships”, “reciprocal relationships”, “trascend(ance) of academic calendars”, “activitist research” – music to my community service-loving ears. The complexity and scope of the problem as presented – both the environmental issue, health issue and the communication of dealing with it helped me to see possibilities with this kind of research.

So, we have the sediments, the health issue – and the stakeholders: EPA, TOSC, communication specialists – part of TOSC, third party experts (professors), community members, city govt.

Then, of course, the ideologies of each – just one example -- the mistrust of city gov’t by local residences.

Blythe’s manner of approach was of interest – the time in which he and his partner took to assess the myriad of variables “Jeff and I spent most of our first year meeting with local residents, journalists, government employees, and members of environmental groups” (273). I am recognizing that I can expand my conception of time frame to expand my ideas of research – or, the research I might like to do. Prior to these courses, I considered research something I’d do in a semester, a year. It took Blythe a year to simply assess & build trust w. various stakeholders. Later, he discusses the challenges of initiation and access “it can take significant amounts of time to build the trust necessary to get invited to participate.”

And, the complexity this kind of research raises, as Blythe points out in his discussion of “Wicked Problems”

Such problems involve so many variables, and institutions, and

individual stakeholders that it is hard to know where to begin

seeking a solution.

• Comprehending such problems requires technical and scientific

data that even supposed experts sometimes lack.

• An attempt to fix one part of a wicked problem usually raises a

new one.:

Such complexities (and others) of course make it difficult for researchers to “report” on a given project – Blythe asks the following: “How do activist researchers manage to write to other researchers about their work, especially when their research may not have yielded obvious results?” Given his own restriction of time”because the work was ongoing Jeff and I had little that we could report in terms of out comes 8 years later.”

Ok, here is where I found a bit of a gap. I understand the limitations of Blythe’s reporting for the particular project – and Blythe’s move to look at activist research gave me a rich series of articles to look at myself (I’d like to use Cushman for the class presentation next week)—I am with him when he restates ways in which “activist researchers involved in sustained reciprocal relationships also have been able to publish- and the valule of that activity” through methodological, theoretical, & praxis arguments… but I wanted to know how he applied the heuristic he provided to his own site he introduced us to (perhaps I need to read the article again).

This article, and subsequent conversation in class, got me thinking of long-term relationships forged with environmental community groups that my workplace forged when I worked in Pburgh with the Student Conservation Association. The work was not focused on the classroom, but community (though some classroom-style instruction was included). Each year ended with a Community Action Project which followed a set of heuristics to assess and create a plan to improve the community as generated from the participants (there were typically 3 groups of high school students, about the size of 8-10 students each – the project ran after school and on weekends).

We also used a heuristic (adopted from a group called EarthForce –I’d now like to know what investigation led to the heuristic) and set the project up as directed by students. Don’t get me wrong, though, my colleagues and I gave some very pointed “tugs” to the direction the project went – to ensure we were working ina neighborhood was safe, or to ensure the participants were planning more than a pizza party in the park as the end project. We had our own expectations as detailed by the work we were all doing (we were considered to be their work supervisors…unlike school they were being paid to implement this projects – this was definitely an interesting structure in which activist event occur).

How It Works:

Educators use the Earth Force Process curriculum to incorporate service-learning and civic action into the classroom. Local partners and experts can provide added depth to the six steps outlined here:

Step 1- Community Environmental Inventory: Students identify environmental issues and strengths within their own community.

Step 2- Issue Selection: Students learn democratic decision-making processes to select the issue they will be researching. They research the issue and narrow and refine its definition.

Step 3- Policy and Practice Research: Students identify and analyze policies and practices related to their issue. They research the issue from all sides and identify key stakeholders they can engage in their research and action.

Step 4- Options for Influencing Policy and Practice: Students identify a policy or practice related to their issue that they want to affect. They set a project goal and use democratic decision-making again to determine a course of action.

Step 5- Planning and Taking Civic Action: Students develop and implement a well-organized plan of action to ensure project reaches completion.

Step 6- Looking Back and Ahead: Students assess the project and process, identify next steps, celebrate successes, and share their stories.

Again, I’d like to do some research to see where these Steps emerged (not provided on website).

As discussed in the Blythe article – the complexity generated by these steps (raising one issue or question often raised several more) created a more complex project – period. But I will say, this process (which stretched over an entire 6 month period), yeilded results I had not seen in a classroom – and much of it was seeing changes in students through PROCESS (like seeing a participant become engaged or become a leader – or even, get involved in a rip-roaring fight, which happened when we ran our first CAP).

A couple of other connections – I am part of the International Reading Association & get the publication Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy – just two days ago, was sent a series of articles on social responsibility.

Steven Wok, author of Reading for a Better World: Teaching for Social Responsibility With Young Adult Literature uses books/ writing as a platform for inquiry across the curriculum. The following is a quote from the book - on how books, literature can be used:

“Teaching through inquiry and

teaching for social responsibility

have a symbiotic relationship.

Classroom inquiry nurtures social

responsibility, and living a socially

responsible life means to live a life

of inquiry. With inquiry-based

teaching, the process becomes part

of the content. No longer is the

curriculum simply the novel or the

facts to be learned but, rather, the

students and their teacher together using books, other

authentic resources, and their own opinions and experiences

to create the “living curriculum” as a true

community of learners.” (666)

While I find this to be interesting…when I relate the article (and ones like it, that outline best practices) to some of our explorations in class…I want to know more. Where is this working? In what ways, specifically, does it work? What projects can be outlined? Who is in charge of the learning here, and why?

I run across lines like this:

“Using young adult literature is one of the most

meaningful and enjoyable ways for students to inquire

into social responsibility because we can situate this

content in the wonderful stories of good books.” (667)

And wonder about the relevance for students I have taught in the past. Yes, certain novels/nonfiction pieces had were agency to lead students to inquire…but there was often much to it (some serious scaffolding which involved building, among cognitive skills & literacy practices, trust, so they would open up and write about subjects they found they cared about). Also, reading this piece highlights for me how entrenched in the traditional classroom still is. And I get it. Community outreach/ inquiry can turn into a logistical mess when you have a certain number of students and certain outcomes that must be met. But previewing Cushman’s article: “The Rhetorician as an Agent of Social Change” – I read the following:

“To empower, as I use it, means:

(a) to enable someone to achieve a goal by providing resources for them;

(b) to facilitate actions-particularly those associated with language and

literacy; (c) to lend our power or status to forward people's achievement.” (8) - Hmmn… the acknowledgement of “providing resources “ – not necessarily solely reading or writing …but certainly part of language and literacy.

When I worked at the SCA… it was clear that we were out of the classroom, and I think that it why the projects were so dynamic. Participants were reading, writing, collaborating, working, inquiring in neighborhood communities in which they cared about.

When I consider the inquiry I am encouraging in my current adjunct College Writing I position here at KSU, I reflect back to the “naturalness” (though complex) inquiry experienced in a community-based position. Of course, I have to remind myself, the SCA participants were getting paid. Ha. Ha.

All of this makes me think more critically about professional pieces I receive (wow, what a difference when I read Wok and Cushman -- I like Wok's suggestions, but he leaves me with many unanswered questions -- as compared to some of the "groundednes" I am feeling from Cushman) , how I teach my class, and considerations for research in the future.