Syllabus (revised)

The Seminar in Teaching Writing
English 220.0908 (LEC 48555)

M: 9.15-11.30, E-228              W: 9.15-10.15, E-228; 10.30-11.30, E-111A
Justin Rogers-Cooper, Ph.D: jrogers@lagcc.cuny.edu
Office Hours: M-109a, TBA
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 write a Case Study that combines what we learned from tutoring with our own pedagogical philosophies.
* We will produce short end-of-the-semester podcasts on our final assignment (the case study)
* We will blog our tutoring and Writing Center experiences and review relevant films and videos
* We will tutor students and offer feedback on writing assignments to a variety of LaGuardia students

 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.



Grade Breakdown

Moffet Paper                         20%
Blog                                      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.

W  3.4  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
           
M 3.9                        Graded Quiz on Tutoring Writing, 21-30
                                         Discuss Reading
                                         Video: Moffett on Media
                                         Create blogs; Blogging Moffett (lab dependent)
                                                
In-class: Review/Prepare for First Graded Research Paper

NC:
Research: “The Ideas of James Moffett”
Read: Tutoring Writing, 1-7 & prepare for Graded Quiz
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W  3.11                       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: 
Research: The Ideas of James Moffett
Read:
Moffett, “Explanation of the Program” (pp. 3-24) (*will appear on midterm*)  
Tutoring Writing pp. 14-20 & Prepare for Graded Quiz
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M 3.16 Graded Quiz on Tutoring Writing pp. 14-20
            Discuss Reading
     Maybe: Introduction to CATW Writing Test for ENG 099 students
             Video: How to Write a Good Argumentative Essay
In-class writing: what will an excellent James Moffett paper do?

Tentative: Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
Tentative In-class writing: What I observed today at the Writing Center: strategies used / needed

NC:   
Read Active Voice 46-70;
Peer Review: the Moffett Paper (3 pages for full points)  
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W 3.18   Tentative:  Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
Peer Review: the Moffett Paper (3 pages for full points)  
Letter to Professor: Reflections on Moffett draft 
Discuss Moffett
                                        Video: The Texting Student
                                        Video review (in-class writing)
NC:  
Selections from Moffett (PDFs on course webpage, look below the syllabus)
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M 3.23 Discuss Moffett Readings
Watch Tutor Videos:
                                        Video: The Do’s and Don’t’s of Peer Tutoring
                                        Video: The Texting Student

                                        Video review (in-class writing)
                                        Video: Difficult Situations
                                        Video: Plagiarism and Tutoring

NC: DUE:  First Research Paper (James Moffett)                                 
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W 3.25            Tentative: Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
                        DUE:  First Research Paper (James Moffett)                                 
In-class: Letter to Professor on writing process
Discuss Readings
             Exercise from Active Voice 46-70
Writing the dialogue essay

NC:      Write dialogue based on Writing Assignment based on Active Voice 46-70

M. 3.30  Tentative:  Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
                     Group work: Share dialogues / identify research prompts           
NC:  confirm that dialogue ideas are researchable (if not, start over); add research                                                

W 4.1 Perform dialogues in pairs
            Ted Talks: Sir Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity
            Film: The US Schools to Prisons Pipeline
             Blogging: Review of film(s)

NC: Finish dialogues and prepare for class performance
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W 4.13 Dialogues Due – Perform Dialogues                     
            Tutoring:    Students with “B+” or Higher Begin Tutoring !!!!!!
            Tutoring Begins Around this Week!?
Tentative?    Observe Writing Center tutors in B-200
                                    
NC: : Read Sondra Perl, “Understanding Composing” (*will appear on midterm); Read Tutoring Writing 31-41
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W 4.15            Perform Dialogues
Quiz on Tutoring Writing 31-41; Discuss Reading, Perl
            TUTORING?!
NC:
Read Tutoring Writing 42-69 and prepare for QUIZ

M  4.20            Quiz on Tutoring Writing 42-69
                        Discuss Reading
Group Work: Problem Posing / Evaluation of Tutoring at the Writing Center
                          Prepare for Group Presentations

NC:                   Group Presentations: Problem Posing
                        NC: Read Mike Rose “Rigid Rules” (*will appear on midterm)

W 4.22                        TUTORING!?
                        Midterm Review
                        Discuss Rose
                          Group Presentations: Problem Posing
NC:                 
Prepare for MIDTERM

Updated Course Schedule ENG 220

M 4.27 Group Presentations: Problem Posing
In-class tutoring          
NC:  Rose
 W 4.29            Discuss Rose / midterm review
Group Presentations: Problem Posing
                         Video: The Secrets of ALEC
NC: Read Kozol “Savage Inequalities”
Peer Review:   2 copies of  “Letter to Bert Eisenstadt”   

M 5.4   Peer Review Bert Eisenstadt
                Discuss Kozol
            Chomsky on the Purpose of Education

W 5.6     MIDTERM 
NC: Read “Cultural Divides in Writing Tutoring”

M 5.11      Discuss “Cultural Divides”
NC: DUE: “Letter to Bert Eisenstadt: Evaluation of Tutoring in the Writing Center”   
            Letter to Professor: Writing Process
W 5.13 DUE: “Letter to Bert Eisenstadt: Evaluation of Tutoring in the Writing Center”
    The Case Study
NC:  Pedagogy of the Oppressed (chapter two)
 Text (to print)

M 5.18      Discussion of Pedagogy of the Oppressed      
Group Activity: Pedagogy of the Oppressed and your philosophy of pedagogy   
NC: Read “Psychology of Social Class”
W 5.20            “Psychology of Social Class”
M 5.25             Case Study: Peer Review 
W 5.27          Podcast on Case Studies       

M 6.1         Podcast on Case Studies       
 W 6.3           Final Exam



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