Midterm Evaluation

Beth Wilkerson B1:

English 885

Dr. Cynthia Haynes 3 March 2009

From this class, I have already begun to make gains across the five dimensions of learning outlined in the Learning Record. In terms of confidence, independence, and reflection, I learned how I write best and learn material through the technoliteracy and composing process assignments. These papers helped me gain a better perspective of not only how I learn but also how others learn. This understanding will help me when teaching 103 because I will be careful to adjust to the various learning styles of my students. For skills and strategies, I have learned much about the “know-how” aspect of learning through the individual teaching presentations in our class. I learned ways that I may introduce collaborative writing assignments into my 103 classroom, how I can recognize and address cultural differences among students, and how I may teach them about research and technology. In terms of knowledge and understanding, the articles by Covino and Joliffe, Berlin, Berthoff, Elbow, Wysocki, Faigely, and Woo have helped me gain a better understanding of rhetoric and how it applies specifically to the teaching of English composition. Adding to the prior experience and knowledge from my Rhetorical Theory class, the readings in Composition Theory have taught me that all language is rhetorical. However, everyone’s definition of rhetoric may be different, and that’s all right; it’s not necessary that we and our students learn one definition of rhetoric. Instead, perhaps we can use one or two definitions as our rhetorical backbone—i.e., our guiding principle to our own writing as well as the driving force of our composition pedagogy—and then supplement that definition with others as the situation warrants it. As I have learned from the readings in our class and from the writing assignments, reflection and collaboration are key in any learning environment. Reflection allows us to focus on what we have learned, place that knowledge in context, and use it as a building force for future learning, something I aim to do for the remainder of the semester and then eventually apply to my teaching of English 103. On a practical level, I have gained a lot from this class because I have done the following:  Completed all the assigned readings, engaging in the material thoroughly.  Attended every class and arrived on time, prepared to discuss the readings.  Completed all writing assignments on time, drawing on material from the readings and class discussions while relying on my creativity and prior knowledge.  Completed weekly observations of my learning; for an in-depth discussion of my learning gains each week, please see www.mapc885.blogspot.com.

C1:

Because of the specific reasons listed above, and because I have made gains along the five dimensions of learning, I believe I deserve an A in this course thus far. I recognize that I still have a lot to learn about the teaching of composition, but with an open mind, I can certainly improve my own writing and learning ability over time. I look forward to increasing my knowledge and skills necessary to teach English 103 successfully through continued readings, class presentations, in-depth discussion of English 103 materials, and the final multimedia assignment.