Week three of teaching has for me solidified why I have chosen this as a career. I had three students approach me after class Monday (after teaching McCloud and Berger) to tell me that they really enjoy being able to question our what we believe to be true and how we are persuaded through text, media, etc. These three particular are students that I have been wondering about in class. They have limited participation n discussion and do their homework but without any excitement about the subject matter. But I watched their eyes brighten on Monday and I knew that I had reached them and connected and it was an amazing moment for me as a teacher. I think we were all waiting for "that" moment.
I enjoyed teaching McCloud and Berger a lot on Monday, I also enjoyed teaching Allen, but my students also really enjoyed Lammott, King and Diaz. They shared that they were refreshed to know that everyone struggles in writing, not just them. Debunking the "inspired writer" might have been the best thing so far for my class. Peter Elbow proved to be the hardest to help them understand. They grasped the idea of contraries and not everything has to be either/or but can be both/and. Howeer, they were confused when talking about voice. I had to bring Lammott, King, and Diaz back for reference of voice.
I'm interested to see how they connect to Porter this coming Monday. I have prepared a Power Point to show them how things influence other things and then a voting system to measure Porter and intertextuality with. I think they'll enjoy it, but we'll have to wait and see.
What a great moment--I am glad you had it.
ReplyDeleteI am wanting to hear more details abut what you tried and how--nuts and bolts stuff.