Final Self Reflection

I am taking away two things from this course:  #1 - I am on the right track, so keep plugging forward, and #2 - I can still improve in making my classroom even more engaging.


I have come to understand, through my supplemental reading book, Promoting active learning: Strategies for the college classroom by Meyers and Jones (1993) and our discussions that I have created an active learning environment in my classroom that inspires, excites, and motivates students to step outside of their own learning comfort zone and strive for more.  I have learned that my crafted activities promote my students to take responsibility for their own learning, encourage self reflection and build intrinsic motivation.


In terms of improving my classroom, I have already begun the process as I have identified 8 Video journal prompts, have contacted my school's blackboard 9.1 guru for assistance in designing a quick tutorial on using the blackboard blog option, and I have networked with David Robertson to assist me in teaching the personal narrative paper for my class.  Unfortunately, my course expectations - 30 total contact hours - limits my ability to create a 100% service learning component, however I am working with my department chair and a fellow teacher to create a peer tutoring program to provide a form of internal service learning within the college.  Additionally, I have spoken with my Student Services department to possibly devise a "Write to Know" brochure for students to receive during their initial orientation program to the college.  While I have listed off many learning strategies that I have initiated over the past four weeks, they are grounded in a deep rooted belief that an actively engaging environment that requires students to take control of their own learning by making my role a "human google" where students find resources and information.


In the end, I am taking the resources we have explored and I am permanently adding them to the classroom so that I can become a stronger and more proficient teacher.


To this end...check out the following video prompt, as I think it represents how I plan to teach in the future - by pushing my students even harder to maximize their limits:

Instructional Plan - Module 5

Title:

My Personal Narrative

Description of the students/course:

This unit will be used in my ENC 90, Foundations of Writing developmental class at Gateway Community and Technical College.  The students are between 18 – 60 years of age and have various life and academic experiences that cause writing apprehension and hesitation.  The class will consist of one faculty member, one co-teacher, and 20 students  and will take place over the course of two weeks.

Concepts addressed:

• Students will be able to (SWBAT) employ simple strategies for planning a personal narrative essay.
• SWBAT address writing to a specific audience for a personal narrative essay.
• SWBAT effectively organize a personal narrative essay.
• SWBAT develop ideas adequately for a personal narrative essay.
• SWBAT write an effective beginning, middle and end for a personal narrative essay.
• SWBAT compose complete, cohesive sentences for a personal narrative essay.
• SWBAT apply methods of revising for a personal narrative essay.
• SWBAT use editorial techniques for a personal narrative essay.
• SWBAT create impromptu creative writing assignments by writing “mini stories” to the video journal prompts provided in class.

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will be able to improve their self efficacy and social integration by writing a personal narrative that encompasses the entire writing process and accurately applies the principles of narrative writing (dialogue, story, voice and authenticity).
2. Students will be able to engage with their college community by creating a 2 – 3 page “Personal Narrative Writing Guide” insert; this insert will be included in the Orientation to College brochure passed out during new student orientations.  (Future classes will revise this insert and changes will be made on a semester basis in the Orientation to College brochure).
3. Students will be able to improve their self efficacy and academic integration in writing by improving their impromptu writing skills via daily video journal prompts.
4. Students will be able to improve their self efficacy and academic integration in writing by self evaluating and monitoring their own writing in comparison to writing samples within the Writing Workshop.

Description of the assessments and rubrics

Assessment 1 – Impromptu Journal Blogs

Students will receive full credit by completing the daily writing prompt and sharing their journals with their writing workshop group. 

Assessment 2 – Personal Narrative

Students will successfully write their Personal Narrative essay by completing all portions of the writing workshop process: Brainstorming, organizing, researching, outlining, rough draft, at least 3 revisions, and the final draft.  Please see appendix A for a copy of the college provided writing rubric that must be used to grade this essay.

Assessment 3 – Personal Narrative Brochure

As a class, students will design and create a “Personal Narrative Writing Guide” insert that will include the steps of the writing workshop process and the following narrative elements: description, elements of a story, dialogue, voice and use of emotion. 

Assessment 4 - Self Reflective Essay

Upon completion of the unit, students will write a 1 – 2 page essay that answers the following questions.  As long as each answer is a college level paragraph in length, students will receive full credit for the completion of the self reflection.

1.      What have I learned about personal narrative writing?

2.      Now that my entire paper is complete, how do I feel about my essay?  How did the Writing Process help me?

3.      What was it like to help create the “Personal Narrative Writing Guide?”  How do you think it will help future students who enter ENC 90?  How did it help you understand the elements of writing a Personal Narrative essay?

4.      If you were to mentor an ENC 90 student next semester, what advice would you give him or her?

Use of technology

Technology Component 1 – Video Journal Prompt

            Directions – After watching the video, create a 2 – 4 paragraph dialogue between two of the characters in the video.  Make sure that your dialogue is realistic and includes tone description.

• Free Hugs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd
• Dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY
• Johnny the Bagger: http://www.stservicemovie.com/
• Wedding Dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Technology Component 2 – Writing Workshop Revision Worksheets

            Directions:  Students will be asked to make revisions to a provided personal narrative sample paragraphs.  Upon completion, students will share their answers with their writing workshop partners.  As a writing workshop team, they will create a “master” revision form.  Finally, students will review the revision “key” that will be transmitted via blackboard and the LCD projector.  Softchalk will be enabled and all revisions will be posted for future review on blackboard.

References

Deci, E. L. & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum Press.

Deci, E. L. & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The ‘‘what’’ and ‘‘why’’ of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268.

Meyers, C. & Jones, T. (1993). Promoting active learning: Strategies for the college classroom. Jossey - Bass: San Francisco.

Tinto, V. (1975). Dropouts from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent

research. Review of Educational Research, 45, 89–125.