teaching
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The Writing on Learning Exchange: A Project to Get us All Writing
It’s clear that I’m in over my head this semester. I continually wish I had time to come over here to Classroom as Microcosm, ruminate at length about something going on in my classroom, and chat with all of you. Instead, when I’m not teaching or planning or grading, I want to think about something Continue reading
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Why You Should Fall in Love with Abed Nadir or Some Other Imaginary Person
I want my students to believe that it’s good to fall in love with fictional people. But I may be wrong. My English course for Child Studies majors is called “A Question of Character.” We’ve spent the last few weeks discussing what “characterization” means in literature, and what “character” means in life. Along the way, Continue reading
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The Worst of Me
Which of your character traits is your worst enemy, in your life but especially in your job? In one of my courses, we’re writing reference letters for fictional characters. In addition, as a possible blog assignment, I suggested students write reference letters for themselves, imagining they’re applying for their dream job and giving an honest Continue reading
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Classroom Blogging
I’m having my students keep blogs again. I’m both excited and wary. Student blogs are a lot more fun to read than papers, but they’re also more difficult to evaluate. The setup process has gone fairly smoothly so far, but it’s still been a lot of work. Reading a ton of blog posts every week Continue reading
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ClassROOM: Teaching and Physical Space
I was thrilled when I learned my schedule this semester: noon to 4 most days, a nice change from my usual 8 a.m. start. Then I learned the catch. When you teach in the middle of the day, it seems, you’re much more likely to end up in a terrible classroom. My first class of Continue reading
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Now You’ve Made Me Mad: Reprise
I don’t like this time of the semester. A couple of years ago at around this time, I summarized why. * What do you mean, “Why am I failing English?” You’ve failed EVERY SINGLE ASSIGNMENT since the beginning of the course. You handed in your first essay 2 weeks late, and you wouldn’t have handed Continue reading
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Without People: Reprise
As the semester draws to a close, I have more and more days like this one, which happened back in 2010. Few turn out this well, however. * Yesterday, when I left school, I wanted to live in a world without people in it for just a little while. My classes that morning had gone Continue reading
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Evaluation Rubrics
I’ve been asked to sit on a panel in January to discuss evaluation. One of the topics under discussion will be the use of rubrics to evaluate student work. I’m curious about others’ experiences with using rubrics. I have no idea how I’d manage without rubrics. I sometimes decide to “give myself a break” by Continue reading
About Me
My job is to teach people to read and write; aside from that, I like to learn things.
Classroom as Microcosm 