Student voice and their "creations."
Academic discourse.
My acquired southern accent/discourse.
Audience.
Visual rhetoric.
Prep for Berger reading.
Journals.
Go over blackboard posts.
I feel like today was a bit rushed - partly because the computer threw a mild hissy-fit every time that I rolled the keyboard into the cabinet; Also, the students weren't talking much today, so I felt like I was talking A LOT. I got them to talk more when we discussed visual rhetoric, and had them apply their knowledge of rhetorical moves on a few "Got Milk" ads (the ads featured The Incredible Hulk, Superman, Wolverine, Rhiana, and Chris Brown). This is practice for their paper coming up! But there was definitely an air of "TGIF-ness" (that's a word)... Monday will be exciting with Berger :) They just need to recharge their batteries. I am looking forward to winter quarter schedule though - having nearly 2 hours together twice a week instead of the 1 hour three times a week will be helpful; that way, they'll be free to have larger discussions without my fearing that we aren't getting to the information we need to cover.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
In a world where students take an interest in the parts of speech...
My dears,
In the near future, should you decide to have a discussion on how gender roles/codes are being reinforced through the almighty television and how to analyze visual rhetoric, do not begin the discussion with "So, what's the difference between 'sex' and 'gender'?"... Why I did not expect sass, I don't know - but the quick response I got from monsieur "L" was this: "sex can also be a verb!"... *face-palm*
Other than that strange start to our conversation, the day went well. In the students' papers, many of them noted how they were excited to advance their vocabulary, so I hit them with a text written in a sociological discourse that many of them would likely use in the future (vocab included words such as ideology, masculinity, gender codes, social hegemony, patriarchal, and more) We discussed the vocabulary first - many of them said they had to read the text with a dictionary in hand, and a couple said they read it more than twice. "Great! That's an excellent practice!" (said an enthusiastic me.) Also, I got one of the quieter students to speak up! (May I just say "BOOYAH!!"?)
I was going to give them a HUGE reading on voice, but I cut it (Because it was HUGE) and gave them a smaller reading instead. We'll talk about voice/purpose/audience/etc., etc., in class Friday, and get to setting up Berger... This is going to be fun :)
In the near future, should you decide to have a discussion on how gender roles/codes are being reinforced through the almighty television and how to analyze visual rhetoric, do not begin the discussion with "So, what's the difference between 'sex' and 'gender'?"... Why I did not expect sass, I don't know - but the quick response I got from monsieur "L" was this: "sex can also be a verb!"... *face-palm*
Other than that strange start to our conversation, the day went well. In the students' papers, many of them noted how they were excited to advance their vocabulary, so I hit them with a text written in a sociological discourse that many of them would likely use in the future (vocab included words such as ideology, masculinity, gender codes, social hegemony, patriarchal, and more) We discussed the vocabulary first - many of them said they had to read the text with a dictionary in hand, and a couple said they read it more than twice. "Great! That's an excellent practice!" (said an enthusiastic me.) Also, I got one of the quieter students to speak up! (May I just say "BOOYAH!!"?)
I was going to give them a HUGE reading on voice, but I cut it (Because it was HUGE) and gave them a smaller reading instead. We'll talk about voice/purpose/audience/etc., etc., in class Friday, and get to setting up Berger... This is going to be fun :)
Monday, September 26, 2011
Day 2 - Hurry up and Discuss!
I decided to use the edited version of “Seeing” that we first read in the Best Essays text so that I could pair it with the Schlosser reading. Some of them loved Dillard; others hated her; two didn’t even read her; and quite a few found her decision to write a nature piece questionable. They decided that the purpose of the text was to point out the ways that people see and experience life... to which I begged for more information: “Good! Can you say more? Are there different ways of seeing as you go through life?" The discussion branched into the 2 ways of seeing that Dillard mentions (analyzing and “letting go”), and how/when/where we use either (Dillard 126). I asked if they believe a person could “always” be in one frame of mind or the other, if there are certain things which force one to be analytical besides schoolwork? Are there ways of “making” a person see one way or the other, or were there things that begged you to remain oblivious?
They decided that schoolwork demanded that they be analytical (duh!). So I asked them about the two different kinds of people who go to movie theaters (those who talk throughout, and those who go to “zone out” and embrace a willing suspension of disbelief) and the experience of either movie-goer. In The Lord of the Rings films, for example, there are several allusions to Biblical scripture, but you don’t have to analyze them to enjoy the films. I asked them about movies which force the audience to think analytically the entire time (Films like The Sixth Sense, and they brought up Inception): what is it about the film, or how does the director direct it in such a way as to force you to “see” analytically? We talked about pathos, logos, and ethos a bit, and how authors/directors/companies use rhetoric to catch your attention, sell products, instill social expectations, etc., and then picked up the Schlosser text, and discussed how they could relate his article to what we had already been discussing.
We looked at the great lengths that the researchers went through to create a product that would sell: forming think tanks, hiring child psychologists, looking into dream therapy, etc., etc., and so they not only knew their product; they knew their audience, and how to rhetorically shape their ads (more likely to appeal to pathos and ethos than they are to use logos with children). I brought up the 1995 Budweiser frogs commercial, and, to my dismay, they were all too young to have seen or remember it. However, one of the students volunteered “furbies,” another the “Chia pet,” and others shouted memorable commercials that they remembered, and how they made them think of what should and shouldn’t be bought. How did those commercials effect the way that they saw children around them? They hadn’t thought of that before. What about the commercials made them memorable? What caught the eye? Why did they “need” what was being shown?
I left it at that, and gave them a reading by Aaron Devor on Gender Roles and public perception, and told them to watch for commercials that they believe are successful, and then be ready to discuss why they're successful in class.I've got a stack of literacy history papers to mark, and then I'm off!
They decided that schoolwork demanded that they be analytical (duh!). So I asked them about the two different kinds of people who go to movie theaters (those who talk throughout, and those who go to “zone out” and embrace a willing suspension of disbelief) and the experience of either movie-goer. In The Lord of the Rings films, for example, there are several allusions to Biblical scripture, but you don’t have to analyze them to enjoy the films. I asked them about movies which force the audience to think analytically the entire time (Films like The Sixth Sense, and they brought up Inception): what is it about the film, or how does the director direct it in such a way as to force you to “see” analytically? We talked about pathos, logos, and ethos a bit, and how authors/directors/companies use rhetoric to catch your attention, sell products, instill social expectations, etc., and then picked up the Schlosser text, and discussed how they could relate his article to what we had already been discussing.
We looked at the great lengths that the researchers went through to create a product that would sell: forming think tanks, hiring child psychologists, looking into dream therapy, etc., etc., and so they not only knew their product; they knew their audience, and how to rhetorically shape their ads (more likely to appeal to pathos and ethos than they are to use logos with children). I brought up the 1995 Budweiser frogs commercial, and, to my dismay, they were all too young to have seen or remember it. However, one of the students volunteered “furbies,” another the “Chia pet,” and others shouted memorable commercials that they remembered, and how they made them think of what should and shouldn’t be bought. How did those commercials effect the way that they saw children around them? They hadn’t thought of that before. What about the commercials made them memorable? What caught the eye? Why did they “need” what was being shown?
I left it at that, and gave them a reading by Aaron Devor on Gender Roles and public perception, and told them to watch for commercials that they believe are successful, and then be ready to discuss why they're successful in class.I've got a stack of literacy history papers to mark, and then I'm off!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Day 1... *Insert a sigh of relief here*
It would be a big, fat lie if I said I slept well last night. I had class yesterday, and the professor couldn't get any of her technology to work for the life of her. Her power point, syllabus, and video clip all failed, and she spent much of the time muttering under her breath about the computer. Luckily, that didn't happen to me this morning; I went to class early to set everything up only to find that I'd spent the evening worrying over nothing.
This morning my students were VERY quiet at first, so I played a small practical joke on them By introducing myself in French, and (still speaking in French) asked them if they were there for French 101 (to which I quickly assured them that if they weren't, they were in the correct class) that got a laugh, and they at least started talking to their neighbors about their being relieved. It got better from there - thinking over that again, that was risky, but they were making me nervous with their blank stares.
We first talked about their expectations for the class (they all said they expect to "write"), and I went over my definition of the class, and my job to help them - not rule over them. From there we went over the basics of the syllabus, then I had them get up out of their chairs to meet 5 interesting facts about 5 different people before I broke them up into 2 teams to play Karen's baseball game. (The game went fairly well because they'd gotten a chance to meet one another before the game, and were able to guess many of the answers). After the game, I had them introduce the people they'd talked to earlier to see if they'd still remembered, and then we talked a bit about what was due Monday, and (because I completely forgot that my class I doesn't end at 8:50) I let them go "early."
A few instances that gave me insight into my class this morning are:
a) After I'd walked into the classroom, one student ("E") popped her head into the class and asked my permission to enter the room. I smiled, invited her in, and we began to talk, but I immediately discovered something about my students: they're young, and they're terrified of me. I tried to address that fact as each student came in, by smiling, greeting them, and encouraging them to get to know one another, but that definitely threw me for a loop.
b) While playing the baseball game, one of the students' facts was that before we got going, he/she was really afraid of the class. I didn't poke around and ask who'd written it, and I didn't want to dwell on the idea of their being afraid, but the person who was guessing actually said "I think that applies to all of us, right?" and they all laughed, so I'm happy that they resolved the issue (however "small") together.
c) Talkers: who's a talker, who isn't, and who can make others talk. While playing baseball, I allowed the players to get feedback from their teams if they weren't sure who had written the fact, and some of the talkers would ask the quieter folks their opinions. One student ("D") gently forced one of the quieter students ("F") to participate by insisting that he looked like he knew the answer. They struck out, but at least "F" participated, and wanted to be up to bat next!
Overall, I'm looking forward to the quarter!
This morning my students were VERY quiet at first, so I played a small practical joke on them By introducing myself in French, and (still speaking in French) asked them if they were there for French 101 (to which I quickly assured them that if they weren't, they were in the correct class) that got a laugh, and they at least started talking to their neighbors about their being relieved. It got better from there - thinking over that again, that was risky, but they were making me nervous with their blank stares.
We first talked about their expectations for the class (they all said they expect to "write"), and I went over my definition of the class, and my job to help them - not rule over them. From there we went over the basics of the syllabus, then I had them get up out of their chairs to meet 5 interesting facts about 5 different people before I broke them up into 2 teams to play Karen's baseball game. (The game went fairly well because they'd gotten a chance to meet one another before the game, and were able to guess many of the answers). After the game, I had them introduce the people they'd talked to earlier to see if they'd still remembered, and then we talked a bit about what was due Monday, and (because I completely forgot that my class I doesn't end at 8:50) I let them go "early."
A few instances that gave me insight into my class this morning are:
a) After I'd walked into the classroom, one student ("E") popped her head into the class and asked my permission to enter the room. I smiled, invited her in, and we began to talk, but I immediately discovered something about my students: they're young, and they're terrified of me. I tried to address that fact as each student came in, by smiling, greeting them, and encouraging them to get to know one another, but that definitely threw me for a loop.
b) While playing the baseball game, one of the students' facts was that before we got going, he/she was really afraid of the class. I didn't poke around and ask who'd written it, and I didn't want to dwell on the idea of their being afraid, but the person who was guessing actually said "I think that applies to all of us, right?" and they all laughed, so I'm happy that they resolved the issue (however "small") together.
c) Talkers: who's a talker, who isn't, and who can make others talk. While playing baseball, I allowed the players to get feedback from their teams if they weren't sure who had written the fact, and some of the talkers would ask the quieter folks their opinions. One student ("D") gently forced one of the quieter students ("F") to participate by insisting that he looked like he knew the answer. They struck out, but at least "F" participated, and wanted to be up to bat next!
Overall, I'm looking forward to the quarter!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Testing - testing... is this thing even on?
So...test post. I'll define my blog title! :) It might seem a little creepy, I guess, if you don't know where it comes from (No, it's not originally mine). It comes from Act II Scene II of Shakespeare's play Hamlet, and the actual quote is Guildenstern's "O, there has been much throwing about of brains" as pertains to the discussion of the war of the theatres at the time. I've always liked the quote because (even though it's not what Guildenstern meant) the idea of throwing one's brain - instead of just words - in an argument is favorable.
When I think of "throwing about brains," I think of people putting all their thoughts into what they're saying; to throw words is simple, and often mindlessly done, but to truly wrap your mind around something before you commit to speaking on the matter takes true respect for others and oneself. I'm aware that I don't always "throw about" my every thought before I speak, but I suppose with a blog I've time to edit/revise my thoughts and put a bit more effort into it. At any rate, I hope to throw brains at/with y'all. Let's see if this works, shall we? (moves mouse over to the "publish post" link and winces)...
When I think of "throwing about brains," I think of people putting all their thoughts into what they're saying; to throw words is simple, and often mindlessly done, but to truly wrap your mind around something before you commit to speaking on the matter takes true respect for others and oneself. I'm aware that I don't always "throw about" my every thought before I speak, but I suppose with a blog I've time to edit/revise my thoughts and put a bit more effort into it. At any rate, I hope to throw brains at/with y'all. Let's see if this works, shall we? (moves mouse over to the "publish post" link and winces)...
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