Hi guys.
I'm trying this new thing where after 242, I'll go immediately to the lab in Hollenbeck and write a blog based on what we did in class that day and my thoughts. I will not allow myself to leave the building until I have another published blog! Yay. I'm in the lab now. This sounds extreme, but seriously, this way I'll have ideas still fresh in my mind. No more questioning what I'll right about. No more procrastination.
My thoughts for today center on the idea of syntax. The irony here? I've changed the punctuation in "No more questioning what I'll right about. No more procrastination" like four times. Whatever. Those fragments are a stylistic choice. Blogs are supposed to be informal anyways! I'm going to have to admit that I just googled the word "syntax". To be honest, I never heard of syntax until just recently. I guessed out of context clues that it is how our sentences flow. Google says ssentence syntax is: "In linguistics, the study of the rules that govern the ways in which words combine to form phrases, clauses, and sentences." Sounds good to me, although this definition is a lot more technical than I thought it would be.
In the end, does syntax=grammar?
Looking at the example sentences Mike handed out, grammar seemed to fix most of the syntax issues. Other issues, like clarity, were improved by rewording part of a phrase. Again, I think it's really awesome how a sentence can be worded infinitely many ways and still convey the same meaning. Conversely, using one weird or unparalleled form of a word can blur the meaning of a sentence.
Well, I was quoted twice in our handout today. It looks like I made the same mistake twice:
"Having nothing but a few writing center sessions where I was the writer, a few weeks in Writing Center Theory, and a couple of practice sessions under my belt, apprehension was expected."
"After turning the paper right-side up, he admitted that he had never been to the Writing Center before, so I gave him a brief summary of what we do and explained we generally start with reading the paper aloud."
In both of these examples, I failed to indicate the subject for the first part of my sentence. As you can see, I like occasionally starting sentences with -ing verbs. I guess I never thought about how it could create some confusion if not done correctly. Like Keri said, "it made sense to me." It's difficult to catch mistakes when we already know what we're trying to say. I guess this is why the Writing Center is such a useful tool! Writers must be aware of the readers' perspectives. Chances are, the reader is not telepathic, so writers must follow the rules of sentence syntax.
This brings me to my sketchy quote of the day. I believe it was Alexa who said something along the lines of "more stylistic, less realistic." Writers must be careful when choosing a stylistic approach. Very few writers have the authority to choose this approach, unfortunately. Stylistic, sometimes grammatically incorrect, approaches are not generally accepted in formal, academic writing. It is sad, but it is true. Look at my first paragraph again. Don't the fragments at the end make sense? I blog the way I would speak. And if I said all of that first paragraph aloud in conversation, I bet most people would understand what I was trying to say.
Too bad the misused grammar is often a distraction in written language.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Summaries
Hello bloggers,
Last week, as all of you know, we had the assignment to summarize two of our reading out of the Murphy/Sherwood book. I was looking through our syllabus today and saw we weren't scheduled to do any more summaries for the year. I quickly realized I felt a little relieved our summarizing days were over, but why did I fee l that way?
There's something about summarizing that just feels so boring and superficial to me. Maybe I'm missing the point, but in my summaries, I just gave an overview of the main idea of the piece, the broke down the essay into a brief outline of the author's supporting points. I was a little stuck when I tried to begin a summary.
In recent English classes, I've spent most of my time analyzing and voicing opinion on a reading; little time is spent summarizing.
While writing a summary about DiPardo's "Lessons of Coming and Going", I found myself wanting to draw conclusions, ask questions, form opinions, and then make some sort of thesis statement. I had to remind myself that analysis was not my objective. After writing the summary, however, I came to a conclusion: Before forming an argument about our readings, we must first have a strong grasp on the author's true, over-arching purpose.
To be completely honest, I read these essays a lot more thoroughly because I knew I had to write a summary about them. I knew I would have to have a comprehensive idea of what it was about. I'm not trying to say that I don't read the essays when a summary isn't required, but the way I read is differently. When I don't have to write a summary, I go through the reading and only highlight things that strongly agree or disagree with. I look for things that are controversial. I look to form an opinion, and sometimes this comes from looking at individual statements and side remarks. When I have to write a summary, I go through and look for main ideas. I search for the big picture arguments.
Neither type of reading is wrong, but I feel like when I have to summarize, I'm forced to look at what the author is trying to say. Google tells me that a summary is "A brief statement or account of the main points of something". Opinion not included. Overall, I much prefer to analyze and form opinions rather than write up a summary. In thinking about an essay, I'm tempted to skip the summary and move straight to the next level. The analysis and critique is the fun part. As hesitant as I am to say this, perhaps I should be forced to summarize more often. It's an essential process that readers often skip.
Last week, as all of you know, we had the assignment to summarize two of our reading out of the Murphy/Sherwood book. I was looking through our syllabus today and saw we weren't scheduled to do any more summaries for the year. I quickly realized I felt a little relieved our summarizing days were over, but why did I fee l that way?
There's something about summarizing that just feels so boring and superficial to me. Maybe I'm missing the point, but in my summaries, I just gave an overview of the main idea of the piece, the broke down the essay into a brief outline of the author's supporting points. I was a little stuck when I tried to begin a summary.
In recent English classes, I've spent most of my time analyzing and voicing opinion on a reading; little time is spent summarizing.
While writing a summary about DiPardo's "Lessons of Coming and Going", I found myself wanting to draw conclusions, ask questions, form opinions, and then make some sort of thesis statement. I had to remind myself that analysis was not my objective. After writing the summary, however, I came to a conclusion: Before forming an argument about our readings, we must first have a strong grasp on the author's true, over-arching purpose.
To be completely honest, I read these essays a lot more thoroughly because I knew I had to write a summary about them. I knew I would have to have a comprehensive idea of what it was about. I'm not trying to say that I don't read the essays when a summary isn't required, but the way I read is differently. When I don't have to write a summary, I go through the reading and only highlight things that strongly agree or disagree with. I look for things that are controversial. I look to form an opinion, and sometimes this comes from looking at individual statements and side remarks. When I have to write a summary, I go through and look for main ideas. I search for the big picture arguments.
Neither type of reading is wrong, but I feel like when I have to summarize, I'm forced to look at what the author is trying to say. Google tells me that a summary is "A brief statement or account of the main points of something". Opinion not included. Overall, I much prefer to analyze and form opinions rather than write up a summary. In thinking about an essay, I'm tempted to skip the summary and move straight to the next level. The analysis and critique is the fun part. As hesitant as I am to say this, perhaps I should be forced to summarize more often. It's an essential process that readers often skip.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
No Reality is Absolute.
Hi all.
I loved our discussion on the correlation of perception, reality, and language the other day. I feel like we could have continued the conversation all day. Language creates reality, and language defines reality. What a crazy concept. I'm sketchy and a wrote down some things people said in class during that conversation. I just love the intellectuality we have within our bunch.
Brandon Pytel: "because of language, no reality is absolute." Brandon's statement is an accurate representation of our conversation. Every given word can have a thousand meanings, all based on a person's connotation and assosiciations for that word. Words are so indefinite. At the same time, when used correctly, words can have such an accurate desciption of what we feel, see and think. I love words so much. I love how certain words can evoke specific images. I love how words can have so much weight. This is why I'm a dork. Although I guess if all of you guys are pretty solid writers, you might feel the same way.
Language is a way to solidify the reality around us, although like Brandon said, our words never provide an absolute reality. I use words to figure out what's going on in my life. My thoughts are often a scramble of words and ideas. Writing is a way to piece the mess together, figure out what I'm thinking, and draw conclsuions about my life. I got through some of the most confusing situations of my life by writing everything I was thinking down in a journal. By wrting, I figure out my reality and can analyze my life. I love to think about why I do the things I do. By writing, I can draw these conlusions.
Another quote from our discussion was from the lovely Kari Hemmert: "perception is reality". How wonderfully true. Kari used the example of "it's only awkward if you make it awkward", and I love that rule in life. It shows how we all percieve things differently, not only based on our past expiriences, but based on our attitudes.
Writing center advisors need to be aware of the different perceptions each writer may have. Our perceptions form our realities, and these realities are displayed through our writing. Advisors need to help each writer convey their own reality.
I loved our discussion on the correlation of perception, reality, and language the other day. I feel like we could have continued the conversation all day. Language creates reality, and language defines reality. What a crazy concept. I'm sketchy and a wrote down some things people said in class during that conversation. I just love the intellectuality we have within our bunch.
Brandon Pytel: "because of language, no reality is absolute." Brandon's statement is an accurate representation of our conversation. Every given word can have a thousand meanings, all based on a person's connotation and assosiciations for that word. Words are so indefinite. At the same time, when used correctly, words can have such an accurate desciption of what we feel, see and think. I love words so much. I love how certain words can evoke specific images. I love how words can have so much weight. This is why I'm a dork. Although I guess if all of you guys are pretty solid writers, you might feel the same way.
Language is a way to solidify the reality around us, although like Brandon said, our words never provide an absolute reality. I use words to figure out what's going on in my life. My thoughts are often a scramble of words and ideas. Writing is a way to piece the mess together, figure out what I'm thinking, and draw conclsuions about my life. I got through some of the most confusing situations of my life by writing everything I was thinking down in a journal. By wrting, I figure out my reality and can analyze my life. I love to think about why I do the things I do. By writing, I can draw these conlusions.
Another quote from our discussion was from the lovely Kari Hemmert: "perception is reality". How wonderfully true. Kari used the example of "it's only awkward if you make it awkward", and I love that rule in life. It shows how we all percieve things differently, not only based on our past expiriences, but based on our attitudes.
Writing center advisors need to be aware of the different perceptions each writer may have. Our perceptions form our realities, and these realities are displayed through our writing. Advisors need to help each writer convey their own reality.
Monday, February 13, 2012
They say, I say?
Hi.
I've been thinking about They Say/ I Say a lot since our last discussion in class. While a was orginally sceptical of this precise essay formula, I am now starting to see it as a useful tool for creating a cohesive essay. I wish that I had had this book while writing essays in high school.
I'm all about structure. If an arguement doesn't follow a logical progression, I get really frustrated and sometimes I stop following. Part of of this structural obsession most likely stems from my OCD; I like everything to be in order. Maybe another part of it comes from ADD. If an essay isn't clear, with a natural progression, I stop paying attention. So, when I start writing an essay, I have a step by step process. After researching and forming a thesis (which is subject to change as I dig deeper into the subject), I make a list of all of my supporting points. I then think of a way the supporting points most naturally relate to eachother, i.e. which points are related and could have potentially easy transitions. I kind of create a flow chart. A ---> B ----> C. Points A, B, and C etc. become sections of my paper.
Each of these sections can have more than one paragraph depending on the amount of information found. Within each paragraph, I start with some strong topic sentence, then support it, then show how it relates to the thesis, and transition into the next paragraph. After the body paragraphs, I write a conclusions. At the very end of my process, I go back and form a introduction paragraph that sets up the reader for everything that will follow.
This is where They Say/ I Say throws me for a loop: I have never thought about thoroughly discussing the counter aguement and what has already been said about the topic before I begin my arguement. In some essays I weave a counter argument througout my whole paper, in some essays I through in a paragraph towards the end that displays a counter arguement. But the beginning? I've never done it. Yes, I give some brief background of the topic in my introduction, but I've never dedicated the initial paragraph of my essay to "what has already been said/ argued".
It makes so much sense though! I kind of want to write an essay just so that I can attempt this formatting! So I respect this They "Say", followed by "I Say" structure, although it may not always be necessary. I've written successful essays in the past, and I've never consiously started with what they say. Plus, doesn't the amount of explaination of what "they say" depend on the audience? If you're writing a paper to an audience that already knows what has been said, why wast time going over what's been said?
So in general, I respect this method, although writers must remember to play around with it. This book provides a base. The writer must complete the essay with thought provoking arguements and conclustions.
I've been thinking about They Say/ I Say a lot since our last discussion in class. While a was orginally sceptical of this precise essay formula, I am now starting to see it as a useful tool for creating a cohesive essay. I wish that I had had this book while writing essays in high school.
I'm all about structure. If an arguement doesn't follow a logical progression, I get really frustrated and sometimes I stop following. Part of of this structural obsession most likely stems from my OCD; I like everything to be in order. Maybe another part of it comes from ADD. If an essay isn't clear, with a natural progression, I stop paying attention. So, when I start writing an essay, I have a step by step process. After researching and forming a thesis (which is subject to change as I dig deeper into the subject), I make a list of all of my supporting points. I then think of a way the supporting points most naturally relate to eachother, i.e. which points are related and could have potentially easy transitions. I kind of create a flow chart. A ---> B ----> C. Points A, B, and C etc. become sections of my paper.
Each of these sections can have more than one paragraph depending on the amount of information found. Within each paragraph, I start with some strong topic sentence, then support it, then show how it relates to the thesis, and transition into the next paragraph. After the body paragraphs, I write a conclusions. At the very end of my process, I go back and form a introduction paragraph that sets up the reader for everything that will follow.
This is where They Say/ I Say throws me for a loop: I have never thought about thoroughly discussing the counter aguement and what has already been said about the topic before I begin my arguement. In some essays I weave a counter argument througout my whole paper, in some essays I through in a paragraph towards the end that displays a counter arguement. But the beginning? I've never done it. Yes, I give some brief background of the topic in my introduction, but I've never dedicated the initial paragraph of my essay to "what has already been said/ argued".
It makes so much sense though! I kind of want to write an essay just so that I can attempt this formatting! So I respect this They "Say", followed by "I Say" structure, although it may not always be necessary. I've written successful essays in the past, and I've never consiously started with what they say. Plus, doesn't the amount of explaination of what "they say" depend on the audience? If you're writing a paper to an audience that already knows what has been said, why wast time going over what's been said?
So in general, I respect this method, although writers must remember to play around with it. This book provides a base. The writer must complete the essay with thought provoking arguements and conclustions.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Energy
Hi all.
So today I kind of want to reflect on the different types of sessions and scenarios that the Writing Center advisors brought to our attention last week. I've been thinking, and I realized it's kind of hard for me to imagine how I would react in any situation, because I feel like my lack of experience allows me to assume I would be capable of handling whatever was thrown my way.
Like the scenario I was involved with, for example. If someone repeatedly answers their phone in a session, I would like to believe I could handle it calmly. I think it would be great to sit next to the person awkwardly, listen in on their conversation, and hope they realize they're being rude. If they want to spend a potentially helpful session talking on the phone, wasting time, then they might as well. I won't force a person to let me help them. If they don't value the session, whatever. Neither will I.
But if I'm having a bad day and someone picks up an unimportant phone call, I could very well impatiently roll my eyes, say something about their conversation, and walk away. It’s hard to know what I would do in a given situation until I'm actually there. We can discuss what the ideal reaction would be, but it’s a case by case scenario. Maybe we should politely remind them of the importance of the session, but maybe some people don't deserve the reminder.
The same goes for the sleepy student. I can pardon this more readily than I would a phone call recipient, but in both scenarios the lack of focus is rude. I understand being tired. I'm completely exhausted right now, actually. The student in the session, however, should try to pay attention to the best of their ability. Drink a coffee, eat a snack, and pull yourself together. You can waste my time, a break from the daily strain of sessions might be nice, but by wasting your own time you are doing a disservice to yourself.
In connection with my previous blog, I think ESL kids would be awesome to work with. They are in our session for a purpose. They need to figure out the language, so they won't waste time. ESL students know that we can help them, and they know they need our help.
In all of my thoughts about a writing center appointment, I come back to the same conclusion:
Energy and attitude determine EVERYTHING in an appointment.
So today I kind of want to reflect on the different types of sessions and scenarios that the Writing Center advisors brought to our attention last week. I've been thinking, and I realized it's kind of hard for me to imagine how I would react in any situation, because I feel like my lack of experience allows me to assume I would be capable of handling whatever was thrown my way.
Like the scenario I was involved with, for example. If someone repeatedly answers their phone in a session, I would like to believe I could handle it calmly. I think it would be great to sit next to the person awkwardly, listen in on their conversation, and hope they realize they're being rude. If they want to spend a potentially helpful session talking on the phone, wasting time, then they might as well. I won't force a person to let me help them. If they don't value the session, whatever. Neither will I.
But if I'm having a bad day and someone picks up an unimportant phone call, I could very well impatiently roll my eyes, say something about their conversation, and walk away. It’s hard to know what I would do in a given situation until I'm actually there. We can discuss what the ideal reaction would be, but it’s a case by case scenario. Maybe we should politely remind them of the importance of the session, but maybe some people don't deserve the reminder.
The same goes for the sleepy student. I can pardon this more readily than I would a phone call recipient, but in both scenarios the lack of focus is rude. I understand being tired. I'm completely exhausted right now, actually. The student in the session, however, should try to pay attention to the best of their ability. Drink a coffee, eat a snack, and pull yourself together. You can waste my time, a break from the daily strain of sessions might be nice, but by wasting your own time you are doing a disservice to yourself.
In connection with my previous blog, I think ESL kids would be awesome to work with. They are in our session for a purpose. They need to figure out the language, so they won't waste time. ESL students know that we can help them, and they know they need our help.
In all of my thoughts about a writing center appointment, I come back to the same conclusion:
Energy and attitude determine EVERYTHING in an appointment.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Perspective
Hi friends. So today I have decided to blog about the writing center advisor profile we just submitted, because honestly, I have so much more to say. I wish we had a chance in class to discuss our thoughts on the assignment and what we all learned from our interviews. Maybe we’ll have a discussion about it next week. I never really know what to expect from our class.
Well I’ll have to admit, I was initially really scared of the profile assignment. It made me nervous to have to interview a writing center advisor. I expected this situation:
“Hi I’m Sarah. Someday I’ll be a writer center advisor too. Please share your wealth of knowledge with me!”
Super awkward. Also, I was nervous that I wouldn’t ask the right questions. Maybe my questions would sound stupid. Maybe I wouldn’t ask the questions I needed answered for my profile. I was additionally nervous about the format of this assignment. While I read the example profile mike sent us, (like five times) I didn’t feel confident that I would do it right. The example profile seemed a little dry, and void of a significant thesis or conclusion. I still don’t know if I did it right.
When I was conducting the interview, however, I was very engaged and happy with the discussion. I worked with Alexandra, who’s a senior East Asian Studies major and an ESL specialist. I didn’t even know that certain advisors could have a specialty! It was very apparent that she loved her work with ESL students, and I was interested to hear her perspective. Naturally, our discussion seemed to focus on her work with ESL students. I was a little worried about our strict focus on her work with ESL, because I knew our profiles weren’t supposed to focus on one aspect of their job, but at the same time it was a unique, interesting discussion.
I’m sure I’m not alone when I admit that I have some apprehension when thinking about working with ESL students. Working with someone who doesn’t fully understand the language seems like it would be so much more difficult. Plus there’s the added difficulty of the language barrier. What if I don’t understand the ESL student? What if they don’t understand me? This didn’t seem to be a problem for Alexandra.
Alexandra said she loved sessions with ESL students because they were always really sweet. They valued the appointment and they were eager to learn. Sometimes they brought her little presents, and whenever she saw them around campus they were excited to see her. If a student has that much energy and appreciation, how can an appointment go wrong?
Alexandra said her least favorite appointments were the ones where she was with someone who wasn’t ready to learn. She hates “the kid that won’t talk at all: the empty session with a kid that just wanted a spell check, the slip that said they went to the center.” At the same time, she hates the kids that fight her. The kids who don’t listen to what she has to say, they don’t value her knowledge. She can’t stand “the kids who won’t stop talking. How right they are. They’re validating their own mistakes, or they’re embarrassed and trying to explain what they’ve written. Then we don’t get anything finished.”
Compared the kids who refuse to learn, the ESL kids sound great. I never thought about it like that.
Alexandra does admit that working with ESL students is a lot of work. It’s a long process. Everything is very stop and go with an ESL student. You have to explain the little things that you wouldn’t normally have to explain. “You focus on grammar, commas, and the details of writing… There’s more poetry with the English speakers”.
She used a sweet metaphor when talking about finally working with a native English speaker after having a bunch of ESL kids: “It’s like driving in city traffic all the time, then finally getting to go on a road trip.”
Mad respect. Loving the metaphor.
Anyways, I just thought I would share my experience will all of y’all.
À bientôt,
My thoughts are in French right now… super cool.
Sarah:)
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