I always get a few students who don’t see the point of using media in a composition classroom. This always surprises me. How many people see themselves writing essays for a living? How often will we write essays in our…
Rules for beginning writers.
Got wind of this advice for beginning writers from BoingBoing, who found it from VS Naipaul. 1. Do not write long sentences. A sentence should not have more than ten or twelve words.2. Each sentence should make a clear statement.…
Review: Lost on Planet China
I found this book on MP3 audio at the Lawrence Library. His introductory admission that he is, in no sense, an authority on China nor on any things Chinese, drug me into this book. While an admitted non-authority, he did…
Research in the news.
A new research study on composition reports An analysis of research papers written in first-year composition courses at 15 colleges reveals that many students simply copy chunks of text from the sources they cite without truly grasping the underlying argument,…
Library Research Orientation
One point the librarian made that bears repeating – research takes time. I’m not talking about the reading of articles (that takes even more time) but finding good research is work. Students who got “A’s” and “B’s” last semester said…
Metaphor paper – tips and advice
One way of looking at the Metaphor paper is in how it addresses the Course Goals and Objectives: From the English Department Program Guide for Comp 2 (ENGL 122) it says: II. Students Will Demonstrate Ability to Read and Think…
in-text citations the basics
Duke has a great guide to parenthetical citations with MLA – and as a KU alum it’s hard to praise Duke. St. Cloud U. Writing Center also has a guide which points out how to cite when the author’s name…
On word count and length requirements
I’ve never understood when students turn in work that doesn’t meet the word count or length requirements, especially on the papers after the first turned in for grade. If you’ve played a sport – or studied a martial art –…
Technology expectations in the classroom
Had a couple students balk at using the Learning Management System – and even computers in general – in an English class. Teaching writing has always been about teaching technology, and inventions from the printing press to the typewriter and…
Managing distractions
I like the options that teaching in a computer lab brings to writing classes – afterall, writing today is done on computers, but they offer so much distractions. Students aren’t the only ones. In presentations to teachers and business people,…