Welcome to English 356, Teaching Writing in the Secondary Schools.  According to the Undergraduate Catalogue, this course is entails “study of and practice in strategies for teaching the process of writing:  pre-writing, drafting, revision, editing, and publication. Includes methods of assessing and writing.”  This means that we will be doing a lot of reading and discussing of materials that will foster your development as a teacher of composition and language at the secondary level. 

Website:  Check this for current information about the assignments and schedule.  http://www.fredonia.edu/faculty/english/spangler

Class Web Board: www.nicenet.org.  Use the class key given during class to add yourself to the roster.  Go to the Nicenet URL to join the class.  Be sure to enter a name and e-mail address.  You will use this web board to turn in your reading responses.

Office hours:

            By appointment         Please call or email for an appointment      

In person:                   Fenton 266 Mon/Wed 3:30-6 p.m.; Tues/Thurs 6:30-7:30 p.m.

            Virtual:                       SusanSpangler1 on AOL Instant Messenger, pretty much when

Required Texts:

Burke, Jim.  Writing Reminders:  Tools, Tips, and Techniques.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann, 2003.

Dunn, Patti.  Talking, Sketching, Moving:  Multiple Literacies in the Teaching of Writing.  Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 2001.

Subscription to a professional journal, such as English Journal, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Reading Teacher, NOTE:  Notes on Teaching English, Reading Research Quarterly or another that you find interesting and applicable to your professional development.

Selected scholarly articles

Course Goals

Students in this course are preparing to become teaching professionals specializing in English at the secondary level.  To that end, students will become familiar with theories of literacy learning as well as teaching methods based on those theories.  Students will begin to formally articulate their own teaching philosophy and how it impacts their teaching practices.  Students will also practice the methods they are learning and reflect on their teaching experiences both in and out of class.  Students will participate in professional practices by compiling a teaching portfolio, joining professional organizations, and developing teacher research interests.

Course Requirements

ENGAGEMENT WITH COURSE MATERIAL AND ACTIVITIES.  Part of your obligation to this class is to participate vigorously in the ongoing dialogue we will have about teaching, whether in group activities, in individual activities, or in class discussions.  Engagement includes sharing most of the work that you produce this semester as well as commenting on other writers' work.  If you don't attend class, you can't participate, so I discourage absences unless absolutely necessary, in which case you notify me prior to your absence.  Perfect attendance is expected.

WEB BOARD POSTING.  An easy way to share your thoughts on the readings and on class discussion is to post your thoughts in a timely manner to the class web board, available at nicenet.org.  You will be posting your reading responses weekly on the web board, and you will also respond to others’ writing at least three times during the semester.

JOINING A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION.  One of the best ways to grow as a professional is to join an organization such as the Modern Language Association, Children’s Literature Association, New York State English Council, or National Council of Teachers of English.  Often, membership includes a subscription to a professional journal, so you can kill two birds with one stone.

TEACHING/CLASS PORTFOLIO.  Your grade for the class will be based on the completion of your teaching/class portfolio.  Every teacher must build one for professional use, and what better time than now to start building it?  We’ll discuss these items more throughout the semester.  Here are things that will go in it, in no particular order:

• An introduction (well, that should go first, I suppose)
• Current draft of teaching philosophy *
• Evidence of your engagement with class material
• Unit/Lesson plans for teaching demonstration, reflection and analysis of it *
• Responses to Student Work*
• A professional article based on your research on an issue in composition/pedagogy*

*These items can be kept and updated for use in your actual teaching portfolio, not just for this class.

General Policies

In the event of an emergency absence, it is your responsibility to check for any missed assignments.  See the office hours above and check with classmates or the website for work missed.  Of course, the information you receive from these sources will be less complete than if you were actually in class.  Just avoid the whole mess and be here.  You’ll find as an effective teacher that it’s just easier to go to school than to miss, and that attitude should be evident here.

I hate grades.  There, I said it.  See the FAQ’s for more details.  I try to do as little grading as possible, but I DO love reading your writing.  Basically, I'll assign a grade for your portfolio, which counts for 100% of your grade, at the end of the semester, but I’ll look at drafts of your work throughout the semester to give you feedback.  Any other time you want to talk about your progress in class, come and talk to me.  We won't necessarily talk about your grade, but we will talk about what you are learning in class.

Sadly, computers don’t always work the way we want them to.  It’s an unfortunate fact of life.  You are ultimately responsible for your work, even if the computer fails.   Please avoid saying things like, “My disk broke,” “I couldn’t get online,” “I swear I e-mailed it to you” to me.  Ways to avoid computer problems include 1) printing everything, 2) backing up on disk/jump drive, at home, in cyberspace.

Which leads me to a short discussion of professionalism.  I will expect you to act in a professional manner.   Such behavior means, among other things, always doing your best work, remaining positive in the face of adversity, showing integrity in your actions, joining professional organizations, and reflecting on your teaching (sometimes before the fact).  A question I’ve always found helpful is this:  “Would I do/say this/act this way if my principal/grandmother were standing right here/able to see this?”  You should always be able to be proud of your actions as a professional.  This includes any public forums in which you choose to represent yourself:  Facebook, MySpace, or other venues.

Being a professional also means solely taking responsibility for your actions.  While your parents may be an integral part of your personal life, they should not be part of your professional life.  That is, they may rejoice with you or grieve with you in your professional successes or disappointments, but they should not take an active role in discussing these events with your colleagues or supervisors. 

Acting in a professional manner also means being academically honest (i.e. not plagiarizing anything).  The lines are often blurry, but in general, when you adapt a lesson for use, it’s a good idea to acknowledge or cite the source of the lesson or idea.  It’s professional courtesy, really.

If you are having problems with the class, PLEASE see me.  That’s what learning is about, people helping people.  I would LOVE to have you visit me during my office hours.  You can be sure I will not hesitate to see you if you are having problems.   Other sources of help to consider:

The Learning Center                          4^th Floor, Reed Library                       673-3550

Disability Support Services               in The Learning Center                       673-3270

Counseling Center                             LoGrasso Hall                                       673-3424

Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Support Services at 673-3270 (Voice) or 673-4763 (TTY).