Category: Teaching

(photo by S. B.)

Using Cultural Understandings to Improve Teaching, part 1

Using Cultural Understandings to Improve Teaching, part 2

Using Cultural Understandings to Improve Teaching, part 3

I hope that my previous essays on teaching might help all teachers, but this essay is focused on teaching writing to students who can put together a few paragraphs in English by explaining the benefits of doing daily in-class writing. I also discuss the benefits of having students use rubrics, come up with their own topics and share papers.

In-class Writing – for classes such as Introduction to Creative Writing and Writing Workshop, just telling students HOW to do something is not effective unless students have a text to work off of, so I ask that every student brings a large notebook to class every day. They write the date at the top of page, I give a prompt to help them get started, then let them write for 10-15 minutes.

For creative writing class, I might ask them to write a poem about the weather, then the next day, ask them to take that poem and change it so the weather itself is the narrator, i.e. the “rain” or the “sun” speaks and explains their feelings. If we are doing drama, I might ask for a dialog between two people who are very different ages or a dialog in which someone is trying to get something in a sneaky way.

For a writing workshop class, I might ask them to explain something they want to change about our university. Then I ask them to take that topic and change their writing so they are talking to other students, then change it again so they are talking to administration. This kind of practice allows them to get a handle on “audience” and how to craft arguments depending on who you are writing for.

Writing daily means that when it is time to think of topics for their main papers, they have pages of writing to look through to help them come up with ideas. Also, as the semester goes on, students are able to write more quickly so that a student who managed a few sentences in 10 minutes during the first class might be able to write two paragraphs after two months. When I ask them to review their journals and they can see their progress, it improves their writing confidence for doing midterms and papers in other classes.

A really important part of doing daily journals is that I do not comment when a student does not write in class one day. From friendships with Omanis who are not connected to the university, I can see how students are sometimes subject to enormous pressures at home. For most North American/ UK/ EU students, college is seen as the most significant factor and while some students might have a job, there is a general understanding that school work comes first.

In Oman, if older relatives come to visit on the night before an exam, students might be expected to sit in the salle or majlis with them. Sometimes a family decides that a student will be married in the middle of the semester, or a beloved sister is married so a student is busy for weeks with the preparations, then has to cope with the sadness that the sister is no longer living in the house. There might be a death in the family or sometimes a student has to sit up all night with a sick child. And sometimes a student is simply out of ideas.

At the start of the semester I say, “you need to write at least half a page every class period, but if you can’t write in class a few times during the semester, that’s fine. Sit quietly and take care of yourself. But you will have to do the writing at some point. I will put the prompt on Moodle (the on-line teaching program) in case you miss class, you still have to do the writing.”

Knowing they have to do the work, but they can take a break if they are having a bad day, eliminates scolding, arguments and unhappiness. When I am walking around the room to check progress and I see a blank page, I quietly say, “do it later tonight with a cup of tea” and walk on. I have never had a student abuse this by not writing for several days in a row, but every semester I have students who simply can’t focus. Sometimes they look at me and shake their heads, and I whisper, “it’s ok.” Sometimes they will try to explain what’s wrong and I say, “you don’t need to tell me the reason. No phone, don’t talk to anyone, draw a picture if you want. Make up the work later.” Of course for tests, students need to do the work at the correct time, but I don’t think it’s helpful to force students by pretending there is something magically useful about writing EVERY day.

The journal work is usually worth 10 points (from a class total of 100). I collect the journals three times during the semester without advance notice and skim though them. If the students’ journals are organized and have 1/2 page of writing for each class period, they get full credit. If not, I write what the issue is and give a lower grade. Then I hand them back at the start of the next class period.

Writing papers

Some people advise giving out sample papers and students usually want a sample but I don’t think it’s a good idea for students who are at the level of being able to write 3 or 4 connected paragraphs. A sample is too easy to copy. On the other hand, it’s never helpful to give vague assignments such as “give me a 5-paragraph argument essay.”

The happy middle ground is a three-step process: create and discuss a rubric, have students hand in topic choices and do an in-class workshop day. This drastically cuts down on the chances to cheat/ plagiarize and improves students ability to think and write from themselves.

using rubrics – Three weeks before a major paper is due, I always give out a detailed rubric (see example below) which gives all the relevant dates and explains the sections of the paper. Using a table format means I can write the points the students earn next to the explanation, so they can see where they have made a mistake. I also add examples of quotes because some students have not used quotes before and having the sample sentences right on the rubric means they don’t have to look elsewhere for help. Lastly, I put the late-paper policy so, again, students have all the information they need in one paper.

choosing topics – On the day I hand out the rubric, I tell students that they need to think of at least three topics, and write them out on a paper with a few bullet points and hand it on by the due date. I review the topics and put a check next to the topics which are ok for them to use. This cuts down on over-used topics (on-line teaching!) and allows me to make sure no two students are doing the same idea.

sharing writing  – A week before the paper is due, I set up a “workshop” day in which students read each other’s writing. The two most important aspects are to start small and provide a framework. Nothing could be less helpful than simply giving a student’s paper to another student.

In classes in which I use peer groups, I always try to put students in groups with a task to work on several times at the start of the semester so they can start to get to know each other. If we are doing daily in-class writing, I will announce (BEFORE THEY START TO WRITE!) that they are going to share that day’s work with another student. I let them write, then assign everyone a pair and they switch notebooks and talk about what they wrote. Doing this a few times allows students to get to work together and feel more comfortable about sharing papers.

The second step is to give students a review sheet to fill in (see sample below) instead of simply asking students to read or “comment.” Having a worksheet allows them to read with a purpose and check that the student has done all the assigned parts, which makes them reflect on their own writing.

I explain to students that another student in the class (they will not know which one) will read their paper and if they don’t want to use their real name, that’s fine. They need to make sure that there is either a name or title on the paper. When I walk around the room to pick up the drafts, I can verify that each student handed in a draft, then I mix up the papers and hand them back with the peer review sheet.

As students finish reading and filling out a sheet, I give them a second paper to work on which helps stop the “do the worksheet in a hurry and then just sit” syndrome. They know if they finish one paper, they will get another one to work on.

And I make sure to explain that students who do not come with a draft will be given the chance to work on their assignment on their own. If a student comes in without a paper, I don’t ask, “Why didn’t you do the work?” I ask them to sit at the back of the class, make sure they have paper and a pen and ask them to start writing. After I have distributed papers to the rest of the class, I will sit next to every student who did not come prepared and ask if they have any questions. Then I will give them a peer-review sheet and remind them that they have to have someone else read their paper and they need to turn in their drafts and peer-review sheet with their final paper.

example rubric for writing class:

Assessment 3 –  May 14  – 10 points – due in class

topics due April 30, counts as a homework grade

peer review May 9, counts as class participation grade

Quotes are:

• approximately 10 words or less
• within a sentence:
• My father agreed that, “There should be more hotels in Nizwa.”
• “I think Dhofar should have more libraries,” said Dr. Risse.

Please note

• 1 point taken off for lateness
• last time to turn in an assignment is exactly ONE WEEK after due date

**********************************************

example peer review sheet for above assignment in writing class (the original has spaces for writing between the questions)

ENGL 285 – assignment 3 – peer review – May 9

Name of author or title of paper __________________________

* Is the paper divided into paragraphs?                                                          yes / no

* Are all the paragraphs indented?                                                                 yes / no

* Does each paragraph have 3, 4, 5 or 6 sentences?                                  yes / no

* What is the main argument of the paper?

* Who is the audience?

*Sections of the paper – for each section write the main idea/ argument

Introduction – is there a ‘hook’/ does the paper have an interesting opening?

Authors reasons

1)

2)

Outside reasons – either interview or website

1)

2)

Rebuttal

Conclusion

*What do you not understand? What questions do you have?

* What information should the author add to the paper?

* Circle all misspelled words or grammar problems.

(photo by S.B.)

Using Cultural Understandings to Improve Teaching, part 1

Using Cultural Understandings to Improve Teaching, part 2

Image someone who works in a cement factory who meets 100 people every day who have made houses with their cement blocks. Or a restaurant in which a cook makes the food, then sits at the table and watches the customers eat the meal and comment on it.

That’s what teachers do – we have to face the recipients of our work every day. I always tell new teachers that they need to teach from their personality. You can walk into a class and decide to adopt a persona but if it’s not your personality, the “new you” is not going to last. Which is why I say that it doesn’t matter as much how you teach as it matters that you stay consistent and explain your reasoning, especially if you have to change your mind.

Students in high context cultures like Oman usually learn about behavior by observation, not explicit directives. When students are trying to understand an teacher, they value consistency because they are trying to figure out what the teacher is doing and why. Acting the same way and keeping the same rules day after day makes for a calm classroom.

My second suggestion is to always keep on top of the paperwork – after a major assignment is due, write down the names of students who did not hand it in and make a quiet comment to them in class so there can be no future arguments about what was turned in or not.

Also, in terms of class management and assignments, I recommend teachers make statements, not ask personal questions. Some teachers like to put students on the spot and ask questions such as “Why are you talking?” or “Why did you come late?” or “Why didn’t you turn in your paper?” To me, this opens up all sorts of unpleasant options such as a student saying a relative died or a cheeky, “I wanted to.”

If students are talking when they should be listening, reading or writing, then it’s good to ask “Do you have a question” or “Is something not clear?” to help get students back on track, but “Why are you goofing off?” is not helpful. If it’s an issue of class management, a flat statement is usually best: “Please come to class on time.” If it’s an issue of a student not doing work, again a flat statement lets the student know you have noticed the omission without getting details of the student’s personal life.

If a student is way out of bounds, I sometimes use. “What on EARTH are you DOING?” which focuses on the action, not the reasoning and since not all students know the idiom, it can create a moment of confusion which stops the action and allows me to refocus the class back to our work.

Lastly, if a student is upset and the problem is unsolvable, distract them. Change the topic so they can focus on the future, not get stuck in an escalating situation. For example, if a student did badly on the midterm and wants a new exam or for you to change the grade, start talking about the next assignment, stressing if they do well on the up-coming work, their grade will improve.

Staying consistent, keeping an eye on students who are doing poorly, making statements and distracting angry students means a peaceful atmosphere in a class and fewer explosions.

For example, I accept papers up to one week late (with a late penalty) and on the last possible day to submit, I always check my grade book before class to see who might need to still give me a paper. In one course only one student hadn’t done the assignment, so in class, I walked by their desk and said quietly, “You haven’t given me the assignment.” Then I stood and looked at the student until they responded by nodding.

Months later, 10 days after the course ended and two days before the final exam, this student came to my office with a few papers stapled together and said, “This is the assignment. I did the work but you didn’t accept it.” This is a situation in which I could have said “that’s not true” but the basis of the student’s speech was fear of failing the class. So I addressed that aspect, not the lying.

I briefly explained again my policy about accepting late work and reminded the student that I had checked with them in class on the last day they could have submitted. Then to change the focus, I took a piece of paper and wrote out the grading scale for the class, adding in the student’s grades so far and showed that if they did well on the final, they could pass the class. The student was not happy but I avoided a long, angry discussion.

When the student was ready to leave my office, I said, “You can’t get a grade for what you wrote, but if you want me to check it – I will read it now and give you feedback so if  there is a mistake, you won’t make the same problem on the final exam.” Saying this is a good way to make peace by showing that you want to help the student and it’s often a check on the student’s intentions. If they took the assignment seriously, did the work themselves and want to do well on the final, they will hand over the work and let me look at it. If they got the work from another person, my comments won’t help them and they will not show me the paper. That student did not show me the paper.

My last point is that, if it works with your personality, using humor is often very effective in Oman. Omanis have a great sense of humor and respond well to joking. It can be an helpful way to get your point across, but have a back-up plan ready.

For example, I am very consistent that I should never see a phone in class – phones need to be inside a purse or pocket or set face-down under the chair. I say this during the first few classes, then in the 2nd or 3rd week, if I see a phone I act like I saw a snake and yell, “OH NO! What’s that?” as I back away in horror. Everyone starts looking around to see what I am pointing at asking, “What? WHAT?” Then I point and say, “That black thing there!” They realize I am pretending to be scared of a phone and laugh while the student puts the phone away.

Or if I see a phone I cover my eyes and yell, “OH NO! That hurts my eyes!” Again everyone looks to see what’s wrong, then laugh when they realize it’s the phone. And they understand that I will always react when I see a phone.

After the 3rd or 4th week, I say, “we have talked about the no-phones rule, now if I see a phone, I will take it and put it on the front table.” Then if I see a student is looking at their phone in class, I walk by and quietly say, “give me the phone.” If the student tries to put in their purse or pocket, I shake my head and say, “No, you have heard the rule – either you give it to me or you can walk up and put it on the front table. Your choice.”  Then I do not move from their side until they give it to me to put on the front table or they have put it on the front table themselves.

If they refuse, then I say quietly, “Your choices are leave the class, give me your phone or put it on the front table.” I have never had a student refuse at that point, but if they did, I would say, “I am marking you absent,” then I would walk to the front of the room, mark the attendance sheet, then continue to teach the class, ignoring that student.

To me, it’s important to avoid anger and “no-win” situations. Using humor saves me from having to say over and over “no phones.” After I do a fake scream two times, everyone knows to look for who has a phone out – and everyone knows that having their phone on their desk means they are going to get negative attention.

Talking quietly and giving students a choice of “give me the phone or you put it on the front table” allows them some privacy and autonomy over what happens. (They can take the phone from the desk at the end of class.) Yelling and/ or saying “give me the phone” is too public and direct.

Sometimes I am told that I am “babying” students but taking away their dignity is never going to create a positive learning environment. I want to uphold the class rules in an equal and fair manner which allows students to concentrate on learning.

Using Cultural Understandings to Improve Teaching, part 4