Learning at home

Mp3 (link will work when and if I get approval from Samira) Transcript (link will work when and if I get approval from Samira) Relevant Twitter thread on Samira's comments about "academic freedom" as code for suppression of divergent voices.  Turns out she was right.

 Word processors, like MS Word, Google docs, .pages, etc  allow writers to chose from different styles or appearances of text (called fonts), and also choose how big you want it (measured in "point").   Only use on type of font in written work.  And keep the point size the same.  Don't use font or font size to add emphasis.  It attracts the wrong kind of  attention. I threw together a PDF to help demonstrate.  

I started listening to NPR's " Code Switch " because code-switching has always fascinated me through my experiences living as a non-native speaker in an immersion environment or navigating multilingual environments here, at work or home.  Sometimes a code switch fills in a gap in one language where another has a succinct word or phrase for a universal experience.  Sometimes we switch codes to to avoid, or inflict, microaggressions.* I was disappointed to learn that the podcast didn't focus on linguistics and actual  code switching, but I appreciated the focus on race.  The BLM protests may have caused a shift, or intensification, and I'd like to examine the June 16, 2020 episode " Why Now, White People ?" First, some context. Some famous people looked for content on race and culture, saw a reputable publication like NPR, subscribed and recommended the Code Switch podcast to their followers on social media.  Overnight the podcast shot to...

Read, watched and discussed media here . Wrote once sentence summaries of favorite movies (movie only  - no episodic stuff).    Composed 300 words using voice to text via google on what we read.   Grew bean sprouts in a tea pot and wrote a how to (process analysis) doc with pictures. Writing this has become tedious.  Will  autopsy in podcast.   NOTE: one week later School Started up online only and I paused home-school assignments. 

I (as well as several others in my department) assign a natural narrative as one of the first assignments in my comp. classes.  It has to be true, It has to have started in the past and finished in the past, and it has to detail the event from the writer's perspective.  I recommend choosing events of a limited or discreet timeframe (a few hours, or days works much better than something that drags on for weeks or months).  Here is a handout taken from Labov , and here is the rubric as I use it in one of my classes.  It was used in training for Teaching Assistants at KU in the late 90's to early 2000's - which is where I codified my use of personal narratives. This assignment doesn't require research, and students truly enjoy and appreciate telling and reading each others stories.  The natural narrative may actually have first gained recognition or cachet through ice-breaking and team building.  Natural narratives also provide opportunities to discover i...

I had a Faculty Support podcast in the early 2000's and I enjoyed it, and have used recorded  audio with my students ever since.  The use hasn't been extensive - and I recognize my limitations, but a few students benefit from it.  The novelty excites me sometimes when the thought of typing can't get me off of social media.  More importantly, the coming new online focus will ask for alternative teaching methods. Also, with audio, a listener can multi-task  and find time for learning while exercising or doing chores around the house (which I do).   I can record while hiking the Baker Wetlands near my home and find a silence better than I could find at my college. The bird noises seem more like a feature than a bug.  Home has always been a challenging place for me to work uninterrupted and without distraction.  The Corona-19 lockdown has brought this challenge into startling relief.  Audio production may alleviate this. This podcast wil...

Mission This blog will support instruction in language (Literature and Writing)  and Writing Across the Curriculum.  I no longer have access to my teaching blog  - but it's categorized and searchable - so I'm starting over. Method : Collaborative, inductive, student-centered, etc.  Not likely all at once but we'll make an effort.  I seek lessons that adapt to the strengths of the students - universal design.  I don't like to lecture.  Instructions will be brief, and assessments be built in.  Some reading will be required, and/or instructional videos.  Audience : I'm supplementing and supporting the education of a precocious middle school-er.  I plan to use  these lesson plans and reflections in my developmental and gateway composition classes. Goal:  Produce a new, engaging lesson plan that links critical thinking and/or Science and Math literacy with Relevant reading every week, and critique/ autopsy the results. ...