Random Stuff That Will Eventually be Grouped by Theme

Here's a random change I'm going to make to my class next semester:

This semester, I used a reflective cover sheet for each major essay. Students were to answer the questions (Why did you choose this topic? What was the hardest part about writing the essay? The easiest? etc.), and hand in the completed cover sheet along with the essay. I was hoping that would give them some ammo for their cover letters and get them used to self reflection. Some of my students were very thorough...you know one or two! Most of the time, I think they hammered out the cover sheet two seconds before they turned it in, and the purpose was kinda lost.

Next semester, I'm going to have them answer the same questions about their essays, but I'm going to give them the first 10 minutes of class time on the days major essays are due. I;m hoping that using class time will allow for more time spent on those cover sheets. What does everyone else think? How did you all handle self reflection?

Future GTA Workshops

One thing I really liked about our orientation workshops this semester was the message that, as a teacher, it's okay to make mistakes. I think Tracy and Susan did a really nice job of getting that message out there loud and clear. I feel like I got a lot of "big picture" support from those meetings that did me a lot of good during my first semester teaching.

I would have liked to have more practical, specific support in terms of syllabus construction, mainly the daily plan portion. I think it would also be helpful if some portion of the orientation was devoted to writing and presenting a teaching philosophy along side of our syllabi and assignments. That way, Tracy and Susan would have a bit more context and could offer us more specific advice.

What kinds of things did people really like about our workshops? What about those things worked so well, and how did you end up using the stuff you learned? What do you think you could have used more of? Why? What suggestions do you have for future GTA orientation workshops?

Sample Lesson Plans and Assignments

I'm really interested in what my colleagues classrooms actually looked like on a daily basis. Please use this forum to tell us about your readings, major and minor writing assignments, in-class activities, etc. What were your goals and objectives? How did you sequence your assignments? What worked really well? What failed miserably? What led to both successes and failures?

Teaching Grammar

When I think of all the questions I have for my colleagues, the first one that jumps to my mind is this one: How did everyone go about teaching grammar? I know it's a cliched question that has been asked many times before, but after this first semester, I realize I really need help in this department.

I gave my grammar lesson very close to the end of the semester, and all I covered was sentence boundaries. Of course sentence boundaries provide a venue for talking about commas, periods, and semi-colons too, but I really felt like that lesson was lacking. I had no technology in my classroom, so I was stuck writing sentences on the chalk board and asking students if they looked right or not...probably not the most effective class I ever taught.

So, how did everyone else deal with the grammar issue? Were your students receptive? How could you tell they got it? Did anyone find a way to make grammar fun, or is it just doomed to always be boring?