A Thanksgiving Family Review

Monday morning always seems to come quickly, doesn’t it? And this one, for me, is particularly stressful because with the holiday coming up, I’m trying to figure out how all of my work is going to get done over the next week. How am I going to balance spending time with my family and focusing on work that needs to be completed by December 1? I always seem to be in this pickle around a holiday because no matter how well I prepare, I always have work to do.

Knowing that my family will ask me how my work is coming along and probably to explain, again, what exactly it is that I’m doing, I’ve been thinking…why not have them read and review something that I have written?

So, here’s my plan – after I finish this entry, I am going to create a peer review sheet (or “family” review sheet!), which will help guide my loved ones as they read what I am currently working on – the method section of my dissertation. I’ll write a few sentences about what a method section is supposed to include (so they are clear) and then I will create a rubric for them to use as a guide as they read through my work, making sure that each subsection is sufficiently complete. I’ll also include a few sentences about the area I am having the most trouble with and ask them to share any suggestions.

I encourage you to do something similar, creating a review sheet that will be the most helpful for you. Perhaps on your review sheet you want to include the instructions that your professor gave you for the specific assignment you are having your family (or friends) read. You can also include a rubric, if the professor gave you one (or you can make your own – see the last blog entry).

If we do this, not only will we get the help that we need, but I think that by reading our work, our families and friends will get a better idea of what we are all working on. For me, the method section will work particularly well for this because it really shows what steps I have taken to collect my data and my reasoning behind the procedures that I am using. Also, it has already gone through multiple stages and revisions, and to be honest, it would be helpful to have other eyes looking at it.

As always, good luck with your work and…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

BYOR - Bring Your Own Rubric

Welcome to Monday, writers. I hope that you are feeling refreshed from that extra hour of sleep you were able to get this weekend!

Today I’d like to talk about rubrics.

What is a rubric? Well, thanks to Wikipedia I can share with you a clear explanation:

A rubric is a scoring tool for subjective assessments. It is a set of criteria and standards linked to learning objectives that is used to assess a student's performance on papers, projects, essays, and other assignments. Rubrics allow for standardized evaluation according to specified criteria, making grading simpler and more transparent.

The rubric is an attempt to delineate consistent assessment criteria. It allows teachers and students alike to assess criteria which are complex and subjective and also provide ground for self-evaluation, reflection and peer review. It is aimed at accurate and fair assessment, fostering understanding and indicating the way to proceed with subsequent learning/teaching.

You may have had professors that actually gave you the rubrics that they planned to use when grading your papers. They may have even suggested that as you review your work you analyze your writing with the help of the rubric, making sure that you have included all of the requirements.

But what if your professor doesn’t distribute a rubric? I say, when it comes time to edit your work:

BRING YOUR OWN!

That’s right – make a simple rubric using the criteria that your professor gave in the instructions for the paper. This way you can still have a useful tool to assist you when reviewing your work, even though you were not provided with one.

When making your own rubric, you’ll need to “translate” the instructions into criteria for you to look for as you review your work. For example, if the instructions state that you need to present a clear thesis, then “thesis clearly stated” should be one of your criteria. If there is a requirement that you use two sources to support your thesis, make sure that is also included. If the instructions ask that you compare the present topic to a personal experience, have a space for that. Also, if there are logistical requirements, make sure you also include those (i.e., length of paper, page numbers).

*= complete
0= needs strengthening
- = absent from the writing

Thesis clearly stated _____
First support _____
Second support _____
Personal experience_____
3 pages_____
Page numbers on all pages____

As you review your work, score each criterion appropriately with a *, 0, or -.

If you are writing a paper in a discipline that has clear organizational or style requirements, you may want to add those criteria to your rubric. For example, if you were writing in the sciences, your rubric may look more like this:


*= complete
0= needs strengthening
- = absent from the writing

Introduction_____
Methods_____
Data analysis_____
Findings_____
Discussion_____

Again you would score each criterion with a *, 0, or -.

One last bit of advice…if you create a rubric for a specific assignment, show your professor! Make sure that you have correctly recognized all of the requirements and confirm that you haven’t missed any. Not only can you use a homemade rubric to “communicate” with your writing, but you can use it as a tool to clearly communicate with your professor.

Any questions? Any suggestions? I look forward to your comments!

P.S. If there are any professors reading this, I highly recommend distributing rubrics to your students. This way, you encourage your students to more completely review their work - and ultimately your review of their papers will be made easier because they will have successfully edited with the guidance of the rubrics. If you don’t like rubrics, then maybe just distributing a list of grading criteria would be a nice compromise.

Like Ice on a Cactus – Finding the Unexpected

Has this ever happened to you:

The final edition of a paper is at long last completed. You’ve worked on it for weeks. Drafts have come and gone. Your writing has been through peer review. Your professor has even looked through parts. Sentences have been tweaked to perfection. You’ve printed it out and it looks beautiful! BUT, just as you go to hand it in you notice a typo! Ouch! After all of that work…

Why does this happen and what can we do about it?

We live and breathe our final papers for an intense period of time, during which the reading and reviewing of our writing can get a little sloppy. Both our eyes and our minds become fatigued. When we read silently to ourselves we tend to read fast and we tend to read what we think we see, or what we thought we wrote, not what is actually in front of us.

For example, this sentence looked perfect to me for months: This project will focus on three gardens located on the hostipal grounds. But, when I went to turn in my paper I noticed that I needed to make clear that I was going to do my research in a hospital, not a hostipal!

So, my advice this week: as you go through the finally editing stage of your work, read your writing out loud and slowly. If you do this, you will say what is actually on the page and you will catch more little errors. Your tongue will trip on words that you would not have gotten stuck on had you been reading silently. Even if you have previously reviewed your work (possibly many times before) you may find the unexpected.

Good luck this week! And, please share with us any tips that you may have!

P.S. I also find it helpful to print a copy of the assignment I am working on rather than just editing on my computer screen. For those who don’t do this out of concern for our trees – use scrap paper! It’s better to do this than to have to print a second final paper.

Many Leaves of Basil and Many Pages of Writing

One of my favorite things to do is to collect the fresh green leaves off of the basil plant that finds its home on our little balcony. With the fall officially here I did a big “harvest” the other day, making sure to take advantage of the growth before it was too late. Seeing all of the leaves together in my bowl, instead of spaciously displayed on the stock, showed me that we had so much more than I thought. It was a great surprise!

What if we thought of the pages of our writing like I did these beautiful basil leaves? If we looked at them all together, would we be surprised by all of the work we had done so far this semester?

I tried it and - YES! - I was delighted to find that I had done more than I remembered! I thumbed through my old notebook and my new notebook; I put together in a binder all of the transcriptions I had typed from the interviews I am conducting for my research, and the summaries I had composed about them; I gathered all of the scraps of paper I had written on and the drafts I have been revising. I couldn’t believe it – there was so much! And, in addition to realizing how much work I had done, it was fun to read through things and see how my thoughts have evolved over the past few months. What a great self-esteem boost!

So, here’s what I want you to do:
1. Pull your work out of the corners where it is hiding – in filing cabinets, on bookshelves, in bags, etc.
2. Gather all of your exploratory writing – journals, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, etc.
3. Place all of your work on the floor (neatly).
4. Place a pillow near all of your work, sit down and make yourself comfortable.
5. Take a deep breath and look through everything you’ve done. Find yourself engulfed – both physically and metaphorically – in your work.
6. Take another deep breath and BE PROUD OF YOURSELF.
7. Put everything back where it belongs!

In writing intensive classes we do a lot of informal writing that we may forget about, or we may not see how it connects to the bigger picture. When we do an exercise like this, however, we see just how much writing we have done, how our ideas have grown, shifted, or become clearer, and how this has helped point us in the direction of our more formal pieces.

Just like I turned the basil leaves into pesto, let’s turn all of our great work into amazing finished pieces.

If you have any questions or suggestions or if you just want to say “hi” please leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you!

Happy writing…

Tip of the Week: Carry a Notebook!

Does a great idea ever pop into your head as you are walking home from work, taking a walk in the park, shopping for groceries, or really anytime when you are not sitting in front of your computer prepared to write? It certainly happens to me – so what do I do about it? I carry a notebook. I learned this from my husband who is never without his Moleskine, always ready to write down an idea when he thinks of it, relieved of having to worry about remembering it perfectly for later.
Why does this happen – these “aha!” moments in the midst of busy days? Well, because even if your computer is turned off, your brain isn’t! The paper or problem that you are working on continues to be muddled-over and analyzed in your subconscious during what John Bean (the author of the book Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom, which all Writing Across the Curriculum faculty and fellows read) calls the incubation period – the time when the writer steps away from his or her work and “lets ideas cook” (p. 30).
It has been during some of these incubation periods when I have had my best ideas, when things seem to come together. Before I began my notebook-carrying, when I would get a good idea at an inconvenient time, I would be fearful of forgetting the idea’s clarity. Now, with a notebook, I don’t need to worry about that anymore! I’m ready to jot things down in an instant and I have taken away the pressure I put on myself to have a perfect memory.
Now…I know that it’s not always possible to carry a notebook, so if you are out some place fancy and have a pocket, take a little sheet of scrap paper or an index card with you. Also, if you forget to bring something, paper napkins, ticket stubs, and theater programs work well too!
Your mind is always active, which means that you should be ready to write no matter where you are! A lot can happen when you are away from your desk, so be sure to be prepared and take full advantage of it!
Do you have any writing tips or suggestions? Please share! Add a comment!

Good Books are Good Teachers

Last week, the reading that I was doing for my dissertation reminded me of a book that I had read many, many years ago – Tuck Everlasting. In the midst trying to make it through difficult articles and theories that I am learning about and questioning, I couldn’t get it out of my head, so, I picked it up. Within minutes I was hooked by Natalie Babbitts’ words. Let me share some with you:

The road that led to Treegap had been trod out long before by a herd of cows who were, to say the least, relaxed. It wandered along in curves and easy angles, swayed off and up in a pleasant tangent to the top of a small hill, ambled down again between fringes of bee-hung clover, and then cut sidewise across a meadow. Here its edges blurred. It widened and seemed to pause, suggesting tranquil bovine picnics: slow chewing and thoughtful contemplation of the infinite. And then it went on again and came at last to the wood. But on reaching the shadows of the first trees, it veered sharply, swung out in a wide arc as if, for the first time, it had reason to think where it was going, and passed around. (p. 5)

When I read this passage I could see the road in front of me and could imagine cows from the past – could you? I was taken aback by how beautifully this book was written…a book that according to my sister, who is a reading specialist in an elementary school, usually intrigues the imaginations of fifth graders.

You may be wondering why I am sharing all of this with you. The reason is, I learned two very important things from this experience – both of which I think will help me with my writing (and I hope will help with yours!).

1. Don’t be afraid to read something different from what you usually do.

At first, I must admit, I felt a little silly walking into the children’s section of the bookstore to buy something for myself. As you can see, however, I am so happy that I did! It taught me how important it is to read things (at least every once in a while) that are different from my usual. Different can mean it is easier than usual or more difficult, or from a different genre or field of study – just different. You never know what you can learn from the pages of a book you never expected to read. And, a break from the norm may encourage you to be more open to the experience.

2. Good books can be models.

Reading a description that was so clear and felt so real made me consider how I write descriptively in my own work. Furthermore, it made me think about how a piece of writing can be a good model. Now, in no way I am saying to copy someone else’s work, but what you can do is learn a lot from authors…how they create sentences, how they put paragraphs together. More concretely, if you are reading something in your discipline, then how a book (or an article) is organized may be evidence of what is expected in the field, and you can learn how your own work should be organized.

So, go enjoy your writing – and your READING! Leave a comment if you have any questions…and please share any of your own suggestions that you think will also help us with our work!

Welcome Back BMCC Writers!

I hope this entry finds you well on your way to having a successful semester.

How’s the writing going? Are you taking WI classes? Let us know what you’ve been working on!

Now that we are comfortably in Fall 2008 (but not too far in:)) how can we make sure that we stay on top of our coursework and not get buried under papers and information?

COMMUNICATION!

Yes, one of the best ways to stay on top of things is to communicate with your professors, both in class and during their office hours. Speak with your professors and ask your questions so that as the semester continues you are not bogged down with information that you do not understand.

Make sure, however, that the time you spend with your professors is as productive as possible. One way to do this is to do some free-writing before heading to class or office hours.

· Write about the questions you have.
· Write about different possible answers you have for these questions and how you
developed these possible answers.
· Write about what you DO know and look for gaps in the information that you understand.

After doing this free-writing exercise, you can re-write portions of it so that it is clear and you can use it as notes when you go to speak with your professor.

Sometimes I find that if I am feeling confused or frustrated when I go to speak with a professor, my questions sound confusing and impinge on my ability to even ask a lucid question and get the help that I need. When I do the free-writing beforehand, however, it is almost as if I have a dress-rehearsal to the actual meeting and I am able to work through some of my issues so that I can speak more clearly about where I am having trouble.

Of course, in addition to your professors, the fellows are also here to help - with the writing process, not course content – so come see us in room S424. We’ll post our office hours just as soon as we know when they are going to be!

Some may think that osmosis works (like my kitty here), but just to be sure you’re absorbing the information correctly, ask clear questions!

I Write, I Speak - Open Mic!

Check out our flier!!!
http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/writingintensive/

Thursday, April 17
2:00–4:00 PM
Richard Harris Terrace

Choose your favorite short piece of writing: a song, a poem, a piece of literature, a speech, or something you’ve written. Share it with fellow students or just come and listen. Plus learn the lowdown about BMCC’s new Writing Intensive Course Requirement.

Free food, prizes, giveaways… it’s gonna be a party!

NYT Reports: Dismal Results on Writing

Check out the article here. It is quite the eye opener.

From Scribbles to Perfection

Before you read this post, please take a quick look at the following short (VERY short - I promise...only 3 pages!) article -

http://wac.colostate.edu/journal/vol3/andrews_modeling1.pdf.

OK - now that we are all on the same page, let's begin...

It is important for all of us - students, professors, and writing fellows alike – to acknowledge that writing is a process. We can sometimes forget, after reading a beautifully written work that flows smoothly through ideas, that it probably began – like Andrews’ writing did – as “scribbles.”

What I particularly appreciate about this article is that Andrews does not blame students for not understanding that writing is a process. He explains that it is not that students procrastinate and only have time to write one draft, but it is that they do not even consider writing more than one draft –“They are being logical when they leave no time for activities they do not know how to do or think they are grown up enough to skip” (p.1).

Take-home points:

Professors: Share your work! Be writing models for your students, illustrating methods to help guide them as they work on their assignments. Let students see what the writing process is like for you, taking them through a paper of yours, step-by-step. Let them know that they should revise and rewrite and that you do this too! Of course, make sure that you make time for this revision throughout the semester! Help make Andrews’ dream college become a reality, where “the students regularly see that all of their professors consider and reconsider, imagine effects and test them out, weigh options and make decisions every time they write” (p. 2). Not only will this help teach your students about the writing process, but it may open them up to taking more risks and challenging themselves.

Students: The writing process is sometimes exciting, sometimes frustrating, sometimes fun, and sometimes painful, but at all times, it is THERE – so embrace it! Don’t have the expectation that on your first try everything will be as you like…allow yourself the flexibility to come back and rework your ideas, molding them into more coherent and eloquent paragraphs. Know that it is not just students who must work and re-work their words…all good writers must do this – and that’s what makes them good writers!

Welcome to Spring!

Even though I am a skier and will go out in the snow any chance I get, it is always refreshing when the season changes. The longer days, the energizing sun, and the warm air are so invigorating.

Today, this fresh new season has inspired me to make a fresh new start...with my writing!

Did you know that all of the writing fellows are graduate students - and we're all in the midst of A LOT of writing. Just like you, writing is central to our academic lives. And just like you, we have our good days and our bad days...days when we are proud of what we have created and days when we want to throw our computers out the window!

When it feels like those bad days are piling up, that means it's time to get out of the writing funk. But, how can we do this?

Well, there are many tricks in the book, and today I am going to share one with you: Visualize yourself writing. That's right! Close your eyes and picture yourself in your favorite writing spot - at your computer, in your favorite chair with a notebook in your lap, lying under a tree with your papers on the ground - just pick the place where you are the most comfortable and the most happy writing. Now watch yourself work...the words are flowing smoothly, your shoulders are relaxed, there is even a confident little smile on your face...you're doing it! Keep this picture in your head for a few minutes...and come back to it every time you start to have negative thoughts about your writing. You'll be amazed at how your visualizations can turn into a reality.

We have the power to get out of our funks and to return to the writing we can feel proud of.

Join me in this fresh start as we make it through the second half of the semester. Let's work together to gain confidence in our writing.

Here's to Spring! Good Luck!

P.S. If you want more tips or more help with your work, you can always see the writing fellows during our office hours in S424.

P.P.S. A dear friend of mine who is a sports psychologist has taught me a lot about visualization. She trains her clients to visualize themselves being successful at their sports - and she has taught me to visualize myself being successful in school (getting through exams, presenting to groups, writing, etc.). It is amazing how much this technique has helped me - and I hope that it helps you! (Thanks so much, Tiff!)

I Write, I Speak: Open-Mic Event

Are you hungry?
Do you like getting free stuff?
Do you love listening to great pieces of writing?
Did you know that taking a writing intensive course is now a requirement here at BMCC?

For prizes, raffles, giveaways, delicious food, and to learn more about the Writing Across the Curriculum Progam, please join us on April 17 from 2pm-4pm in the Richard Harris Terrace at the

I Write, I speak

event, brought to you by your Writing Fellows!

Feel free to just come and relax, or join your fellow students at the mic!

Submission Information for open-mic participation:

1.Your favorite piece of writing
2.Three minute time limit (500 words or less)
3.First 30 people to submit will be selected
4.Submissions are needed by April 1, 2008
5.Submit to the BMCC Writing Fellows: thepowerofwriting@gmail.com
6.You will be notified via email if selected

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Having trouble getting started? FREEWRITE!

When I was in high school I had a fabulous English teacher. Every time my schedule allowed, I registered for her course. One morning she came into our classroom in her usual, disheveled way, dropping her books clumsily on her desk. She then instructed us to pick an object that we loved, and for 15 minutes, write whatever came to our mind.

I chose my favorite sweatshirt.

When I began, I couldn’t imagine what I was going to write about – 15 minutes seemed like forever! It’s grey, stained, says “Michigan”, but what else? Then my writing led to thoughts about my sister (who bought it for me), how I felt now that she had moved out of the house, how I had spoken to her the night before and that she suggested a book for me to read, and so on. When 15 minutes were done I was amazed at how much I had written. I thought it would be difficult getting past one descriptive sentence, but with the push of my teacher – and the clock - I realized how much I had to say!

Sometimes I use this freewriting technique when I need to start a paper, but don’t know what to write or which direction to take. I sit in front of my computer and force my fingers to type for 15 minutes about a topic without stopping – trying to stay a bit more focused than I did when I wrote about my sweatshirt. Usually I am surprised at how much I know – and in the cases where I truly don’t know a lot, I get a clearer idea of where I have questions!

Here are some tips for doing a freewrite:
Find a comfortable place to freewrite, with few (or no!) distractions
Set an alarm for 15 minutes (or 10, or even 5, if that’s where you want to start!)
Keep writing or typing for the entire time – if you draw a blank, write a sentence or a word over and over again until you pick up a new idea
Don’t worry about grammar or sentence structure – just go for it!
Be confident!

From the Buffalo News...

WRITER’S BLOCK
Students are getting mixed messages about the importance of writing, even as experts predict successful careers will depend upon an ability to do it well.
By Charity Vogel NEWS STAFF REPORTER Updated: 02/03/08 8:56 AM

You can hardly blame teens today if they feel a bit conflicted about writing. After all: they hear a decidedly mixed message about it.
At home and in school, parents and teachers tell them it’s important.
And the SAT, in its new incarnation, requires them to grind out an hour of it – a major section of the intense test, which, at nearly four hours, now surpasses the law school entrance exam in duration. But here’s where it gets tricky.
Many colleges and universities simply disregard that hard-won SAT writing score when deciding who to admit – because they feel SAT essays are not a helpful gauge as to how good at writing an individual student is.
“It’s not that colleges are not looking at writing,” said Ann Marie Moscovic, director of admissions at Canisius College, where the SAT essay score isn’t factored into acceptances or rejections. “It’s that we’re looking at it in a different way than the SAT.” And that’s not all.
Once they get onto a college campus, writing is again stressed to students — but they’re asked to set their high school ideas aside, and approach writing in different ways.
“Our goal is that they are able to communicate effectively, in written communication and in speaking,” said Dr. Scott A. Chadwick, Canisius’ vice president for academic affairs. “The beauty of college is, it’s not just about the skill – it’s about the application.”
Add it all up, and it’s a pretty confusing picture for young people who don’t typically put writing skills at the top of their priority lists to begin with. (And who, in a digital era, may choose to send short bursts of text-messages before doing any other kind of writing.)
“I think I’m maybe an average writer,” admitted Samantha Hawker, 18, who graduated last spring from John F. Kennedy High School in Cheektowaga and who wants to work in forensic science someday. “I could probably be a lot better.”
No doubt about it: Writing factors into the lives of today’s teens in much different ways than it did just a generation or two ago.
In one sense, it’s a dying art. For proof, just ask the composition teachers who face classes of newbie writers in freshman college classrooms, only to find out that they need to teach the basics of grammar and sentence structure before they can go any further.
“For some of these kids, it’s all new,” said Marne Griffin, an assistant professor in the English Department at Hilbert College in Hamburg.
But in another important sense – and whether they realize it or not – writing is now more important to these students than ever before.
Going forward, the jobs and livelihoods these teenagers will have 5 or 10years from now, many experts agreed, will require writing in unprecedented ways — and will depend upon an individual’s ability to do it well.
“No matter what the profession is,” confirmed Dr. Christopher Holoman, provost at Hilbert College, “writing has become critical.”
So no, high school graduates today don’t have to dream about writing the next great American novel. But they do need to write well enough to succeed.
Writing is power
Marne Griffin’s writing classroom, on the second floor of Paczeszny Hall on the Hilbert campus on South Park Avenue, could serve as a microcosm of the whole dilemma.
Her mission, as the teacher, is to get the 21 students in front of her, most of them 18 and 19 years old, to communicate efficiently and effectively with words. Some of the students in the room write moderately well, a few very well; but most need some training or review in the basics.
Which is what, on a recent Wednesday afternoon, she was schooling them in.
“This is NOT the same thing as an e-mail, or a text message,” narrated Griffin, a petite, energetic woman, as she paced in front of the rows of seats. “How often do I see you guys text-messaging? That’s not the same thing as writing a paper for me. It doesn’t translate. Different audiences.”
This particular morning, Griffin feels like the class is lukewarm, so she starts quizzing them about how they believe writing will factor into their futures.
“How many of you,” she asks, “think that beyond college you will have writing as part of your career?”
A lot of hands go up. Griffin stops, nods her head, and smiles.
“Absolutely,” she says. “Absolutely! Writing gives you power.”
One student in the class who needs no convincing of that is Gus Clarke.
At 18, Clarke has already learned that he can control his future if he can command the English language. A graduate of Seneca Comprehensive High School in Buffalo, Clarke spent several months during his senior year writing at least 10 essays that he used to apply for scholarships so that he could afford to attend Hilbert.
It took a long time, rewriting and polishing those essays with the help of his mother, a graduate of Syracuse University who has long stressed to him the importance of writing.
“Naturally, I’m not a very good writer,” said Clarke.
But, in the end it worked. Clarke landed four scholarships, totaling an amount that covers nearly all his college costs at Hilbert, where he dorms.
Now, Clarke takes Griffin’s class, in an effort to absorb even more writing skills, so he can succeed at a career in criminal justice.
“You have to know how to write,” he said. “If you don’t, the future is not there for you.”
Back to basics
Experts agree with him. At many colleges and universities, writing is being required of all entering freshmen in special courses targeted to building their language skills. Many schools also employ broad-ranging, writingcentered approaches designed to ensure that students write in all their classes, not just English ones, and no matter what their major.
At Hilbert, that means entering students land in an English 101 course or an even more basic “Fundamentals of English” course that grounds them in the basics of writing — from structuring a paragraph to identifying the parts of speech. As the students progress, they learn argumentation and higher-level skills.
“We’re actually seeing the beginning of a split in incoming students,” said Holoman, the provost. “As a group, incoming students write better than they did eight or nine years ago. But there is also a sizable group that is not prepared for college writing – and those students seem to be increasing.”
Thus, basics like grammar and sentence construction can’t be taken for granted, even at the college level, he said.
“It’s not just Hilbert or Medaille; it’s Oberlin and Swarthmore and Holyoke,” said Holoman, who said the problem is discussed a good deal at higher-education conferences. “All of us are seeing students not as prepared as we would like – and all of us are having to offer more sections of remedial English.”
At Canisius, Chadwick, the vice president, said that most students begin in one of four entry-level writing courses as freshmen. They then move through more writing courses as they continue at the college, and they also encounter writing in other ways.
“There are writing components in every course we have. Students learn to write, and they also learn to write in their disciplines,” he said. “In higher education we call it ‘writing across the curriculum.’ ”
Nationally, this type of approach is widespread, said a spokesman at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
The 21st century work force, said Barmak Nassirian, will be “all about writing and numeracy.”
“You have to be able to articulate thoughts, in words,” said Nassirian, associate executive director of the association, located in Washington, D.C. “And you have to be numerate: You have to have the basics of mathematics down. With those two ingredients, everything is possible.”
“Without them,” he said, “it’s hard to see how a collegiate career could work.”
At Hilbert, Holoman put it this way: “It doesn’t make sense to train students in some narrow package of job skills, when that job will be obsolete in 10 years, or they will have changed jobs.”
Mixed messages
Before they can get to college, though, students need to pass muster on the SAT.
And that’s where many of them get frustrated.
Because the newly revised exam, now in its third year, includes a lengthy writing segment which tests their ability to improve sentences and paragraphs through multiple-choice question sequences. It also requires them to write an essay in 25 minutes.
However, many students are told outright by their high school teachers and guidance counselors that the SAT essay score will not count for much when it comes to college acceptances.
“I was told by my counselor that it was something new on the SAT, so it wouldn’t really be counted all that much,” said Clarke, the Hilbert freshman.
Experts on the SAT test concurred that students received mixed messages about the importance of the writing part, as well as about how to tackle it.
Nancy Berger at Upgrade Academics Inc., a tutoring and SATprep agency in Williamsville, said that many students approach the writing component as if it’s an assignment in English class. That can actually hurt their chances of scoring well, she said.
“It’s completely different from how they teach writing in high school,” she said, of the SAT essay and the way it’s graded. “That approach just doesn’t work.”
The SAT essay segment requires students to draft, in pencil and in longhand script, the first draft of a complete essay on an assigned subject. Essays are graded on a scale of 1 to 6 points by two professional teachers employed by the College Board. Colleges see both the score the student receives and a downloadable pdf image of the student’s written essay.
Because the time is so short on the exam, students need to walk in with concrete ideas of what they can write about, even before they see the essay question, Berger said.
She said students also need to realize they won’t be able to revise and polish their essays the way they are taught in high school.
“They have very specific things they want to see,” said Berger, a former English teacher, of the SAT graders.
But, she said, regardless of whether the SAT essay score counts toward college admission, preparing for the SAT – all of its components – can be a positive experience for a student.
“It really does improve a student’s writing,” she said. “And the colleges — they see it. It’s on your transcript. It may not be part of their official process of admission, but — it’s there.”

Newsletter or Blog? No, Both!

So this blog might be creating some kind of a conflict of interest with the Newsletter, especially since both will be incorporated into the WAC website. Hence, maybe we should consider what kind of content we want in each before we really start updating this Blog seriously. My suggestions are as follows: 1) Updates to the workshop schedule, 2) Meeting Notes from Wednesdays, 3) Impressions from the Workshops; formal and informal, 4) profiles of one of the workshop faculty at some steady interval, 5) posts incorporating news articles, op-ed, etc., that would be of interest to the WAC community.

What do you think Julie? Rest of you?

Nice job

Never having written on a blog before, I don't understand really what the protocol is. I'll learn, though, and I think this is a great idea. I'm also impressed by how fast the BMCC WFs can go from suggestion (from Melis at about 11:00 a.m. Wednesday) to creation (by Michal about two hours later) to actual hereness (thanks, Julie). So here we go. Hope it isn't a waste of time. It may be a good way to keep the news updated.

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