I’ve been asked to give a talk later this month to Ivy Tech’s full-time English faculty about portfolios as a method for writing assessment. From conversations I’ve had with folks in the department, I’ve gathered that few folks (if any) are currently using portfolios as an assessment method for their composition courses. I was a… Continue reading Advocating for Portfolio Assessment
We’re in week 2 of our semester, and already, I’ve asked my ENGL 111 students to work with a variety of modalities and writing technologies. They’re responses have been hilarious. Last week, after I had students read and annotate Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts,” I had students respond briefly to a series of prompts: How… Continue reading Multimodal Shocks in ENGL 111
White, Edward M. “Using Portfolios.” Assigning, Responding, Evaluating: A Writing Teacher’s Guide. 4th ed., Bedford/St. Martins, 2007. Summary: In this chapter, White provides an extensive overview of portfolios and how to use them. He provides a history of portfolio assessment, explores challenges of a portfolio system and how to respond to these challenges, the content of portfolios–including… Continue reading Edward M. Write’s “Using Portfolios” in Assigning, Responding, Evaluating: A Writing Teacher’s Guide
Reynolds, Nedra, and Rich Rice. Portfolio Teaching: A Guide for Instructors. 2nd ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. Summary: Reynolds and Rice provide a succinct, practical guide for instructors who are using, or considering trying, portfolios as a form of writing assessment. Grounded in assessment scholarship over the past few decades, these scholars showcase questions and recommendations for… Continue reading Nedra Reynolds and Rich Rice’s “Portfolio Teaching”
It’s been some time since I’ve written anything, and even longer since I’ve written about my work as a compositionist. There’s not really any excuse, except that I didn’t make my blog a priority this summer or fall semester. However, my goal for 2018 is to be more active as a writer here. Since I’m… Continue reading Finding Footing in a Community College
We had another 11am ferry this morning, although the boat was much larger than the one we took to Paros. As we made our way to Athens on the four-hour ferry, I took advantage of the opportunity to catch up on some more reading. About half-way through the trip, my seat mates, Gretchen and Morgan,… Continue reading Day 19: A Final Goodbye in Athens
Paros has caused our trip to take a series of severe turns. First of all, the weather has remained less than ideal. We woke up to rain, again, which shifted everyone’s plans for the Paros BBQ Cruise. Everyone except Kristen, JJ, and I had signed up for it, but because of the rain, it ended… Continue reading Day 18: Paros Chooses Not to Cooperate
