Zoë May

5/13/18
ENGL388V

UTA Final Portfolio

 Table of Contents

Lesson Plan 1: Rhetorical Appeals………………………………………………………………Page 3

Lesson Plan 2: Peer Review……………………………………………………………………..Page 6

Discussion Post 1: Writing, Learning, and Teaching (Week 3)……………………..………Page 10

Discussion Post 2: The Classroom Community (Week 7)…………….……………………..Page 11

Discussion Post 3: The Inclusive Classroom (Week 11)…………………………...………..Page 12

Learning Log 1……………………………...…………………………………………………….Page 14

Learning Log 2…………………………………………………...……………………………….Page 16

Learning Log 3……………...…………………………………………………………………….Page 18

Group Project……………………………………………………………………………………..Page 20

Reflective Essay………………………………………………………………………………….Page 23

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 Lesson Plan 1: Rhetorical Appeals

Learning objectives:
1. For students to understand specific rhetorical appeals. This objective will be evaluated
through the “exit-card” activity at the end of the lesson plan
2. For students to begin to apply their knowledge of rhetoric to their ENGL101 topics and
Rhetorical Analysis assignments

Teaching objectives:
1. To give an engaging and helpful lesson about rhetorical appeals
2. To gain more confidence presenting in front of the class

Materials/prior knowledge:
1. Students should be slightly familiar with rhetoric at this point through previous ENGL101
lessons and the required course readings
2. Internet connection in order to access the slide show presentation and video

Outline of Lesson:
Part 1 (Approximately 5-7 mins)
The following information will be presented in this slide show
● Slide 1: Image of the basic rhetorical triangle
○ This is the foundation of rhetoric/persuasion - No one of these appeals is better
or more powerful than another
○ When students write their Rhetorical Analysis, their goal will be to assess how
the author of their text uses these rhetorical techniques to create their arguments
- Ultimately when they write their position papers, these will also be important
concepts for them to keep in mind
● Slide 2: Logos - Logic… Appealing to your audience through reason
○ Logos is the logic of the argument and the message itself
○ If you have a solid and rational argument, then you most likely have established
logos
○ Logos can be established hard facts, statistics and data
○ You want to avoid logical fallacies (flawed logical arguments)
○ Example of logos: Infomercials
● Slide 3: Pathos - Emotion... Appealing to your audience by creating an emotional
response
○ This is oftentimes done through specific examples
○ Speak about how previous students have incorporated Pathos into their
Rhetorical Analyses in order for the class to comprehend how to best use pathos
○ Example of pathos: Commercials for puppy adoption
● Slide 4: Ethos - Credibility… Appealing to your audience through your own character
○ You’re more likely to trust a politician to explain politics, an athlete to explain
sports, a musician to explain music, etc.

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 ○ Explain to students that they most likely used this appeal while establishing
exigency and explaining their own personal connection to their topic in the inquiry
assignment.
○ There are many ways to establish this with your audience, ranging from
emphasizing your similarities to your audience, to preventing spelling and
grammar mistakes to allow your reader to trust you as a writer
○ Example of ethos: Celebrities in commercials - However, the celebrity featured in
the advertisement must have a strong and logical reason for endorsing the
product or service
● Slide 5: Kairos - “Right time”... Appeals to the timeliness of your argument
○ Like Ethos, Kairos is also directly related to the exigency of one's argument since
it is easier to establish exigency when the topic is one that is currently relevant
● Slide 6: Relating this to the Rhetorical Analysis
○ It is important to keep in mind that there can be overlap between each of these
areas
○ When writing your RA, the goal is to not simply list where the author uses each of
these appeals - Rather you want to write a thesis based paper about what was
and what was not successful about your author’s argument and relate it back to
these concepts
Part 2 (Approximately 5 minutes)
● Show this video
● Lead a discussion on the following points:
○ Did this ad use logos? If so, how?
○ Did this ad use pathos? If so, how?
○ Did this ad use ethos? If so, how?
○ Did this ad use kairos? If so, how?
○ Was there any overlap in their rhetorical appeals?
○ Was this ad successful in persuading the audience?
Part 3 (Approximately 5 minutes)
● Ask each student to take out a piece of paper and write an answer to the following:
○ Which of the rhetorical appeals was the strongest in this video? Explain your
choice.
Sources:
● https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/04/
● https://louisville.edu/writingcenter/for-students-1/handouts-and-resources/handouts-
1/logos-ethos-pathos-kairos
● http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-ethos-logos-and-pathos.html

Thoughts on writing the lesson plan:

After reviewing the sources provided on ELMS about best practices for writing lesson
plans, I discovered that the most helpful materials were both the sample lesson plans, as well
as the information provided to me by Professor Joshi. When approaching a new task, such as
writing this lesson plan, I find myself to be most successful if I have a sample to review. For this
particular assignment, I looked at the lesson plan written by Julia Maier as an example of how to

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organize my content. I aimed to modify her organizational style and overall approach in order to
better fit my own topic, class, and way of thinking. Additionally, I used many of the materials
that Professor Joshi shared on ELMS, in order to gain a further understanding of how she
prepares her lessons and teaches.
When writing my lesson plan itself, I aimed to include some of the ideas that were
presented in the provided ENGL388V readings. After reading these sources, I was most
fascinated by the idea of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Through this lesson, I hope that students will be
able to achieve the educational goals of “knowledge,” “comprehension,” “application,” “analysis”
and “synthesis.” The ideas of “knowledge” and “comprehension” can be viewed through the first
portion of my lesson, where the various rhetorical appeals are explained.
Students will also hopefully achieve the goals of “application” and “analysis” during the
second part of the lesson, in which they watch and discuss a video. Lastly, through
independently responding to which appeals were strongest in the video, they will hopefully
synthesize the concepts of each rhetorical appeal, in order for them to formulate their own
option. While I do not believe that the goal of “evaluation” is directly seen through my lesson
plan, I hope that students will have the opportunity to evaluate the material that is presented to
them when working on their rhetorical analysis.

Feedback and reflection:

While this lesson plan was a somewhat simple overview of the various rhetorical
appeals, it appeared to have helped the students when writing their Rhetorical Analysis
assignments. The “exit-card” portion of the lesson plan proved that a majority of the students in
the course comprehended the concepts presented. Furthermore, many students demonstrated
that they understood these ideas through their application in the Rhetorical Analysis.

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 Lesson Plan 2: Peer Review

Learning objectives:
1. For students to learn how to participate in a successful peer review session, by
understanding how to provide useful and constructive feedback
2. For students to become familiar with the “dos” and “don’ts” of both giving and receiving
input on during peer review. Both of these learning objectives will be assessed through
the “exit-card” and how students interact with one another during future peer review
sessions

Teaching objectives:
1. To provide students with practical knowledge that can be applied in future peer review
sessions
2. To present a lesson that is lively and engaging for students

Materials/prior knowledge:
1. Students should have participated in prior peer review sessions and be somewhat
familiar with the process
2. Internet connection in order to access the slide show
3. Index cards for exit-card

Outline of Lesson:
Part 1 (Approximately 7-10 mins)
The following information will be presented in this slide show
● Slide 1: Title Slide
○ Explain that while we have done peer review in the past, as we move into the last
few assignments of the semester, it will be helpful to take a look at some
common mistakes that students make and to give a refresher on how to get the
most out of peer review sessions
● Slide 2: Tip #1 - Come prepared
○ Participating in peer review gives you the chance to gain additional perspectives
on your work
○ It is not expected or necessary for you to bring in your final draft of your
assignment, but your work should be substantial enough that your fellow group
members can give you real insight
○ It can definitely be difficult to find the time to prepare for peer review beforehand,
but keep in mind that peer review is an assignment just like anything else, and
the more that you prepare, the more comments you can receive
○ In general, it is important to think of peer review is a part of the writing process
● Slide 3: Tip #2 - Take your voice seriously
○ When participating in peer review, students can easily fall into the routine of
writing in shorthand or slang

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 ○ On the one hand, this is a good thing since it shows that these students are
comfortable with their group members, which is important for a successful peer
review
○ However this should be avoided since your comments will be taken more
seriously if they are fully written out - This does not mean that you cannot have a
casual tone, just keep in mind that peer review is an academic assignment
● Slide 4: Tip #3 - Don’t get too caught up on spelling and grammar
○ While doing so can certainly be helpful, it should not be the primary aspect that
you are focusing on
○ It is definitely tempting to point out every small mistake, such as punctuation, but
peer review presents you with the opportunity to gain valuable insight from other
members of your class
○ This time can be better used to focus on the larger picture, such as the flow of
the paper or how your argument is supported
● Slide 5: Tip #4 - Be confident in your opinions
○ Do not be afraid to make a comment on your peer’s work in fear that it is wrong
○ Many students are often nervous to articulate that they do not understand
something in their peer’s work, thinking that it stemmed from their own lack of
knowledge in a certain area. However, if you do not comprehend something, you
are probably not the only one, so it should be pointed to the writer’s attention
○ This goes hand-in-hand with the next tip which is…
● Slide 6: Tip #5 - Remember that at the end of the day, it is your writing
○ It is obvious that people have differing opinions
○ You do not need to use every change that was suggested during peer review
○ Before you use the input that you received, try to think through how it improves
your work
○ While you do not have to use every suggestion that is given, it is important to not
be insulted and understand that the purpose of these comments is to improve
your work
● Slide 7: Tip #6 - Take advantage of your peer review groups
○ Once you are done reading through and commenting on your group member’s
work, take advantage of the fact that you are meeting in person, and have a
conversation with your group
○ It may be helpful to not only write down comments, but also jot down some
questions that you have about what you are reading
○ This can lead to other areas of improvement for your work, that you may not
have otherwise realized
○ In our section, the groups are a particularly great resource, since you are divided
by topic
● Slide 8: Tip #7 - Be a responsive reader when you can
○ When you are providing feedback to your peer’s work, you can either be a
reactive reader or a responsive reader
○ A reactive reader is one that simply reacts to the content that they are reading
○ A responsive reader is able to go one step further

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 ● Slides 9&10: Reactive v. responsive examples
○ A reactive reader would make comments responding to their peer’s work by
saying things like “this is unclear” or “this is good”
○ But a responsive reader will provide explanations and say “this is unclear
because…” in order to help their peer fully understand where they are
succeeding and where they need to improve
○ When doing so, it is also important to keep in mind that you are not “grading”
your peer’s work, but rather, think of peer review as a conversation between the
writer and the reader

Part 2 (3-5 minutes)

● Slide 11: Exit-card assignment
○ Answer the following questions on the index cards that were handed out:
■ What is something that you think you have done well in previous peer
review sessions?
■ What is something that you want to improve upon moving forward?
● Slide 12: List of all of the tips mentioned
○ This list is to help the students answer the exit-card assessment

Sources:
● http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/resources/writing-assignments-feedback/using-peer-
review-to-help-students-improve-their-writing/
● https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2013/sep/27/peer-review-
10-tips-research-paper
● “Responding to Student Writing” (Academic Writing Program, New Instructor Orientation)
● Content from Professor Joshi’s ELMS page

Thoughts on writing the lesson plan:

After grading several peer review assignments thus far, I chose to give my second
lesson plan on this topic. While grading these assignment, I often must deduct points from
student work as they only prepare a couple of paragraphs prior to the peer review session.
Furthermore, many students do not seem to fully gain from these peer review sessions, as they
fixate too much on grammar or are afraid to voice their opinions. Having noticed these patterns,
I thought it would be valuable to prepare a lesson plan about peer review for the students in my
section. My hope was this this would help them, not only for the rest of their semester in
ENGL101, but also for peer review sessions in future classes.
When creating my presentation, several components shaped the information that I
decided to share. First and foremost, I wanted to use my own personal experiences of
interacting with the students during peer review to create guidance that was directly relevant to
them. I also reviewed Professor Joshi’s ELMS page for the class, to see how she initially
presented peer review to the students in the section. Additionally, I thought back on prior
conversations that Professor Joshi and I had, and used the “Responding to Student Writing”
handout that she had given me at the beginning of the semester when I first started grading

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student work. Furthermore, I conducted some research on this topic, to hear the valuable
conclusions that others have come to regarding peer review.
While compiling this information into my lesson plan, I used a couple of our course
readings to guide me through this process. Like in my previous lesson plan, I kept the idea of
Bloom’s Taxonomy in mind, and thought back to the educational goals of “knowledge,”
“comprehension,” “application,” “analysis” and “synthesis.” I also referenced the article “Six
Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (and what to do about them).” I found this source to
be particularly helpful as it further explained the parts of a lesson plan and helped me
understand what to avoid when developing each of these sections.

Feedback and reflection:

While I was not aware of this timing when I initially designed the lesson plan, I ultimately
gave this presentation right before the students in my section participated in a peer review
session. Because of this timing, I gained fantastic feedback from the students and saw them
making a strong effort to apply these concepts in class. For example, one tip that I included in
my lesson plan was to communicate with your peer review groups in person after first reading
and commenting on their work. Thus, I was thrilled to see that in class that day the students
were talking to one another about their work more than they have previously done. Similarly,
when grading their peer reviews on ELMS, I was excited that students appeared to be giving
more insightful comments, rather than simply focusing on grammar.

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 Discussion Post 1: Writing, Learning, and Teaching (Week 3)

Upon reading the list of truths about writing, I was fascinated by the manner in which the
list seemed to be cyclical. Due to this cyclical nature of these truths, addressing just a couple of
them could have a much greater effect on students relationship with the writing process. For
example, Hedengren’s work about pre-writing addresses several of the listed truths, including
“most students hate writing,” “most writing teachers want to help their students,” and “most
writing teachers only vaguely know how to do so,” in addition to others. Thus his ideas about
pre-writing can create a large impact on a student’s relationship with writing. Hedengren
explores various ways that instructors can help students overcome their fear of beginning the
writing process, and provides solutions such as thoroughly explaining assignments to the
students or giving grading rubrics. From my own experiences as a student, I was glad to see
that these were given as recommendations, as I have a much more difficult time beginning an
assignment if I am unsure what is expected from me.

While I certainly related to the truths that Hedengren addressed, out of the truths
presented in the prompt, the one that resonated with me the most was “most students want to
earn an A in our classes.” As explored in our in-class discussion last week, most students are
motivated by their grades, which leads to them focusing on the final outcome of their writing,
rather than the writing process itself. While this is expected, it often prevents students from
putting thought into the writing process itself. In "How Writing is Related to Critical Thinking,"
Bean mentions the importance of teaching revision. While the article proposes several
explanations as to why students do not revise their work, in my opinion, it is directly related to
this motivation to get an A. When revising an assignment, a student can look at their work and
realize that it is well-written enough that it can be can be submitted to the professor. However, if
they continued to revise, they would create a piece of writing that is even better and they would
be able to continue their growth as a writer. Despite this, many students do not see their final
revision as necessary, considering the fact that they may be able to receive an A without doing
so. This general concept is explored throughout Murray’s work, which emphasizes the
importance of teaching writing as a process, rather than a product.

Expansion:
After spending so much time in this course discussing the greater education system and
how students are often motivated by the incentive of receiving an A, it was fascinating for me to
look back on this blog post from week 3 and to see my thoughts on this topic at that point in
time. Weeks later, I still believe that this emphasis on grades motivates students to receive an
A, rather than investing time into the writing process. However, I now struggle with the truth that
there does not appear to be a practical solution to this issue. It is the reality that students have
other classes, obligations, and commitments. Because of this, students do not have unlimited
time to spend revising and editing their work, after they consider it to be “finished.” Thus, one
possible way to address this conflict could be to stress the importance of being motivated by
intrinsic motivation from a young age, so that students understand early on that the purpose of
education is for them to learn and grow, and not simply get an A.

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 Discussion Post 2: The Classroom Community (Week 7)

While I found all of this week’s required readings to be interesting, I was particularly
fascinated with Mark Rose’s “I Just Wanna Be Average.” Through his writing, Rose sheds light
on the struggles and experiences faced by students that are placed in the “vocational” or other
similar tracks of education. While reading Rose’s work, I actually felt that I was able to identify
with a portion of what he was articulating. Having attended a small, private high school, I was
always an above-average student. However, I struggled with foreign language classes and was
thus placed in the lowest level language courses. In these classes, the students that I was
surrounded by were different than the students that were in my English or science courses. Yet
what surprised me the most about these classes was the lack of motivation demonstrated by the
students; not because they did not want to do well, but rather, because the teachers had low
expectations from us, ultimately preventing us from succeeding. At a certain point, I understood
that I was capable of moving up to a higher level language course, and did so by pushing myself
to learn the material independently, despite the fact that my teacher felt that I was unable to do
so. My personal experience in these classes relates directly to Rose’s statement “students will
float to the mark you set" (2). It is a professor’s requirement to find a balance in their
expectations from their students. If these expectations are set too low, students will feel the
desire to “be average” as demonstrated in Rose’s work. However, other conflicts can arise by
professors having unrealistically high expectations from their students as well.

Rose’s work also relates back to Hooks’ “Engaged Pedagogy.” Rose writes about Jack
MacFarland, a teacher that engaged him as a student and provided him with “a critical
perspective on society” (7). While different from Hooks’ work, both demonstrate the unique
ability that those working in education can have on their students. Hooks explains that engaged
pedagogy emphasizes self-actualization among students, something that is not only important
for them in the classroom but rather in all areas of life.

Expansion:
When writing this discussion post, I thought of Rose’s main idea in terms of my own
experiences as a student. However, in the weeks following my reading of “I Just Wanna Be
Average,” his greater ideas were something that I strived to keep in mind when interacting with
students as a TA. While I was not responsible for grading students major assignments, I still
understand that as a TA, my interactions with students can have a strong effect on their
motivation for the course, and even how they view themselves as a writer. Thus, throughout the
rest of the semester, I aimed to provide all students with motivation and positive reinforcement.
My hope was that each student understood that there were many strong elements to their work,
yet, there is also always room to improve and grow.

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 Discussion Post 3: The Inclusive Classroom (Week 11)

In today’s society, it is undeniable that diversity and inclusion are essential to ensuring
success. With that said, we as UTAs serve a valuable role in making sure our students feel
comfortable in the setting of our classroom and ultimately are able to produce high-quality work.
These points are addressed directly through Saunders and Kardia’s guidelines for “Creating
Inclusive College Classrooms” and their work shares guidance for how to best create such an
environment. It was valuable to think about the problematic assumptions presented in this
article. After reading through their list, I believe that as a UTA, I have been successful in being
aware of many of these negative assumptions. However, this article still brought to my attention
assumptions that I had not previously thought about and moving forward, I will strive to be even
more mindful. Additionally, while it is not my responsibility as a UTA to select the content that
the class studies, it was nonetheless interesting for me to consider how chooses sources that
showcase diverse authors and express diverse opinions can either “make or break” a student’s
comfort level within the class.

On a separate note, I was fascinated by the idea of critical consciousness. Having

critical consciousness is essential for all areas of life, not just education. Thus, if we are aware
that our experiences have shaped our thoughts and beliefs, and acknowledge the legitimacy of
other’s experiences, we will be even more successful as UTAs since we can create stronger
connections with our students. Furthermore, if we hold this attitude in classes where we are the
students, we could potentially have a greater understanding of our professors, which ultimately
can improve our results in the class.

Regarding the topic of “Hot Moments in the Classroom,” I cannot recall a time that I
witnessed an instance of this nature. However, while not exactly a “hot moment,” in a course I
was taking last semester about the media’s role in society, the topic of politics was frequently
raised. Students would constantly state their political opinions, and act inappropriately towards
the classmates whose opinions differ from their own, ultimately creating an uncomfortable
classroom setting. The professor obviously noticed this issue, and rather than addressing it
directly to the class, incorporated a media theory about this problem into the class curriculum.
Through doing so, she eliminated the conflict and restored the sense of inclusion in the class.

Lastly, I agreed with Riordan’s arguments and feel that this work successfully pointed
attention to the nuances related to diversity. Creating an environment with diversity is only the
first step in solving the problem, and inclusion is the only way to create acceptance. In terms of
application as a UTA, it is important to consider her point that “People gravitate toward people
like them.” From my own experiences, I certainly believe that this is the reality. However, if this
is the case then it may be difficult to create an inclusive environment. Thus, it is essential to
push students to interact with all of the members of the class in order to make all students feel
comfortable and included.

Expansion:
When discussing this same topic in another course a several weeks after I wrote this
discussion post, my professor summarized the issues relating to diversity and inclusion as
“diversity gives someone a seat at the table, inclusion makes sure that they have a voice.”

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Upon hearing my professors definition of the nuances of diversity and inclusion, I immediately
related these concepts back to Riordan’s arguments. Both my professor and Riordan agree that
diversity is not simply enough, and it is essential to create conditions where everyone feels
included. These were ideas that I considered when speaking to one of my students, whose
topic for the ENGL101 assignment sequence is diversity in the workplace. With these concepts
in mind, it was fascinating to hear how she, someone who has a personal relationship with this
topic and who has been exploring it all semester, felt about the relationship between diversity
and inclusion.

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 Learning Log 1

While I faced some challenges at first, I have greatly enjoyed my experience working as

a UTA thus far. As we have mentioned many times in our discussions, TAs are in a strange

territory between being a student and being a professor. This dynamic made it hard at first to

understand my role in the classroom. I had difficulty gauging how often I should speak in class,

what type of comments I should make, and the manner in which I should interact with the

students. However, I realized that there is no formula to answer these questions. But rather,

over time I was able to become more comfortable in these situations and find a balance that

works for me.

Both Professor Joshi and our ENGL388V course were great resources while I was

becoming adjusted to working as a UTA, and both are still tremendously helpful. Professor Joshi

has been very accessible and has shared extremely useful and relevant advice based on her

own experiences as well as the observations of her past TAs. Similarly, through the discussions

in ENGL388V, I have been able to absorb the comments and advice shared by other UTAs, and

apply it myself. Additionally, the required readings have pushed me to think about education in a

new light.

In terms of my responsibilities as a TA, I believe that the semester is off to a positive

start. While the thought of grading discussion boards and other similar assignments scared me

at first, I very quickly became comfortable doing so. In addition to grading work, Professor Joshi

recommended that I taught a short lesson at the beginning of the semester, and I shared a list

of advice for academic summary writing with the class. While in hindsight, I hoped that my

presentation was more engaging, I am happy with the content I shared and that I had the ability

to present so early on in the semester. I am looking forward to my lesson plans, where I will

have the chance to teach in a more formal manner.

I have also had various students reach out to me with issues ranging from simple

questions about assignments and ELMS to requesting to discuss their topic choice or review

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their academic summary assignment. In addition to meeting with these students, I also held

“office hours” in McKeldin the night before the first assignment was due. As I anticipated, no

students came, however, I am glad that I did so as I wanted them to know that I am a resource

for future assignments.

Overall, my past few weeks as a UTA have been very rewarding. I have learned a lot

about myself both as a writer and through how I interact with the students. I hope that I have

been of help to the students in my section and that I will have future opportunities to serve as a

resource to them. Moving forward, I strive to become even more comfortable with my role as a

TA, as well as push myself to take on further responsibilities.

Additional commentary:

Thinking back to my first learning log, I was very clearly still becoming adjusted to the

roles and responsibilities of working as a UTA. In hindsight, I understand that I put a

tremendous amount of thought into every interaction that I had with my students. For example,

while I typically do not have any issues with public speaking, I was very intimidated by the

process of teaching in front of the class, as I was concerned that the students would not take

me seriously or trust the accuracy of the information that I presented. Luckily, Professor Joshi

addressed this issue early on in the semester, by encouraging me to share my tips for the

academic summary assignment. Similarly, just as I overthought the process of presenting in

front of the classroom, I also put a tremendous amount of consideration into meeting with

students about assignments. While I was extremely excited that students wanted my guidance

so early on in the semester, I was worried that I would guide them in the wrong direction. While

these are both concerns that I certainly faced throughout the entire semester, as I gained more

experiences as a UTA, I slowly but surely overcame these challenges.

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 Learning Log 2

Since my first learning log, I have clearly become more comfortable with my role as an

ENGL101 UTA. While I hope to continue to grow throughout this process, I feel that I have

created a set routine for myself as to how to best approach most of my tasks.

At the time that I wrote my first learning log, I had only met with a couple students

outside of the classroom setting. However, since then, more students have reached out to me

for assistance, especially regarding the Inquiry Essay assignment. While I believe that I shared

valuable insight with these students, I experienced some challenges in giving students guidance

on these assignments and coordinating times to meet with students in person. For example,

despite the fact that I had “office hours” set up before the Inquiry Essay was due, several

students requested to meet with me the night that the assignment was required to be submitted.

While I did not truly have the time to meet with these students, I did so anyway as I wanted to

serve as a resource to my students in any way possible, and I am overall confident that I helped

guide these students.

Regarding grading discussion posts and peer reviews, I have developed an efficient

system for reading through these assignments. Grading these smaller assignments is one of my

favorite responsibilities. When reading the discussion, I often try to respond to the posts that are

particularly interesting, as well as take notes on comments that stand out for my own personal

reference. In doing so, I am able to later use these notes when interacting with students or when

providing feedback on their larger assignments. It is especially interesting to grade the posts of

the students for which English is not their first language, and to have the opportunity to apply

what I learned in our 388V discussion about students in this situation. Additionally, it has been

fascinating to observe how the students interact with one another through the peer reviews on

ELMS. As in all peer reviews, students have shared some really insightful feedback with one

another, yet also have seemed to struggle in some areas. Ultimately, I used these observations

to help me create my next lesson plan on this very topic.

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 When presenting my first lesson plan, I overall was pleased, and believe that many of

the students grasped the material that I shared. However, moving forward, I hope to present my

next lesson plan in a manner that feels more casual and engaging.

Overall, I have greatly enjoyed this experience thus far. I am still currently striving to fully

understand my role in the classroom on a day-to-day basis. While I feel that I have been able to

contribute, I still face difficulties in viewing myself as a “teacher figure,” and interjecting

commentary regularly. Despite this, at this point, I love how I am able to play a role in the

students’ growth as writers, as well as grow myself.

Additional commentary:

Upon writing this learning log, I clearly was more comfortable with my responsibilities as

a UTA than I was when wrote my first learning log. When writing this, I recall noticing how much

more accustomed I was to tasks such as meeting with students and presenting in front of the

class. However, at this time, I still struggled with navigating the classroom environment on a

daily basis. While I did become more comfortable with this by the end of the semester, in

hindsight I can say that it was one of my largest challenges throughout this program. Thinking

back, I wish I had addressed this issue on the first day of classes, and set the precedent for

myself of adding my insights to the classroom discussions or chatting with the students more

before and after class.

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 Learning Log #3


After class this past Tuesday, a student enthusiastically chased after me and exclaimed

“Zoë, thank you so much for your help on the rhetorical analysis! I got an A!” While I obviously

knew that she received the A, her comment was probably my most fulfilling moment as a UTA

thus far. This student approached me for help on her rhetorical analysis assignment after

consistently getting grades in the B-range. Having met with her twice regarding this assignment,

I genuinely felt that she had written a strong paper, and I had finally figured out the best way to

conduct my meetings with students. Her comment Tuesday morning proved that I was right

about both.

Over the past several months, I feel that I have grown tremendously as a UTA and

through this process, I have gained a great amount of confidence. Towards the beginning of the

semester, I was hesitant to contribute to Professor Joshi’s lessons, teach a lesson plan in front

of the classroom, and I was sometimes even concerned that I was guiding a student in the

wrong direction. While I realize that I cannot be one-hundred percent certain if what I am

sharing will always be the right thing for all students, I understand that it is important to simply

be confident in myself and keep the student’s best interest in mind. While there are certainly

areas that I hope to continue improving upon over the last couple of weeks of the semester, I

am proud of how I have grown, and I am sure that the overall experience of being a UTA will

help me in the future.

This growth not only stemmed from my interactions with the students, but also from our

discussions in ENGL388V. The other UTAs in the discussion all have so much unique insight to

share, and I oftentimes walk out of the class with a new perspective on our topic of the week.

ENGL388V has allowed me to think about topics related to education in a new and thought-

provoking way, and even apply these ideas to other courses. I hope to maintain this positive

outlook for the rest of the semester.

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 I apologize that this is so cliché, but I have so genuinely enjoyed this overall process and

hope that I will be able to return as a UTA next semester.

Additional commentary:

After reading through my third and final learning log, I fully agree with all that I

articulated. I believe that as the semester came to a close, I finally became confident with being

a TA, and loved having the opportunity to interact and guide many of my students. I am so

grateful for all that I have learned as a result of participating in this program and while I cannot

return next semester as I initially hoped, I would love to come back the following Spring.

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 Group Project

Prompt:

This week is all about responding to student writing. Please respond to each section, but you
don’t need to answer every question in each section. Feel free to respond to as many of the
questions listed as you’d like (we know there are a lot ;) ).

Part 1
Read this article by Peter Elbow.

Part 2
“Even when we write clear, accurate, valid, and helpful comments, our students often read them
through a distorting lens of resistance or discouragement—or downright denial” (Elbow 8).
Do you agree with these statements? Read this blogpost. Do you think that sharing feedback in
“unconventional” manners such as student-teacher conferences can be a potential solution to
this conflict? Do you think in-person conferences can be a more effective way to critique
students’ writing than written comments?

Part 3
Think back on Elbow’s Conclusion and read “Take Home Tips for Commenting on Student
Work.” Reflect back on the type of feedback that you have provided as a UTA. Have you
followed the advice provided in these sources? Is there any advice that will stick with you
moving forward as you grade assignments? Read “Responding to Student Writing.” Are you a
reactive or a responsive reader? What about the professors that you have encountered during
your college career thus far?

Reflection on Group Presentation:

While this assignment was rather different from any prior assignment that I have

completed, I enjoyed the overall process of preparing and presenting our lesson about

responding to student writing. Many factors contributed to my positive experiences in creating

this presentation. Firstly, I was genuinely interested in our group topic. My experiences as a

UTA over the past semester have made me put more thought into the challenges of responding

to student writing. Thus, it was interesting to not only have the opportunity to further explore this

topic myself, but also lead a lesson about it.

Furthermore, I was thrilled to discover how well my group members worked with one

another. We completed our work in an efficient manner during both the designated time in class

as well as when we met in McKeldin Library. During our meetings, we each did our own

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research and found various potential readings. We tried to create diversity in the sources we

chose. For example, the Elbow reading came from the University of Maryland database, where

the Sommers readings (reactive and responsive readers) was actually given to me by Professor

Joshi when I started out as a UTA. We then reviewed all of the materials that we had gathered

and discussed our thoughts about the readings themselves and how they related to one

another. We tried to choose the readings that were both strong independently but also cohesive

with the other readings. We then continued our conversation to explore potential discussion

questions and develop the prompt. While our original draft included multiple discussion threads,

we concluded that this may be overwhelming for the other students in the class. Thus, we

decided to reformat our prompt.

When preparing for our actual presentation, we each read all of the discussion posts in

order to be familiar with the thoughts of our classmates. Rather than responding to the

discussion posts online, we concluded it would be best to use these responses in our

conversation to spark dialogue. In hindsight, I am glad that we took this approach, and I am

overall happy with the results of our presentation. However, there were aspects of our

presentation that I wish went differently. For example, we prepared several questions that we

were unable to ask due to timing.

Despite this, I hope that the other students gained value from our lesson and I was so

glad to hear students referencing concepts from our lesson in further discussions. In terms of

the specific learning outcomes, the one that was most strongly related to our project is “select,

critically evaluate, and apply relevant areas of composition scholarship and the scholarship of

teaching and learning to the teaching of writing.” Hopefully, through our lesson we allowed the

other UTAs to think about providing feedback to students in a new manner, which will ultimately

help their students become stronger and more confident writers.

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 In terms of my classmates’ group presentations, I truly enjoyed all of the discussions that

the other members of ENGL388V prepared. Each of my lessons included thought-provoking

conversations as well as creative ways for the participants to stay engaged in the lesson.

However, the one lesson that stood out most to me was Tyler and Olivia’s lesson about the

Inclusive Classroom. Right from their discussion board, I was interested in their topic due to

their fascinating and easy-to-read sources. I specifically enjoyed Riordan’s “Diversity Is Useless

Without Inclusivity,” as it presented an interesting approach to the relationship between diversity

and inclusion. Furthermore, they continued this momentum through their discussion in class

and activities. Not only did I gain new insights on this topic through this class, but I also laughed

the hardest I ever had in a classroom environment, while watching my classmates’ skits.

Group notes:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13HnZe-fw8OfrJTVtv7rAtiUyAdymSH7j6vApWvA_
KlM/edit?usp=sharing

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 Reflective Essay

The minute I received the email from Professor Joshi recommending that I apply to be a

UTA, I was confident that I wanted to participate in the program. The thought of being a

teacher’s assistant had always excited me, however, I never thought that I would be given the

opportunity to do so. Thus, Professor Joshi's offer excited me for many reasons; not only would

I have the chance to be a TA, but it would be for a class that I truly enjoyed and with one of my

favorite professors.

This excitement carried me through Winter break until a wake-up call appeared in my

email inbox on January 10th:

“Because you are all now officially on the other side of the classroom, you have the great

pleasure of starting the semester early! Woohoo! Okay, that may not be the best news, but

nothing beats being as prepared as you can be for a new adventure!”

Receiving my first assignment for ENGL388V replaced my eagerness with fear. While

the assignment itself was both interesting and helpful in preparing me for the semester ahead, it

prompted me to start thinking about what I wanted my experience as a TA to look like and ask

myself many questions: How do I want to be viewed by my students? What if I am unable to

provide students with helpful guidance? What if I do not know the answer to a student’s

question? What if I cannot handle the workload? Will my first few classes be awkward? And

most importantly, what do I wear on the first day of class? While I was not able to fully answer

each of these questions before my first day of being a TA, they were important for me to begin

thinking about before starting the semester.

Throughout this process, I learned a tremendous amount from the readings, the

members of the 388V community, Professor Joshi, and my students. In terms of readings,

Murray’s “Teach Writing as a Process Not Product” was a fantastic way to begin the semester,

and one of my favorite readings. Our discussion board for the reading required us to pull two

quotes that resonated with us the most. One of the two quotes that I chose to include stated: "It

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is the process of using language to learn about our world, to evaluate what we learn about our

world, to communicate what we learn about our world." (4) Thinking back on the semester, I

hope that I used my writing to achieve these goals through my 388V discussion posts.

However, more importantly, I hope that when guiding students through the ENGL101

assignment sequence, that I helped them understand the power of writing and how it can be

used to learn, evaluate and communicate. Gaining an understanding of the power of writing is

essential, and if I succeeded as a UTA, I hope that my students will carry this with them as they

continue the rest of their educational careers.

Another article that made an impact on me as both a UTA and an individual was Rose’s

“I Just to be Average.” I recall reading this article on the train home to New York, in a state of

complete exhaustion. Unable to focus on any work thus far, I decided to try working on my

ENGL388V discussion board. Upon reading the article I was immediately fascinated. Rose’s

work was both interesting and easy-to-read, but clearly articulated the challenges faced by

students in “vocational” or other similar tracks. My interactions with his work is a prime example

of how our conversations in class pushed me to think about issues in education that I had never

realized prior. While I had a firsthand experience that was somewhat similar to those of Rose,

which I wrote about on my discussion post for that week, I never made the connection that this

is a struggle that students can face. Obviously, none of the students in my section of ENGL101

are on a “vocational” track. However, they can face this same feeling of discouragement if not

treated properly by their professors or TAs. Thus, this was something I strived to keep in mind

for the rest of the semester.

Furthermore, William Strunk’s “The Elements of Style” greatly changed the manner that I

think about the writing process. While I disagree with his approach to teaching style and writing

as a whole, interacting with his work allowed me to come to my own conclusions about trial-and-

error in order to develop a writing style. Strunk argues that new writers should state their ideas

using “plainness, simplicity, orderliness, sincerity” (66). Having the opportunity to comprehend

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Strunk’s perspective, has led to my creating my own opinion that new writers should be able to

experiment with their writing style and use writing as a form of self-expression.

In addition to the reading, both Lyra and every student in this section of ENGL388V

challenged me to grow in the ways that I write, think, and act as a TA, and I want to thank you

all for helping me achieve this growth. This past semester has allowed me to explore new and

fascinating topics, and I am confident that I have come so far from the first week. Prior to this

class, I had never put much thought into pedagogy or the greater educational system. In fact, I

even googled the definition of “pedagogy” after one of our first classes. However, the topics that

we discussed throughout ENGL388V have allowed me to think objectively about education, and

I am sure that I will continue to do so through my future interactions with professors here at the

University of Maryland.

Upon reviewing my goals and expectations sheet for the beginning of the semester, I

can confidently state that I achieved many of the objectives that I initially set for myself, and I

am so grateful to everyone in the ENGL388V community for helping me do so.

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