English 388V Final Portfolio

By: Samantha Salter

Table of Contents
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Chapter 1 Lesson Plan #1………………………………………………….................2

Chapter 2 Lesson Plan #2………………………………………………….................6
Chapter 3 Discussion Post #1……………………………………………………….11
Chapter 4 Discussion Post #2……………………………………………………….13
Chapter 5 Learning Log #1………………………………………………………….14
Chapter 6 Learning Log #2………………………………………………………….15
Chapter 7 Group Presentation……………………………………………………….17
Chapter 8 Reflective Essay………………………………………………………….21

Chapter 1
Lesson Plan #1
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Helpful materials:
While crafting this lesson plan, I found the Lesson Plan Central to be very helpful. Specifically, I
referred mostly to the article, “Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans” and always went
back to that. As a novice lesson planner with no background experience in teaching or crafting
lesson plans, I understood that my first lesson was not going to be perfect, however, with proper
research, I could avoid some mistakes that even the most veteran teachers or professors fall
victim to. For example, the first and foremost most common mistake when crafting lesson plans
is that the learning objective “does not specify what the student will actually do that can be
observed.” The article then continues that poorly written learning objectives lead to false and
incorrect inferences, therefore, while crafting my lesson plan I focused my entire lesson around
the learning outcome and made sure I included specifics in that objective.

Learning Objective:
For the students to understand what an effective “about page” for their Digital Forum looks like
and for them to know how to effectively create one to get their message across in the most
compelling and productive way possible. In order to support their understanding of a productive
about page, another objective is for the students to understand the different kinds of definitions in
order to form an argument.

Materials

● An open mind! We are going to be running things a little bit differently to spice things up
and give our fabulous instructor Sabrina a well-deserved break! Please have an open
mind when I introduce something that strays a bit from what we normally do
● Your about page and stakeholder position page #1
● A computer
● No cell phones please (We are going to be doing a lot of discussion, so I do not want to
see any phones because they only serve as a huge distraction from me, your peers, and
your work. We are also going to be peer editing so it is only fair to your peers to be fully
attentive for each other!)

Time estimate: 70 Minutes

Outline:
Part 1: Readings Discussion (15 Minutes)

● Move your chairs into a circle in class, this opts for a better discussion! Our main goals in
this conversation revolve around the reading and proceed as listed:
1. What are the different kinds of definitions?
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a. Formal definitions- what you find in dictionaries, such dictionaries place a term in
its proper genus and species- first determining its class and then identifying the
features or criteria that distinguish it from other members of that class.
i. Example- To define hybrid car, you might first place it in a general class-
passenger vehicles. Then the formal definition would distinguish hybrid
cars from other passenger vehicles: they can move using two or more
sources of power, either separately or in combination.
b. Operational definitions- identify an object or idea by what it does or by what
conditions create it.
i. Example- Someone’s offensive sexual imposition on another person may
not meet the technical definition of harassment unless it is considered
unwanted, unsolicited, and repeated.
c. Definitions by example- define a class by listing its individual members
i. For example, one might define the broad category of tablets by listing
their major examples of these products, for instance, major examples of
tablets include: Apple iPad Air, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and the Apple iPad
mini.
2. How to form an argument of definition? [Tailored specifically to Digital Forum]
a. Formulate a claim
b. Craft definitions
c. Match claim to definition
d. Consider design and visuals
3. How does this relate to the about page of your digital forum? (5 minutes)
● Discuss with your peers your ideas about how to use different kinds of definitions in your
about page. Think of specific examples related to your topics. We will go around in a
circle and talk about what we discussed after you and your peers come up with examples.
Additionally, jot down a few sentences on how definitions can be contentious and
brainstorm why this might be so (this will relate to your Digital Forum and Position
Paper.)

Part 2 &3: Clarify About Page and Stakeholder Position #1 Page (15 minutes)

1. Read over the about page portion of the rubric for this assignment (Digital Forum)
2. Discuss the importance of the about page as a class
3. Ask any questions you may have about the “About Page”

AND THEN...

1. Read over the page portion of the rubric for this assignment (Digital Forum)
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2. Discuss the importance of stakeholders

3. Ask any questions you may have about the “Stakeholder Position #1 Page”

Part 4: Peer Review (35 minutes)

1. Swap computers or send a link of your digital forum to your peer. Read the grading
rubric then look at your peers about page and digital forum. What can they improve on?
What did they do a good job on? Do they follow the rubric correctly?
- Take 5 minutes in the beginning to share with your partner your specific concerns
about your project and what you are aiming for in your Digital Forum (5
minutes).
- Then swap computers and peer review your partner's project (15minutes)
- Finally, have a discussion with your peers for the next 10 minutes about what you
discovered (10 minutes)
2. Stand up and walk around the room! Have time to chat with your friends about the
project to see if there are any remaining questions. Ask if you can look at their “About
Page” and “Stakeholder Position #1 Page” to see things you like or do not like. Start
thinking about design in the back of your head. (5 minutes)

Part 5: Final Questions (5 minutes)

1. Ask any final questions you may have!

Reflection:

As this was my first experience giving a lesson plan, I believe it went pretty well all
things considered. I remember reflecting about this lesson specifically in my Learning Log #2
right after giving the lesson, and because it was so soon after delivering my lesson plan, I think I
let my emotions overpower me and my ability to perform an analysis of the effectiveness of the
lesson. For instance, I recall writing that “I felt like I was grasping for any sort of cooperation
after the first five minutes of the lesson.”

While revising my Lesson Plan #1 for my final portfolio, I considered transforming the
lesson plan into simply a presentation followed up by a discussion to facilitate better
participation from the students, however, I decided against it. What I would do next time before
giving this lesson plan is to remind the students to do the readings! I think that one cause for
their lack of participation was that they were unprepared for class, which I can take some fault
in, because I did not emphasize the importance of the readings the class before. Additionally,
when analyzing the effectiveness of my Lesson Plan #1 verse my Lesson Plan #2, the biggest
difference between the two is that for my first lesson plan, my instructor was observing me, and
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for the second, really bad weather caused my instructor to miss most of the lesson, and without
the presence of an observer, my students were much more open and present with me. I will
reflect more on this later, but it really proved to be a big difference in both of my lesson plans
and I feel as though because my students were not intimidated, we really had a much more
effective lesson in my Lesson Plan #2.

Therefore, I chose not to alter the discussion based lesson I crafted from the beginning
because I thought of other ways to facilitate a proper discussion, for example, making sure the
students come prepared with the readings completed before class time and making sure both the
students and I are comfortable with one another before giving the lesson, emphasizing even if
they give a wrong answer, no harm will be done because we can all learn from it. Additionally, if
a teacher finds this necessary, they can emphasize that participation for the day will be given if
proper contribution is given to the discussion. I recall, in a philosophy class I took first semester
at UMD as a freshman, my professor centered the entire course around a discussion based lecture
every day, and the only way to receive credit for that day was to speak once, whether it be a
question, comment, or concern. While I did not believe this was necessary for my class, a teacher
may implement this if he or she would like to stick to my discussion-based class but worries
about whether students will contribute or not.

Chapter 2
Lesson Plan #2
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Helpful Materials:
A material that helped me prepare and which I found useful in crafting my Lesson Plan #2 was
the article, “How to Prepare for Class Without Over preparing.” I really relate to the message of
this article because I often find myself over preparing and over complicating tasks that should
not be taking up large/ ample amounts of my time. For example, when I was in high school, I
would study for hours upon hours for my gym/health exam and then spend the same amount of
time studying for my AP Statistics exam. My mom would try to tell me that it was silly of me to
over prepare so much for a simple exam and that I did not have to study as much for a health
exam as a statistics one; however, I could not stop studying until I had every last detail
memorized. I feel as though this really relates to the article’ main message of not over
complicating or overindulging one’s time while creating a lesson plan. While I am by no means
an expert in lesson planning, I know that spending hours over one small detail will not help me
in the process.

Learning Objective:

1. For the students to understand how to incorporate hyperlinks into their Digital Forum
2. For the students to understand why one should use hyperlinks while writing for digital
audiences
3. For the students to understand when one should use hyperlinks in their Digital Forum
4. For students to get any last questions answered about the Digital Forum

Materials

● An open mind! We are going to be running things a little bit differently to spice things up
and give our instructor Sabrina a well-deserved break! Please have an open mind when I
introduce something that strays a bit from what we normally do (We will be
incorporating moving around and games in today’s lesson plan!)
● Your Digital Forum
● A computer
● No cell phones please (We are going to be doing a lot of discussion and peer reviewing
so I do not want to see any phones because they only serve as a huge distraction from me,
your peers, and your work. We are also going to be peer editing so it is only fair to your
peers to be fully attentive for each other!)

Time estimate: 75 Minutes

Outline:
Part 1: How to Incorporate Hyperlinks Tutorial (5 minutes)
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1. Step 1: Highlight the word which you would like to imbed the hyperlink in

2. Step 2: Double click on the word and press “create link.”

3. Step 3: Press the option “Website URL.”

4. Step 4: Copy and Paste the URL into “Website URL.”

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Part 2: Small Group Readings Discussion (15 Minutes)

● Get into small groups (3 or 4 people). The only criteria for your groups is that you must
stand up and find new people to collaborate and you cannot work with the same people
you always do. Stand up and walk around to find some new people to work with! Go over
the following questions in your small groups:
1. How does one hyperlink using Weebly?
2. Why should one hyperlink instead of using in text citations for a digital audience?
3. How often should one hyperlink?
4. Can you hyperlink scholarly sources?

Talk for 5 minutes, then we will come together as a class and discuss the answers (10 minutes)

Part 3: True or False Game (20 Minutes)

- Part 1: Game, 10 minutes
● One purpose of this game is to get you guys moving and your brains thinking. Everyone
must stand in a group in the center of the classroom. The right wall stands for agree and
the left wall stands for disagree. I am going to read 5 statements. You must go to the wall
that you think properly represents each statement. I will call on a few of you guys each
round so that you can share your opinion. My hope is that the game clarifies any final
details you guys are still confused on pertaining your Digital Forums.
1. I must hyperlink every single source in my Digital Forum (Agree or Disagree)
2. My Digital Forum must look like a professional website and be absolutely perfect (Agree
or Disagree)
3. A “Required Reading” Page is required at the end of my Digital Forum, including 5
annotations (approx. 100 words each) of scholarly sources pertaining to your issue
(Agree or Disagree)
4. A stakeholder is someone who has no interest in my topic (Agree or Disagree)
5. My Digital Forum should be submitted on Dec 1 (Agree or Disagree)
- Part 2: Discussion of Answers, 10 minutes

Part 4: Peer Review (30 minutes)

1. Swap computers or send a link of your digital forum to your peer. Specifically look at
your partner’s use of hyperlinks and in-text citations in their project (15 minutes)
2. Swap computers back. Give your partner your feedback. Did they do an efficient job
citing their sources? Should they add anything else? Do they have enough sources? This
is your last chance to receive feedback on your projects before they are due so give your
partner honest helpful advice. (10 minutes, 5 for each partner)
3. Stand up and walk around the room! Have time to chat with your friends about the
project to see if there are any remaining questions. (5 minutes)
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Part 5: Final Questions and Assessing your Understanding of Objective (5 minutes)

1. Ask any final questions you may have!

2. Your understanding of this class objective will be measured in your submission of the
Digital Forum. Please make sure you understand everything we talked about today, and if
you do not, that is what both your instructor and I are here for!

Reflection:

For this Lesson Plan, I believe it went very well and that the students understood the
overall objectives and learning outcomes of the Lesson Plan. However, first I would like to
discuss some of the revision I made after giving this lesson, thinking back on it, and analyzing it
to make it more effective for the students.

First off, the first thing I implemented to match the lesson plan better with the learning
objectives is a tutorial for how to put hyperlinks in the students’ Digital Forums. When I gave
this lesson in class, I simply orally gave the directions; however, I believe it would be clearer to
the students through a tutorial with support pictures.

The next group of revisions I made for this lesson revolved around the timing and again
making the learning objectives more possible for the students. For instance, after the group
discussion the students will have with their peers regarding the readings assigned for that day, I
added some time after that to come back as a group to ensure the students found the proper
answers. Additionally, after the game, I added more time to discuss the right answers to make
sure the students are really grasping the topic and what to do and not to do regarding it.

The revisions I made were small, but I really think that they will make a large change in
what students take after this lesson. Even though I thought we had a really good class and
discussion when I gave it, these improvements will ensure the effectiveness and productivity of
the lesson.

As for my lesson given in class, I feel as though the students were open to me and were
gladly participating. One reason this may be is because hyperlinking is mandatory for their
Digital Forum and the lesson was given at such a crucial time in the semester, right before their
Rough Drafts of the projects were due, so the students were eager to learn to make their projects
even better.
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Chapter 3
Discussion Post #1: Week 2 Principles and Practices

The first article we read for this week's discussion centers around the Learning Paradigm
and how higher education is shifting away from simply instructing and shifting towards learning.
Robert B. Barr and John Tagg in their From Teaching to Learning propose that, “A paradigm
shift is taking hold in American higher education. In its briefest form, the paradigm that has
governed our colleges is this: A college is an institution that exists to provide instruction. Subtly
but profoundly we are shifting to a new paradigm: A college is an institution that exists to
produce learning” (Barr, Tagg, 1). The shift in the learning paradigm is a necessary shift to
govern the evolution of learning, however, it comes with some hiccups and obstacles. Some of
the problematic assumptions that come with this shift in higher education involve talent,
relationships, and accomplishments. The thought that college is meant to be an instruction rather
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than a place to produce learning reflects some of the poorly seated assumptions in society about
learning: that it is an individual process and an individual achievement. These assumptions are
dispersed through the Learning Paradigm theory which showcases the need for change in
thinking regarding higher education.

I have many times seen the problematic assumption that learning is an individual
achievement. When people begin to think with this reasoning, learning becomes a game of unfair
advantages. If learning truly were an individual achievement, then I believe it would lead to
students putting way too much pressure and stress on themselves to achieve, which I have seen
happen firsthand. College should be an institution which focuses on producing learning, which
produces a team and collaborative atmosphere. When college focuses simply on instruction, it
seems as though it is up to the teacher to provide the information and the student to figure out a
way to absorb it, even if the information is not given in an applicable way to that student. When
the thought is shifted from instruction to learning, we shift away from the dangerous atmosphere
promoting individual success, stress, and pressure, and move towards a collaborative workspace.

This concept of producing learning additionally encompasses positive teaching

techniques, such as an inclusive classroom and promotes positive practices. Tactics to create an
inclusive classroom, such as choosing the correct course content, and tactics to promote positive
teaching, such as encouraging contact between students and faculty, come easily when the higher
education model focuses on producing learning and not simply instructing.

Over the course of the semester in our discussions during class, we touched a lot on
whose responsibility it ultimately is learning new information, the students’ or the teachers’? All
the UTA’s went back and forth and many came upon the conclusion that it should be a mixture
of both the student and the professors’, however, often times in today’s day in age, all of the
responsibility falls onto the student. The professor will simply give his/her two fifty-minute
lectures, the students will meet for discussions, and then are supposed to be ready for an exam
worth 30 or 40% of their grade. Does this sound fair? Is it fair that the student will have to spend
countless hours outside of the classroom memorizing information for one exam, only for it to be
forgotten the next day? This relates to the article previously discussed, Robert B. Barr and John
Tagg in their From Teaching to Learning, which claims that teaching in colleges is in a
transformative stage, but is it really? I think differently and I will dive into my opinion later in
my reflective essay.
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Chapter 4
Discussion Post #2: Week 3: Writing, Learning, and Teaching

In this week's readings, Donald M. Murray writes brilliantly in his "Teach Writing as a
Process Not Product" about the struggle of teaching English as a professor as one who is trained
by "studying a product: writing" (Murray, 3) and the struggles that come along with transferring
information to the student. Students are not trained professionals and therefore lies the problem:
the transition of information from a trained professional to a mere amateur is difficult.
Hedengrens’ "One-on-one Writing Conferences" helps to solve some of these struggles and we
see effective tips for TAs in the process of transferring information from "teacher" to students.
An advantage of teaching assistants over professors becomes apparent in this chapter: because
teaching assistants are still technically students, they better understand what the student on the
other side is going through, thus making the transfer of information easier. Talking about the
information transferring process, the chapter gives us tips like anticipate questions and set up a
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common meeting ground" (Hedengren, 1-7). Overall, these tips allow the transfer of information
from teacher to student to focus on the process, not simply the product, thus setting the students
up with the right steps to succeed.

Lastly, in Michael Bunn's "Motivation and Connection" he touches upon some of the
universal truths of reading and writing that of which plague the subject. He refers to the struggle
of many students wanting to improve their writing , but simply not knowing how when he states,
"Many students recognize the value of writing and learning to write... " but at the same time,
"many students see writing courses as a chore," (Bunn, 496). In order to improve these universal
truths which have haunted the subject of English for so long, professors, instructors, and TAs
must focus on teaching the process and not the product just as Murray teaches us.

Throughout my semester as a Teaching Assistant, I found these topics very apparent in

the classroom. I often heard students say, “I want to be good at writing, but I am just not a good
writer,” or “Me and writing do not get along, I am more of a math and science person.” I believe
that my role as a Teaching Assistant helped motivate the students and stop the unhealthy student
cycle of wanting to become a better writer but believing they never will be. After learning new
teaching techniques of teaching writing as a process not product and learning how to transfer the
information better to the students, I believe that some of them were able to transform their
negative mindsets into positive more optimistic ones.

Chapter 5
Learning Log #1:

So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed the TA experience. This is my first time ever being on
the other side of the classroom. At first it was a bit weird for me because exactly one semester
ago, I sat in the same exact seats my students are in now. At first I doubted my ability to be a
TA. I questioned myself and my English skills, I thought I was just a student in this class one
semester ago, how am I any more qualified than the students before me? Another thing that I
struggled with was that I am so close in age to my students. How can I have authority over
people who are just one year younger than I am? However, as classes past, and the weeks went
by, I started to learn about the unique balance between being my students’ TA and friend. I want
to be there for them as much as possible but there is also a line where I can no longer be of help
to them because of my unique role as a student and teacher.
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I feel very comfortable with my instructor and my students now. As classes pass, I continue
to learn how to interject into the conversation during the lecture. I feel as though my students
respect me and at the same time feel like they can come to me for advice.
Additionally, I really enjoy English 388V way more than I anticipated! Even though it is
my longest class I have, it goes by the quickest. I love how we can sit in a circle and just have a
discussion with my peers about the highs and lows of being a TA. It makes me feel not alone in
this process! It also validates my struggles because I’m like, “Hey, I’m not the only one feeling
this way!”
I am very excited to continue my work as a TA. I am about to grade my first set of papers
coming up so I am a little nervous about that, but I am glad to know that my instructor Sabrina
will check them after me to make sure my edits and comments are okay.

Reflection:

Looking back to writing this first learning log, I feel as though I was really just getting
started with my experience as a UTA. I said that I was a lot more comfortable than in the
beginning of the semester, but looking at my progress now, I feel like I am a veteran compared to
the mere novice I was while writing this first learning log. Now in the classroom I feel more
comfortable than ever. I remember at the beginning of the year, I would have a really important
comment or thought to add on to my instructor’s lecture; however, I could not muster up the
courage to interject or “interrupt” my professor, even though she thoroughly encouraged it. Now,
I feel as though I am in a sense, the second teacher in the classroom and feel like I really belong.
I feel as though the students trust me, look up to me, and that I really made a difference in the
classroom this semester.

Chapter 6
Learning Log #2:

October 24, 2019: Just gave my first lesson plan in my English 101 course, very thankful I
have that under my belt now, so I am less nervous about the second one. I think it went well; the
hardest part was enticing student cooperation. I made my lesson very discussion based because
that is how Sabrina usually runs things, but I felt like I was grasping for any sort of cooperation
after the first initial five minutes of the lesson. I really tried to portray to them the importance of
the lesson on their Digital Forum and how important “Arguments of Definition” can be while
crafting an about page of their Digital Forum; however, I do not think that made them want to
participate anymore. Maybe my next lesson plan I will switch from discussion style to
presentation style to ensure that we reach the objective of my lesson instead of trying to facilitate
a discussion that no one wants to be in. I think the difference between my English 101 course
and the discussions we hold in English 388v is that us UTAs in English 388v actually have a
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deep-seated care and interest in English and most of my students taking 101 simply took it
because they have to and do not intend to pursue a career in it. However, I will take this lesson
plan as a learning experience and if anything, it has given me a huge appreciation for teachers
because what they do is not easy.
Things have been going well with my relationship with my students and I, I feel as
though they are becoming more trustworthy of me and they have been reaching out to me for
help a lot more than in the beginning of the semester; I think that may be because their workload
is picking up and they see me as a valuable recourse to attain their goals of English 101. I have
thoroughly enjoyed my UTA experience so far and am extremely glad I chose to participate in
this experience. I feel as though it has given me a valuable glimpse into what life as a teacher is
like and an extreme appreciation for all that teachers do. Additionally, I feel as though the
position has helped me learn so much more about the writing process seeing it from the teacher’s
side and has given me knowledge and tips that I can take with me throughout my whole college
career.

Reflection:
I remember writing this learning log right after giving my first lesson plan. I reflected on
this earlier, but I will repeat myself again for emphasis: I think I let my emotions overpower me
and my ability to perform an analysis of the effectiveness of the lesson. I really value the ability
of a teacher to carry on a discussion in a classroom and there are things I could have done to
facilitate a better discussion and better participation from my students before giving this lesson
plan, which I touched on earlier. I debated whether to switch my second lesson plan to a lecture
style, and after deliberating, I opted not to and chose to implement different techniques to
facilitate better cooperation from students.
Apart from the lesson plan, at this time in the semester I was getting much more
comfortable with my students and really felt like I was growing as a teacher and student from my
position. I began to feel as though my presence in the classroom really mattered and that my
instructor really valued me as her teaching assistant.
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Chapter 7:
Group Presentation
Peer Review Strategies:
Agree/Disagree Game (10-15 Minutes)

● “I’ve never found peer review useless, but there have certainly been voices that I found
more useful than others.” (Discussion Board)
● “Widespread cuts in university budgets along with increasing enrollments have prompted
faculty and faculty developers to devise and use more time-efficient teaching and
assessment methods, especially in writing-intensive courses…(Nilson, 34)” A main
reason for the use of peer review is to cut down on teacher work.
● “As a UTA, I realized that peer-review is an annoyance to students, and they seem to not
put in enough effort to benefit the other students. If they are putting in enough effort, then
the feedback is focused on grammatical errors and the paper looks like it has been
completely torn apart.” (Discussion Board)
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● “I think that it is helpful for peer-review to be taught in order to understand the steps of
the process to provide the best possible feedback.” (Discussion Board)
● Teachers should provide a rubric or list of questions for the students to follow during a
peer review session.

Thoughts from the Discussion Board:

Pair up and discuss 2-3 of these questions (10 minutes) we will discuss as a class for (20
minutes)

● The identified problem in the text is that the student may give feedback that is “uncritical,
superficial, unengaged, focused on structure/style”, and “unnecessarily harsh” (Nilson,
35). This point stood out to me as a student because I tend to put in a great amount of
work into peer reviews wanting to give as much feedback in order to revise if necessary.
● Do you feel as though you can give more to other students during peer review
than others can give to you?
● “After reading this article, I think that it is helpful for peer-review to be taught in order to
understand the steps of the process to provide the best possible feedback.”
● Do you think that teaching a lesson on how to peer review effectively could
increase the degree to which peer review is effective?
● “I fear for those students who are not able to swap papers with a capable student and
receive the wrong feedback on their paper.”
● How do we control the feedback that students get and make sure it is credible?
Should the teacher be responsible for checking the peer review? Is peer review
simply used to make the teacher's workload lighter?
● “Going off of the question ‘What qualities do you look for in a peer reviewer’ I would
say my number one attribute is honesty.”’
● “I agree with your statement that honesty is very important during peer review,
but I know I struggle with this because I do not want my peer or friend to think I
am over stepping or being rude about their paper, so at times I hold back
comments and simply say ‘Oh, yes you did a good job’”
● Have you ever struggled with being honest during a peer review session in fear
that you are overstepping or saying too much about the paper?
● “I personally think peer review is very useful, but more so when it comes from students
with the same writing background.”
● Is peer review only beneficial during certain times and situations?
● How do we even the playing field of peer review so that regardless of who you
may be paired with, feedback will be effective?
● How do we make peer review more effective?
● Should peer review even be used in classes anymore? What are some alternatives
to peer review sessions?
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● “I also want someone who seems willing to read the paper and take the time to think
about it and discuss it with me. I look for someone who seems like they would care about
my papers' development.”
● How do we get students to genuinely care about each other’s writing and take the
time to thoroughly challenge and analyze it?

Sample summary to peer review:

(15-20 Minutes)

● See how everyone might peer review differently

● Do their peer reviews align with what the professor believes?

In her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” published in 1987 in Borderlands/La

Frontera: The New Mestiza, Gloria Anzaldúa argues that the oppression of Chicanos coincides
with their lingual identity crisis. To make her point, Anzaldúa discusses what growing up as a
Chicano minority in the United States was like and how difficult it was to establish herself as a
valued citizen. The diversity of the Chicano language linguistically and regionally created a
heightened pressure to fit in with multiple types of speakers and cultures. Anzaldúa has been
yelled at for speaking Spanish with an English/American accent and been accused by other
Latinos for speaking the “oppressor's language” and “ruining the Spanish language” when
speaking English (407). The constant contradiction and battle over which tongue is appropriate
to use has made it difficult for Anzaldúa and other Chicanos “to identify… as a distinct people”
(408).
Throughout Anzaldúa’s essay, she inserts Spanish text mixed into her use of English text.
Her use of switching between languages displays how intertwined each language is in her life.
These languages contribute to Anzaldúa’s individuality and how she establishes her own voice.
Her implementation of scholarly quotes enforces her claim that language and identity go hand in
hand. Additionally, Anzaldúa includes an anecdote of her tongue taming experience at the
dentist’s office to provide her audience with an idea of what having a repressed tongue feels like.
As a Chicano, Anzaldúa must constantly switch her tongue to fit in with those around her.
Chicanos have had their freedom of expressions altered by the inordinate expectations of which
language they should use. Ultimately Anzaldúa expresses that her “ethnic identity is twin skin to
linguistic identity” (410). She must fight to keep her Chicano people and their language alive;
never allowing her tongue to be tamed.
Reflection:
I really enjoyed this project for a number of reasons, one being how it coordinated really
well with the lesson plans we gave in our English 101 lectures and how I was able to take my
experience from my first two lesson plans and implement them into this lesson for our English
388v lecture. Elyse and I worked really well together, and I am really happy we were paired with
 Salter 19

one another. Already having experience working together as Sabrina’s TA, I think we mesh well
and have similar views on how to approach the work needed to be accomplished.
Elyse and I first were able to discuss the project in class when we were allotted some time
to meet up and understand more what was being asked of us. Both of us chose one required
reading that we thought met the needs of our topic and then found a third together, finally
crafting a required reading list and discussion board. We then met outside of class in the library
for some time to come up with and strategize a well-thought out plan to give to the class.
I really believed we should structure our discussion questions around the main topic of peer
review, but specifically aim the questions at the effectiveness of peer review to gather our
classmates’ views on the topic and uncover the controversies surrounding the class activity of
peer review. A lot of our peers had a much more positive stance towards peer reviewing than I
anticipated. I think it is because of my own negative experiences with peer reviewing that I
assumed others would have a less positive view on the reviewing technique. However, even with
my negative stance on peer reviewing, I tried to keep my opinion out of the in-class discussion
until I received thoughts from all my classmates so that I, the instructor, would not influence
others’ opinions. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the discussion posts because they were of
a different opinion of my own, and I felt it was helpful to prompt in-class discussion with posts
from the discussion board.
Overall, I believe Elyse and I worked well together and proposed some new ideas to the
classroom. I really appreciate all my opportunities to stand in front of the classroom, whether it
be in 101 or 388v, and learn what it is like to be on the other side as a teacher. I believe the
strategies, techniques, and experiences I learned from this will be useful to me in all aspects of
my student life here at UMD. Additionally, I believe that our lesson regarding peer reviewing
helped reach the goal of “Demonstrate an ability to collaborate in order to bring about a
successful outcome in a composition course” and I believe that both Elyse and I worked together
in a positive effective manner to obtain that goal.

New Reflection:
The group presentation that had a really big impact on me specifically was Alee and
Juliet’s on Style and Error. I really like the topics they touched upon and the discussions that
followed as a result of their prompts. I specifically remember a conversation started pertaining
the question of whether or not it is fair to lose points on a paper as a result of a student’s writing
style. I recall interjecting with an emotional stake in this topic because of my recent experience
in one of my government courses in which I received a 92% on a paper for inserting “too long of
quotes.” I was very upset about this grade; therefore, I argued against it and received a better
mark on my paper. This is just one demonstration of how professors give students lower grades
if they do not agree with the student’s writing style. I believe that style is unique to every writer
and comes with experience and therefore a teacher, professor, or teaching assistant has no right
to take points off because he or she does not agree with a specific style.
 Salter 20

Chapter 8
Reflective Essay: How You Developed as a UTA Over the Course of the Semester

My experience as a UTA was a unique, interesting, and special one, an opinion I believe
that many of my other fellow UTAs may have of the experience. There really is no job or task
like this one where one is still a student and a close age to his or her students in the classroom,
but additionally considered a teacher and source of information. When planning my classes for
this semester I never intended on being a UTA. I loved English class last semester, as I
considered it my favorite course, however, I did not believe I was capable or knowledgeable to
help lead a classroom with my instructor. I carried this mindset to the first class I attended as a
teaching assistant. Both my students and I were nervous because it was new territory for all of
us, it being their first semester as college students and my first time ever being in this unique
position. However, as time passed, both my students and I became very comfortable with one
another and trusting of each other.
 Salter 21

The lecture 388V class that is paired with UTAing at UMD is an extremely valuable asset
to the UTAs. We covered so much information in the course, none of which I ever pondered
before. Topics ranging from how to prompt valuable discussions in the classroom, to who’s
responsibility learning really is in schools, made up our class time. Even though I refer to the
class as a “lecture” it really was simply a safe space for all my fellow UTAs and I to talk about
our experiences in the classroom and ponder contentious learning and teaching topics with no
judgement. In order to fully reflect the course of the semester and the individual growth
experienced as a result of my being a UTA, I would like to talk about some of the biggest
questions and topics that made up our discussions, many of which being contentious problems
with no one right answer, and give my opinion on the problems with some research to back up
my claims.

One of the many topics we spent time debating in English 388V which really opened up
my mind to many questions regarding the world of education is something I chose to talk a little
about earlier and that of which I will expand upon now: the principles and practices of teaching.
During one of the first weeks of the semester, all the UTAs were given readings regarding the
way professors teach today. The readings brought up two teaching paradigms: the instructional
and learning. Barr and Tagg in their “From Teaching to Learning” first introduce the two
paradigms and then define them, the instructional being, “A college is an institution that exists to
provide instruction” and the learning being, “A college is an institution that exists to produce
learning,” (Barr and Tagg, 13). They additionally claim that a shift is happening in the realm of
college education, specifically, “Subtly, but profoundly we are shifting to a new paradigm [the
learning paradigm]” (Barr and Tagg, 13). I claimed earlier that this statement is one that I
disagree with, an opinion that I formulated after countless classes debating this topic and would
like to take this reflection as a time to expand upon my opinion now. However, before doing so I
would like to recall a Washington Center Newsletter which pertains “Seven Principles for Good
Practice in Undergraduate Education” which states that the number one principle for good
teaching is encouraging contact between students and faculty, followed by number two:
developing reciprocity and cooperation between students, followed by encouraging active
learning and gives prompt feedback (Chickering and Gamson, 1). Therefore, before divulging
my opinion, I would like to propose the question: Does reading from PowerPoint slides for the
entire lecture and not allowing questions during lecture sound like encouraging contact between
student and faculty?

While I believe that a shift from the instructional paradigm to the learning paradigm is
necessary in the evolving times of education, I do not agree with Barr and Tagg that we are in the
midst of one currently. Nowadays, I walk into my classes, sit down, and type the PowerPoint
slides for fifty minutes, and then once those fifty minutes are up, I pack up and leave, not
retaining any of the information from the lecture hall. For me, no real retention occurs until I sit
down and teach myself the information then proceed to memorize it for my upcoming exam, then
proceed to forget all the information after the exam. The way that we are taught as students,
 Salter 22

through PowerPoints and lecture slides, and are tested as students, in massive bulk amounts of
information, is outdated and has not evolved over the years, despite the years still ticking on.

The educational world today is full of many contentious topics, people want change, but
do not know how to set it in motion, while others think that the way that students are taught
today is completely adequate. Take the grading system for example: Jeff Gentry in his “Why
Grades Still Matter” explains why he thinks that giving grades is a perfectly fine motivational
tool for students that complete the educational system, while Jesse Stommel dedicates an entire
article to explain why grading ruins the educational world, stating, “Grades are the biggest and
most insidious obstacle to education,” (Stommel, 1). While I believe that change needs to take
place, I do not know what change is needed to make higher education a more fair, efficient, and
productive place for students.

English 388V has opened the world of showing the problems in higher education today
and providing research to figure out solutions to the problems. Over the course of the semester, I
was introduced to all the faults found in teaching and learning today and given the opportunity to
ponder effective solutions alongside my fellow UTAs. I feel so much more knowledgeable and
powerful coming out of this course with the information needed to dive into solutions and
propose problem solving tactics to the teachers of today. While I do not have the answers yet, I
know that with the proper information and research available, the educational system has the
chance to evolve and become a fairer, more productive, and efficient place for all.