CWOnline 2006 Archives "Empowering the Silent Minority: Invisible Students in a Hybrid Writing Class." Robin Evans, Oklahoma State University |
| -- Start log: Saturday, February 18, 2006 10:02:48 am English MOO time -- RobinE displays slide #2 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE1.htm>. Lennie says, "Robin is a phd student in Tech Comm and Composition at Oklahoma State University." Lennie says, "Take it away Robin." RobinE says, "Thank you, Lennie. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences on minority students and those that are invisible in the writing classroom. " Lennie claps RobinE says, "Ok Oklahoma State, we have an ESL section for Composition, but not for any other writing classes. In my experience, the ESL and minority students prefer to communicate online. What are your thoughts? " Lennie [to RobinE]: We have had some ESL sections for developmental classes, but not for the fyc. I can't say I have noticed a preference for online communication from these groups. I have to think about it. Marie says, "Despite research, I've noticed that the same students who talk in class are the same ones who talk online. Maybe that'd change if we spent a lot more time in an online environment." RobinE [to Lennie]: That is pretty common at many larger universities. After the students develop conversational writing skills, they are often thrown into the general population Heather arrives from Conference Center Lobby Heather leaves for Session Room 2 RobinE [to Marie]: I have noticed that a small number of those students who talk in class carry on the discussion online, but my focus is more on students who do participate in class discussions Lennie says, "Also if students who tend to prefer online communication are the more technically literate that might indicate more priveledged groups would prefer that medium." RobinE [to Lennie]: you hit the nail right on the head. The students who have more technical literacy are more priviledged and have more experience using the technology. Lennie [to RobinE]: Are you familiar with that article by Susan Romano about the Egalitarian nature of online synch communication? Lennie says, "She critiques the egalitarian views of this medium." RobinE [to Lennie]: I have skimmed that article but did not pay close attention to it. In the last five years, there has been much more research completed on egalitarian views of online communication. In reality, the act of writing and literacy is linked to privilege and social status. Lennie nods. Her article is from the early nineties. RobinE [to Lennie]: I will be certain to add that to my reading list! RobinE says, "Are they any additional thoughts on ESL students in hybrid writing classes" Lennie [to RobinE]: You merge African Americans and ESL students as the focus for similarity. Would that include almost any minority group such as hispanics? Lennie [to RobinE]: I had one quick question. Do you have online components set up for you hybrid classes so they can do work and interact out of class online? RobinE [to Lennie]: I included African Americans with ESL students because they often have two languages: a home language of BEV and and a school/work language where they must speak standard English. Yes, I would certainly include hispanic students into the minority and ESL groups. There is now a great wave of "Mestiza rhetoric" that focuses on the duality of spanish-speaking writers Lennie nods RobinE [to Lennie]: Thank you for asking Marie [to RobinE]: If the students don't like to talk in the classroom because of a...poor command of English, why would they be more willing to put it in print? Or is there another reason? RobinE [to Marie]: Good question. In my experience and in the research, students are more comfortable doing informal writing online, such as responses in the Discussion Forum or Chat, than more formal writing in their assignments. The informal writing mimicks conversation so they are more comfortable writing in this meduim than talking in class because it is a safe, controlled environment. Lennie wonders if sometimes ESL students worry about how they sound. They may not feel comfortable with their accent and so the online medium is a good one for them because it is accent free. Lennie [to RobinE]: Also, a setting like this one allows for more active engagement from the students. Everyone can talk at once (so to speak) without having to take turns or to listen to the teacher (the whole class). RobinE [to Lennie]: Absolutely. They are self concious about more than just their speech. They are very aware of their dress, their hairstyles, their customs of interactions...they are very aware that they are different. Lennie says, "Very interesting." Marie says, "Or if the usernames online were completely unassociated with the students. Then any errors wouldn't be associated with them. Although that makes it harder for us to keep up with the students, it might help their discussion." eleventh_Guest arrives from Conference Center Lobby Lennie waves to eleventh guest RobinE [to Marie]: That is true as well. Lennie says, "If you click the OPTIONS button you can set your name." RobinE [to Lennie]: In Blackboard, students have the option to set their own user name. As an administrator, you have the option to control what users see. RobinE says, "Ok, if there are no further questions, we will move on to the next slide." RobinE displays slide #2 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE1.htm>. Lennie says, "WebCT doesn't have this. We use WebCT at our school." Lennie says, "I'm ready" RobinE displays slide #2 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE1.htm>. RobinE displays slide #3 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE2.htm>. Marie says, "Or PALS, even though it's an improvement over ePortal. Very limited. In Elluminate, however, students can set their own usernames." RobinE [to Marie]: I think that option would be very useful to students who want to construct their own online identity. Lennie says, "That last line is really thought-provoking." Lennie says, "I have to think about how as a teacher I set up a "culture of power" for my students to participate in." Lennie says, "We often talk about "empowering" our students." RobinE [to Lennie]: What do you think? Are students forced into silence or do they chose to remain invisible? >> eleventh_Guest is now known as Stephoni_[Guest]. RobinE [to Stephoni_[Guest]]: Greetings Stephoni! Marie says, "When my classes talk about culture, I always bring up the example of 'America as melting pot.' Canada prefers to refer to itself as a salad bowl. Then we talk about the difference." RobinE displays slide #3 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE2.htm>. Lennie [to RobinE]: I don't know. Sometimes I have students who seem to choose to remain invisible. I think the jump to college for many of them is so foreign that they have difficulty making the transition. Lennie says, "The "culture of college" can seem to silence them, yes." RobinE [to Marie]: The Salad bowl analogy makes it easy to talk about difference and culture, but is it true? RobinE [to Lennie]: College is a big culture shock for many students. It is completely different than anything else they have ever experienced. Lennie says, "Within the context of a writing classroom, how we as teachers approach students writing can make a big difference as far as whether they feel empowered or silenced. " Marie [to RobinE]: I definitely don't know enough about Canada to answer that--and I admit it to them. I was at a conference in Canada last June, and apparently only about 14% of publishing is in French. That doesn't sound all that blended to me. Marie thinks of red-ink syndrome. Lennie says, "An over emphasis on error can translate into a sense that "they" are wrong which then reverberates into other cultural/socio-economic/linguistic areas." RobinE says, "When I taught Composition, I used to show John Singleton's Film "Higher Learning" at the beginning of the semester. That film was offensive enough to everyone or every color, creed, nationality, and sexual preference to provoke honest discussion about differences"" Lennie says, "Interesting. I'm not familiar with that film." Marie says, "I had a white, middle-class girl last semester who'd been terrified about her writing by her previous instructor. Her writing wasn't that bad...once I finally convinced her to write." RobinE [to Lennie]: If you have a chance, I highly recommend watching it. It's an older film but deals with alot of the issues that students face during their first year. Lennie says, "For a number of years, I read La Frontera by Anzaldua with my comp classes. That gets them talking too." Lennie [to RobinE]: I'll look for it. Marie [to Lennie]: Is that that shorter poem about carrying all the cultures on her back? RobinE [to Lennie]: That's a classic! How did you get around the translations, or did you have several spanish-speaking students in the class? Lennie [to Marie]: She is a poet too, but it is a whole book. Pretty short. Often excerpted now. Stephoni_[Guest] has disconnected. The housekeeper arrives to remove Stephoni_[Guest]. Marie [to Lennie]: I may have read parts of it in a rhetoric class. She's difficult to wade through, but it's interesting stuff. Like her list of all the languages she speaks. RobinE says, "Those texts, as well as the film, are great tools to discuss difference in the classroom, but we have to more than just discuss the difference and deal with the cultural differences in the classroom. For those students who are willing to use it, computer mediated communication provides those silenced students with a safe way to communicate with the class and still be themselves." RobinE says, "Are there any further questions or comments on invisible students?" Lennie says, "I'm ok" Marie says, "Just that it's a sad phenomenon we need to try and overcome." RobinE [to Marie]: It is sad, but the first step to resolving a problem is admitting that it exists. RobinE says, "We are moving on the next slide, if there is nothing further on Invisible students." RobinE displays slide #4 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE3.htm>. Lennie says, "I wonder if they feel safer communicating overall or is the feeling of comfort greater when communicating with certain groups or certain contexts--say just with other minority students online." RobinE [to Lennie]: I am not sure about that, from my own perspective as a minority instructor. In my research, I have read that students feel a sense of community when they can communicate with other minority students in their own dialect. Lennie [to RobinE]: What are your thoughts on that second question. RobinE displays slide #4 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE3.htm>. fourteenth_Guest arrives from Conference Center Lobby Lennie waves to fourteenth guest. RobinE says, "I think there is plenty of room for both in the writing class. I do not encourage students to write or speak in their dialect in formal writing, but provide a place for that in the discussion forum" Lennie says, "I think this tension between the dominant Standard English and a student's native language is very high in K-12 schools too." RobinE [to Lennie]: Absolutely. There is a high conflict between the students right to their own language/dialect and the need to teach these students to communicate in the workplace and in higher education. Lennie [to RobinE]: That is my approach too--the "final product" needs to meet the standards of "Standard English" but along the way let the writing evolve. But also to an extent a writer's own language is their voice whether it is grammatically correct or not. Robbin arrives from Conference Center Lobby RobinE says, "Even in the K-12 education, the focus is still on preparing students to communicate in the workplace or in college, not to promote their dialect, but teach them to speak and write standard english. " Lennie waves to Robbin Lennie displays slide #4 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE3.htm>. RobinE [to Robbin]: We meet again. Robbin [to RobinE]: Yes, I'm reading your material now....very interesting Robbin says, "waves to Lennie"" Marie says, "Amy Tan's 'Mother Tongue' is a good example of this. I got some interesting essays off a prompt about it. We talk about Standard English and academic settings, but even store clerks can be pretty narrow minded about non-standard English." RobinE says, "Even in an online environment, we still have cultural disconnections. We better move on. " RobinE [to Lennie]: Thanks for reminding me. Lennie knows well about cultural disconnections online... RobinE displays slide #5 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE4.htm>. RobinE says, "We only have a few minutes left, so I will be brief." Lennie says, "I am amazed today how many students have computers and internet access at home." Robbin [to Lennie]: "I'm not seeing Robin's slides" Lennie displays slide #5 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE4.htm>. Lennie [to Robbin]: Do you see it now? Robbin [to Lennie]: I only see her entrance page with her title name and discussion questions RobinE [to Lennie]: The focus for minority students and those who are considered "Techno-poor needs to extend beyond access only to literacy. Just having access to a box is not going to help anyone if they don't know how to use it. Lennie says, "Hmm... That's strange." Lennie says, "try this command: view 5 on web" Robbin [to Lennie]: "Should I live the session and come back in and see if that fixes it?" Lennie says, "try viewing the slide and if that works." Lennie nod to Robin about the limits of only access. Lennie [to RobinE]: But I've seen many students learn how to use computers and become quite proficient over the course of a semester. RobinE says, "How can we increase technical literacy and teach writing at the same time?" Marie says, "And they have a tendency not to get help. Our school has good resources for students to get help and learn the online environment, but students rarely take advantage of these opportunities." Lennie [to RobinE]: I teach in a computer classroom, so that helps. Everything we do uses the computer as the means and medium for the course. RobinE [to Lennie]: Sixteen weeks is not nearly enough time to teach students proficiency as well as literacy. RobinE says, "We only have a few minutes left, so I am moving on to the next slide." RobinE displays slide #6 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE5.htm>. Marie [to RobinE]: Going through the steps in class can help for some things, but that doesn't help students who don't participate because, "I don't type very fast, so the conversation already moves on by the time I finish." Robbin says, "I agree, in 15 weeks, we can just teach our students enough about to be "dangerous""" Joanna arrives from Conference Center Lobby Lennie [to RobinE]: Perhaps. It depends what you are asking them to do. We don't do anything more complicated than word processing, copying and pasting, and bulletin board use. RobinE [to Robbin]: Absolutely. The students learn just enough to get themselves into techo-trouble. Marie [to RobinE]: Question 1 is interesting. What's your experience? Lennie displays slide #5 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE4.htm>. RobinE [to Lennie]: You are right. In a composition class, students rarely use more than the word processor, but what about finding announcements, downloading handouts, and participating in the online discussion? RobinE displays slide #6 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE5.htm>. Lennie [to RobinE]: Good point. RobinE [to Marie]: I start with an awareness that they may not know everything the need and take them through the steps one at a time. Lennie [to Robbin]: Are you still not seeing these slides? RobinE says, "We only have two minutes left!" RobinE displays slide #7 on web: <http://english.ttu.edu/cw/CWO2006/present/Evans1/RE6.htm>. Marie [to RobinE]: I may be reading that question differently. I was wondering if online discussions influence your traditional classroom settings. By the end of the semester, does it change the dynamic of who talks? Robbin [to Lennie]: "I think it is just really slow. I'm now seeing a slide titled "Advantages and Disadvantages" what number slide is that? Lennie [to RobinE]: These are interesting questions that don't have short answers. RobinE [to Marie]: In my experience, it changes who talks as well as how they talk. RobinE says, "Unfortunately we are out of time. " Lennie says, "I think one advantage that feeds into your theme is participation--online communication facilitates and encoruages more student participation." Lennie [to RobinE]: Before we end, tell us more about your research in this area. RobinE [to Lennie]: I performed this study on two freshman composition classes. By the end of the semester, my invisible students became much more visible in the class and participated much more online as well as in class because they felt their contributions were important to the discussions. fourteenth_Guest says, "One technique I use to illustrate the potential of online discussion and to help all students feel more comforatable with their abilities, is to (1) require a discussion posting and then (2) project those postings and have students discuss their responses further in our face-to-face sessions." Lennie nods. Good ideas. RobinE [to fourteenth_Guest]: guest That is a great strategy. Lennie [to RobinE]: Is this going to be your diss study? RobinE [to Lennie]: It is going to be a major part of it. Lennie says, "Great. This sounds really interesting." Lennie says, "Any last points before we call it?" fourteenth_Guest says, "Robin, I enjoyed your presenttion -- Stephoni" RobinE says, "Thank you all for your feedback and thought-provoking questions" Robbin says, "Thanks Robin for a great presentation"" Lennie cheers for Robin. Thank you for sharing your research with us. -- End log: Saturday, February 18, 2006 11:05:46 am English MOO time -- |