Make Writing and Learning Meaningful for Basic Writing Students

South Texas CollegeMcAllen, Texas

Karen Armitano, Ph.D.Virginia Norquest, M.A.Jinhao Wang, Ed.D.

NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership ExcellenceMay 30-June 2, 2010Austin, Texas

Literature Review

-- Baker, E., Hope, L., and Karandjeff, K. (2009). Contextualized Teaching & Learning: A Faculty Primer

-- Defines the concept of contextualized teaching and learning (CTL) as relating subject matter in a course to meaningful situations that have relevance to students’ lives in the context of motivation theory, problem-centered learning, social learning theory, and brain research.

-- Shows programs that focus on employing CTL to support learners’ basic English, math, or English as a Second Language skills.

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Literature Review

--Gillespie, M. K. (2002). “EFF Research Principle: A Contextualized Approach to Curriculum and Instruction”

--Defines contextualized curriculum and instruction as relating real-life contexts to teaching and learning in light of cognitive research and transfer of learning

--Aims at skills and knowledge learners need to perform tasks meaningful to learners in real life

--Focuses on application rather than possession of knowledge and skills

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Literature Review

--Price, D. V. and Roberts, B. (2009). Improving student success by strengthening Developmental Education in community colleges: The role of state policy

-- Recommends various ways to strengthen Developmental Education. Among them include the following:

• “New ways of contextualizing curriculum by integrating academic skills with occupational programs” (p. 3).

• “Alternative delivery of programs (e.g., Career Pathways, bridges) to accelerate the transition from developmental education to college-level courses” (p. 3).

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South Texas CollegeLocated in the Rio Grande Valley

College facts• Fall 2009: 27,132 students• Spring 2010: 26,309• 95% Hispanic

Developmental Courses: English, Reading, and Math

Three Developmental English levels• Fall 2009--71 (536), 81(605), 91(425) =

1,593 • Scheduled twice weekly/2 hours/1hour lab

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Prior Developmental English 71 Curriculum

Isolated writing topics

Isolated from a community

Isolated from other developmental courses

Isolated from academic courses6

Gates Grant for STCDevelopmental CoursesIntegrates academic writing skills Integrates academic research

Integrates college communities

Integrates developmental departments

Integrates an academic discipline7

Inter-Contextualization in Developmental English, Reading, and Math

Across developmental departments• reading and math assignments in writing• writing and math assignments in reading• reading and writing assignments in math

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Intra-Contextualization within Developmental English

Within English 71 •writing assignments--journals

and writing projects • reading assignments--2-3 sociology

articles •math assignments--statistical input on a graph 9

Syllabus: Developmental English 71

• Overview of Syllabus (pp. 2-12)• know self• know community

• Overview of Gates Project• illustration essay project--Week 6-12

(pp. 6-11)• theme--The Value of a College

Education • situation blurb--(pp. 13-14)

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Contextualizing Sociology—Why?

Part of core curriculum

Identifies groups of people in society• e.g., haves and have nots in education

Places individuals in community groups• e.g., college community, family

community

Addresses social change• e.g., first generation college students

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Using Sociology Textbook

Textbook display to class (p. 15)

Printed excerpts from text• education chapter plus graphs• special arrangements with publisher

Digitized images from the text on classroom computer

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Contextualizing Reading via Sociology Articles

Instructor chooses 2-3 scholarly sociology articles

Articles relate to topic about a college education’s value (“Latinos and Education” pp. 16-17)

Student downloads linked sociological readings from syllabus on website (p. 18)

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Writing Journals

Student reads choice of 2 sociology articles

Student writes summary/response journals to articles

instructions for journal (p. 19-20) sample journal entry (p. 21) other readings (p. 22)

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Researching Actively!

Essay Topic: The Value of a College Education

Student finds 3 interviewees• classmate or someone currently in college• faculty/staff with a degree • family member with no college

Student asks interview questions (pp. 23-24)

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Let’s Do It!Ask a “shoulder partner” interview questions (pp. 23-24)

Take brief notes

Be a good interviewer

Switch

Total time allotted---3-4 minutes16

Contextualizing MathStudent administers survey to

interviewees (p. 25) Class tallies results of survey (p. 26)

Option: Instructor tallies all classes’ results

(pp. 27-28)Student creates graph from data

Males Females

1. llll Total = 4 1. llI Total = 3

2. IIIIII Total = 6 2. II Total = 2

Total # Males = 10 Total # Females = 5

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Let’s Do It!

Turn to survey (p. 25)

Answer Survey Question #1(rank your completion of educational goals)

Tally responses: raise hands (p. 26)

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Let’s Do It!

Create graph via Word 2007

follow step-by-step PowerPoint (pp. 29-32)

input data (pp. 27-28)

save graph

• copy/paste graph into essay (p. 33)

• meet Dave on YouTube (p. 34) 19

Creating Graph from Data

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Organizing Interview Responses

• Identify main ideas of interviews (p. 35)

• Use index cards (p. 35)

• Examine thesis samples (p. 36)

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Let’s Do It!

INDEX CARDS (p. 35)

Take out large index card in packetDraw 3 columnsChoose a heading for top line from

main ideas

Family attitudes towards college

Name Question #

Quote or phrase

Mary

4 & 5 “Quit school at age 14---I had to work.”

Jose 8 Mom said needed master’s.

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Writing the EssayWrite thesis (p. 36)

Read sample essay (pp. 37-38)

Fill in outline (pp. 39-40)

• essay structure--lead in (p. 41), intro, thesis, body paragraphs, conclusion, full circle• draft essay using outline and index

cards• insert graph• explain graph in sentence form (p. 42;

p. 38 C)

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Using Quotes

• Correctly punctuate quotes (mechanics p. 43)

• insert quotes for support (37-A)

• Add sociology article quote to text (pp. 44-45)

• insert article quote for support (p. 37-B)

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Reviewing and Revising

Self-evaluate with rubric (pp. 46-47)

Go for tutoring (+5 points)Revise and correct (peer editing)Rewrite Fill out personal writing log (p. 48)Publish Student comments (p. 49)

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So What?What are the advantages of a

contextualized curriculum?

• Engages the students with relevant topics, e.g., self, community

• Teaches essay structure and research process• Transitions students to college level classes• Challenges students to think outside the box• Develops critical thinking skills• Creates developmental English curriculum of

substance• Unites developmental departments via topics• Links developmental with academic

departments 26

What’s Next?

Developmental CoursesFall 2009: Contextualize sociologyFall 2010: Contextualize historyFall 2011: Contextualize another

academic course (e.g., psychology, government, biology)

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Faculty Perceptions of the Contextualized Curriculum1. Teaching Journal

2. Themes about what went well:a. Interaction in and out of the classroom

(interviewing others, etc.)b. Collaboration on tallying the data from

the surveyc. Creation of a graphd. Realization of other points of view

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Faculty Perceptions of the Contextualized Curriculum (continued)3. Themes about student challenges:

a. Juggling multiple parts of the project (reading, journaling, interviewing, surveys, graphs, essay)

b. Handling the amount of reading and the level of difficulty of the college articles and textbook

c. Deciding where to insert the graph and how to use sentences to frame the use of graph

d. Quoting secondary sourcese. Using computers for non-traditional studentsf. Feeling tired and overwhelmed/some couldn’t turn in

work on time 29

Faculty Perceptions of the Contextualized Curriculum (continued)

4. Themes about faculty challenges:

a. Not enough time to finish entire curriculumb. Difficulty in providing enough one-on-one help

and repetition of instructionc. Problems with copying and using models from

college level textbook due to copyright issues)

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Student Perceptions about the Contextualized Curriculum1. Student Reflection Paper

2. Themes about student perceived challenges:

a. Fitting the graph into essay b. Putting information from survey to graph c. Fitting quotes into essay d. Finding someone to interview e. Feeling nervous about asking questions to

interviewees f. Feeling not enough time g. Gathering all information, sorting information to

make sense, and organizing the essay h. Writing “correctly”

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Student Perceptions about the Contextualized Curriculum (continued)

3. Themes about what students learned:

a. How others value a college education b. How to interview c. How to do research/how to quote d. How to make a graph and use it in the essay e. How to compose an essay (use thesis

statement, examples, clarity, organization, and full circle)

f. Benefited from a step-by-step approach32

Recommendations When Contextualizing1. Use step-by-step approach2. Use repetition3. Use modeling4. Use PowerPoint presentation5. Provide handouts (how to insert graphs, etc.)6. Provide content area textbook (sociology

book in this case)7. Provide technical support to teachers and

students8. Provide lab time9. Allot enough time for the project (6 weeks

needed for this project)10. Structure faculty collaboration on lesson

planning

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References

Baker, E., Hope, L., & Karandjeff, K. (2009). Contextualized Teaching & Learning: A Faculty Primer. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from www.cccbsi.org/Websites/basicskills/Images/CTL.pdf

Gillespie, M. K. (2002). “EFF research principle: A contextualized approach to curriculum and instruction.” (EFF Research to Practice Note 3). Jessup, MD: ED Pubs. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/collections/eff/masters/03research-practice.pdf

Price, D. V. & Roberts, B. (2009). Improving student success by strengthening Developmental Education in community colleges: The role of state policy. (Policy Brief). Retrieved April 3, 2010, from the Working Poor Families Project’s Website: http://www.workingpoorfamilies.org/pdfs/WPFP_policybrief_winter08-09.pdf

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