Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Reflective Response to Course and Syllabus (due 8/31)
What do you think of ENGL 101 thus far? Based on the syllabus, initial class discussion, and introductory elements of the course text, "Interactions: A Thematic Reader", what do you think the course will be about? Is this what you expected a first-year college writing course to look like? What do you expect to learn from this course? What are the major requirements, including assigments for this course? What aspects of the course do you think are most important? What aspects of the course do you think are least important? Why or why not?
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I think so far that ENGL 101 will be a great class; it seems to be full of opportunities to express myself while writing different pieces of work. You seem like a very caring and helpful professor, and I think these are great characteristics for a writing class teacher. The syllabus was very helpful in explaining the different concepts we will cover in class, the power-point presentation was also very helpful because it explained the different steps we will have to complete in order to finish our portfolio at the end of the semester. This class seems like a good start to my first college English class and I think it will improve my writing greatly. I expect to learn many new different ways to improve my writing and my steps to completing a good paper, and it will help me explore myself in writing. The major requirement for this course is to take the right path into completing four papers which will then go into my portfolio. I like the fact that you want to have one-on-one meetings at mid-term to discuss the portfolio in progress so I can figure out where I am in my process of completing the portfolio and help me improve it. I don’t think any of the things mentioned so far in class are not important, I think that they are all ways to express myself truly in the portfolio I will have completed at the end of the semester. I am looking forward to your class and writing!
-Tara Hutton
Based on the syllabus, initial class discussion, and the introductory elements of the text, I think this class will mostly focus on reflections and reactions to the given writings. I was somewhat surprised by the class because, still being in high school, I had a very vague idea of college courses in general. I hope this class will give me a better understanding of how to express feelings and opinions about a text. The most important major requirements in the class seem to be the final portfolio in addition to the drafts and revisions of papers at the original assignment date. Although the reflective responses should be a learning experience, I view them as the least important part of the class thus far. Compared to the other parts that are required, I think that the reflective responses require the least amount of thinking and idea processing, simply due to the fact that it is fairly obvious from the start how you feel about doing a specific project. How you feel about something also often times determines the outcome of the project which is why I’m glad to see such a wide variety of assignments to cater to every person’s strengths and weaknesses.
My first impress of ENG 101 is that it is going to be a great class that will involve an abundance of different writings. The class syllabus is a great layout for the year; it is very structured and informative. After the first class lecture and going home and reading the introduction of “Interactions: A thematic Reader” I think that this course is going to teach me about the core skills of writing and how to apply them to my work. This is my first college English class and it is primarily what I was excepting, blogging, however; was not something that I was expecting, but I believe it is an interesting way to involve more technology into the class. I am expecting to broaden my writing skills and to learn how to write to different audiences. The four main papers and the portfolio that the course requires could be challenging because they are forcing us to think above and beyond. The book “Interactions: A thematic Reader” seems to be the center of what the English course is going to be about. The blogging is a good idea, but seems like it can get unnecessary and tedious after ever activity. Overall I am looking forward to improving a broadening my writing skills.
After the first day, I now believe English 101 will be very interactive. I know I am not going to be just sitting and listening to a lecture. The course will consist of writing, thinking, and reflecting. In addition, it will teach me how to create a writing portfolio. I think being able to create a portfolio will be a great tool to have for the future. The expectations that I had for my first-year college writing course are close to the expectations for English 101. I knew that the course would involve some writing and thinking. I did not know about the reading circles, but I think I will like them. It is a great idea to analyze writing and reading in a group. From College Writing, I expect to become a better writer, improve my critical thinking, and be able to create a writing portfolio. A major requirement of the course is to make a portfolio out of the collection of writings that are completed throughout the semester. Organization, reading, and thinking are important aspects of the course. Organization is needed to have all the materials together for the end of the semester. I do not find any aspects of the course to be less important than others. I think everything works together and feeds into the goal of the course. I think I will defiantly be able to improve my writing and thinking skills through English 101.
English 101 seems like a class where I will be able to improve my reading and writing skills and also learn more about myself at the same time. I found the syllabus very helpful because it not only gave out the basic information about the class, but it also gave the course calendar. I found the introductory to “Interactions: A Thematic Reader” and your initial class discussion to go hand-in-hand. There were many points in the introductory that went along with your statements in class. As I read I noticed many points to be true based on past experiences with reading and writing. For example, I find it very helpful when reading a tough novel to reread, highlight, underline, and note, directly on the book. It makes it a lot easier to put the pieces of a challenging book together as well as getting ideas down ahead of time for an essay on the book. I wasn’t really sure at first what to expect for this English college course besides writing essays and reading novels. The major thing that I expect to learn from this class is how to draw a better analysis from a reading and apply it to my writing. I believe that the reading circles will be an important part of this class because it will give everyone a chance to tell their opinion on something, in turn it could spark an idea for someone else or even change their view on the topic or the reading selection. Overall I think that this class will help me when it comes to reading a selection and analyzing it in my writing.
I think ENGL 101 seems fine so far. It may become challenging but the syllabus has everything in black and white with dates and what needs to be done. The syllabus is long but contains detailed information.Each day it shows what we will be doing in class and what needs to be done out of class.
According to the syllabus, the classroom, and what i've read in Interactions:A Thematic Reader, i believe the course is about writing and reflecting on myself, getting to listen to others on how their lives are different in writing,learning what we have read, and how to do well in a literature circle, with postwrites, peer responses,drafts, and my overall paper.
I expected it to be hard and not real laid back.Im hoping it to be easy if i follow the syllabus.Also, i didn't expect it to be the size it is. I pictured it to be alot larger and for the course to be more complex.
I expect to learn alot about myself in this course. Also about others and how to develop as a writer. I hope to do well in this class because it sets how well you do in your first year.
The major requirements to succeed in this class are to complete all assignments given on their due date, to participate in reading circles by doing my share of work, to complete four papers and four drafts assigned during the semester, to take part and show up to class on time,and finally to do well on my final.
The most important aspects of the course i believe would be to complete work, to show up on time with that work, to follow the syllabus, and to learn about myself in my writings.I believe these are the most important because you should always complete work on time because I am not in highschool and i am an adult. Also you should show up for class on time, it shows you are ready to learn. Following the syllabus will earn you to succeed if you follow it correctly.
The least important aspects of the course would be the lower percentages on the syllabus such as reflective responses and literature circle group assignments. Reflective repsonses are least important because its answering to a text,also it is worth 10%.Lastly,Literature group assignments are only worth 15% as well.
English 101 seems to be a class unlike any I have taken before. Never have I had to be so technologically advanced and computer savvy in any of my classes during high school. Since this is the first time that I am writing a blog, I am not sure if I am doing it right. The only blog that I have ever looked at is NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas’s blog because he always has something interesting to say. Having stated my fears of the class first, I do want to say that I am eager and excited to enter into this class. I love to write especially when it is something that interests me. I look forward to improving my writing and reading skills with the upcoming semester. This class seems like it will help me find my true writing style and voice which was never really developed in high school. My writing style in high school was generic, but finely tuned through a well rounded writing curriculum. One aspect of the class that pleasantly surprised me was the small amount of students in the class which will allow my fellow classmates and me a good opportunity to interact with the professor and other students. I figured since this was a college course the class would have upwards of 90 to 100 people in it. I was also astonished to find English 101 is a portfolio class which excites me because I think a successful year of English is on the horizon for me. The four major papers during the semester do not appear they will be that bad to get through, and the reading circles are completely new to me which is interesting because I always like to try new things. Although I am not worried for the four major papers we will be writing this semester, I feel that they will greatly influence my grade for this class because it is portfolio based. On the other hand, I feel that the reflective responses and freewrites will be the least important aspects of the class grade wise. However, I do believe that all parts of the class will be very important to my development as a writer and student.
Megan Riddle said...My first impression of ENG 101 is that it will be a great class with many opportunities. I found that the class syllabus was very informative and gave me a great intuition of what to expect in this course. After the first class, I realized that this wasn’t going to just be a boring lectured course. I look forward to all of the group activities and different interactions you have planned. I believe this course will help me expand and learn many new things to help me become a better writer. Also, I am pleased to know that we will be creating a writing portfolio. I feel this will be a great tool I can use in the future. The fact that you are willing to make time in your schedule to review my portfolio with me at midterm makes me feel secure with heading down the right path to success. The only thing I am unsure of is the blogs. I didn’t expect to be writing blogs as part of the course. Overall, your class seems like it is going to be a great environment that will enable me to learn the necessary information I will need to help improve mywriting skills. I look forward to you class and what it has to offer me.
So Far, Looking back at the syllabus and the initial class discussions...I think the class will be very interesting, I think it will give us, the students an opportunity to speak and write freely. The course will probably be about how people would like to express themselves but never know how.I also think that this is a good opportunity for people who like to write, express themselves,& to let themselves be heard.This is a good way of breaking out of that "I don't want to get up and speak in front of the class stage." It's also a perfect opportunity to meet new people and discuss different diversities. I expect to learn a few things from this course. Since, I don't think I'm a good writer at all, I would like to learn how to write, learn how to communicate with others, and build on a better vocabulary. The major requirements would be the portfolio,this blog thing, and keeping all your things in place. For me I think the course itself would be a very important aspect. As far as I'm concerned, there isn't a least important aspect because everything seems important to me, but that's just my opinion. I look forward to having a good time in this class because I know I can speak freely.
What do I think of English 101 so far? So far I believe English 101 will be an interesting course full of insight not only into literature, but also into my life, myself, and how I interact with others in society.
Going into college I did not picture my English class dealing with emotions nor how I viewed or related to others around me. I was very pleased to open “Interactions A Thematic Reader,” and see, “This book is about you- about the individual self that you are and how you interact with people and the world.” Knowing that the book centers around my life and every day people I feel more at ease that I can write how I feel, not how I think others want me to write.
I believe that this course will not only be educational but also extremely beneficial. Beneficial in finding out the type of writer I am. Valuable in looking back on my relationships with others and finding out how to write my emotions down on paper. I am very anxious to improve my writing, and also use different writing styles throughout English 101.
I’ve found the syllabus to be an extremely helpful tool that gave me a great amount of insight into what the course and the semester will be about. I believe the Literature Circles, was a brilliant idea that will enable each student to get a broader outlook into the meaning behind different works of literature.
As being a freshman it is reassuring to have a teacher that seems to have an open mind and is very enthusiastic about what she does. Your class discussions, power points, and willingness to help and explain the material will prove be very helpful. Over all I am looking forward to the semester and putting together a hopefully very impressive portfolio.
My first impression of ENGL 101 is that it is going to be a great class. First of all, I’m glad that the class is so small. I was expecting there to be more people, but with a smaller class I feel that I will benefit a lot more. I’m very excited to have a professor that is so caring and helpful. I think that it is important to be able to talk and ask questions to your professor and to feel comfortable. I also like the idea of the conferences to get a chance to discuss certain things, and to see where I stand in the class. I have never used a blog or anything like it, but it will be a different way to get the class involved. The reading circles will be a great way to get to know people in the class while sharing our own thoughts and ideas. I hope to improve my writing skills in this class, and to become better at expressing myself through my writing. I am really looking forward to this class, and getting to know more about people in the class through their writing.
I think English 101 is good so far. As far as the syllabus, everything is written clearly.
I think the course will teach us how to write better. It will guide us to writing on the college level and step up our writing skills. I think its designed to make us think more and reflect on what we think before we write. And it will show us how to put our own ideas on paper.
I expect to learn new vocabulary, writing systems, skills, formats, and strategies. As far as the syllabus, the variety of assignments shows that we will touch on different things to make us stronger writers. We are required to write four different papers which are from four different aspects. This will help students get the gist of each aspect. Also, it will help to show how we have grown as writers in our portfolios.
The literature circles were the best idea. It will give students a chance to share what they have learned through each of the different pieces of literature and the traditional roles.
I think i am ready for this course. I like how it has been planned out and introduced. I am ready to rock!
I really enjoy the fact that this English 101 course isn't the same boring class routine I've done for years. Its very refreshing to be able to participate in something like this blog so props to you Ms. Thomas for utilizing a popular media in a very creative and interesting way. I thought the syllabus is very helpful and loaded with in depth information pertaining to the course. I like the idea of writing papers in the various styles that were discussed in the class room as well as were listed in the syllabus. I think the literature circles seem like a great way to connect with the other students in the class room. Overall I'm very happy with the class and know I will enjoy it.
I have to admit that when first walking in the class I was intimidating because, of being unsure about what to except of my first college class. The class was not intimidating at all, instead it is quite enjoyable. This course to me seems that it will show us about all different kinds of people that are in this world. In all honesty I did not know what to expect, but this class is to me what should be expected of a first-year college writing class. The course will help teach us how to become better writers and either teach or help us develop what kind of a person we are through our writings. The major requirements are the reflective responses and the papers that will go into our portfolio to showcase our work. The entire course to me is important to help us use all kinds of different methods to become better writers.
In reading the syllabus, it seems as though this class will be very productive and very helpful. Most English Professors loose sight of the actual form of an English class, I think. I think the typical English class should include papers and research about different topics, but shouldn’t there be times to reflect and write brief analytical responses. I like the fact that we are able to choose our own topics from the book and discuss and analyze them in a group work fashion. I also enjoy how there are many opportunities to write, and reflect about what we are doing in our class. I feel that the only good way to become better at writing is to actually do it on a weekly basis. It just makes sense to be able to express ourselves and write about how we feel about our class. Not only does it make class time more productive, but it allows us to practice writing and summarizing the activities that we do. It seems as though this semester will be challenging but well worth it in the end.
Walking into English 101 the first day, I expected to learn just basic reading and writing skills that would help me with my overall assignments in the future. After reading the syllabus, listening to your introduction that you gave in class, and reading the introduction of “Interactions: A Thematic Reader”, I came to the conclusion that this might be one of the most beneficial and interesting classes I could have my first year. Also, I am happy to know that I have a helpful professor who seems that she will always be there to answer any questions that I may have. Not only will I be learning general skills in this class, I will be learning about myself and the other individuals in the process. The syllabus is very understandable and is very helpful because it has exact due dates and assignments listed. Being my first English class in college, I expected to do a lot of writing and reading, but one thing I did not expect was to be writing blogs. I have never written a blog before and I think this is one of the most interesting ways to write on tasks that we are given and write how we feel. The major requirements for this class are papers, reflective responses, and group reading circles. I think that the requirement that I am most excited for is the group reading circles. While participating in this activity, I get to learn about my fellow classmates and each individual gets to share their thoughts and ideas. By the end of this class, I hope to be an improved writer and discover other ways of writing and reading. Overall I am really excited to begin this class and learn things that I thought I never would!
My first impression of English 101 was is this going to be another boring college course that I have to take in order to graduate. After reading the syllabus I see that it will be an interesting class that I can't wait to start. I think the course will help me better unstand how to write a proper college paper and then organize my work. I did not have an idea about what my first college writing course to be like but if I had one it would be very close to this. The major requirement for this course is constructing a portfolio with all of our work from the class. I feel as though every aspect of the course is important and that if we did not need the assignments they would not be given to us.
My first impression of English 101 was is this going to be another boring college course that I have to take in order to graduate. After reading the syllabus I see that it will be an interesting class that I can't wait to start. I think the course will help me better unstand how to write a proper college paper and then organize my work. I did not have an idea about what my first college writing course to be like but if I had one it would be very close to this. The major requirement for this course is constructing a portfolio with all of our work from the class. I feel as though every aspect of the course is important and that if we did not need the assignments they would not be given to us.
Well i personally have never liked english. With that said, I think this class is going to be the first english class that i will actually enjoy, or at least not fall asleep in. From reading the syllabus and listening to the initial class discussion i think the proffessor seems like a fun person who will make english fun. The text is made of short story type readings, so they wont take long and it will leave most of the emphasis on the writing part not the reading. It sounds like a lot of writing but i assumed that i was going to write a lot in a college english class, especially one titled "College Writing". I expect to learn a lot about writing and different ways of writing. I think the major requirements of this course are writing reflections and other papers. The reading circles are an important aspect of the class because they give you a chance to socialize and meet your peers and they also give you other peoples perspective on the readings. A not so important aspect would be the heat... it's just rediculous. I really can't think of anything that is in the class that is not important otherwise it wouldnt be in the class.
Stacey Tuite said...So far I think the class going well. It's nice to get a teacher that is chill instead of the same old stiff lecturing type. I like how the syllabus is broken down to show exactly what needs to be accomplished. I think the course will be about strengthening a person's writing skills and also expanding their views on different types of writing. I have actually had a college writing class before and so far this one seems to be a little more laid back than the previous which is nice change. The different requirements for the class would definitely be the papers, reading circles and the reflective responses. I believe that the papers are the most important because they reflect the writer on a personal level. They reflect their writing style, and often times their personal opinions on a subject. I was not expecting to write on a blog. This type of activity is new to me and I am not quite sure if I like it yet. Either way, I feel that in any given situation there is always something to be learned and I am looking forward to broadening my mind with the views and opinions of the rest of the class.
My initial reaction to the class is that it will be very hands-on, in-depth, and overall very beneficial to us as writers and readers. I think that the course will teach us not, only how to write, but also teach us how to focus on interpreting the many types of writing that will be presented to us throughout our lifetime. After attending two classes, I would say this is nowhere near what I expected, but that is a compliment. I was completely expecting to be in a huge lecture hall with 80 other people, and just have assigned readings and be assigned some kind of writing assignment in response to what we read. Instead, the class size is small, the teaching is very hands-on, and it is much more in-depth than my expectations, which in my mind, is a very good thing. Through this course, I expect to attain a greater range for my writing. Instead of being very repetitious in my writing style, I hope to gain the knowledge to be able to write in many styles, therefore diversifying my writing portfolio. I also hope to attain a greater reading comprehension skill. By reading my peer’s work, which will be written from all different perspectives and all different styles, I am hopeful that I can permanently adapt to that kind of reading. The most important aspect of the course for me is the willingness and helpfulness of the teacher. I also love how the teacher is separating us into groups, so that way we not only get know each other, but it keeps the class from getting boring, and that is always a plus. So far, I do not see an aspect of the course that is seemingly less important than any of the others-the text seems to be incredibly interesting, and the new ideas of things such as “reading circles” is a very enthralling aspect. I’m looking forward to this class, and am incredibly optimistic that I will come out of it more well-versed in my reading and writing skills.
So far, I am being very open to the idea of what I think of the class (ENG 101). I say this because senior year for the first two semesters I was in English AP, and we did portfolios, literature circles and basically just about everything that is going to be covered this semester. Yet, I am not going to complain because this is college and it is different from high school. I hope that it will not become repetitive and just have similarities. However, if it does, maybe it was meant for me to re-do it again. As for the text, Interactions A Thematic Reader, I cannot wait to start reading it! It is very gripping, and interesting. The first paragraph makes you want to read the book mainly because it deals with you (self), and things that come along with you(self); example being, relationships, friends, family etc. I actually learned something just form the Intro along. I learned that you should understand the purpose of the material, who exactly is the author trying to speak to, and understanding your own purpose for reading. I also liked the fact that they broke down how you can become a better writer. As well as, how you can understand yourself more and learn how to interact. The conclusion was very interesting because, most of the students are freshman and many like me have not truly found us as independent adults. I hope that this class prepares us in one way or another to tackle that task in our lives.
I think the course will deal with self, including self-issues like health, stress, relationships, friendship, and intimate ones. This is not what I expected my first year of college writing to be. I really did not expect anything except for everything to be challenging. I expect to learn how to become a grammatically correct, intimate, intense, better writer. Some of the major requirements are literature circles, papers, reflective responses, posts, and free writes etc., which are under assignments. Writing component is a major course requirement as well. Class participation, your attendance, and final are the last requirements. I believe the aspects of becoming more in tuned with you and becoming a better writer are the most important. The least important aspects to me are, post writes. I chose post writes because I cannot grasp the point of them.
I get the feeling that I am going to really enjoy this class. I think the class is just what I needed having had issues with writing in the past. I have problems sometimes with grammer and with structure and I think this class will help me out with those problems a lot. I'll get a lot of practice because it seems like we'll be doing a lot of writing which i feel is very imporant in life.
I really enjoy our English class so far, is really interesting and I expect to learn about and improve my writing skills. I've never been very good at writing or portfolio keeping and I hope that this class can help me learn how to do so. The syllabus was straight forward and easy to follow, which is a complete change to some of the ones I've received from other professors. I really know that this class is going to help me in the long run and improve on my grammar, punctuation, and structure all together. I've also never done or even heard of a group reading and this is really exciting for me. I never really worked well with groups because I was afraid one of us was going to hold the others back, maybe even myself. However, with the group we chose so far, I know we can do our best. I cant wait to see how the rest of the semester goes in our English class!
Christopher Dennis said...I think taking this is going to be a great leaning experience for me. Writing has never been my strong point and improving my writing will help me succeed in school. I think this course is about organization. Being able to keep a portfolio is all about organization. I think learning how to communicate with others through writing will be the best thing I could learn through this class.
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