Today I took the time to research articles on Mary Sheridan-Rabideau. I found a great article on zines, but it is only 4 pages long. I would like to use one of her books in my research (the one about GirlZone) but I will have to physically search/call different libraries to try and obtain a copy.
In the meanwhile, I only completed half a page of writing today. I wrote part of my introduction because I am not feeling motivated enough to work on the "meat" of my paper. Yesterday I finished 7 pages of my seminar paper in the library, but my computer accidentally became unplugged and I lost everything I had done. I did rewrite 4 pages of what I lost, but I will use my time this weekend to catch up.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Today's In-Class Work
I’m having trouble beginning to write this paper, so I decided to make a detailed outline and follow it closely. The outline will also serve as a helpful tool for me to determine how to split up sections of my bibliography.
1) Introduction of zines:
a) Definition of zine: zines (pronounced ‘zeens’) are self-published alternatives to popular culture magazines (Guzzetti & Gamboa 408).
b) History of zines and examples of zines:
i) Hard copy
ii) E-zines
2) Why studying zines and adolescent students is important:
a) Why it is important to study why and how adolescents produce and consume zines as a literary practice- 2 reasons- (Guzzetti & Gamboa 411)
3) What zines teach adolescent students:
a) Academic writing skills
i) “Anyone interested in the nature, role, and significance of literary practices under contemporary conditions has much to value to learn from zines” (Knobel 1).
ii) Zines should not be made into organic everyday literary practices, but teachers could use them to learn (Knobel 1).
iii) Christie Bott mentions zines as being graded for mechanics and content (p31)
b) Social consciousness/justice
i) General Info:
(1) Literacy as a social practice focuses on girls as members of an affinity group, or community of practice, that shares a common language and literate practices centered on similar interests (Guzzetti 2).
(2) Zines can help young people to negotiate jungle-like social conditions (Knobel 1).
(3) Zines allow students to portray their textual practices- language, ethics, dress as text, their music, and social worlds (Guzzetti 4).
(4) Have to learn new language to comprehend content of different publications (Thrasher for skateboarders, Bitch, etc.)
(5) Glossary of youth culture language used by ziners (Guzzetti 5), showcases language and discourses.
ii) Gender, Sexuality, Class, and Race
(1) Feminist activist research engenders new possibilities for research and action (Guzzetti 13)
(2) Burnt Beauty- written from feminist perspective and addresses social justice. Also addresses racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism.
4) How zines should be used in the classroom –practical application
a) Christie Bott- “The Ultimate Creative Writing Project” for sophomore students
i) Zines for every grade level because of individuality (27)
ii) “Zines Assignment” Outline (28)
iii) How to catch readers’ attention, organization (table of contents), issue of language, creative pseudonyms, types of writing to be included (poetry, prose, etc) zine titles
iv) Christie’s Rubric (what elements of academic writing did she grade) (p31)
b) When students write out of school, the educational researcher must rely on participants to allow him/her into their worlds (Guzzetti 11). Zines can integrate the classroom and the social world if teachers are willing to foster this type of environment.
1) Introduction of zines:
a) Definition of zine: zines (pronounced ‘zeens’) are self-published alternatives to popular culture magazines (Guzzetti & Gamboa 408).
b) History of zines and examples of zines:
i) Hard copy
ii) E-zines
2) Why studying zines and adolescent students is important:
a) Why it is important to study why and how adolescents produce and consume zines as a literary practice- 2 reasons- (Guzzetti & Gamboa 411)
3) What zines teach adolescent students:
a) Academic writing skills
i) “Anyone interested in the nature, role, and significance of literary practices under contemporary conditions has much to value to learn from zines” (Knobel 1).
ii) Zines should not be made into organic everyday literary practices, but teachers could use them to learn (Knobel 1).
iii) Christie Bott mentions zines as being graded for mechanics and content (p31)
b) Social consciousness/justice
i) General Info:
(1) Literacy as a social practice focuses on girls as members of an affinity group, or community of practice, that shares a common language and literate practices centered on similar interests (Guzzetti 2).
(2) Zines can help young people to negotiate jungle-like social conditions (Knobel 1).
(3) Zines allow students to portray their textual practices- language, ethics, dress as text, their music, and social worlds (Guzzetti 4).
(4) Have to learn new language to comprehend content of different publications (Thrasher for skateboarders, Bitch, etc.)
(5) Glossary of youth culture language used by ziners (Guzzetti 5), showcases language and discourses.
ii) Gender, Sexuality, Class, and Race
(1) Feminist activist research engenders new possibilities for research and action (Guzzetti 13)
(2) Burnt Beauty- written from feminist perspective and addresses social justice. Also addresses racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism.
4) How zines should be used in the classroom –practical application
a) Christie Bott- “The Ultimate Creative Writing Project” for sophomore students
i) Zines for every grade level because of individuality (27)
ii) “Zines Assignment” Outline (28)
iii) How to catch readers’ attention, organization (table of contents), issue of language, creative pseudonyms, types of writing to be included (poetry, prose, etc) zine titles
iv) Christie’s Rubric (what elements of academic writing did she grade) (p31)
b) When students write out of school, the educational researcher must rely on participants to allow him/her into their worlds (Guzzetti 11). Zines can integrate the classroom and the social world if teachers are willing to foster this type of environment.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Today's In-Class Work
Instead of working on my draft, I spent today's class time working on previous brainstorming activities. I am trying to narrow down the focus of my paper before I continue. Here are past in-class writing activities and pre-writing questions revisited:
Exploring the Inquiry Project Proposal
Part I: Exploration
1. Identify the issue or problem that you plan to focus on in your Inquiry Project.
I’m interested in looking at two related issues: first, I want to see if zines can help to engage adolescent students in classroom writing activities, and second, I want to see if zines can be an effective means of teaching the same writing skills (grammar, punctuation, organization) that are taught through traditional classroom assignments- i.e. “the research paper.”
2. What is your personal connection to and interest in this topic?
I don’t have a lot of personal experience with zines, but I do remember reading them online when I was an adolescent. I thought they were interesting because they encompassed a variety of topics, they were written by individuals my age, and they weren’t afraid to speak out against mainstream society. I have always enjoyed reading writing that “pushes the limit.”
3. What opinions do you already hold about this topic?
I think that zines- writing as a form of social consciousness- can be a tool to engage students interested in social life outside of the classroom to become more engrossed in the academic life within it.
4. What knowledge do you already have about this topic. What are your main questions about this topic? What are you most curious about?I already know that zines are written by people who enthusiastic about the subject matter. They are often homemade and cheap to manufacture. They have become especially popular among adolescents, who use zines both in print and on the internet. I am primarily interested in answering questions like: Can zines help bilingual students to assimilate? Are they equally popular among males and females? Can they teach students how to become better writers?
6. How might composition theorists and researchers approach or study this topic? Does
this approach differ from those of other related disciplines (such as communication studies)?
Researchers may approach or study this topic by doing actual experimentation with classroom curriculum. The findings of this study may be harder to determine than findings of studies performed in other related disciplines, like communications, because this study will take considerable time and it will involve a number of variables, some of which cannot be controlled. For example, it is nearly impossible for this study to be scientific- there is no way to determine that each student who engages writing zines comes from the same controlled situation.
7. How could you research this topic outside the library (for example, through interviews and/or observations)?
I could research this topic by contacting the authors of zines. There are plenty of individuals who I could find via the internet. I can compose a list of questions which I can send to several different zine writers regarding their personal experiences with zines.
Part II: FocusingWrite an initial claim, or an open-ended question, to guide your research on this topic. Make it specific but exploratory. Remember that a good claim opens up an area of inquiry about a topic; a claim should invite evidence, support, and debate.
Can zines work as a means of engaging students in the classroom, and can they eventually work in lieu of the traditional ‘research paper’ as a means of teaching students writing skills like grammar, punctuation, structure, and organization?
Revisiting the Inquiry Project Proposal
When the general public considers the subject I’m working with, what are the issues, questions or concerns that they think are important to discuss? Do these questions and concerns differ from those of the scholarly discourse community?
The general public probably feels that there are several issues and concerns with the subject I’m working with. For example, zines are considered outlets for free speech. If used in the classroom, would any subject matter be censored? These probably do not differ from questions that the scholarly discourse community would have, because they involve issues of what constitutes “acceptable” let alone “scholarly” writing. In discussions of my subject, what are some of the status quo assumptions that appear to go unsaid but nonetheless seem almost universally believed? For example, if I am exploring how writing should be taught in high school, what do most people tend to believe about the kinds and amount of writing that high school students should do? What do people believe writing teachers should do to prepare students for the world beyond high school? How do people believe that teachers should respond to students’ writing?
In discussions of my subject, people probably don’t consider zines to be a useful means of teaching effective writing. In today’s high school curriculum, most instructors rely solely on use of the research paper as a means of teaching writing skills. They probably feel that there is no reason to stray from the use of research papers because they are considered scholarly and respectable among the academic community, whereas zines are not as accredited. In texts that people produce about my subject, what kinds of outcomes or results do they expect the texts to have with readers? Do writers about my subject usually expect a reader simply to consider their ideas, to believe in them strongly, to take some specific action? What?
In the texts I’ve read about my subject, people have expected the outcomes and results to be positive. However, the texts I’ve read are written by teachers who seem more liberal, whereas I’m not finding a lot of feedback from traditional writing instructors. Writers about my subject seem to state their findings as fact and more or less advocate that zines should be utilizing within classroom curriculum.
“Factness”
Whom could I talk to who could provide me with information that has factness about this question?
If I want to talk with someone who can provide me with factness, I think the best way to do this is to contact someone who is directly involved with zines. I would like to find individuals via the internet, a male and a female, who write for different zines. What could I read that would provide me with information that has factness about this question?
I could read a variety of actual zines- or read articles written by teachers who have used zines, or mothers who have seen zines work for their adolescent students.
What else could I do besides talk to people and read to acquire information or factness about this question? (Jolliffe 75)
Besides talking to people or acquiring information, I could also talk with my peers regarding this information. In casual conversation, I could see what my friends and classmates believe about adolescent writers and use of independent writing assignments.
Exploring the Inquiry Project Proposal
Part I: Exploration
1. Identify the issue or problem that you plan to focus on in your Inquiry Project.
I’m interested in looking at two related issues: first, I want to see if zines can help to engage adolescent students in classroom writing activities, and second, I want to see if zines can be an effective means of teaching the same writing skills (grammar, punctuation, organization) that are taught through traditional classroom assignments- i.e. “the research paper.”
2. What is your personal connection to and interest in this topic?
I don’t have a lot of personal experience with zines, but I do remember reading them online when I was an adolescent. I thought they were interesting because they encompassed a variety of topics, they were written by individuals my age, and they weren’t afraid to speak out against mainstream society. I have always enjoyed reading writing that “pushes the limit.”
3. What opinions do you already hold about this topic?
I think that zines- writing as a form of social consciousness- can be a tool to engage students interested in social life outside of the classroom to become more engrossed in the academic life within it.
4. What knowledge do you already have about this topic. What are your main questions about this topic? What are you most curious about?I already know that zines are written by people who enthusiastic about the subject matter. They are often homemade and cheap to manufacture. They have become especially popular among adolescents, who use zines both in print and on the internet. I am primarily interested in answering questions like: Can zines help bilingual students to assimilate? Are they equally popular among males and females? Can they teach students how to become better writers?
6. How might composition theorists and researchers approach or study this topic? Does
this approach differ from those of other related disciplines (such as communication studies)?
Researchers may approach or study this topic by doing actual experimentation with classroom curriculum. The findings of this study may be harder to determine than findings of studies performed in other related disciplines, like communications, because this study will take considerable time and it will involve a number of variables, some of which cannot be controlled. For example, it is nearly impossible for this study to be scientific- there is no way to determine that each student who engages writing zines comes from the same controlled situation.
7. How could you research this topic outside the library (for example, through interviews and/or observations)?
I could research this topic by contacting the authors of zines. There are plenty of individuals who I could find via the internet. I can compose a list of questions which I can send to several different zine writers regarding their personal experiences with zines.
Part II: FocusingWrite an initial claim, or an open-ended question, to guide your research on this topic. Make it specific but exploratory. Remember that a good claim opens up an area of inquiry about a topic; a claim should invite evidence, support, and debate.
Can zines work as a means of engaging students in the classroom, and can they eventually work in lieu of the traditional ‘research paper’ as a means of teaching students writing skills like grammar, punctuation, structure, and organization?
Revisiting the Inquiry Project Proposal
When the general public considers the subject I’m working with, what are the issues, questions or concerns that they think are important to discuss? Do these questions and concerns differ from those of the scholarly discourse community?
The general public probably feels that there are several issues and concerns with the subject I’m working with. For example, zines are considered outlets for free speech. If used in the classroom, would any subject matter be censored? These probably do not differ from questions that the scholarly discourse community would have, because they involve issues of what constitutes “acceptable” let alone “scholarly” writing. In discussions of my subject, what are some of the status quo assumptions that appear to go unsaid but nonetheless seem almost universally believed? For example, if I am exploring how writing should be taught in high school, what do most people tend to believe about the kinds and amount of writing that high school students should do? What do people believe writing teachers should do to prepare students for the world beyond high school? How do people believe that teachers should respond to students’ writing?
In discussions of my subject, people probably don’t consider zines to be a useful means of teaching effective writing. In today’s high school curriculum, most instructors rely solely on use of the research paper as a means of teaching writing skills. They probably feel that there is no reason to stray from the use of research papers because they are considered scholarly and respectable among the academic community, whereas zines are not as accredited. In texts that people produce about my subject, what kinds of outcomes or results do they expect the texts to have with readers? Do writers about my subject usually expect a reader simply to consider their ideas, to believe in them strongly, to take some specific action? What?
In the texts I’ve read about my subject, people have expected the outcomes and results to be positive. However, the texts I’ve read are written by teachers who seem more liberal, whereas I’m not finding a lot of feedback from traditional writing instructors. Writers about my subject seem to state their findings as fact and more or less advocate that zines should be utilizing within classroom curriculum.
“Factness”
Whom could I talk to who could provide me with information that has factness about this question?
If I want to talk with someone who can provide me with factness, I think the best way to do this is to contact someone who is directly involved with zines. I would like to find individuals via the internet, a male and a female, who write for different zines. What could I read that would provide me with information that has factness about this question?
I could read a variety of actual zines- or read articles written by teachers who have used zines, or mothers who have seen zines work for their adolescent students.
What else could I do besides talk to people and read to acquire information or factness about this question? (Jolliffe 75)
Besides talking to people or acquiring information, I could also talk with my peers regarding this information. In casual conversation, I could see what my friends and classmates believe about adolescent writers and use of independent writing assignments.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
New Ideas for Inquiry Project Proposal
I have decided to scrap my last proposal because my idea was too vague and I couldn't really decide on which direction to take things...
Instead, I think I would like to focus on how gender affects composition. I did some work on Google and found an interesting article by Dr. Sherrie L. Graden, a professor at the University of Mississippi- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3651/is_199401/ai_n8715387
Dr. Graden writes about her personal experiences in the classroom with male and female writers. In her experience, she finds that "many women have been socialized to speak and write in alternative discourse styles--to converse through connection and consensus and to incorporate emotive processes into our discourses." However, she feels the university alienates these women because it privileges forms of discourse that are largely androcentric. As theorist Carol Gilligan believes, many women have been socialized to speak and write in alternative discourse styles--to converse through connection and consensus and to incorporate emotive processes into discourses (In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development, 1982).
I want to take a look at some of the scholars mentioned in the article- Nadya Aisenberg and Mona Harrington (Women in Academe: Outsiders in a Sacred Grove, 1988), Cinthia Gannett (Gender and the Journal: Diaries and Academic Discourse, 1992), Susan Meisenhelder ("Redefining 'Powerful' Writing: Toward a Feminist Theory of Composition" in Journal of Thought, Fall 1985), and Elizabeth Strater (Academic Literacies, 1991) -- all of these articles focus on how the university can alienate women.
Dr. Graden argues that women are often less comfortable than men with the rational argumentation privileged by the academy. Interesting- I don't really fall into this category (I prefer clear and concise assignments as opposed to creative ones).
Still, I think this is fascinating. I will try to take a closer look at the articles on this subject and I promise I will post a new Inquiry Project Proposal and annotated bibliography sometime later this evening.
Slow process, but I think I'm finally getting there.
Instead, I think I would like to focus on how gender affects composition. I did some work on Google and found an interesting article by Dr. Sherrie L. Graden, a professor at the University of Mississippi- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3651/is_199401/ai_n8715387
Dr. Graden writes about her personal experiences in the classroom with male and female writers. In her experience, she finds that "many women have been socialized to speak and write in alternative discourse styles--to converse through connection and consensus and to incorporate emotive processes into our discourses." However, she feels the university alienates these women because it privileges forms of discourse that are largely androcentric. As theorist Carol Gilligan believes, many women have been socialized to speak and write in alternative discourse styles--to converse through connection and consensus and to incorporate emotive processes into discourses (In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development, 1982).
I want to take a look at some of the scholars mentioned in the article- Nadya Aisenberg and Mona Harrington (Women in Academe: Outsiders in a Sacred Grove, 1988), Cinthia Gannett (Gender and the Journal: Diaries and Academic Discourse, 1992), Susan Meisenhelder ("Redefining 'Powerful' Writing: Toward a Feminist Theory of Composition" in Journal of Thought, Fall 1985), and Elizabeth Strater (Academic Literacies, 1991) -- all of these articles focus on how the university can alienate women.
Dr. Graden argues that women are often less comfortable than men with the rational argumentation privileged by the academy. Interesting- I don't really fall into this category (I prefer clear and concise assignments as opposed to creative ones).
Still, I think this is fascinating. I will try to take a closer look at the articles on this subject and I promise I will post a new Inquiry Project Proposal and annotated bibliography sometime later this evening.
Slow process, but I think I'm finally getting there.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Trimbur Response
In John Trimbur's article, "Consensus and Difference in Collaborative Learning," the author aims to examine two important criticisms of the collaborative learning process. The first criticism argues that use of consensus is dangerous and stifles voice and creativity. The second criticism argues that things like selves, knowledge, readers, and writers are indeed socially constructed. In evaluating these two critiques, Trimbur concludes that consensus does not need to result in accommodation- this only contingent upon teachers' practices. He feels consensus is a powerful tool for generating differences, identifying authority, an determining who has the power to speak and what counts as a meaningful statement.
First, Trimbur looks at arguments from those who believe that consensus is harmful, like John Dewey. Dewey believes that the consensus will lead to conformity and feels that "the individual should be saved from the group." Trimbur argues that this is extreme and untrue, and that fear of consensus will prohibit peer groups from occurring and helping students to learn. By preventing a class of students from becoming a participatory learning community, students miss crucial guidance and positive criticism that their peers could elicit. This reminds me of the cliched saying, "two heads are better than one."
The second critique, strongly supported by Ken Bruffee, veers in the opposite direction of the first critique. This critique emphasizes the influence of using the classroom and culture of teaching in individual learning. Bruffee suggests that "how we teach" is "what we teach." Bruffee follows Richard Roty's notion of conversation, which states that "learning is a shift in a person's relations with others, not a shift inside the person that now suits him to enter new relationships." Although Trimbur agrees with both Bruffee and Roty , he also believes that collaborative learning needs to be looked at as more than just a process of consensus-making- it needs to be taken a step further.
Trimbur believes that collaborative learning needs to be seen as a process of identifying differences and locating these differences in relation to each other. Furthermore, he suggests that we need to begin collaborative classes by asking why interpretation has become the unquestioned goal of literary studies. This, in Trimbur's opinion, will help us to see what kinds of readings have been excluded and devalued over time. Students have been taught to segregate readings (Shakespeare vs. Stephen King) but they have not been taught to understand where these differences come from. What's the point in performing an action if you never understand why you are doing it, anyway?
Trimbur proposes a revised notion of consensus that focuses more on how students use consensus to open gaps in conversation and less on how students achieve consensus. He wants to see consensus not as a reconciliation but as a desire of humans to live and work together regardless of differences. In order to do this, he feels that students should be organized non-hierarchically so that all discursive roles are available to all participants. This will create what Trimbur calls a "heterogeneity without hierarchy." In layman's terms, students should not be forced to conform together, but they should be allowed to foster a learning environment where they reach understanding from each student's equal participation.
Overall, I liked reading Trimbur's critique of the two dominate views of collaborative learning. It got a little confusing and somewhat dense in some parts, but I think I understood the author's main idea. This article helped me to put what we have already learned about different theorists, like Dewey and Bruffee, into perspective. I think Trimbur brings up a very good point when he emphasizes the importance of achieving collaboration without imposing a hierarchy. This is something that I feel happens a lot in different classroom environments. Stronger students sometimes dominate conversation with their thoughts and ideas. However, I'm not so sure that these hierarchical rankings can - or should- be avoided. Hierarchies occur naturally in any group situation and often foster more competitive thinking and greater contribution from those who may not always participate. Trimbur believes that these "bottom" individuals become complacent when they do not hold great positions of power, "going with the flow" and not speaking their own minds; but I will argue that this situation does not cause people to lose their opinions. I believe that this type of environment only encourages "distant" individuals to work harder to change their hierarchical standings. If students are generally more complacent, they will learn to change their ideologies or fall behind. It's a dog-eat-dog world and students should not be 'babied' in the classroom. If you can't hack it, too bad for you- that's the ugly truth of life.
First, Trimbur looks at arguments from those who believe that consensus is harmful, like John Dewey. Dewey believes that the consensus will lead to conformity and feels that "the individual should be saved from the group." Trimbur argues that this is extreme and untrue, and that fear of consensus will prohibit peer groups from occurring and helping students to learn. By preventing a class of students from becoming a participatory learning community, students miss crucial guidance and positive criticism that their peers could elicit. This reminds me of the cliched saying, "two heads are better than one."
The second critique, strongly supported by Ken Bruffee, veers in the opposite direction of the first critique. This critique emphasizes the influence of using the classroom and culture of teaching in individual learning. Bruffee suggests that "how we teach" is "what we teach." Bruffee follows Richard Roty's notion of conversation, which states that "learning is a shift in a person's relations with others, not a shift inside the person that now suits him to enter new relationships." Although Trimbur agrees with both Bruffee and Roty , he also believes that collaborative learning needs to be looked at as more than just a process of consensus-making- it needs to be taken a step further.
Trimbur believes that collaborative learning needs to be seen as a process of identifying differences and locating these differences in relation to each other. Furthermore, he suggests that we need to begin collaborative classes by asking why interpretation has become the unquestioned goal of literary studies. This, in Trimbur's opinion, will help us to see what kinds of readings have been excluded and devalued over time. Students have been taught to segregate readings (Shakespeare vs. Stephen King) but they have not been taught to understand where these differences come from. What's the point in performing an action if you never understand why you are doing it, anyway?
Trimbur proposes a revised notion of consensus that focuses more on how students use consensus to open gaps in conversation and less on how students achieve consensus. He wants to see consensus not as a reconciliation but as a desire of humans to live and work together regardless of differences. In order to do this, he feels that students should be organized non-hierarchically so that all discursive roles are available to all participants. This will create what Trimbur calls a "heterogeneity without hierarchy." In layman's terms, students should not be forced to conform together, but they should be allowed to foster a learning environment where they reach understanding from each student's equal participation.
Overall, I liked reading Trimbur's critique of the two dominate views of collaborative learning. It got a little confusing and somewhat dense in some parts, but I think I understood the author's main idea. This article helped me to put what we have already learned about different theorists, like Dewey and Bruffee, into perspective. I think Trimbur brings up a very good point when he emphasizes the importance of achieving collaboration without imposing a hierarchy. This is something that I feel happens a lot in different classroom environments. Stronger students sometimes dominate conversation with their thoughts and ideas. However, I'm not so sure that these hierarchical rankings can - or should- be avoided. Hierarchies occur naturally in any group situation and often foster more competitive thinking and greater contribution from those who may not always participate. Trimbur believes that these "bottom" individuals become complacent when they do not hold great positions of power, "going with the flow" and not speaking their own minds; but I will argue that this situation does not cause people to lose their opinions. I believe that this type of environment only encourages "distant" individuals to work harder to change their hierarchical standings. If students are generally more complacent, they will learn to change their ideologies or fall behind. It's a dog-eat-dog world and students should not be 'babied' in the classroom. If you can't hack it, too bad for you- that's the ugly truth of life.
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