clean thine ears
--a ccsf english department listserv alternative--
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
CCSF's SLO Page
Use this page to learn more about student learning and program outcomes and assessment procedures and requirements.
There is even a handbook!
There is even a handbook!
CUNY Declares War...
--from Angus Johnston's Student Activism site . . .
CUNY Declares War On Rebel English Department: New Information from QCC
September 16, 2012 in Access, Administration, Community Colleges, Curriculum, Faculty, Organizing, Students, Teaching, The Corporate University
Yesterday I reported that the English department at Queensborough Community College had voted to reject an administration-initiated restructuring of their composition program, and that the college’s Vice President for Academic Affairs had in response informed them that the department will be largely dismantled next fall.
According to the letter, which I have since posted on this site, CUNY intends to eliminate the composition program at QCC, dismiss all Queensborough English department adjuncts, and immediately cancel all job searches in the department. The administration has threatened to terminate full-time faculty left idle as a result of the downsizing, a move that by my estimate could lead to the firing of as many as nineteen of the department’s twenty-six full-timers. Some 175 composition sections per semester would be pushed off campus by the move, threatening local students’ ability to advance in their studies and overburdening resources at surrounding colleges.
That’s the situation as I understood it yesterday evening. I have since received further information about the crisis that confirms all of the above information and allows me to provide a fuller accounting of the events of last week.
The Queensborough dispute arose, as I noted yesterday, out of the Pathways initiative, a CUNY-wide administrative attempt to systematize and centralize course offerings throughout the system. Faculty throughout CUNY have argued that Pathways is insufficiently responsive to local campus conditions and students’ needs, but the administration has continued to push forward with the plan on an aggressive timetable.
At Queensborough’s English department the primary practical issue with Pathways was its reduction of weekly course hours for composition classes from four to three. This change would cut into students’ class time, require heavier faculty courseloads and — not incidentally — dramatically reduce faculty compensation for teaching composition, a particularly writing (and grading) intensive class.
Read the article . . .
Monday, April 30, 2012
McSweeney's Stages of Grading
The Stages of Grading.
BY Debby Thompson
- - - -
Stage I
Stage I begins in benign resentment. You’re determined, this time, not to let those 80 term papers and final exams destroy you. It won’t be like the last grading marathon at semester’s end. You will stay in charge. You have 800 pages to grade, 400 on American Drama and 400 on Literary Theory. You take out your purple grading pen.“Power serves as an overhanging subconscious,” says the first sentence. You experience your first twinges of pain. But it’s mild, still mild. You can still giggle at the assertion that “we adopt our social roles in order to panda to society.” You picture your social role—your teacher persona—as a black-and-white herbivore performing in a zoo for a crowd of unruly students. Then a character in a play you read this semester, you learn, suffers from “post-dramatic stress disorder.” He’s also in a “post-depressive state.” You’re still pre-, but barely.
Stage II
Stage II presents with mild but steady localized pain, mostly along the GI tract, and an inability to concentrate. Despair is still contained, but it’s eyeing the lymphatic system’s freedom train. Women are “co-modified.” Men are “discluded.” Role models are “immolated.” Passages are “taken out of context due to objective reality.” “Often times” is everywhere.Bad things are happening to language.
Martin Luther King, Jr. is “African,” while Shakespeare’s Othello is “African American,” and Shylock is “a Hebrew.”
Stage III
This stage manifests in moderate but bearable generalized pain. However, the despair—still unregistered—has entered the bloodstream. You have 400 pages to go. The mind slips and slides, rebels and resists.“In patriarchy, women subvert to men.”
You could cry at the injustice of crimes against language.
“The son remains in an imago consciousness while his father is alive, producing a haze of control around the lives he encounters.”
More haze than control. And the fog is thickening.
“Sherman Alexie makes many unreliable opinions and dissertations, these constant changing attributes allow for irreverence towards his dominance.”
You fantasize about just giving everyone an A. You fantasize about giving everyone an F.
“Is her struggle with God to be taken simply for what it is,” a student asks of a character, “or does it represent something deeper?”
There are struggles deeper than the struggle with God.
Stage IV
With 200 pages still to go, you hit Stage IV. Malignant language has become metastatic. It invades organs, swarms synapses. Death is inevitable. You are awash in despair.And then: Zen. You reach the level of hysteria where language abuse crosses over into poetry. In a series of papers on an odd little play about the digital afterlife, you find the observation, “Technology keeps people alive after they are dead,” only to be succeeded, shortly after, with “It is not conventional to live although dead.”
With ten more papers to go, you take a moment to marvel. Yes, it’s true, “the world is becoming less real” and “we now have cell phones instead of psyches” and, most fabulous of all, “the surreal life is full of dead people being alive.”
You’re so punch-drunk with language-love that you go back to the “panda to society” that you’d circled earlier and add a smiley face. You become one with comma splices and run-on sentences and dangling-ass modifiers, having once been someone who was alive and had a psyche but now knowing you are dead language ghosting the surreal afterlife with a purple pen.
SUGGESTED READS
List: Students’ Responses to a Quiz on McDonald’s, Presented as Evidence That I Might Not Be Cutting It As an American Culture Teacher at a College in Ningbo, Chinaby Chikako Kobaysahi (4/22/2002)
List: Actual Evaluations I Received from Students in My Analytical Chemistry Class
by P. John Wright (4/22/2002)
List: Injudicious Uses of Exclamation Points in the Teacher’s Video Company Catalog
by John Warner (4/22/2002)
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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
PBS on SSTF
Read and comment--
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/04/college-education-for-whom.html#commentsform
Watch--
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/04/college-education-for-whom.html#commentsform
Watch--
Watch California Community Colleges Face Tighter Budgets on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
The Lumina VP and Me
I spent the President’s Day weekend
in San Antonio, at a conference on the First Year Experience – largely for
four-year colleges developing freshman seminar-type programs.
The keynote speaker was Dewayne
Matthews, Lumina Foundation for Education’s VP for Policy and Strategy.
After hearing him speak, I think I
have a better understanding of what Lumina’s agenda is, at least as stated.
Matthews showed graphs demonstrating
that the US has fallen behind other wealthy industrialized nations in college
attainment – that after World War II, we ramped college degree attainment –
including AA -- up to 40% of Americans, and then after the late 1970s,
“something” happened that led us to stop there.
He also showed graphs that measured
unemployment and income level against level of education, and if the numbers
are correct, the data was stark. For those of us with graduate degrees,
unemployment is at 4%. For those with undergraduate degrees, it’s a bit higher
– and of course, it’s higher still for those with high school diplomas, and
highest for those without high school diplomas. Matthews branded these groups
(as I recall) “the working poor”. A conclusion which was jarring, but
reasonable enough.
Lumina’s mission, as stated in the
presentation, is to increase college degree attainment to 60%. He asserted that
30 million Americans – something like 22% of adults – had gone to some
college, but not graduated with a degree.
The argument is basically that these
workers, who he said often deeply regretted not having finished college, would
have been much better off economically, had they gotten at least an Associate’s
degree.
This is where I thought he got into
our terrain in the Community Colleges.
Lumina’s stated goal, then, is to
increase attainment by moving as many of that 22% as possible – represented by
a large slice of pie at the bottom of a pie chart – out of that “some college”
category and into degreed categories.
We saw some figures that showed that
the students would have been financially better off taking out loans and
staying in college through degree attainment, rather than dragging their
educations out over many years while also working. Though, as I recall, those
figures were based on pre-recession data that went up only to 2008.
Matthews also spoke to Lumina’s
support of common statewide core standards and aligning high school with
college – and these seem to be the policy agendae that are manifesting in the
SSTF recommendations. The goal being this target of 60% attainment by 2025 – as
you can see here:
http://www.luminafoundation.org/newsroom/newsletter/archives/2009-11.html
My assessment is that these are
worthy goals, and largely in line with the Obama Administration’s stated goals
of increasing college education levels in this country to prepare our workforce
to compete in the global marketplace. As stated, they are intended to improve
occupation and wage outcomes for individuals.
That said, Lumina – at least as
presented here – seems to have a big blind spot when it comes to the students
that we serve in California Community Colleges, who often have little choice
but to work while going to school – or incur enormous debt as heads of
household (for example), spending what Lumina suggests be a student-loan-based
income on food and rent for their families, rather than only on tuition and
books. And coming out into an economy in which it does indeed remain difficult,
even for the educated (though quite a bit less difficult than for those without
degrees, is Matthews’ point), to find work that will pay at a level at which
tens of thousands of dollars of debt might be worked off.
I spoke with a colleague from
Minott, North Dakota – a small city currently in the heady rush of a shale oil
boom – who agreed. So this isn’t just an urban-Californian concern.
That Lumina is a provider of student
loans is also troubling. Will that additional 22% of Americans come out of
college owing Lumina Foundation a monthly check for the rest of their working
lives? And is that the point? I can’t answer that – but the potential for
conflict of interest here is, at least, troubling.
I met Matthews later, getting out of
an elevator, and told him that at my community college in California,
colleagues were quite wary of Lumina and initiatives that were being forced on
us during a budget crisis. I told him that their program as stated -- the model
that Lumina’s policies seem to add up to, getting college students out of the
work force and into loans to get them to degrees faster – didn’t seem to
account for the reality of many community college students, many of whom are
supporting families. That it would not work for many of our students – and that
that was OK.
He said that they hadn’t articulated
their goals well for community colleges. I’m not sure if he meant that they had
not explained them well enough, or that the policies had not been developed
well enough (the other meaning of articulation in this context) to account for
the realities of community college students’ needs. If it’s the latter, then I
wonder why the recommendations are being put in place in our system. I’d guess
he meant the former. In which case, I suppose, I am doing his job for
him.
In any case, my overall assessment
is that the stated goal of 60% attainment is a worthy goal, and one that our
faculty should, in principle, support – and, of course, student by student, we
do support this goal. That’s why we do what we do.
I’m not sure pushing students out of
jobs and into loans is realistic for many of our students. Though, I have to
say, affectively speaking, I do encourage my students who are missing class in
order to work shifts at low-paying jobs, to lose the jobs if at all possible
and focus on school -- on degree attainment. So I am predisposed to accept
Lumina’s research results and conclusions.
Again, I am wary of Lumina’s
intentions. That if they are in the loan business, 30 million Americans sending
them monthly checks is quite a large sum of money – and that this is quite
likely, at least, potentially biasing in terms of their public policy agenda.
Does Lumina's loan business exist to further its altruistic goal? Or is it
vice-versa? Or, if the outcomes are positive, might this be one of those cases
in which it doesn't matter?
I’m less wary of Lumina’s working
with the Gates Foundation, which I think is a fairly altruistic organization.
And I think Gates’ support of Lumina’s program speaks to its merit. Gates wants
more American workers to be highly trained for good-paying, high tech jobs. I
think that, too, is a worthy goal, and one we, as a faculty, should, would, and
do support.
Then, I don’t think that all of
those 22% of Americans with “some college” were necessarily on a college degree
track – and I don’t think that we should eliminate educational opportunities
that the community colleges provide for people who are not working to attain
degrees. We also have a community mission to fulfill.
In such lean times, we do have
difficult choices to make.
Rich Simon
English
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Budget Problems / Solutions
News
Underfunded Schools Forced To Cut Past Tense From Language Programs
November 30, 2007 |
ISSUE 43•48
WASHINGTON—Faced with ongoing budget crises, underfunded
schools nationwide are increasingly left with no option but to cut the
past tense—a grammatical construction traditionally used to relate all
actions, and states that have transpired at an earlier point in
time—from their standard English and language arts programs.
Enlarge Image
A part of American school curricula for more than 200 years, the past tense was deemed by school administrators to be too expensive to keep in primary and secondary education.
"This was by no means an easy decision, but teaching our students how to conjugate verbs in a way that would allow them to describe events that have already occurred is a luxury that we can no longer afford," Phoenix-area high-school principal Sam Pennock said. "With our current budget, the past tense must unfortunately become a thing of the past."
In the most dramatic display of the new trend yet, the Tennessee Department of Education decided Monday to remove "-ed" endings from all of the state's English classrooms, saving struggling schools an estimated $3 million each year. Officials say they plan to slowly phase out the tense by first eliminating the past perfect; once students have adjusted to the change, the past progressive, the past continuous, the past perfect progressive, and the simple past will be cut. Hundreds of school districts across the country are expected to follow suit.
"This is the end of an era," said Alicia Reynolds, a school district director in Tuscaloosa, AL. "For some, reading and writing about things not immediately taking place was almost as much a part of school as history class and social studies."
"That is, until we were forced to drop history class and social studies a couple of months ago," Reynolds added.
Nevertheless, a number of educators are coming out against the cuts, claiming that the embattled verb tense, while outmoded, still plays an important role in the development of today's youth.
"Much like art and music, the past tense provides students with a unique and consistent outlet for self-expression," South Boston English teacher David Floen said. "Without it I fear many of our students will lack a number of important creative skills. Like being able to describe anything that happened earlier in the day."
Despite concerns that cutting the past-tense will prevent graduates from communicating effectively in the workplace, the home, the grocery store, church, and various other public spaces, a number of lawmakers, such as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, have welcomed the cuts as proof that the American school system is taking a more forward-thinking approach to education.
"Our tax dollars should be spent preparing our children for the future, not for what has already happened," Hatch said at a recent press conference. "It's about time we stopped wasting everyone's time with who 'did' what or 'went' where. The past tense is, by definition, outdated."
Said Hatch, "I can't even remember the last time I had to use it."
Past-tense instruction is only the latest school program to face the chopping block. School districts in California have been forced to cut addition and subtraction from their math departments, while nearly all high schools have reduced foreign language courses to only the most basic phrases, including "May I please use the bathroom?" and "No, I do not want to go to the beach with Maria and Juan." Some legislators are even calling for an end to teaching grammar itself, saying that in many inner-city school districts, where funding is most lacking, students rarely use grammar at all.
Regardless of the recent upheaval, students throughout the country are learning to accept, and even embrace, the change to their curriculum.
"At first I think the decision to drop the past tense from class is ridiculous, and I feel very upset by it," said David Keller, a seventh-grade student at Hampstead School in Fort Meyers, FL. "But now, it's almost like it never happens."
Enlarge Image
A part of American school curricula for more than 200 years, the past tense was deemed by school administrators to be too expensive to keep in primary and secondary education.
"This was by no means an easy decision, but teaching our students how to conjugate verbs in a way that would allow them to describe events that have already occurred is a luxury that we can no longer afford," Phoenix-area high-school principal Sam Pennock said. "With our current budget, the past tense must unfortunately become a thing of the past."
In the most dramatic display of the new trend yet, the Tennessee Department of Education decided Monday to remove "-ed" endings from all of the state's English classrooms, saving struggling schools an estimated $3 million each year. Officials say they plan to slowly phase out the tense by first eliminating the past perfect; once students have adjusted to the change, the past progressive, the past continuous, the past perfect progressive, and the simple past will be cut. Hundreds of school districts across the country are expected to follow suit.
"This is the end of an era," said Alicia Reynolds, a school district director in Tuscaloosa, AL. "For some, reading and writing about things not immediately taking place was almost as much a part of school as history class and social studies."
"That is, until we were forced to drop history class and social studies a couple of months ago," Reynolds added.
Nevertheless, a number of educators are coming out against the cuts, claiming that the embattled verb tense, while outmoded, still plays an important role in the development of today's youth.
"Much like art and music, the past tense provides students with a unique and consistent outlet for self-expression," South Boston English teacher David Floen said. "Without it I fear many of our students will lack a number of important creative skills. Like being able to describe anything that happened earlier in the day."
Despite concerns that cutting the past-tense will prevent graduates from communicating effectively in the workplace, the home, the grocery store, church, and various other public spaces, a number of lawmakers, such as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, have welcomed the cuts as proof that the American school system is taking a more forward-thinking approach to education.
"Our tax dollars should be spent preparing our children for the future, not for what has already happened," Hatch said at a recent press conference. "It's about time we stopped wasting everyone's time with who 'did' what or 'went' where. The past tense is, by definition, outdated."
Said Hatch, "I can't even remember the last time I had to use it."
Past-tense instruction is only the latest school program to face the chopping block. School districts in California have been forced to cut addition and subtraction from their math departments, while nearly all high schools have reduced foreign language courses to only the most basic phrases, including "May I please use the bathroom?" and "No, I do not want to go to the beach with Maria and Juan." Some legislators are even calling for an end to teaching grammar itself, saying that in many inner-city school districts, where funding is most lacking, students rarely use grammar at all.
Regardless of the recent upheaval, students throughout the country are learning to accept, and even embrace, the change to their curriculum.
"At first I think the decision to drop the past tense from class is ridiculous, and I feel very upset by it," said David Keller, a seventh-grade student at Hampstead School in Fort Meyers, FL. "But now, it's almost like it never happens."
Recent News »
Back to College (back in Sept '10)
Back to College
Whether you're a bright-eyed freshman, an experienced upper-classman, a faithful alumnus, an educated professor, a capable administrator, or even a college-sports enthusiast, you are probably familiar with some of the numerous public and private colleges and universities spread across the United States. The establishment and growth of these institutions, and their contributions to the Nation, have long been one of the most notable aspects of U.S. history.The first institutions of higher learning in colonial North America were founded to supply the demand for clergy and school teachers. In recent decades, colleges and universities have trained the workers that put men on the moon and created the Internet age.
In 2009, there were over 10,000 establishments (places of employment, whether campuses, offices, research facilities, or other locations) operated by colleges and universities in the United States. (Source: QCEW) This Spotlight presents BLS data related to college and university students and graduates, as well as colleges and universities as an industry and place of employment.
COLLEGE STUDENTS AND GRADUATES
For the College Educated: Increasing Employment ...
All of the increase in employment over the past two decades has been among workers who have taken at least some college classes or who have associate or bachelor's degrees—and mostly among workers with bachelor's degrees. The number of these college-educated workers has increased almost every year. Over the 1992–2009 period, the number of college-educated workers increased from 27 million to 44 million. In contrast, the number of employed people with only a high school diploma or without a high school diploma has remained steady or decreased.Read more . . .
Monday, January 23, 2012
Blogs vs. Term Papers
OF all the challenges faced by college and high school students, few inspire as much angst, profanity, procrastination and caffeine consumption as the academic paper. The format — meant to force students to make a point, explain it, defend it, repeat it (whether in 20 pages or 5 paragraphs) — feels to many like an exercise in rigidity and boredom, like practicing piano scales in a minor key.
And so there may be rejoicing among legions of students who have struggled to write a lucid argument about Sherman’s March, the disputed authorship of “Romeo and Juliet,” or anything antediluvian. They have a champion: Cathy N. Davidson, an English professor at Duke, wants to eradicate the term paper and replace it with the blog.
Her provocative positions have lent kindling to an intensifying debate about how best to teach writing in the digital era.
“This mechanistic writing is a real disincentive to creative but untrained writers,” says Professor Davidson, who rails against the form in her new book, “Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn.”
Read more . . .
Sunday, December 18, 2011
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