ENGED-GE.2101 INDIVIDUALIZED WRITING INSTRUCTION /
ENGED-UE.1185 ADVANCED COMPOSITION
Spring 2013
NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development
Department of Teaching and Learning
Wednesdays from 6:45 – 9:15
Silver 404
Instructor:
Tim Fredrick
[email protected]
Office hours: Wednesdays by appointment (before or after class)
Course Objectives:
Students will be able to…
• Collect qualitative data on a single student writer.
• Analyze data in order to draw conclusions about a student writer’s
strengths, weaknesses, and instructional needs.
• Plan differentiated instructional strategies to meet the student writer’s
needs within a classroom context.
• Plan conference strategies to address the student writer’s needs in a oneon-one context.
Course Texts:
Assessing Writers, Anderson
Looking Together at Student Work,
How’s it Going?, Anderson
Blythe et al.
Making Differentiation a Habit, Heacox
Doing Case Study Research, Hancock and Algozzine (optional book, relevant
readings from book will be provided online)
Plus additional readings, which will be provided online
Grading:
I have a liberal grading policy. As long as you are not absent more than once,
rarely/never late, engage in class discussion, complete your work on time, and
demonstrate effort in all aspects of the course, you will be given the opportunity
to grade yourself. I, of course, maintain the right to veto your grade. But, if you
are heading into that territory, I will reach out to you.
When considering your grade for the class, consider if you are able to do the
following:
1. Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the course readings during
class discussions and make connections between them.
2. Apply theoretical concerns covered in course readings with your individual
practice as an educator.
INDIVIDUALIZED WRITING INSTRUCTION/ADV. COMPOSITION
Spring 2013
Assignments (Undergrads will complete these assignments in pairs)
Case Study (About 10 pages)
You will use the techniques of qualitative researchers to complete a case study
of one student writer (ideally, this student will be the target age of students you
will teach in the future, but logistics may prevent this – we will discuss
possibilities for finding a student writer). Using text analysis, protocol analysis,
interviews, and observations, you will identify the students' strengths and
weaknesses as a writer, as well as the experiences, beliefs, and knowledge
which may impact how he/she learns to write. The data you collect will include:
• Student Work: Analysis of three pieces of work, one should be a formal
writing assignment in which the student wrote multiple drafts, one should be
an informal assignment, one should be from social studies/science/math/nonELA class.
• Think-Aloud Protocol: Based on your analysis of written work, design a TAP
that will explore a student's process of writing, including a post-protocol
interview. Conduct, record, and transcribe the TAP.
• Observation: Observe your writer for two class periods dealing with writing
(lessons about writing, workshop sessions, etc). Take notes on what you
observe. (Optional–we will discuss the circumstances that make it optional.)
• Interview - Create an interview protocol that asks your case about his/her
history of writing, challenges, strengths, current experiences, etc. Conduct,
record, and transcribe the interview.
You will analyze the data you collect to come to conclusions about the writer and
his/her writing. This paper should “paint a picture” of the writer.
Instructional Plan (about 10 pages)
Based on your case study, select 2-3 learning objectives on which to focus with
this student. Connect those to the Common Core Standards (for student writers
under 18). Find 3-5 research articles that explain instructional techniques which
speak to the learning objectives, as well as the profile of your student. Decide
how you would help this individual student through tutoring/conferencing (What
types of conferences would you have? What questions would you ask? How
would you structure the conferences?), as well as how to differentiate group
instruction for him/her (you might describe what the whole class is doing and how
you've differentiated your instruction for this particular student). Incorporate our
class readings, as well as the research articles you found in the description of
your instructional plan as to justify how/why you are doing what you are doing.
Course Policies
• Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any student caught plagiarizing (i.e., using
someone else’s words or ideas without proper attribution) will fail the course
and be referred for academic discipline. There are no exceptions.
• With the exception of absences due to religious observance, there is no
distinction between excused and unexcused absences. Students are allowed
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INDIVIDUALIZED WRITING INSTRUCTION/ADV. COMPOSITION
•
•
Spring 2013
one absence (excluding those for religious observance) without penalty. The
second absence will result in the loss of the right to self-grade.
Lateness disrupts the teaching and learning process. Class begins promptly
at 6:45 p.m. If you are not in your seat ready to learn at that time, it will be
considered a late arrival. Two late arrivals will be equal to one absence
subject to the policy above.
If you know you are going to be absent from class, it is essential and proper
graduate school etiquette to alert me via email as to your absence.
Schedule of Classes
Date
Topic
1/30/2013 Intro to Class
Work Due
N/A
2/6/2013
Assessing Writers:
Written Work
Assessing Writers, Chapters 1-4
Making Differentiation …, Chapter 3
2/13/2013
Assessing Writers:
Written Work
Looking Together at Student Work,
Whole Book
2/20/2013
Assessing Writers:
Student Processes
Assessing Writers, Chapter 5
Verbal Protocols of Reading (on Google
Docs)
2/27/2013
Assessing Writers:
Student Processes
Beck, Llosa, Fredrick
Smagorinski
(both on Google Docs)
3/6/2013
Case Study Research:
Interviewing and
Observing Writers
Doing Case Study Research, Ch 1-3, 6-8
(on Google Docs)
3/13/2013
Case Study Research:
Analysis of Data
Doing Case Study Research, Ch 9-11
(on Google Docs)
3/27/2013
Case Study Research:
Community Analysis
Bring in all data (student work, TA
interview, regular interview, observation
notes)
4/3/2013
Turning Assessment
into Instruction
Assessing Writers, Chapters 6-8
Making Differentiation…, Chapters 1, 4
Bring in full draft of case study for
workshop
4/10/2013
Talking and
Conferring with
Writers
Case Study due via email by 6:45 p.m.
How’s It Going? Chapters 1-3
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INDIVIDUALIZED WRITING INSTRUCTION/ADV. COMPOSITION
Spring 2013
4/17/2013
Talking and
Conferring with
Writers
How’s It Going? Chapters 4-7
4/24/2013
Differentiation:
Individualizing in a
Classroom
Making Differentiation…, Chapters 5-7
5/1/2013
Differentiation:
Individualizing in a
Classroom
Making Differentiation…, Chapters 8-10
5/8/2013
Workshopping and
Conferencing
Bring in full draft of instructional plan for
workshop
5/15/2013
No class
Case Study and Instructional Plan due
via email by 6:45 p.m.
4
INDIVIDUALIZED WRITING INSTRUCTION/ADV. COMPOSITION
Spring 2013
Benchmark Dates for Completion of Case Study and Instructional Plan
By This Date
1/30/2013
Task To Be Completed (Ideally, except those in bold)
n/a
2/6/2013
Identify school/classroom
2/13/2013
Select student for study and collect writing samples
2/20/2013
n/a
2/27/2013
Complete TAP and transcribe
3/6/2013
Conduct interview and observation
3/13/2013
Transcribe interview and type observation notes
3/27/2013
Start analysis
4/3/2013
Draft case study
4/10/2013
Case study due
4/17/2013
Identify LOs and CC standards
4/24/2013
Locate articles
5/1/2013
Brainstorm/outline
5/8/2013
Draft instructional plan
5/15/2013
Full project due
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