ENGL 402 - UCWR Class Observation

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Readings for Professor Weller's TTH UCWR Class:

Weller_SynthesisChapter_2-21-19.pdf NoNameWoman_MaxineHongKingston.pdf

Class Time: 2:30-3:45 pm Location: IC 215

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Observations:

The tables and chairs have already been set up to encircle the boundaries of the room. We face each other, heads bent forward reverently over screens, datebooks, snacks, and homework. Students continue to filter in as we wait for the arrival of Professor Weller. The classroom, for now, is saturated by female students; one girl arrived and announced she's dropping off an essay for her roommate and this makes me think Professor Weller fully expects her students to submit work on time and prefers it to be delivered in class, in person. There are a total of three male students present today.

Once arrived, Professor Weller begins by asking the students how they are doing; mumbled sighs and short "fines" are emitted. She proceeds to walk around the room distributing paper placards with the students' names on them before their seats facing the center of the room. The students obediently place their placards before them, revealing their chosen and preferred name to the class. I feel this not only streamlines the taking of attendance, but also encourages students to engage with peers whom they do not know.

Professor Weller stands before the students at a table in the center with a single chair. She begins her lesson by reiterating assignment due dates and expectations. She briefly describes the process of uploading the assignments to Sakai then takes any questions regarding the information she just gave. When she calls on students, she quickly and confidently states the student's first name, inviting them to speak. She collects homework upon one student's suggestion. In total, the students are submitting at least two, if not three, paper assignments at the beginning of class.

Professor Weller then asks the class for freewrite topics. One student immediately responds with a controversial anecdote about dress codes. (See "In Class Freewrite" below) When the time is up, students are eager to share what they wrote. The female students obviously feel comfortable sharing stories about dress codes and their experiences being monitored and punished by their childhood institutions. The students feel comfortable using casual language, there is an obvious feeling of ease and security in the classroom. Finally, a male student chimes in, followed immediately by another male student - they also share their experiences with dress codes and/or why they think dress codes are an archaic system. One girl describes how her school brought female students onto the board of directors who decide what the students can and cannot wear - this resulted in a more casual and relaxed dress code which students appreciated. Professor Weller aptly and timely brings up the "Me Too" movement in response to a student's well-formed comment that dress codes are a patriarchal construct. Students are so engaged, Professor Weller has to bring the conversation to a close so we can move on to discussing the readings.

Rather than ask students to stop talking among themselves, Professor Weller calmly raises her voice above them, asserting her power while simultaneously allowing the students to keep their own. One student asks if she can use her smartphone to bring up the readings; Professor Weller permits it, of course, saying "Yes! Use your phones for good!" She then gives the students four minutes to answer pre-assigned questions about the readings. Apart from mine, there are four student laptops in the room. From what I can see, all of the students who brought them are using them to bring up the readings, not to scroll through social media and goof off during class.

After answering the reading questions, Professor Weller asks the students to get into small groups to discuss the questions. Willingly, everyone turns to the people sitting nearest to them and they start talking. Meanwhile, Professor Weller organizes her notes and neatly places teaching materials on the table before her. Before time is up, Professor Weller comes up to you and asks you about classes, work, Spring Break plans, and where you're from. She has an engaging personality which invites you in and makes you feel immediately comfortable talking to her.

The students begin discussing "No Name Woman," picking up on obvious themes of patriarchal authority, personal tragedy, silent spaces, cultural differences, and ancestral fear. They discuss "consent" and whether the speaker's Aunt in the story consented to the intercourse that led to her illegitimate child. As we begin to unpack the story, Professor Weller summarizes important information about Hong Kingston's circumstances at the time the story takes place. She asks for a student volunteer to read an excerpt from the story, one agrees and more unpacking ensues.

Professor Weller uses the white board to draw similarities and differences between the three readings assigned to the students this week. The readings are predominately about females and the female experience, immigration, multi-cultural perspectives, and mother-daughter relationships. There is an evident underpinning of Feminist Pedagogy in the classroom. All of the readings share a singular theme of identity - what are the expectations of my society and family for who I'm supposed to be?

Before excusing the class, Professor Weller asks for one more freewrite: "What themes from our class discussion today can you connect to two or more of the readings?" They know the drill by now and they quickly begin scribbling their answers to her question in spiral-bound notebooks with mechanical pencils. The projector screen retracts into itself and Professor Weller begins erasing the white board. This routine feels meditative as the students write their way out of class, emerging only to begin packing up their things as Professor Weller reiterates due dates and assignment details. Her encouraging words and cheerful demeanor resonate with you as you leave.

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In Class Freewrite:

Do you have any personal experience being ridiculed for wearing certain types of dress? OR Should student journalists be permitted to expose sensitive university operations and goings-on or be monitored and controlled by HR reps and marketing strategists?

Universities are constantly, and ferociously, attempting to shape and cultivate a pristine image for the surrounding publics they concern themselves with. For a university with such a social justice, civic engagement leaning, it would be incredibly harmful for our image to appear conservative or self-indulgent in any way, yet to protect this so-called "liberal" image and agenda the university stoops to fear-mongering and conservative means of silencing revealing streams. The students, easily quieted and de-legitimized, only have so much power because they are subject to the umbrella that both shields and hangs over them.

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UCWR Observation: Professor Weller’s Class

Real-Time Observations:

The tables and chairs have already been set up to encircle the boundaries of the room. We face each other, heads bent forward reverently over screens, datebooks, snacks, and homework. Students continue to filter in as we wait for the arrival of Professor Weller. The classroom, for now, is saturated by female students; one girl arrived and announced she's dropping off an essay for her roommate. This makes me think Professor Weller fully expects her students to submit work on time and prefers it to be delivered in class, in person. There are a total of three male students present today.
Once she has arrived, Professor Weller begins by asking the students how they are doing; mumbled sighs and short "fines" are emitted. She proceeds to walk around the room distributing paper placards with the students' names on them. The students obediently place their placards before them, revealing their chosen and preferred name to the class. I feel this not only streamlines the taking of attendance, but also encourages students to engage with peers whom they do not know. This seems like a key aspect of the Expressivist Classroom—to encourage the students to identify themselves openly for the other people in the room in a repetitive and recursive way. Rather than ask the students to verbally introduce themselves once in the beginning of the semester, Professor Weller has her students identify themselves during every class in a creative and unobtrusive way.
Professor Weller stands before the students at a table in the center with a single chair. She begins her lesson by reiterating assignment due dates and expectations. She briefly describes the process of uploading the assignments to Sakai then takes any questions regarding the information she just gave. When she calls on students, she quickly and confidently states the student's first name, inviting them to speak—she is able to do so with ease because the students’ names are placed directly within her line of sight but also because she is genuinely listening to the students as they talk, getting to know them. She collects homework upon one student's suggestion. In total, the students are submitting at least two, if not three, paper assignments at the beginning of class.
Then, Professor Weller asks the class for freewrite topics. One student immediately responds with a controversial anecdote about dress codes. (See "In Class Freewrite" below) When the time is up, students are eager to discuss what they wrote. A few female students openly share stories about dress codes and their experiences being monitored and punished by their childhood institutions. The students feel comfortable using casual language and there is an obvious feeling of ease and security in the classroom. Finally, a male student chimes in followed immediately by another male student—they also share their experiences with dress codes and/or why they think dress codes are an archaic system. One girl describes how her school brought female students onto the board of directors who decide what the students can and cannot wear and how this resulted in a more casual and relaxed dress code which students appreciated. Professor Weller aptly and timely brings up the "Me Too" movement in response to a student's well-formed comment that dress codes are a patriarchal construct. Students are so engaged, Professor Weller has to bring the conversation to a close so we can move on to discussing the readings.
Rather than ask students to stop talking amongst themselves, Professor Weller calmly raises her voice above them, asserting her power while simultaneously allowing the students to keep their own. One student asks if she can use her smartphone to bring up the readings. Professor Weller permits it, of course, saying "Yes! Use your phones for good!" She then gives the students four minutes to answer pre-assigned questions about the readings. Apart from mine, there are four student laptops in the room. From what I can see, all of the students who brought them are using them to bring up the readings, not to scroll through social media and goof off during class. After answering the reading questions, Professor Weller asks the students to get into small groups to discuss the questions. Willingly, everyone turns to the people sitting nearest to them and they start talking. Meanwhile, Professor Weller organizes her notes and neatly places teaching materials on the table before her. Before time is up, Professor Weller comes up to you and asks you about classes, work, Spring Break plans, and where you're from. She has an engaging personality which invites you in and makes you feel immediately comfortable talking to her.
When their time is up the students begin discussing "No Name Woman," picking up on obvious themes of patriarchal authority, personal tragedy, silent spaces, cultural differences, and ancestral fear. They discuss "consent" and whether the speaker's Aunt in the story consented to the intercourse that led to her illegitimate child. As we begin to unpack the story, Professor Weller summarizes important information about Hong Kingston's circumstances at the time the story takes place. She asks for a student volunteer to read an excerpt from the story, one agrees and more unpacking ensues. Professor Weller uses the whiteboard to draw similarities and differences between the three readings assigned to the students this week. The readings are predominately about females and the female experience, immigration, multicultural perspectives, and mother-daughter relationships. There is an evident underpinning of Feminist Pedagogy in the classroom. All of the readings share a singular theme of identity—what are the expectations of my society and family for who I'm supposed to be? Before excusing the class, Professor Weller asks for one more freewrite: "What themes from our class discussion today can you connect to two or more of the readings?" They know the drill by now and they quickly begin scribbling their answers to her question in spiral-bound notebooks with mechanical pencils. The projector screen retracts into itself and Professor Weller begins erasing the whiteboard. This routine feels meditative as the students write their way out of class, emerging only to begin packing up their things as Professor Weller reiterates due dates and assignment details. Her encouraging words and cheerful demeanor resonate with you as you leave.

Critical Reflection:

In observing her class, I noticed multiple pedagogies emerge in Professor Weller’s teaching style. While the readings were solidly feminist, Professor Weller’s ability to shift the power dynamic away from herself and into the hands of the students seems very critical, though her attention and appreciation for the act of writing itself and her expectations for multiple freewrites during class certainly align with expressivist and process pedagogy methods. Professor Weller often invites students to bring forth the material they would like to write about and discuss. This creates space for the students to grapple with topics that are meaningful to their experience and, therefore, more approachable than something simply assigned to them. Wherever possible though, Professor Weller provides a critically engaged alternative for students to consider and offers them the choice as they proceed with their freewrites. It is apparent that Professor Weller aims to create an environment that makes her students feel secure and protected in their opinions and thoughts. She lifts them up rather than tears them down and this is key for them to feel willing to participate in and talk through the harsh realities they face in their readings and class discussions.

In Class Freewrite:

Do you have any personal experience being ridiculed for wearing certain types of dress? OR Should student journalists be permitted to expose sensitive university operations and goings-on or be monitored and controlled by HR reps and marketing strategists?

— Universities are constantly, and ferociously, attempting to shape and cultivate a pristine image for the surrounding publics they concern themselves with. For a university with such a social justice, civic engagement leaning, it would be incredibly harmful for our image to appear conservative or self-indulgent in any way, yet to protect this so-called "liberal" image and agenda the university stoops to fear-mongering and conservative means of silencing revealing streams. The students, easily quieted and de-legitimized, only have so much power because they are subject to the umbrella that both shields and hangs over them.

Works Referenced Anson, Chris M. “Process Pedagogy and its Legacy.” A Guide to Composition Pedagogies, edited by Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper Taggart, Kurt Schick, and H .Brooke Hessler, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 212-230.

George, Ann. “Critical Pedagogies: Dreaming of Democracy.” A Guide to Composition Pedagogies, edited by Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper Taggart, Kurt Schick, and H .Brooke Hessler, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 77-93.

Micciche, Laura R. “Feminist Pedagogies.” A Guide to Composition Pedagogies, edited by Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper Taggart, Kurt Schick, and H .Brooke Hessler, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 128-145.