I found chapter 1 of this book interesting in that the authors decribe (traditional) college instructors and professors as people who deliver content and how we think of our courses as a “body of subject matter”.  Those of us unfamiliar with teaching writing intensive courses tend to assign writing assignments as separate from the class content (research papers, position papers).  Although we ask our students to write about the content that we’ve taught it doesn’t always get incorporated into the class activity.  Unfortunately this allows our students to think of the assignment as being separate from the rest of the course.  I had to put myself back on the other side of the podium and remember the writing scenarios I was involved in and concluded that the courses where writing and interacting with small groups was more meaningful than the ones where I was required to do a research paper.  I did however have classes where we actually presented and discussed our research and that was meaningful as well because you had to have gained enough knowledge on the subject to answer questions posed by the class.  I do agree that even small writing assignments can be meaningful, such as small groups discussions where students write a common response.

I recently assigned a lab experiment where I though I clearly explained and demonstrated the set up procedure.  All but one group did it  incorrectly the first time.  I couldn’t understand what went wrong but I soon realized the students were not ready to think like scientists.  They had trouble following the procedure chart.  I wrote the instructions in word format and everyone performed the exercise correctly. I wonder if I would have discovered this diconnect if I had asked them to write what they thought they were expected to do.   At least I would have identified what they didn’t understand before they started the lab.  The following week I wrote the instructions after explaining the chart and they did it correctly.  This clarifies the concept in the chapter about giving students time and opportunities to make connections between content, practice and understanding.  Once they realized I wasn’t as concerned with their numbers as much as I was about them understanding the purpose of the preocedure they were relieved and proceded as expected.  I guess this is where the safe environment comes in.  They knew that  they wouldn’t be penalized if something went wrong as long as they could explain why.

G and H present the argument that “writing and other communication skills are important in every field of study…(p. 17)” so as an educator I need to prepare my students to think and write critically about their subject so that they can convey it to others.  It also challenges me to start with the inquiry: to ask the why questions at the beginning of the discussion instead of somewhere in the middle.

I believe these concepts are extremely useful especially here at York College where many of our students are bright and eager to learn but speak Enlish as a second language.  If we get them to feel confortable speaking and writing about a subject in the class we can shape them for whatever careers they pursue.