March 5,
2013
RAsheda Young
301 West Sylvania Ave Apt 349B
Neptune City, NJ 07753
Wamiq Jawaid
500 Fifthe Ave
New York, NY 10110
Greetings Wamiq:
Thank you so much for visiting our
Basic Writing Theory & Pedagogy graduate course Tuesday, February 26. I found your presentation both enjoyable and
informative. You showed genuine
appreciation of our feedback on the Norton
Field Guide for Writing. Also having
one of the authors, Richard Bullock, speak to us from a pre-recorded videotape
personalized the presentation and features of the book.
As a student, I was able to learn how to best use it. After reading the first sixty pages of Bullock and Goggin's book, my faith as a
student was confirmed. I am learning how
to be a better instructor. That’s priceless! I have also learned how to be more flexible
for my students. Now I will offer them a
variety of strategies to generate ideas for their essay. Group work is important and class discussion
about key concepts helps students work through their misunderstandings. I enjoyed learning of the various ways to
organize my ideas. Personally, I have a
strong disdain for very linear outlines.
I find it confining. However,
having the option, as the book suggests, to organize my thoughts either from
the end of the essay or the middle, appeals to my learning style.
The explanations were clear
and direct. Oftentimes many students do
not understand key concepts and/or strategies.
The meaning gets lost. Verbose
explanations complicate comprehension for many students, especially first-year
writing students. Providing clear
explanations make owning and applying concepts easier for students.
The Norton Field Guide to Teaching is my favorite book of the course so
far. If I could have a crush on a book, this would be it! I love reading
it. I've learned so much about how wrong I was teaching.
Composition classes shouldn't largely be lecture and lesson-plans should be a
collection of mini-lessons focused on a particular area of writing, yet all
lessons should connect to the day's lesson.
Currently I am a Writing Center tutor
at a local community college in New Jersey.
I have aspirations of becoming a full-time faculty member at an urban
university. I like this book for my
students. The free digital support that
students receive is appealing. Many
students cannot afford to purchase additional software for the course. The layout of the book visually stimulates my
senses. Having each section color coded
with corresponding shapes make locating information easy. The foldout of key concepts also helps the
reader locate information. Honestly, I
did not notice this feature of the book until your presentation. Thank you.
I want to sincerely thank you for
donating three books to each student in the class. You cut costs by half! I am forever grateful for your kind gesture.
Again, thank you so much for coming
to class and presenting a very lively presentation. It was one that engaged the entire class.
Sincerely,
RAsheda Young
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