Summer Institute Demo

1. Summer Institute Demo Writing for the Communications Media (Ingl 3268) Portrait of the Blogporter (Profile Writing) Stephania Uwakweh June 21, 2012

2. Igbo 101 Steph: Kedu? (‘hi’ or how are you?) Group: O di mma! (All is well!)

3. Who am I? • Originally from Nigeria, West Africa • My 4 kids’ mom • Married for 17 years • Husband is an engineering professor (UPRM) • 4th of 10 children • Enrolled in the MAEE at UPRM • Faith in God is a huge part of my life

4. Educational Background • BA in Philosophy (University of Nigeria, Nsukka) • MA in Philosophy (emphasis on Philosophy of Education at the University of Lagos) • EdD in Educational Foundations (University of Cincinnati) • Secondary English Certification (UPRM)

5. Teaching Background • I have taught for 10 years • Was a stay-at-home mom for 7 years (I was working; I just couldn't get anyone to pay me for the work I did.) 

6. Teaching Background • Have taught at UPRM as a Temporary Instructor / TA • Course taught: • Creative Writing • Advanced English • Writing for the Communications Media

7. Contextual Factors: UPRM • Class previously taught by Dr. Géliga who is currently on leave, so her ideas are incorporated. • Class size: 20-30 • CH 326- computers, noisy AC, & projector for PowerPoint presentations • 3rd or 4th English course for most students • A preponderance of the students are bilingual Puerto Ricans. • Last semester, I had two exchange students from Europe.

8. Teaching Philosophy • Creativity “Creativity needs to be stimulated, not only at the level of student’s individuality, but also at the level of their individuality in a social context. Instead of suffocating this curious impetus, educators should stimulate risk taking, without which there is no creativity.” • Participatory Pedagogy: help students understand and question the social, historical, or cultural forces that affect their lives • Student Empowerment/Student-Centered Learning Paulo Freire

9. Teaching Philosophy • ARCS Model of Motivational Design-Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction: Keller (1983) • Medium for Personal/Cultural Exploration; Zone of Proximal Development: Vygotsky (978) • Ethics of Caring- Modeling, dialogue, practice and confirmation: Noddings (1998), Buber (1958) • Experiential learning/ Constructivism: Piaget (1966); Bruner (1996); Dewey (1958); Polanyi (1967)“Tacit Knowledge” • Multiple Intelligences / Individual Difference: Gardner (1983); Robinson (2001)

10. My Teaching Philosophy • Teaching is about ‘drawing out’ the full potentials in every student because every student is capable of independent thinking. • Teaching is about inspiring students to want to learn. It should be about stimulating and not intimidating. • Teaching must be marked by adjustments, flexibility, and creativity. • Teaching must be diversified to accommodate students’ multiply learning styles and multiple intelligences. • Teaching is about caring. • Learning is a life-long praxis

11. Who Am I As A Teacher? • Learner • Facilitator • Mentor • Awakener • Cheerleader • Coach • Partner • Motivator

12. Conceptual Content • Meaningful Content & Practical Relevance- Funds of Knowledge: Moll, Amanti, Neff & Gonzalez (2001) • Sense of Ownership: Morales & Blau (2009)

13. Writing Philosophy “There is no such thing as good writing. There is only good rewriting.” Harry Shaw - Strong emphasis on the Writing Process

14. Materials • Yopp, J. J. & McAdams, K. C. (2007). Reaching Audiences: A Guide to Media Writing (4th ed.): Boston: Pearson A & B. • “Writing Profiles” handout • http://engl3268.wordpress.com/

15. Approach “Writing Intensive” • Focus on both Writing & Media • Blend of low stakes writing and high stakes writing • Emphasis on “Writing to Learn” • Scaffolding technique • Out-front: attending events & doing journalistic work

16. Objectives After completing this course, students should be able to: • Critically think about the components of the story and assess the relevance of each as it pertains to a specific audience • Work independently and collaboratively in the process of drafting, editing and publishing messages for specific audiences • Engage in actual journalistic work (interviews & observations) • Publish their original profiles on class blog

17. Equivalent Grade-level Expectation (10th) • W. 10.1 Applies transitional words, phrases, and clauses when constructing complex sentences to effectively connect ideas and develop variety in writing. • W.10.2 Applies appropriate grammar, structure, and syntax; analyzes word choice to convey intended meaning.

18. Structure in a Nutshell Profile structure (adapted from reading) • Anecdotal lead (1-2 sentences) • Nut graf (1 sentence) • Scene 1 (2-3 sentences) • Chronology (2-3 sentences) • What lies ahead (1-2 sentences) • Closing quote (1 sentence)

19. Profile structure (readings) • Anecdotal lead: captivating short story to lure readers in. • Nut graf: summarizes why this person matters now • Scene: observe subject in action using dialogue, details & dense descriptions • Chronology: retell subject’s most compelling past activities • What lies ahead: dreams, goals, & challenges to overcome • Closing quote

20. Example (adapted:Géliga) ANECDOTAL LEAD: When Maria was three years old, a social worker advised her mother to give her up for adoption because she was poor and could not afford to raise such a “beautiful girl.” Her mother had no choice but to rely on public assistance for several years after she moved to the United States.

21. Nut Graf Maria grew up poor in a single-parent household in what many call a “Latino ghetto” in Connecticut but she managed to attend the best schools, become fully bilingual and eventually return to Puerto Rico to enroll in college.

22. SCENE: At first sight Maria looks like any other second-year student at UPR-Río Piedras: she wears jeans and flat sandals, carries a heavy backpack and rushes from one building to another between periods while texting her mom and her friends. However, when you take the time to speak to her you realize that her experiences have made Maria much more clear-headed than most of her peers; she smiles often but doesn’t laugh easily at trivial jokes and inconsequential comments. “Time is too precious to be wasted,” is her driving motto.

23. CHRONOLOGY Maria returned to Puerto Rico in 2010 with her mom and her sick grandmother, who wanted to die in her homeland. As soon as she arrived, Maria began working at a bakery in the day and taking care of her grandmother in the evening while her mom went to work. A year later she enrolled in UPR-Río Piedras.

24. CLOSING QUOTE: “My dream is to become a social worker so that I can help women like my mom and so that one day I can right the wrongs of the many social workers that discriminate against poor and young single mothers.”

25. 2 main types of captions Descriptive-denotative describe the displayed action or image in present tense give specific background detail in the appropriate tense Expressive-connotative state the connotations or emotional /ideological/ personal associations of the image give general background detail about the photo in the appropriate tense

26. Content & Organization Initial: • 1st day of class: creative way of establishing the buddy system • Students work in pairs • Brief lecture on writing Personality feature stories (profile) • Share article on profile writing • Share a model (real or invented)

27. Content & Organization (3 periods) Development of activity: • Buddies interview each other & share personal information • Take substantive notes • Share two caption photo with buddy by next class • Make list of follow-up interview questions for next class

28. Content & Organization • Conclude interview sessions • Write drafts (profile & caption) • Peer-review of first draft (typed) • Final draft- must be posted on the blog by midnight on the due date

29. Profile Assignment Write a 300-word profile of a classmate following the adapted model from “Writing Profiles”: • Anecdotal lead (1-2 sentences) • Nut graph (1 sentence) • Scene (2-3 sentences) • Chronology (2-3 sentences) • What lies ahead (1-2 sentences) • Closing quote (1 sentence)

30. ENGLISH 3268: Writing for the Communications Media SPRING 2011 • RUBRIC FOR BLOGPORTER PROFILE • (a 0-2 scale, where 0 is non-existent; 1 is sometimes; and 2 is always) • NEWSWORTHINESS: • Profile is newsworthy for the target audience (offers compelling and pertinent information)_________ • Anecdotal lead is revealing and interesting _________ • Turning points in subject’s life are obvious _________ • CONTENT & ORGANIZATION: • Message is smooth and coherent _________ • Follows suggested profile structure: 1.Anecdotal lead; 2. Nut graf; • 3. Scene; 4. Chronology; 5. What lies ahead; 6. Closing quote _________ • 3. ‘Scene’ captures a slice of subject ‘s life (excellent descriptions) _________ • 4. Quotes are informative and pertinent _________ • 5. Edited first draft is attached _________ • 6. Word count meets requirement (300 words: indicate WC at the end) _________ • 7. Two pertinent illustrations, with original captions, are included _________ • CLARITY: • 1. Words are simple, precise and jargon-free _________ • 2. Writing is free of wordiness _________ • 3. Verb tenses are correct _________ • 4. Nouns/pronouns are appropriately used _________ • 5. Spelling & punctuation are correct _________ • TOTAL (30):_________ • Author’s name: ______________________________________________ Section: ________

31. References Publications: • Friedman, A. (2010). Writing for Visual Media. Burlington, MA: Focal Press. • Hanson, R. (2010). Mass Communication: Living in a Media World (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. • Rodman, G. (2011). Mass Media in a Challenging World (4th ed.). New York City, NY: McGraw-Hill. • Wimmer, R. D., & Dominick, J. R. (2011). Mass Media Research: An Introduction (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. • On-line sources: • www.uprm.edu • www.thesanjuanstar.com • www.howdesign.com • http://engl3268.wordpress.com • http://www.prdailysun.com • http://www.elnuevodia.com • http://www.primerahora

32. Activity for the Day (Profile) • In pairs: your partner must not be your buddy or long-time friend. • Interview each other for 5-7 minutes each (take substantive notes). • Ask questions about turning point(s) in your partner’s life. This can be anything (not restricted to subject’s teaching experience). • This is not a biography; focus on an aspect of your subject’s life. • End with a memorable quote by your subject (All quotes will be read out loud) • Write a profile using your notes. Structure of your profile • Title • Anecdotal lead: captivating short story to lure readers in • Nut graf: summarizes why this person matters now • Scene: observe subject in action using dialogue, details & dense descriptions • Chronology: retell subject’s most compelling past activity (slice of his/her life) • What lies ahead: dreams, goals, plans & challenges to overcome • Closing quote