Signing Off:
What is/are the most significant thing/s that you learned which you plan to use in some way in the future?
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I think the most important things I got from the class can be divided in two ways:
Theory
As someone whose background knowledge on the history of composition as a field is rusty, it was useful to have a survey of the past paradigms in teaching, writing, and a general landscape of the discipline. I've taken a composition theory course before, but it was more related to contemporary content on where the field is now, and elements of critical thinking. In this course, I was able to study how composition (and rhetoric as an extension) emerged from English studies, and the incarnations it's taken since then. Having a good handle on different frameworks for instruction is good not only for teaching in the classroom, but also for engaging with other members of rhetoric/techcomm/comp when it will come to job hunting, presenting and attending conferences, and one day hopefully publishing.
Practice
I think I got the most use-value out of making my own composition syllabus and the philosophy of writing/teaching. While we have a common syllabus provided to us at Texas Tech, having a map of a curriculum that I want to use in the future is going to be very helpful. I liked deciding which textbooks to use, and coming up with student assignments and point distributions. When/if I teach composition again in the future, and have to come up with a syllabus or teaching philosophy for interviews or applications, these documents have given me a running start for building a teaching portfolio.
Investigating how University of Wisconsin @ Eau Claire models their FYC program was a great and enjoyable experience as well. I liked looking at how they organized their program, connected their program to WPA goals/outcomes, and integrated a digital literacy component as well as firmly grounding their work in rhetoric.
Finally, I'm going to get started on developing my web presence a little more. While it's very much under construction (project for the break!), I'm going to be moving all my materials/blogging over to leahheilig.com Gradually. I know it's bad form to have a barely-started page out there under my name, but first step is just to finish this semester :P
Practical theory, hopefully. That is, the more we learn the more we should see direct connections to theory in practice. If we can't put our ideas into practice, they're worthless, ultimately. Good to see how you've thought about the history of composition and how it has been used to support teaching in different ways; the theory guides. But, when theory changes, based on findings in practice, then the practice should evolve as well. Keep working on these things, like studying other programs and developing your own syllabi and teaching philosophy statement. You'll need this work when you go to get your job after you graduate.
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