TICKET TO RIDE: MEANING & MOTIVATION IN CITIZEN-WRITERS€¦ · transformative, transportive work...

TICKET TO RIDE: MEANING & MOTIVATION IN CITIZEN-WRITERS

Wednesday, June 20, 12

PRESENTED BY ZAPOURA NEWTON-CALVERT

WRITING INSTRUCTOR & FACULTY SERVICE LEARNING COORDINATOR (PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE, ROCK CREEK CAMPUS)

COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING INSTRUCTOR, PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY

CITIZEN-WRITER, PDX EDUCATION ACTION NETWORK BLOG


INHERITANCE: THE ROAD TO SERVICE


A GOLDEN TICKET TO SERVICE LEARNING

”I didn’t choose the community partner as much as it chose me.” -- Chris M. (volunteer with Providence Community Garden)

A BACKGROUND IN EDUCATION & WORKING

IN THE COMMUNITY

AN INTEREST IN AND USE OF SOCIAL

CONSTRUCTIVISM & CRITICAL PEDAGOGY

IN THE WRITING CLASSROOM

AN INHERITED CLASS (UNST 421:

ENHANCING YOUTH LITERACY, PORTLAND

STATE UNIVERSITY) WITH A LONG

HISTORY


SERVICE LEARNING AT KING SCHOOL

MY FIRST COMMUNITY PARTNER SITE & THE STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE RIDE WITH ME


TRANSFORMATIVE, TRANSPORTIVE WORK

AS I BEGAN TO TEACH WITHIN THE SERVICE LEARNING MODEL, I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS A FIT FOR ME AND MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY.

“I began to see my teaching philosophy come to life, and I saw growth not only in my students but in myself and my own connection to the community. This course is now even more student-centered, with student writers gaining deep knowledge related to voice, social responsibility, critical thinking, and action.” -- Zapoura Newton-Calvert, 2011 Annual Review Submission

MANY STUDENTS FIND THAT THIS WORK IS A “FIT” FOR THEM, TOO.

“Each time I attend an event or work for the Sisters of the Road Cafe, I feel a peace and joy I haven’t felt in a long time. I love the fact that they actually look at each person they encounter as human beings. I think it’s vital that we have many volunteer organizations in our community to !ght against injustice

and class warfare.” --Danielle, Volunteer at the Sisters of the Road Cafe


FROM INHERITANCE TO DRIVING THE WORK IN THE WRITING CLASSROOM

1. Decide to grab the wheel (take the plunge into service learning in the writing

classroom).

2. Find out about institutional resources & support AND community resources &

support.

3. Consider student needs and barriers and how service learning can help overcome

them.

4. Learn more about what motivates and encourages strong student writing & thinking

by talking to your students (the citizen-writers).

5. Write and carefully sequence course materials that link what students are learning

about the writing process with opportunities to connect with and write about real

issues in their community.

6. Repeat the cycle of steps (this is an ever evolving process).


ON THE ROAD: FINDING MY WAY

LINKING TO UNIVERSITY AND CITY CULTURE, LISTENING TO STUDENTS, MAKING A MAP


P.C.C. CULTURE: WHAT MADE THE ROAD SMOOTHER

THE SERVICE LEARNING MISSION AT PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

At PCC, we believe that community

responsibility is at the core of

education. Service-Learning directly

supports that core belief through projects that

deepen and contextualize course learning

outcomes to bene!t community organizations.


PORTLAND ACADEMIC & CITY CULTURE: EASE IN NETWORKING & FINDING SUPPORTIVE

COMMUNITY

IN MY EXPERIENCE, NETWORKING HAS BEEN KEY TO THIS MODEL OF ENGAGEMENT

FIND OUT WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR PROVIDING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY

WWW.HANDSONPORTLAND.ORG

VOLUNTEER MATCH

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS & DOING THE WORK


LISTENING TO STUDENTS:IDENTIFYING ROADBLOCKS TO MOTIVATION

AND ENGAGEMENT

BARRIERS CONSISTENTLY MENTIONED IN IN END-OF-TERM FEEDBACK SESSIONS:

LACK OF TIME (WORKING, PARENTING, COMMUTING)

LACK OF KNOWLEDGE (HOW TO GET STARTED)

LACK OF SUPPORT (NEEDING A MENTOR, NEEDING A COMMUNITY)

LACK OF CONFIDENCE (IN THE WRITING & IN THE SERVICE WORK)

FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

A RESULTING KEY QUESTION: CAN SERVICE LEARNING ALLOW US TO

HELP MEET STUDENT NEEDS AND OVERCOME BARRIERS TO WRITING

SUCCESS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT?


LISTENING TO STUDENTS: FINDING OUT WHAT MOTIVATES, SUPPORTS, & INSPIRES

IN FEEDBACK SESSIONS AT THE END OF

THE TERM, STUDENTS CONSISTENTLY

INDICATE THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS OF

LEARNING/COURSEWORK THAT

MOTIVATE THEM:

1. BEING INFORMED (BOTH ABOUT TOOLS FOR

WRITING & THE WORLD)

2. FEELING LIKE THEY CAN IMPROVE & MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

3. REALIZING WHAT IS AT STAKE (WITH THEIR OWN

LEARNING & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT)

4. GETTING FEEDBACK FOR IMPROVEMENT & TO

FEEL LIKE PART OF A COMMUNITY

KEY FINDING: TO BE A SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY

MEMBER AND WRITER, THE MOTIVATION COMES

FROM SIMILAR PLACES.

KEY CONCEPT: SERVICE LEARNING IS A WAY OF TEACHING THAT HONORS STUDENT NEEDS & THAT MOTIVATES THEIR WRITING


SNAPSHOTS FROM THE

ROAD: EXCERPTS OF THE WORK


DEVELOPING A ROAD MAP: FROM THE SPRING 2012 WR 122 COURSE SYLLABUSThe best writing that I’ve seen from students comes from their

lived experiences and their own passions. So, I’ve connected this

course directly to the community through readings you’ll relate to,

discussions with your classmates on current events, and individual

service learning work (10 hours during the term).

This class will give you the opportunity to experiment with your

ideas, to explore your values and community, and to communicate

effectively with your audience. It will encourage you to investigate

the persuasive messaging that makes up your daily experience and

to use those experiences as the basis of your writing work.


THE LOGISTICS OF INVITING YOUR STUDENTS TO JOIN YOU ON THE JOURNEY: CLASS SET UP

THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS AND THE LANGUAGE IN THE SYLLABUS ARE KEY. ACKNOWLEDGE COMMON BARRIERS AND OFFER SOLUTIONS.

Be organized & make it easy

Be creative and #exible

Make “opt in” and “opt out”

options

Make “opting in” the norm

Offer choice and opportunities to

connect/re#ect

Make it personal & share your own

community engagement.


CLASS SET UP CONTINUED: CONNECTING SERVICE LEARNING TO MOTIVATION

KEY MESSAGE: YOUR VOLUNTEER WORK DOES HAVE TO BE THROUGH AN OFFICIAL SCHOOL OR NON-PROFIT SETTING, AND THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS & FLEXIBLE!

SPRING 2012 PLACEMENTS

Sisters of the Road Cafe

Boy Scouts

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Zenger Organic Farm

Metro Native Plant Center

Bonnie Hays Small Animal Shelter

Portland Youth Builders

Oregon Food Bank

Students worked side-by-side with their peers, their family members, and their kids. They also worked solo, on weekends, and evenings.

KEY CONCEPT: THIS WILL MAKE THE TERM MORE ENGAGING FOR

YOU AS A WRITER/THINKER

You will have lots to discuss

You will have lots to write about

You will never have to stare at the blank screen

Your writing will mean something to you and your organization

Employers and colleges will be impressed

You may actually like the work

The community bene!ts

You grow as a person


THE READINGS: ROCKING STUDENT MINDS

This service learning work necessitates powerful readings, which challenge students and invite them to think more critically about their communities.

CURRENT LOCAL AND NATIONAL ARTICLES

STUDENT WRITING AS COURSE READING

NON-PROFIT NEWSLETTERS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

CRITICAL READINGS ON RACE, POVERTY, DIVERSITY, THE CULTURE OF POWER (LISA DELPIT)

COURSE TEXT: EVERYTHING’S AN ARGUMENT

MY WRITING: PDXEAN.WORDPRESS.COM


COMMUNITY-BASED ASSIGNMENTS: THE IMPORTANCE OF SEQUENCING

KEY CONCEPT: Building an assignment should mirror building connections in the community. The steps are important.

BEST PRACTICES:

1.Start with values and self-re#ection

2.Let the writing emerge out of discussions of community

& engagement.

3.Allow for a direct connection between the process of

!nding a community placement and writing the !rst

assignment

SAMPLE SEQUENCE:1. DISCUSSION 1: A STUDY OF READINGS ON THE COMMUNITY

2. DISCUSSION 2: AN INTEREST INVENTORY (NARROWING THEMES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT)

3.ESSAY 1: ROOTS AND VALUES

ESSAY 1: ROOTS AND VALUES

Your assignment is to write a 2-page (double-spaced) persuasive piece on a family practice, learned tradition, or experience that taught you to associate a speci!c value with one of the following bigger community issues:a. Educationb. Animalsc. Food Stability & Accessd. Environmente. ETC.

CONNECTION BACK TO CATEGORIES FOR COMMUNITY PLACEMENTS & THE VALUES THAT INSPIRE COMMUNITY WORK


DISCUSSION FORUMS: WHERE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WRITING & COMMUNITY MEET

THE LEAD UP TO ESSAY 3: ARGUMENT OF DEFINITION

READINGS “EMPTY BANK ACCOUNTS, EMPTY

MEANING” LINGUIST GEOFF NUNBERG ON THE WORD “BROKE” (THEME: ECONOMY)

“WORDS THAT WORK” AUTHOR FRANK LUNTZ IN INTERVIEW WITH NPR’S TERRY GROSS (THEMES: POLITICS, ENVIRONMENT, AGING)

“POVERTY DEFINED: CAN YOU SEE ME NOW,” STUDENT ESSAY (THEME: HOMELESSNESS)

“TEEN PREGNANCY: AMERICA’S PERCEPTIONS & MISCONCEPTIONS,” STUDENT ESSAY (THEME: YOUTH)

DISCUSSION PROMPT OPTIONS: PREWRITING/CONVERSING FOR ESSAY 3

PROMPT 1: Which of this week’s “argument of de!nition” essays/stories interested you the most? Why?

(a) How does the author grapple with the ways a particular word impacts the individual and/or the community? (b) What tensions does the author explore to create momentum and interest? (c) Does or could this word impact you? How?

PROMPT 2: Many times, community organizations spend a great deal of time creating positive language and helping the public to understand the way words impact the way we interact. List 3-5 key words that are important to your volunteer placement site. What arguments might arise from these words? Why are they so signi!cant?

PROMPT 3: What’s a writing question or writing issue that you’re grappling with right now as you prepare for Essay 3? How do the professional or student writers deal with this writing issue in their own work? This is also a place to ask your peers for advice.


KEEPING THINGS CONNECTED

OTHER KINDS OF SUCCESSFUL ASSIGNMENTS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

LETTER WRITING

ACTION PLANS FOR FUTURE

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

REFLECTIVE JOURNALS

(CONNECTING COURSE CONCEPTS

TO THE WORK)


WHAT THIS WRITING LOOKS LIKE

FOCUSEDSPECIFIC

REAL (CONNECTED TO TODAY’S ISSUES)

CRITICALINSIGHTFUL

MOVINGUSEFUL

PERSUASIVE


A GLIMPSE AT CRITICAL THINKING IN ESSAY WORK

SAMPLE ESSAY TITLES

GENDERQUEERY: FROM COMMUNITY TO SELF ACCEPTANCE (THEME: LGBT; VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT, QUEER RESOURCE CENTER)

A LIFE OUTDOORS: LEARNING TO SAVE THE PLANET AND OURSELVES (THEME: ENVIRONMENT)

RESPECT YOUR ENVIRONMENT: HARVEST YOUR OWN FOOD

(THEME: FOOD SUSTAINABILITY, ENVIRONMENT;

VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT: BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA)

GRANDMA NEEDS ME NOW: EXPERIENCES WITH THE STATE OF CARE IN OREGON

(THEME: AGING)

HOMELESSNESS: AMERICA’S AVOIDABLE CRISIS(THEME: HOMELESSNESS; VOLUNTEER

PLACEMENT: SISTERS OF THE ROAD CAFE)


LETTER WRITING


A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I read the Oregonian's June 2nd article on low cost housing in Lake Oswego and

West Linn and wanted to share my experience. I live in one of the few low-cost

apartment complexes in Lake Oswego, but about a year and a half ago, I was

living in an apartment near NE 162nd and Burnside. The difference is immense.

I have a young daughter, and I feel completely safe walking around with her in

Lake Oswego, both during the day and in the evening. In NE Portland, I saw

prostitution deals arranged, and my apartment building was once nearly burned

down by a neighbor high on drugs. The schools are better in Lake Oswego, too. I

know that once my baby daughter is of school age, she will have a great chance

for success here. We should encourage education equality by opening access to

good schools through low cost housing.

-- Jo-Anne


STUDENT REFLECTIONS: THEY’VE GOT A TICKET TO RIDE

ERIK, SPRING 2012 VOLUNTEER AT

THE OREGON FOOD BANK

As a writer, being immersed in what one may

write is a great, great help to see the actual

answer and create a real thesis based on reality

and the real problems faced by these real

people.

Engagement should be considered an integral

part of writing of any kind.

If I were asked how much my work at the

Oregon Food Bank helped my writing this term

I would say it was the most important help I

could have asked for.


AMBER, SPRING 2012 VOLUNTEER AT THE BONNIE

HAYS SMALL ANIMAL SHELTER

I’m glad to be volunteering and I think that if I can do it while having

two little ones and a limited available schedule then others should be

stepping up their game. Volunteering should not be an activity that

people do in secret; we should be proud and vocal about it and expect

others to do more. “Think global, act local” something to that nature.

The little things do matter.

-- Amber, Volunteer at the Bonnie Hays Small Animal Shelter


CHRIS M., SPRING 2012

VOLUNTEER PROVIDENCE

COMMUNITY GARDEN

It was as if these experiences were all coordinated to make the process of writing a little easier, or more inspired.

CHRIS L., SPRING 2012

VOLUNTEER AT TRYON CREEK

This work really showed me how actions can be persuasive, even allowing me to convince my wife and friends about how gratifying it can be to work for the betterment of nature.

Doing this has helped me feel a stronger bond with the natural environment of Portland, which I am very interested in. I am happy to say that through this volunteering I once again feel connected to the land I live in.


THE UNENDING ROAD: THE CIRCLE OF SERVICE

HOW HAS THIS CHANGED MY OWN WORK?

1. INCREASED ACTIVISM ON ISSUES OF EDUCATIONAL EQUITY (RALLIES, LETTER WRITING)

2. INCREASED INPUT IN COMMUNITY THROUGH P.T.A., STAND FOR CHILDREN, AND OTHER COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS/GATHERINGS

3. MORE PUBLIC WRITING (PDX EDUCATION ACTION NETWORK BLOG)

THE RESULT = MORE AUTHENTICITY AND A SHARED WRITING SPACE WITH STUDENTS


PDX EDUCATION ACTION NETWORKPLEASE GO TO THE PDX EDUCATION ACTION NETWORK BLOG AT WWW.PDXEAN.WORDPRESS.COM TO VIEW SAMPLE SYLLABI, ASSIGNMENTS, STUDENT WORK, AND MORE.

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ZAPOURA NEWTON-CALVERT

ZAPOURA.CALVERT @PCC.EDU OR [email protected]


http://www.pdxean.wordpress.com

http://www.pdxean.wordpress.com

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

TICKET TO RIDE: MEANING & MOTIVATION IN CITIZEN-WRITERS€¦ · transformative, transportive work...

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