First-Year Writing Program

Darsie Bowden

October 15, 2007

Observation of Jason Winslade

I observed Jason Winslade’s English 103 class on October 15, 2007 from 12:00-1:00 in O’Connell 256.   There were 19 students present.  Textbook:  Remix: Reading and Composing Culture (Laterell).

Jason Winslade began class promptly at 12:00.  Students were seated in a semi-circle for ease of discussion.  Jason had returned midterm portfolios during the previous class session, and today he talked for a few moments about the reflective essay (that accompanied the portfolios).  The best essays referred specifically to the material within the portfolio, using that material as evidence to the writer’s claims about achieving certain course goals.  The final portfolio, he explained, will be a bit different in that it should include a larger array of materials that students have generated during the quarter.  He had asked a student, Allison, to bring in her portfolio, and he showed the class how the portfolio worked (it worked well!), emphasizing the importance not only of the material she included but also of the way it was presented.  Allison’s portfolio presented her case (and displayed her work) in the best possible light, and this had the potential of making a strong impression on the reader.  “It’s about creating a whole picture,” Jason explained.  With Allison’s permission, he passed her portfolio around for students to see.  I later asked Jason if he could get Allison’s permission to use the portfolio as a sample for FYW instructors.

He asked students to reflect for a few moments on the portfolio and give him some feedback on how what they had learned about the portfolio might impact the next draft.  Several students responded, one asking for clarification about the final portfolio; another student voiced his approval of the peer response process.  Students engage in peer review for each assignment, and apparently this process provides feedback that the students find valuable.  Jason shared with me the list of questions he used for the Paper #2 peer review session, which asked students to comment on each paper’s point, organization, transitions, evidence and conventions.

Another student was confused about the interview prompts.  Paper #2 is an interview assignment, where students build on the work of Paper #1 (observation of a space) by writing what is essentially a profile of a person from the space.   A student talked in an animated way about the interview assignment in which she had asked an Indian girl, now living in the U.S., how it felt to be criticized by an older male Indian visitor about her lack of adhering to Indian tradition.

The class then turned to the readings for the day, having to do with film and cultural assumptions.  Jason is an expert on film studies and brought a unique perspective to this discussion.  The first reading the students discussed was Samuel L. Jackson’s “In Character” about African-American characters in American cinema; Jackson’s argument is that Hollywood is indeed racist.  Jason asked what the readings had in common, about “race-neutral” roles.  The class identified some films and characters, then they turned to discussing what audiences want:  Does entertainment—particularly films—reflect society or shape society?  Jason pressed students on cultural assumptions, which is a feature of the textbook Jason uses, asking students to interrogate assumptions, directly comparing and contrasting different assumptions.

Jason then asked students to do a short in-class writing response to the following question:  What are your distractions?  Students were then to explore the cultural assumptions that could be associated with these distractions, encouraging them to observe events and experiences on a broader level.  For example, what might our choices in films and other distractions indicate about society?

When students were asked to share their writing, several students talked freely about music, believing that music involved very individualistic tastes and could not reflect an entire culture.  Music, students asserted, is made because an artist wants to make that kind of music.  It’s free choice.  Another student suggested that entertainment was also a choice:.  “You don’t have to watch a dumb show if you didn’t want to.”   Jason then asked, “When is it not a choice?”  A student offered that she often listened to music that her father liked.  Gradually, with Jason’s encouragement, students began to see that while there may be some free choice, there are also powerful forces that constrain those choices.  

As class dispersed, Jason reminded students to consider cultural assumptions as they continued to read.  A small group of students will lead a class discussion on an essay they’ve selected about Brittany Spears. A writing assignment (indicated in the syllabus) is due Friday.  Students have the choice of answering one of three questions on the readings.  

Commentary:   Jason is clearly an accomplished teacher.  He presses students to think beyond the obvious, leads discussions in which most students participate, and has designed a very interesting course where students read, write, observe, think and discuss.  In particular, his emphasis on urging students to examine cultural assumptions bodes well for helping them with critical thinking. 

Jason’s syllabus is a model of what we hope for from instructors our FYW program.  It clearly indicates course goals, expectations, instructions, and information about the class.  The student portfolio is an important feature of the class, and I was very pleased to see that he used the midterm portfolio to help students get a sense of what was expected for the final portfolio.  It is a class in which students do a lot of reflection, and are invited to bring their own knowledge to classroom discussions.

We are very fortunate to have Jason teach in our program.

The following is an email from the First Year Program congratulating me on my high student evaluations from my Spring 2005 Focal Point Seminar on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Jason,

By now you have not doubt reviewed your winter quarter Focal Point Seminar student evaluations.  I just wanted to congratulate you on the outstanding job you must have done teaching this class.  Your bar graphs were well above average  and the students' subjective comments say much about your skills as an instructor (e.g., "It was fun and I learend to analyze shows.")  Please know it is faculty like you who make the First Year Program the success that it is. I hope we can count on your future participation in creating this important seminar experience for our entering students.

Best,


Midge Wilson, Ph.D.
Director of First Year Program
Professor of Psychology
DePaul University
Chicago, IL  60614
773 325 4258
www.depaul.edu...~mwilson