Here is where you can find short descriptions of the prompts and discussions that form the basis of the writing on the homepage. The blog wouldn't mean much without the face-to-face interaction we have week to week.
But if, as we are hoping, the workshop continues at the IPA in years to come, this space can serve as a record, providing continuity. And with enough interest and support, the idea is that each of the Regional Centers for Professors (CeRP), in turn, will be able to start writing workshops of their own.
So the themes we have been using at the IPA can serve as a model, if you like. But the course should follow students' inclinations and answer to their needs. (For instance, the students here have said they don't like poetry, so we're working with other kinds of writing.)
The main thing is the students' spirit of meeting voluntarily to work on writing together.
I offer the themes in the form of a question, followed by a brief rundown of the workshop.
First workshop - Why are we here? (3 August, 2010)
10 students, 1PA
- Introductions. Taking down emails for mailing list and blog invitations
- Description of the workshop as a project
- Readings from Pullman and Davis
- Discussion, checking understanding and opening up themes of memory, subjectivity
- Writing: one memory of whatever kind, whatever comes to mind
- Sharing, if willing
- Brief response
Workshop 2 - But really, why writing? (10 August)
10 students, IPA
- Reviewing the main points from the previous meeting
- Responding in pairs while newcomers caught up writing their memory
- Sharing a few more memory pieces
- Readings from Blake, et al
- Discussion of the passages one by one, building on ideas of writing as a way of perceiving reality, reflecting, and sharing. Something life-affirming. Something like that
- Requesting students visit this blog, which was just made the day before, and post their memories, if willing to share
Workshop 3 - What is this place? (17 August)
4 students, pedagogical library
- Having a look at the blog
- Reading from Berry
- Discussion; introducing the idea of a memory map
- Writing about our neighborhoods
- Sharing, responses
- Writing about the same place from the perspective of an outsider
- Sharing, responses
- Homework--put it on the blog, participate with comments
Workshop 4 - And what about the blog? (26 August)
3 students, pedagogical library
- Reading from Eliot
- Discussion of responsibilities to each other, sharing and editing
- Working with grammar points from student posts and comments
- Reiterating the importance of participation
Workshop 5 - Back in business (7 September)
2 students, IPA
- Reading from Jefferson
- Discussing language, structure, purpose
- Brainstorming what else to declare independence from
- Drafting declarations
- Admiring a really cool blog, my dream blog
(Florida Get-together - 10 September
12 students, CeRP Florida
Repeating workshop 3, since it seemed to go well, with a new group)
Workshop 6 - Voices (14 September)
3 students
- Family pictures
- Listening to Toni Morrison - Studs Terkel interview
- Writing about a family member
- Sharing
Workshop 7 - Meta (28 Septemeber)
no students :(
- taking a cue from a post by Tamara, a Shakespeare quote, I was going to invite students to pick coming Tuesdays to run the workshop themselves, taking turns being in charge.
- but they are all busy with finals and no one came.
Workshop 8 - Student papers (5 October)
- the idea is for students to simply bring a paper they're working on for class, and go over it together.
- modeling a peer conference this way, they'll not only improve this paper, but start thinking about how to review others' papers and show their students how to do the same.
