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Diego CatalaDr. MoghtaderWRTC 43612/8/15Interview of a Writing ProfessionalSection One: IntroductionFor this assignment, I chose to interview Professor Cynthia Jane Allen of JMU’s WRTC department. I selected Professor Allen because of my close relationship with her during my time at JMU. Under her instruction, I took WRTC 300: Professional Editing and excelled under her teaching. In addition, Professor Allen is the Internship Coordinator for the WRTC department, and she is directly responsible for putting me in contact with my current supervisor at my internship in JMU’s Communications and Marketing Department. Throughout that time, “Cindy” and I have remained close, stopping to chat each time we bump into each other. I consider her a mentor as well as one of the best teachers I have ever had. I was fortunate enough to have her participate in this assignment.Professional BiographyCynthia J. Allen is a professor in James Madison University’s Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication program where also serves as the department’s Internship Coordinator. Professor Allen received her bachelor’s degree in Communications, with an emphasis on Journalism, from Pembroke State University, now known as UNC-Pembroke. She received her master’s degree in Technical and Scientific Communications from James Madison University in 2003, the same year she began teaching full-time at the university. In her time at JMU, Professor Allen has developed several courses including a 400-level legal writing course; a 400-level medical course; and TSC 545, “a graduate-level communications course for five-year students in accounting in the College of Business.” In addition to her responsibilities as an educator, Cindy also serves on a number of committees ranging from the Madison Writing Awards committee to the Faculty Assistance committee.Time: Monday, November 30th, at 1:45 pmPlace: In Cindy Allen’s office. We sat opposite from each other at her desk with my iPhone placed in the middle of the desk recording the interview.Duration: 25 minutesInterview Questions: (Some questions do not appear here because they were unscripted and appeared as a result of the interview’s progression).How would you define “Responding to Student Writing?”What do you always try to keep in mind when responding to student writing?Have you ever responded to student writing with anger or frustration towards a student?Have you ever used a rubric in your grading? Or is a rubric something that varies from class to class?When you respond to student writing, do you try and come off as anyone in particular?In your responses to student’s writing, have you noticed anything different between what you say now and what you said ten years ago?Do you ever get overwhelmed by how much student work you have to look at?What has been the most effective, or your personal favorite, assignment that you have given student writers?You mentioned that you like to use things from around the world, but when you give an assignment is it something that primarily comes from you, or is it something that you consult other professors for?Are there any courses, not specifically in WRTC, that you don’t think are necessary for student writers?How is your approach different to student writers when teaching WRTC 300 and GWRTC 103?Have ever shared your own writing with students as a method of responding to students?Where do you see the future of college-level writing going? Do you see it becoming more condensed as students are being more surrounded with all sorts of stimuli?Section Two: Interview TranscriptQ: How would you define “responding to student writing?”A: Well, it’s something that I take really seriously. Responding to student writing is really the only way that I have to guide students towards better writing. I try to comment as much as possible, as you know I use track changes. I participate in student writing with the lion’s share of the work coming from the student and my responding being more of a guide, and I take it very seriously.Q: What do you always try to keep in mind when responding to student writing?A: That the student has feelings. I don’t want to ever hurt anybody, and when I do realize that I’ve hurt somebody just because I see their face drop when I send them something or because of the way that they respond to me and inquire about certain things, I apologize immediately because I don’t ever want to do any kind of damage to a student. If they’ve done pretty badly on a project then I’ going to give them every opportunity to make it better, if they want to. Some students don’t. Some students don’t like the back and forth work, the iterative kind of work, that a project requires because they think that once I’ve evaluated something and I say something like, “Ok, take this and revise it now and resubmit,” students, at least in the beginning, are very surprised by that. They just want to know what their grade is and how they do. If I can tell that a student is finished with a project, I say, “Well here is the grade. If you’re asking me to go ahead and put a grade on it, this is what it is. It’s my hope that you’ll revise it.”Q: So you’re a big believer in re-writing?A: ABSOLUTELY. That’s how I learned. I didn’t learn every time I got an A on something. I learned when my professors made me re-do something or I didn’t get a grade I wanted for a project, and had to go back and re-do it. And I think that’s the best way to learn. It’s kind of painless that way. We spend three hours a week just listening to music just writing and revising.Q: Have you ever responded to student writing with anger or frustration towards a student?A: Frustration. Never angry. Sometimes, as most of your teachers will tell you, we get cranky when we’ve been commenting for a long time. I think they will also all tell you that we’ll stop. Just absolutely stop. I will not do anything angrily. In fact, in the last semester or two I actually embed a comment early on that says, “I don’t have time to be as diplomatic as I want you to be when you have real clients. Please don’t take my comments personally. I just have so many projects that I have to get through, and I want to get things back to you so that you can revise them.” If you don’t embed comments the right way, it can sound snipe and I don’t want to do that. Never angry because that’s not what this is about, but I have been frustrated.Q: Have you ever used a rubric in your grading? Or is a rubric something that varies from class to class?A: [Sighs and smiles] I don’t. I don’t use rubrics. I’m not really good at that. All I really do is just decide whether a student has followed my instructions because I only give so much in the instructions, and then I set [them] free to do whatever they want around my instructions. A big part of getting along in the workplace as a professional is following instructions. If they’ve followed my instructions and then have stepped up and done a good job or as well as they can, then that’s great. I do a diagnostic the first day of every class, so I already have an idea of how well students write and edit because they’re under pressure, they’re doing it right in front of me, and responding to a number of things while I also get to know them a little bit. I sort of measure each student throughout the entire semester against him or herself. All I want to see is [them] improve. I don’t want to match one student who is a mediocre writer who is trying very hard with someone that I already know is a good writer. I don’t think that would be fair. So, no rubric. It’s really more heart string and head string kind of stuff. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even give grades. It would just be conversations about writing and editing. I hate grading. I do it because I have to.Q: When you respond to student writing, do you try and come off as anyone in particular?A: Hmm. I’m not sure what you mean.Q: When you respond to someone’s work, are you trying to sound more like a critic, friend, coach, etc.? A: Coach. That’s actually been my term this semester for students. I think I started this last semester using that language. I’m here as their coach, as their guide, mentor, but not as a judge. If I start judging, then I don’t think I would be effective in evaluating because it’s not about judging. It’s about evaluating, but I try to be more supportive. I try and do all of that in a supportive way with the little bit of time that I have.Q: In your responses to student’s writing, have you noticed anything different between what you say now and what you said ten years ago?A: Definitely. I think I have more heart now. When you first get into something like teaching where you have to evaluate people, you start thinking about the professors that you had in school, and asking your colleagues, “What do you do?” or “How do you handle this?” I hope that I do a better and more thorough job now than I used to. Q: Do you ever get overwhelmed by how much student work you have to look at? A: I try not to. First, I will get to my office around six or seven o’clock in the morning loaded with caffeine. Once I get started [turns in her desk chair to point to a piece of paper with a paragraph on it hanging on her back wall], I look at this Gaelic from Dr. McCarthy that basically says in Gaelic, “A good start is half the work.” I’m a morning person. When I come in a six or seven o’clock in the morning, I can just mow through grading. I’ll do that for a couple of days until I’m finished, and I’m going to do that this week.Q: What has been the most effective, or your personal favorite, assignment that you have given student writers?A: Gosh, it would probably be the Avante House manual revision project that I give in [WRTC] 300. It probably has just about every element of professional editing to consider. Manuals are pretty much a culmination of the techniques that we discuss. You learn like ten things in the semester with me, and then if you just apply that stuff to the manual, you’re in good shape.Q: And nothing else does that as well as the Avante manual?A: I don’t think so. I think that assignment just does the best job in making students apply everything they learned during the semester. I’m generally not fond of giving tests or exams, so this is probably the best way to bring everything in the course together. Plus I think its pretty fun![Laughter] Q: Okay, so to contrast that, have you ever given an assignment that has backfired or failed to connect with the students?A: Well, I used to give one in the editing classes that required students to write a hypothetical proposal to the owner or holder of a restaurant menu. So they would have to pretend that they were working with the owner, manager, or somebody in a restaurant. Instead of editing the thing, I had students write hypothetically about how they would edit it, and it was really painful for them to do. I decided that I would quit doing that one because it turned out that it is more important for them to take these crappy things that I find all around the world and make them better. To me, that’s editing. Students probably learn how to write a proposal in Foundations of Technical Communication, even if it’s not explicit. It’s still very formulaic. It didn’t backfire, but I don’t think that it was the best use of editing.Q: So you’re saying it wasn’t very effective?A: Students wanted to edit the menu. They didn’t want to talk about what they would do with it, they wanted to edit the thing!Q: You mentioned that you like to use things from around the world, but when you give an assignment is it something that primarily comes from you, or is it something that you consult other professors for?A: We all do.Q: Here in WRTC?A: Yes, we all borrow from each other. If I have to teach something that I have not taught before, and that hasn’t happened in a long time, I do an extensive online search for similar class, and I will contact those professors asking to use their materials, with attribution of course. What happens over time is that we revise those assignments a little until it is our assignment. But yes, most of the stuff is real life because to me, that is the best way for students to learn.Q: Are there any courses, not specifically in WRTC, that you don’t think are necessary for student writers?A: Hmmm. I wouldn’t have any idea about that. I’m sure that students have classes that they prefer or that they don’t prefer. Let’s say that you sign up for Professional Editing, and it isn’t your favorite class or something that you don’t particularly care for, but you have to get through it. I can’t think of anything here that isn’t helpful. I work on a curriculum committee who has moved us in this direction when we merged with the writing minor and became this particular program, and there were people who really looked at the curriculum very seriously. I could see taking a core class that you might not prefer, but every class, as far as I know, is writing intensive in some way. Students are just learning and using those skills.Q: How is your approach different to student writers when teaching WRTC 300 and GWRTC 103?A: Well, 103 assumes that the students are all freshmen, so you really can’t overwhelm them with the amount of information or even the kind of information that we would put into a 300 or 400 level class where you’ve taken different classes and worked your way up. My approach in 103, and I haven’t taught 103 in a long time, is pretty darn general. We do a lot more reading than writing, and I have to kind of change my language a little bit. No matter what, I evolve into editing because that’s just in my DNA. We talk a whole lot more about various kinds of writing essays and that sort of thing, but I don’t hold them to the same standards that I would a 300 level class.Q: Have ever shared your own writing with students as a method of responding to students?A: I’ve never done that. I’ve never shared anything that I’ve written with students. It never occurred to me to do that. I also don’t think that my writing in particular is that good. I’m a much better editor than writer. I work with a group of people that writes award papers nominating someone. I’m the person that they come to for the nuts and bolts of the paper, and then these guys take it and turn it into poetry because they’re elegant writers and I’m not. I’m a much better editor.Q: Where do you see the future of college-level writing going? Do you see it becoming more condensed as students are being more surrounded with all sorts of stimuli?A: Gee, I don’t know. That’s a really good question. I don’t really know. I know that because of all the social media, everybody is writing all the time, which I think you just get better at the more you do it. Especially in the classroom, where students are being critiqued on what they’re doing. I don’t know if writing courses are going to be more condensed. I know we’ll certainly evolve and change over time, which we do. It’s not unusual for certain classes to go away and for some to be added. We pay attention to job ads, and when they say “We’re seeking candidates with these skills…” then we try and make sure that we address those things in the classroom still. Things just evolve and change at least for employment purposes, because isn’t that what this is all about? Getting a good job.Section Three: Interview ReflectionThis assignment was particularly intriguing to me because it allowed me to view the mechanics of writing from an entirely new perspective. While WRTC 436 studied prominent writing theorists and various teaching styles, actually speaking with a writing professional an in interview setting gave me the best possible understanding of what it means to teach writing. Not only was speaking with a writing professional enlightening, but the fact that the writing professional that I spoke with, Cindy Allen, used to be my teacher, made this assignment all the more fascinating.When this project was initially assigned, I was very apprehensive as to who I would choose to speak with, as well as what kind of questions I would ask. Despite having been in the course for over three months, I was still unsure of how to formulate interview questions based on our class readings and discussions. I thought that the way Dr. Moghtader presented the class samples of this assignment and worksheets that helped us structure our questions was extremely helpful while preparing to conduct our interviews. I was more concerned with coming up with good questions than conducting the interview itself. As part of my internship in JMU Communications and Marketing, and from experience in past classes, I have previously conducted interviews with JMU administrators. Conducting the interview wouldn’t be a problem, but rather preparing ahead of time was where I directed most of my focus.I selected Professor Cindy Allen because I felt the most comfortable speaking with her over any other professor. While I have positive relationships with many of my former and current teachers, Cindy and I have remained in touch the most since I took her WRTC 300 class two semester ago. I knew that speaking with her would come the most natural to me and allow for a smooth interview. The interview itself went extremely well. We conducted it in Cindy’s office, and eventually our interview began to feel more like a conversation about teaching writing than simply an interview. Cindy answered each of my questions with excellent responses, and she prompted me to go off script and ask some unplanned questions.Through my interview with Cindy Allen, I was able to look at WRTC through a perspective that I might have never been able to fully access without this assignment. Cindy was able to explain to me concepts about teaching writing that I am not privy to as a student. One topic we discussed that especially resonated with me was how she always keeps in mind a student’s feelings when responding to their writing. I’ve always believed that teachers genuinely care about their students, but to have a writing professional discuss in depth how she tries to avoid hurting a student when responding to their writing was refreshing to hear as a student on any level.Personally, I think this assignment should be given to all students in WRTC at least once during the course of their studies. One thing that James Madison University prides itself on is the relationship between its students and faculty members. Collaboration and engagement between teachers and students has long been a hallmark of this institution, and this assignment is a great way to demonstrate this particular pillar of JMU. As per JMU’s website, “Engagement enhances [students’] academic, civic, personal and professional learning while reinforcing ethical decision-making and meeting the needs of others through service.” By allowing students to sit down with a professor and conduct an interview, the university’s mission is on full display.Section Four: AfterwardMy interview with Professor Cindy Allen revealed many of the theories and practices from writing theorists that we have studied throughout the semester. One of the theories that was present throughout the interview was Lindemann’s approach to rewriting. Cindy exclusively teaches WRTC 300, a required course for WRTC majors and minors. As someone who considers herself to be a better editor than writer, Cindy is a large advocate of having student writers practice rewriting on a daily basis. When I asked her if rewriting was important to her, she replied, “ABSOLUTELY. That’s how I learned. I didn’t learn every time I got an A on something. I learned when my professors made me re-do something or I didn’t get a grade I wanted for a project, and had to go back and re-do it. And I think that’s the best way to learn. It’s kind of painless that way. We spend three hours a week just listening to music just writing and revising.” This style mirrors Lindemann’s belief of rewriting being a critical tool in writing, rather than a punishment (190). Like Lindemann, Cindy admitted that “selling” students on the benefits of rewriting can be somewhat difficult. She spoke about how, especially in her experiences teaching freshman, students would much rather be given a grade directly than have to rewrite an assignment. In addition to this factor, Cindy also gave some reasons that Lindemann supports in her book, such as, “My first draft is the best I can do. I can’t improve it” (189). Another reason that also aligned with Lindemann was, “Rewriting is my instructor’s responsibility” (189). Both Cindy and Lindemann stress the importance of rewriting in a student writer’s development. Cindy structures her WRTC 300: Professional Editing course as a progression that naturally builds on layers of thorough revision. In order to be successful, students must be open to the idea of learning how write and edit better by constantly rewriting. Cindy allows students to revise an assignment as many times as they please before handing it in for a final submission. This technique, she believes, allows the student to gain a better insight on their writing skills, and continually develop them.Another area in which Cindy and Lindemann share similarities is on using diagnostic evaluation to respond to student writing. Cindy stated in her interview, “I do a diagnostic the first day of every class, so I already have an idea of how well students write and edit because they’re under pressure, they’re doing it right in front of me, and responding to a number of things while I also get to know them a little bit. I sort of measure each student throughout the entire semester against him or herself.” This method reflects Lindemann’s attitude towards responding to student writers in Chapter 14 of her book. Lindemann believes that by using diagnostics, writing teachers are able to assess a student writer’s progress more aptly. A diagnostic offers an insight into whether or not a writer is improving, as well as what specific problems the writer may be struggling with (226). Like Lindemann, Cindy is a firm believer in the writing process over the writing product. While Cindy agrees with Lindemann on the importance of rewriting and diagnostics, her teaching style differs greatly from another writing professional we have studied, Ross Burkhardt. A major aspect of Ross’ teaching involved reading his writing to the class. When asked whether or not she ever practiced this idea, Cindy answered, “I’ve never done that. I’ve never shared anything that I’ve written with students. It never occurred to me to do that. I also don’t think that my writing in particular is that good. I’m a much better editor than writer.” Her stance is rooted in the firm belief that she is more editor than writer, but she also understands that her students are best served by learning from their own writing rather than someone else’s. Ross lost control of class because he invested himself too much in the students’ writing process instead of letting them polish their skills through rewriting.As someone who has had Cindy as a professor, I can say that her style is vastly different from Ross’. While I might have some bias in making presenting this argument, I believe that students would prefer having a professor in the background to consult when needed, over a teacher that is too much of an active participant. In Cindy’s classes, students listen to music while working on their writing. Should any questions arise, all the students need to do is raise their hand and have Cindy come over for consultation. Students in Ross’ class were often asked to sit and watch him write rather than write themselves. Ross would make the students analyze his writing in an effort to learn about the writing process. In Through Teachers’ Eyes, Ross openly wonders, “Am I too strong a writer to provide a good model for kids? I think I write well, and I have a facility with words, and I know how to do it… But my former principal used to caution me about being too forceful in a discussion, and I wonder if I am too strong as a writer, too together in my approach to be of value” (124). As soon as Ross began to doubt himself, his grasp on his students began to slip. Cindy’s approach doesn’t patronize the students; her teaching style allows them to foster confidence and improved writing skills by making them learn through their own writing.The last portion of my interview with Cindy was spent discussing the future of student writing, namely whether or not it will become more condensed as children are increasingly becoming exposed to various forms of stimuli. This topic ties into the piece we read by N. Katherine Hayles titled, Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes. Hayles’ argument is that as children spend more time in front of media, or various forms of media simultaneously, their cognitive attention spans will be reduced, which could result in more condensed writing samples. Cindy’s response when asked about the future of student writing was, “I know that because of all the social media, everybody is writing all the time, which I think you just get better at the more you do it. Especially in the classroom, where students are being critiqued on what they’re doing. I don’t know if writing courses are going to be more condensed. I know we’ll certainly evolve and change over time, which we do. It’s not unusual for certain classes to go away and for some to be added.” Her argument was that rather than to expect a change in assignment length or style, writing courses will actually evolve to cater the needs of the writing job market.Cindy went on to explain that the WRTC department spends a great deal of time analyzing job ads. She told me that depending on what skill-set or requirements certain job ads in the fields or Writing, Communications, or Journalism are displaying, entire courses can be altered to better prepare JMU student writers to secure these types of careers. This ties into Hayles’ paper in how the media is becoming a determining factor in the development of student writers (189). By paying attention to social media and other online platforms where companies publish job ads, writing departments can alter their programs simultaneously with the latest demands for job candidates. Hyper attention is being associated more so with the way writing is taught rather than the type of writing student writers perform (196).Something that Cindy spent a great deal talking about was how she responded to student writing. She made it a point during our interview that she goes to great lengths to keep in mind the student’s feelings while responding. Her tendency to monitor the manner in which she responds to student writing draws similarities to Leonard and Joanne Podis’ piece, Improving Our Responses to Student-Writing: A Process-Oriented Approach. In their article, the Podises explain how the most effective way of responding to student writing is one that takes a “deconstructionist” (90) approach and builds on the writing process. Instead of using harsh criticism without explanation, the Podises suggest focusing on one area and trying to improve that while recognizing and trusting in the student’s writing potential. Cindy is adamant about giving her students every opportunity possible to revise their work with her help.A process-driven approach is exactly what Cindy Allen offers her students. As the Podises wrote in their article, “With further attempts to identify and codify various categories of draft weaknesses matched with the kind of comments we have recommended above, our profession can make successful inroads against the domain of the evaluative response.” Cindy allows her students to revise assignments continuously throughout the semester because it gives them the opportunity to develop their writing skills in the most effective way. By allowing them to view and study their shortcomings, Cindy’s students can build upon their skills as writer throughout the course of the semester.At the start of WRTC 436, I didn’t know what the distinction between Writing Process and Product was. These styles were unfamiliar to me, and initially, I didn’t think that they mattered very much. Reading through Lindemann’s book, studying the different experiences of writing teachers in Through Teachers’ Eyes, and analyzing scholarly articles from theorists such as Hayles and the Podises has allowed me to understand writing in ways I never thought I would. Interviewing Cindy Allen was the summation of this semester-long endeavor to gain an insight into what happens after a student submits a paper. ................
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