Lindemann Chapter 15

Lindemann’s “Designing Writing Courses” is exactly what I needed to help articulate what my teaching philosophy attempts to accomplish.  Lindemann said so many things that had me thinking his audience was me and me alone.  His second stance in the chapter had me vigorously nodding my head in agreement because without fail, I get off schedule from what the syllabus states.  That’s why on the 1^st day of the course and also written on the syllabus is that this schedule is subject to change.  My philosophy of how and what I teach is definitely shaped by who and what my community of students represent.  For example, I’m definitely a social-justice themed instructor, but I cannot recall ever thinking about a course subject matter.  I would like to think that my philosophy is the “how-centered” approach with a little “what-centered” sprinkled in.  I am a person who doesn’t want it to come to binaries in terms of course models.  Instead of being a “and/or” binary, I am inclined to include both.  I would question as to why can’t the process have both the old and the more recent process-centered teaching blended together.  As an instructor, I want the “Authentic voices, truth telling, and honest language” (259), and the collaboration, community, and responsibility to be on display in student writing.  In terms of the logistics of syllabi and lesson plans, I do one really well and the other not so much.  My course syllabus pretty much out outlined in step with Lindemann, but I imagine this is the Standard Operating Procedure for most educational institutions. Now the lesson plan….well I keep mine in my head, because after teaching for the last 3 years, be it officially or unofficially, these types of classes the content and structure (objectives) have not changed.  However, I will attempt to duplicate Lindemann’s week one lesson plan into my own class.  When it’s broken down as Lindemann explicates, it seems almost too precise to work.  The rigidness is what worries me…I would hate to be having engaging discussions about something, and then have to table ideas, thoughts, and voices because of a time restriction that is self-imposed.