1. A GRAMMATICAL MAKE-OVER: THRESHOLD CONCEPTS AND TRANSFORMATIONAL PEDAGOGY IN DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH NADE, MARCH 17, 2016 Miriam Moore Lord Fairfax Community College

2. Developmental English as Liminal Space

3. 1.Overview of Threshold Concepts 2.Threshold Concepts for Writing 3.Threshold Concepts for Grammar 4. Ethnographic/Linguistic Assignments 5.Conclusions and Questions

4. Threshold Concepts (Meyer and Land) Transformative Irreversible Integrative Troublesome NOT  A checklist  Student learning outcomes  Simple

5. SLOs or TCs? SLOs are  Student-centered  Action-oriented  Measurable  Reductionist/discrete TCs are  Content-centered  Conceptual  Not easily measured  Integrative/holistic Reflection: In a developmental classroom, should we focus on SLOs, TCs, or both? Why?

6. TCs for Writing The Metaconcepts (from Naming What We Know, Adler-Kassner and Wardle) Writing is an activity and a subject of study Writing speaks to situations through recognizable forms Writing enacts and creates identities and ideologies All writers have more to learn Writing is (also always) a cognitive activity

7. Reflection Reflection: TCs challenge faculty to recognize and articulate the assumptions our students bring to the classroom how our assumptions are troublesome (and potentially transformative) for our students mismatches between instructor and student assumptions

8. Threshold Concept Possible Assumption from Beginning Students How it can be troublesome and transformative How an assignment might raise awareness Writing is knowledge- making activity Writing is putting what I know on paper (transcribing knowledge); writing is a hoop to jump through to get a grade Similar to the “deferent stance” for reading (see Smith) * How can I write if I don’t know what to say? * I don’t know what you want from me * I have never had to write like this before  Wow. I had no idea that this was happening. (Eureka) “Difficulty Assignments” (see Appendix 2; Salvatori and Donohoe; Sweeney and McBride)

9. Threshold Concept Possible Assumption from Beginning Students How it can be troublesome and transformative How an assignment might raise awareness Writing addresses, invokes, and/or creates audiences I am writing for the teacher alone * Why should I explain something if you already know it? * It makes sense to me; shouldn’t that be enough?  That’s not what I meant. Let me write it again. (Ownership) Analytical summary (as an “introduction” to a new text) A reader profile Multiple versions of a piece of writing, designed for different audiences.

10. YOUR TURN…

11. What are the TCs for Grammar? Grammar is a rule-governed system for producing and interpreting language. All speakers possess a grammar; speakers may access multiple grammars for different purposes. Grammars are neither “good” nor “bad.” The specific rules of grammar are derived from the habits of communities of practice. Your ideas?

12. Reflections What are some TCs that inform your view of grammar? How are these TCs different from the assumptions made by students? Why might the TCs you have identified be troublesome or potentially transformative for students?

13. Working Assumptions/Threshold Concepts about Grammar Possible Student Assumptions about Grammar Why is this troublesome and/or potentially transformative 1. All speakers of a language possess a grammar; speakers may access multiple grammars for different purposes.  Grammar is a skill; it’s not something that you can have unless you have studied a lot.  Some people are good at grammar, and some people aren’t.  Grammar isn’t related to life in a practical way Troublesome: grammar is relevant; choice of profession doesn’t get anyone out of grammar Transformative: If I already have a grammar that I use successfully on a daily basis, then I can learn the grammar I need to succeed in school or the workplace.

14. So What? The hypothesis: Framing assignments in terms of threshold concepts about the nature of grammar positions students in developmental courses to manage the grammatical expectations of discourse communities across academic disciplines and professions.

15. Concepts to Assignment: Principles Begin with a limited set of threshold concepts Choose an appropriate linguistic construct as a means of exploring the concept(s) Situate a threshold concept within a familiar discourse context. Choose related readings and provide background terminology Construct an ethnographic linguistic research project for students to complete. Review and reflect (preferably through writing) on what students have learned

16. Sample Project Threshold Concepts – The specific rules of grammar are derived from the habits of communities of practice. – Grammars change. – Knowledge of a word includes knowledge of the grammatical structures in which that word participates. Linguistic Construct – Preposition Creep – Functional Shift (“Adult” as verb)

17. Sample Project Situate in a familiar discourse context – Facebook, Gaming Site, Workplace Provide related readings and background – Lingua Franca Blog (Preposition Creep) – Quick and Dirty Tips (2014 Word of the Year) -Erin McKean: “Go Ahead, Make Up New Words” (TED talk)

18. Sample Project Initial Exploration: – What possible “embarrassed + preposition” combinations can you find? – Use Google Search (advanced options) to search for instances on a specific site. – Speculate: what’s going on? Investigate deeper: – Draft a survey a multiple choice survey with basic demographic data (see sample below) – Aim for 20-30 respondents.

19. Critical Thinking and Writing (With a focus on TCs) Reflect, either on a blog or a formal paper What do our results suggest to you about language? Why do you think native speakers of the same language might say things differently? Does a change in preposition change the meaning? How could we test this? Would you call “embarrassed of” a mistake? Why or why not? Is “adulting” a mistake? Do your findings support, contradict, or complicate the readings we did?

20. Reflection 4 Look back at your potential grammatical concepts. How could an ethnographic linguistic project help you introduce the concept? How might the ethnographic research project be troublesome for your students? How might it support the learning outcomes of your course?

21. TCs, Ethnographic Research, and Traditional Grammar Threshold concepts of grammar/writing prepare students to see their grammatical choices in  semantic,  rhetorical, and  social terms.

22. Applying Ethnographic Research to Traditional Grammar Use a survey to gather authentic feedback on mistakes. Survey stakeholders from different professions: which mistakes cause the most trouble in a particular profession? Observe/analyze the features and functions of written grammar (in contrast to speech) Survey writing assignments and grading rubrics from professors across disciplines. Use linguistic surveys or observations to help students reconsider “rules” they may have “learned” in previous institutions.

23. Conclusions My questions (for on-going research): Within an institutional curriculum, to what extent can a course be reshaped by a consideration of threshold concepts for writing and grammar? What impact does that reshaping have on the success of student writers in the course? On their success in future courses?

24. Results and Answers… ??? The integration of TCs and composition pedagogy is (as yet) untested, Troublesome Potentially integrative Potentially transformative Check back in a year or so…