AW: [sw-l] Handwriting Course New Schedule ;-)

[Stuart Thiessen]

I think Stefan has some wisdom here. With this many students, it is too 
difficult to give individual feedback on all of our sentences. But if 
you can identify some common mistakes or suggestions for improvement, 
that might be a good place to start. I'm sure we will be able to see 
what you mean and apply it to our writing.

Thanks,

Stuart

On Jan 16, 2007, at 10:42, Stefan Wöhrmann wrote:

> Hello Valerie and Handwriting course participants -
>
> I apology in advance if anybody feels uncomfortable with my message - 
> just
> my idea about how to handle and what to expect ...
>
> Valerie - you know that I am a teacher of a group of 9 - 10 deaf 
> students. I
> had to smile when I saw coming more and more students to your 
> classroom - it
> happened at our class all the time - that during the brakes between two
> lessons - deaf students from other classes of the school drop in to 
> ask this
> and that, to look at our materials, to have a small talk --
>
> There is no way to give a detailed feedback on the homework of every 
> student
> - no the chance at all. What I do is - I try to understand a general
> problem, kind of typical misunderstanding, ... or mistake that happens 
> again
> and again -
>
> Now I try to teach this aspect. First of all it seem to me more 
> important to
> give them a chance to see the solutions as it is thought by the 
> teacher. So
> writing the sentence at the blackboard or with computer and shown with 
> the
> beamer would be a good method to allow anybody to reflect his own 
> outcome
> with what I would expect.
>
> Only very few students miss the point to see the difference between 
> what
> they have performed and what they should do differently.
>
> Looking all the different pages you got I would feel overwhelmed and
> confused if I should comment on every homework, if I should propose a
> different variation ... no that would tear me apart - and time goes by 
> - and
> students are waiting for me to teach the second lesson ....
>
> So what do you think about my suggestion - just to accept that many 
> people
> show interest - in this case too many in order to run the course in a 
> way at
> it has peen set up in before - (Next time it would make sense to set a 
> limit
> - like you do in any class or workshop depending on the need of 
> personal
> feedback)
>
>
> 2) What if the participants accept that they will learn during coming
> lessons - just as you point out with this wondeful chart of 4 columns
> (printing, handwriting printing .... ) and that there first homework 
> is just
> kind of contribution - and if there signs involved which are difficult 
> to
> read - well lateron this will / should be no problem. Compared with so 
> many
> misspellings in the SignPuddle dictionaries ist should be no problem to
> accept these first writing attemps as what they are : first attempts - 
> smile
>
>
>
> 3) If you happen to find a typical or critical "misunderstanding" you 
> may
> want to focus on this during a following teaching sequence but there 
> is no
> need to change your "curriculum".
>
>
> 4) What if you could just give a short statement about the different 
> sign-
> names. You know - names are important to people and if they develop a 
> habit
> - a routine how to spell and how to "design" their namesign it will 
> become
> pretty much difficult to change that after some time.
>
> But since all of us are interesting in Handwriting it would be a good 
> start
> for any student to know that the way he/she is writing his/her 
> namesign is
> well accepted from the teachers point of view - smile
>
> This should be enough for lesson one and should allow anybody to leave 
> the
> classroom with a feeling of hope and acceptance in order to begin with 
> the
> homework for lesson two - writing columns of his sign name or writing 
> a list
> of the sign names of all participants or .... well you are the teacher 
> -
> smile.
>
> I am looking forward to see more of your own Handwriting! (especially
> Handwriting Priting SW)  To compare your way of writing the arrows, the
> circles, the handshapes,..with my own exercises so far is most 
> interesting
> to me.
>
> So please think about this and if possible think about your coming 
> procedure
> a second time.
>
> Feedback to this posting is most welcome!
>
> Stefan ;-)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
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>
>
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: owner-sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
> [mailto:owner-sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu] Im Auftrag von Valerie 
> Sutton
> Gesendet: Dienstag, 16. Januar 2007 10:39
> An: sw-l at majordomo.valenciacc.edu
> Betreff: [sw-l] Handwriting Course New Schedule ;-)
>
> SignWriting List
> January 16, 2007
>
> Dear Handwriting Course Participants!
>
> We now have 18 people who have submitted their homework, with several
> more promising to send theirs. Just creating the web pages for each
> student is a job for me, besides so many private messages being sent
> to me daily...It is quite overwhelming for me to handle so much, plus
> my other duties required of me. We have our Annual Board meeting on
> January 27, and I am still doing the Treasurer's Report and Year-End
> Report for that meeting.
>
> It is wonderful to think that so many people are interested in the
> Handwriting course. I didn't realize there would be so many!
>
> Since this is a free course, the teacher has the right to cut the
> schedule in half...and I do not have much choice, since I too have
> been ill in bed with a sinus infection the past few days...
>
> So no matter what, I will create a web page for each student, and
> give you all feedback on what you have written so far...
>
> There will, most likely, not be another assignment after I give you
> feedback on this one...
>
> What does feedback mean? it means I am going to read each sign and
> discuss how to read it, with all 18 to 20 students...on the SW List,
> so you all can learn as I go...
>
> and I then hope that you all will continue to work together to write
> together -
>
> So that is the ew plan!
>
> So feedback will start with Student number 1 in the next day or so....
>
> Val ;-)
>
>
>