By Johnna DeLutro
Portfolio Introduction
Welcome to my portfolio, and thank you for being here. In these following few pages, you will have the opportunity to learn about my teaching style and review lesson plans that I've created for writing narrative workshops. You will gain insight into what moves me as a writer and future teacher. In addition, I intend for prospective employers, students, and educators to view these pages and feel a sense of inspiration. I have been a lover of words and a poet for most of my life. Writing is my passion, and I want to share it with others. Please proceed if you'd like to learn about how I plan on doing just that!
"Do not go where the path may lead. Instead, go where there is no path and leave a trail"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"About Me"
I am a online Writing 101 instructor at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ and a Writing 101&201 instructor at Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ. I live in Bergen County, NJ, where I attended William Paterson University for my undergraduate studies in Psychology and History, both writing-intensive areas of study. I am a graduate of the Online Master of English program at Arizona State University.
Influential Courses and Platforms
Most memorable courses that have shaped who I am as a writer and future educator:
Poetry Writing Workshop
Rhetorical Traditions
Teaching Methods
Writing Effective Prose
Creative Writing
Communication in Action
Stress Management
Health Psychology
Writing Mentor Internship
Approaches to Research
Linguistics/History of the English Language
Teaching Literacy for Change and Action
Platform Experience:
Moodle
Blackboard
Canvas
Perusall
InScribe
Slack
Google Docs
Microsoft Word
Excel
Teaching and Learning Goals:
Engage
Reflect
Positive Feedback Practices
Respectful Dialogue
Make Connections
Inspire
Teaching and Learning Statement
My goal is to be a professor who fosters an open, inclusive approach to teaching that reaches and meets students exactly where they are. I want to guide students toward their goals from a place of compassion and understanding. My strengths are emphasizing creativity and providing a space for students to flourish by encouraging them to trust their writing styles. I want to cultivate a space for students to think critically, appeal to their audience, and implement their ideas while teaching them how to execute them.
I have always thought that people come from all walks of life, each with unique experiences. Since most humans spend most of their time in the classroom, these experiences should be celebrated and respected. They should be used as a way for educators to get to know their students and meet them where they are. It isn’t fair for anyone to assume that someone else knows just as much or little as they do. How could we possibly know such a thing? Our society values certain traits and characteristics and “proper” ways of speaking, while others emphasize something entirely different. That needs to be acknowledged. Many people have a story to tell, something significant to share, but they’ve been conditioned into thinking their stories don’t matter. Everyone should be given the space to be who they are and reach their fullest potential, regardless of how it manifests for them as individuals.
Goals:
My goal is to teach a foundational English course and a Poetry workshop, as well to advise and coach students throughout their academic endeavors.
The place in which humanities intersects with the work I'd like to do stems from a place of compassion and empathy. I have always had strong feelings about the educational and value system in the U.S., specifically the value we as a society place on people who hold degrees of high esteem. It's not entirely fair to expect everyone to follow the fairytale of expectations placed upon humans in general. When I am in a position to do so, I will respect all of my students and consider their stories when assessing their work. I will treat them like people, not someone inferior to me. I will respect their process and be mindful of what they have to offer from their point of view, not solely my own. I want every student to know that they have a choice and a voice and that I am genuinely interested in hearing both. I want to provide that for my future students, and I hope that they carry that message throughout their lives by showing compassion for themselves and others. We can at least put a dent in this flawed system by providing the space that allows people to be exactly who they are.
In my English 598 Teaching Literacy for Change and Action, we had to interview someone based on their experience with literacy as it connects with school and their personal lives. I chose a close friend who has struggled with disabilities for most of her life and, as a result, was often outcast and mistreated by her teachers in school. Additionally, her dad played a vital but hurtful and detrimental role in her life by showing a severe lack of support. This poem is what I imagined her experience might have felt like.
Little Girl, Me
Look at me, do you see me?
Seek the little girl within
Screaming at the surface
This web's depth like no other
Clawing my way out
With dreams of being set free
Caught in the maelstrom of ignorance
Intolerance, injustice, you seek not truth
You live and feed off of lies
The lies you tell yourself to survive
The violence I endure
At the hands of the mighty
Sworn to protect me, I trusted
The joke is on me, you see
As you all live in glee
At the expense of what I long to be
The shameful, hateful acts against me
A child in need of guidance
Only to be met with resistance…
It all changes in an instant
The grasp you held over me
For so long, I’ve wanted to be me
For quite some time, I’ve longed for acceptance
For a while now, I’ve felt apprehension
As true as these words dance across the page
Their beautiful colors take flight over me
And I can see clearly now, finally.
Inspiration
"There is no question that opportunity gaps are pervasive in education, and, by opportunity gaps, I mean stark differences in students' exposure and experiences – their economic resources, the qualifications of their teachers, the rigor of the curricula they study, their teachers' expectations, and their parents' involvement in their education" (qtd. In Sealey-Ruiz 23).
Applying What I've Learned:
English 507 Teaching Methods:
The best way to take this experience and apply what I've learned is to design a curriculum implementing practices that make the process of writing fun and exciting to participate in. So I decided to devise a lesson plan that encourages students to think critically and meets them exactly where they are. Please see attached lesson plan with assignments information and due dates:
Reflect:
In my Teaching Methods course, we were asked to identify issues with the standard teaching methods and how they affect students. Naturally, I immediately thought about how this relates to my mentor students. Here are my thoughts and response to the question:
"When I studied psychology in my undergrad work, we took test after test to learn the parts of the brain and their functions. I would have loved to have been given a writing assignment based on a mock study or patients who needed evaluation. Then, we could have applied the factual information to a written report to have more practice and gain real-world experience, similar to the constructivist approach mentioned in the Newell article described as "the act of communication with the process of knowing" (Newell, 2006). That's precisely what I am trying to express here. Furthermore, I like the idea of small group instruction to connect more authentically with students. Another approach that I'd like to add is implementing grammar study as part of the writing workshop, but not at the forefront. If we spend four days on the creative aspect of writing, perhaps on the fifth, we do a brief overview of grammar and editing not to overwhelm students or hinder their unique ideas. I'm also a fan of providing students with handouts and resources so we can spend more time on the writing process, and they can work on grammar on their own time by doing the necessary research.
Truthfully, if we focus on the organization of one's ideas without removing them, grammar would be more easily implemented later. Weaver mentions, "I only needed one of two semesters of intensive grammar study" (Weaver, 1998), and that's a valid point depending on who we ask. Some students need more time, while others just don't, and there needs to be a way to access such things. It seems that, across the board, educators are extreme in both directions; those who are pro-grammar and those who are not. It appears that finding a happy medium is difficult regardless of the research. Some of these articles aren't exactly current, so I'm hoping things are heading in the right direction and that the educational system will get on board with a protocol that serves students and teachers. I think class size is something to consider here, which is where teaching assistants come into play. It can be difficult to reach students when you have 50 or 85 students in a class. Having an extra person around to assist with that could only benefit all parties."
Works Cited:
Newell, G. E. (2006). Writing to Learn: How Alternative Theories of School Writing Account for Student Performance. In C. A. MacArthur, S. Graham, & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Handbook of writing research(pp. 235–246). The Guilford Press.
Weaver, Constance, and Constance Weaver. 1998. Lessons to share on teaching grammar in context. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.
Rhetorical Traditions
ENGLISH 551 Rhetorical Traditions was easily one of my favorite and most beloved classes. Please see below for links to a few of my writing assignments on the topic of rhetoric:
Professor Greene often posed questions based on the weekly required readings for the class. I vastly enjoyed these readings about the history of rhetoric from its beginning to the present day. I loved combing through the texts and forming answers, which was always rewarding. The process was never a letdown! The following is a set of prompts meant for students to consider:
What is the value of rhetoric to civic (i.e. public) life?
According to Grabill, in what places (and through what genres) does rhetorical activity occur?
Do you think Isocrates would agree with Grabill’s pragmatist approach to rhetoric?
To find out my thoughts and view my response, please refer to the link below:
Rhetorical Traditions
Not only did I love reading about the history of rhetoric as a leisurely activity, but I also enjoyed having a purpose and something to discuss as it relates to the readings. In addition, I loved that we were asked to evaluate our views and were free to share our thoughts on the following questions:
How do Aristotle’s views of rhetoric differ from those of prior readings?
Do you agree with Muckelbauer’s notion of rhetoric as “heliotropic?"
Rhetorical Traditions
For our final readings, students were asked to consider the following questions, which I found stimulating and invigorating. It's questions like this that often make me wonder about the intriguing conversations to be had in a traditional classroom. We could have an open dialogue about the many facets of rhetoric, which I find fascinating.
Is deep knowledge of a particular subject or topic always necessary in order to persuade an audience to accept some belief/opinion about that subject?
What parallels can you draw between the idea of the "orator" (Cicero) and the "technical communicator" (Slack, Miller, Doak)?
English 598 Projects
Completing the Writing Assignment
Personal Reaction Poems
For part two of "Attempting a Writing Assignment", we had to attempt to complete the assignment ourselves to ensure that what we were asking students to complete was realistic.
