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Part A (usually completed the first few weeks of class) allows students to reflect on their experiences with reading, writing, thinking, listening, speaking, and technology. Students interview a close relative or friend who knows about the students' development in these areas. Students write a summary of the interview (A.1) and then write a reflection of their own development (A.2). Students write their summary and reflection in the LRO (although they can upload their documents, from Word, etc., if they choose).

Screen Shots

Below is a student example from my Spring, 2002 freshmen rhetoric course.

A1

Date
02/06/2001

Interviewee
Tracey (Older Sister)

Interview
She has consciously known me for 14-15 years. I asked her to answer some of my questions which I wrote in a text file. I altered only a few of her wordings since it appeared strangely out of context.

1) What is your impression of my development as a reader?

As a reader, you are an individual who's able to quickly comprehend the material given without having to read the text numerous times. You are also able to understand different types of literature such as: science fiction, manuals relating to unix, mystery...... You have a taste for a different variety of books and never stick to a certain genre.

2) What is your impression of my development as a writer?

I think you are an excellent writer, who's able to provide reader's with necessary details. You know the written content well enough to where you can write in-depth details. You have the ability to get to the point of the paper and never lose focus by using unnecessary "flowery words."

3) What is your impression of my development as a thinker?

As a thinker, you have the ability to observe certain elements, deep thinker
"i would see a thing a certain way, you see it in a different way, different perspective as well."

A2

Date
02/06/2002

Reflection
As a reader I have been more analytical. I now study articles to try to discern what the author's intent is. I know the different types of reasons why people write what they do and it helps me to become more objective. Because I feel as though I have more control and understanding over what I read. And as a result, I have more control over my emotions.

My development as a writer has gotten better. Through using the MLA style hand book, I've learned how to write better thesis sentences and how to organize my thoughts into coherent sentences. In the past, occasionally, I would stray from the subject. I now make attempts to compare my explanations in my paper with the criteria of the paper.

My development as a speaker has grown "slightly". I can order my thoughts better and I know the concepts of argument. Because of this I can better express a focused viewpoint without ambiguity to another person. The reason I stated slightly is because as a class we hadn't had much of a chance to speak for practice.

When I am listening, I've learned to better try to grasp the whole picture of what someone is trying to express. In the past I use to think more about the little details because I believed I could add them all together and analyze the whole picture. But I realized that is not very affective since trying to retain so many details leads to confusion.

This student's brief interview summary allows him to reflect on his strengths as a reader, writer, and thinker; by using this second-hand account as a springboard for and comparison with his own account, he is able to further elaborate on his processes and explore them more fully. For example, in the last three paragraphs of A2, he reflects on his ability to conceptually and physically organize his ideas and writings across (the space of) the "page". He also reflects on his development, making the connection between organization (space) and growth (time), in that he is now able "to better . . . grasp the whole picture." Although brief, the interview summary provides the space from which students trace their development across the dimensions of your course.

Below is another student example from my Summer, 2002 freshmen rhetoric course.

Date
01/23/2002

Interviewee
my mother

Interview
T. likes to read more than to write. She often read a lot when she was young. Her favorites range from children stories to fictions to scientific mysteries. As she got older, T. spends more time reading schoolbooks and less for books of her own choice. Her writings are often premature. She lacks an important characteristic of a good writer: imagination. Her realistic characteristics are shown in her strong interest in math and science, rather than journalism. Her grammar and vocabulary skills also reduce the quality of her writings. Since English is not her first language, T. frequently encounters grammatical errors. She also does not have an extensive vocabulary due to the fact that she has little exposure of English in the family. Despite these low qualities, T.’s writings contain humors that often catch the reader’s attention.

Date
01/23/2002

Reflection
Writing has never interested me, whether I was writing in English or Vietnamese. I have always earned the worse grades in reading and writing while progressing wonderfully in math and science. Being a non-native speaker is the first problem. I often become perplexed and overwhelmed with my bilingual abilities. For example, sometimes I would speak in both languages in the same sentence. Since I am the one with the best English skill in my family, I am unable to learn from an older figurine within the family. Besides from this disadvantage, I also have other natural-born writing disabilities. For example, I can only write what I would say in everyday conversations. It is difficult for me to translate my thoughts into verbose sentences. My grammatical and vocabulary skills also worsen my writing problem. I have never had a grammar class. The only experiences I had learning grammar was in my ESL (English as a Second Language) class in elementary school. The only skill I got out of that class was how to form a sentence. I also perceive that my vocabulary skill does not match up to my current level of a college student. My vocabulary skills do not mature with me because I spend most of my time learning specialized vocabularies such as biological terminologies. With these numerous problems, writing is often a strenuous task for me. I would often have to sit for hours deciding on what and how to write.

This student takes a different approach; both the interview summary and the first-hand account seem very negative. However, since this student focuses on grammar and stylistic concerns (since English is her second language), she is able to reflect on her writing across the space of the page (how she organizes her sentences and paragraphs) and on her development over time. At the end of Part A2, she writes that she "would often have to sit for hours deciding on what and how to write." Her word choice, 'would have' (see Note 1) implies that writing is no longer as tedious and difficult for her. In fact, although a negative tone pervades this section of her LRO, she realizes, thanks to her mother and herself, just how far she has come.

In general, Part A engages students in interviewing, listening, writing, and critical reflecting/thinking. For students, this activity is a nice introduction to the class and to the LRO; for teachers, it is a nice introduction to the students. Not only do students reflect on their processes, but they also practice and demonstrate these same processes in completing Part A. At the most basic level, completing Part A allows students to write about their thinking and learning; in doing so, students create new thoughts and new connections as they explore the expanse of their growth and reflect on their writing, thinking, and learning. In addition, students must summarize their interview notes and select relevant material to include in the interview summary and their first-hand account of their learning.

This section encourages learning, for students focus on themselves and their development across time and space; students focus on how they read and write across the pages and the continuum of time. This assignment allows students to examine learning as a process and connect learning to their lives and to their present experience (your course).

Although many portfolios usually include some sort of survey of skills and knowledge, students do not reflect on their previous growth, nor on past and current learning processes. In addition, by simply surveying skills and knowledge through a few paragraphs or completing a worksheet, students come to see their learning and growth as linear and not as multi-dimensional. Not only does completing Part A in the physical space of the LRO allow students to literally see/make connections (links between the past, A1, and the present, A2), but also allows students to see two different versions or perspectives (other than their peers or teacher) of the their learning, not normally accounted for in other portfolio models. Although the basic objective is the same--to have students reflect on their processes and think about their knowledge and skills--the LRO's approach is very different, for students reflect on their growth across time and space and do not simply complete an inventory of skills and knowledge. Overall, Part A allows students to construct new knowledge and formations about their writing and learning, as they write and learn about such.

Note 1: This second student also uses 'would speak' in the fourth sentence of Part A2

Data Collection

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