TC's Analysis & Critique: How to Engage & Write about Anything

[swimmermom3]

KarenAnne mentioned in another thread on the K-8 board that the Teaching Company had a new course entitled Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything. When I looked it up, there was only one review and it was a one star. However, as we like another series that Professor Armstrong has done, I decided to check it out anyway. I figured that for $25 for the audio download I couldn't lose. I am so glad I did. While I have found the course helpful and enjoyable for myself, I can easily see using it to give your seniors a great overview of what will be expected of them for their college writing courses.

 

KarenAnne, if you end up checking this out, I would love to hear your review as a professional. Thanks for the recommendation. Newer reviews rate the course much higher.

[choirfarm]

So you liked it? The lecture titles looked REALLY good including some on rhetoric techniques that I never learned nor studied even though my field was English. (To be honest, I never heard of it until I came here.. So I would really like to learn about it.) But the review was just awful. Would 9th and 11th grade boys find it useful?? I really need to get their writing at a much higher level, and I'm not sure how to do that. I can fix it, but I need to get THEM to see how to fix their own writing. They think if they write something once that is enough. It is done. I do a little bit of writing and I am constantly giving things to them to have them proofread and to make sure what I am saying makes sense. So I model that you must edit. But I just can't get them to work on their own instead I sit with them and we go over it line by line by line. They hate it and I hate it.

 

Christine

[8filltheheart]

KarenAnne mentioned in another thread on the K-8 board that the Teaching Company had a new course entitled Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything. When I looked it up, there was only one review and it was a one star. However, as we like another series that Professor Armstrong has done, I decided to check it out anyway. I figured that for $25 for the audio download I couldn't lose. I am so glad I did. While I have found the course helpful and enjoyable for myself, I can easily see using it to give your seniors a great overview of what will be expected of them for their college writing courses.

 

KarenAnne, if you end up checking this out, I would love to hear your review as a professional. Thanks for the recommendation. Newer reviews rate the course much higher.

 

Did you read the other review by the same person for one of the other courses?

 

Quite frankly, some other authors that are not part of this company have done better jobs in exploring and explaining many of the subjects offered by Teaching Company.

In other words, something is missing in many of these courses. Perhaps they're cases of scholars talking to scholars -- or scholars talking to an audience they assume is well-versed -- instead of breaking down complex ideas and making their meaning accessible to ordinary consumers."

 

I have never experienced any inaccessibility with TC courses, so I don't give the reviewer that much credit.

 

Being the TC junkie that I am and having a coupon waiting to be used, I ordered this course and the new Hubble course last week and they should arrive today. :lol:

[1Togo]

Sending pm.

[prairiegirl]

Lisa, thank you for posting this. I have been debating all weekend whether I should buy the lecture set or not. It looked so intriguing to me. You convinced me! ;) (You know I didn't need much help) I will order it today. Now I need to decide whether to get DVD or CD.

[atozmom]

Yet another thread that is making me want to buy something! This board is getting expensive. :lol: But seriously though, thank you for posting this. I really do like the looks of this. My dd is more visual so we would definitely get the DVDs. This comment at the bottom of the course clinched it for me "While this course works well in all formats, the DVD version features a wealth of visual elements to enhance your experience. Prominent among these are the dozens of on-screen textual examples that allow you to visually break down the components of great writing."

 

Does anyone know how long the sale lasts?

[Janice in NJ]

My catalog says February 10th.

 

I received this course on Friday. I've watched the first two lectures. So far, not that psyched about what I'm hearing. But I've learned to give courses at least a 25% preview before sliding them into the "no go" pile.

 

Additional caveat: I have a LOT of courses. I think I'm starting to head toward a tipping point: I've learned a few things as a hser. Not everything is new territory for me anymore. So some courses are too introductory. Make sense? So far there is nothing wrong with this course; I've just found myself nodding and saying, "Yes, I know." BUT I'm only part of the way into lecture three. Things may change.

 

And another thing that really bugs me: the reading list for each lecture just lists books: no chapters, no direction. Just books - like an entire college-level literature anthology??!!? NOT very helpful. Come on, TC, do the work for me!!

 

Oh - others have mentioned this here: the TC has changed the format of their guidebooks. They used to be in outline form. Now there is a prose description of the lecture. Seems dumbed down to me. I liked the outlines. I'm getting a sinking feeling that they are sliding toward a different demographic. :glare:

 

So far some of the exercises look good. Things I hadn't thought about doing with my kids. But then others are pretty basic. Rewrite the following sentences. Example: "She was tired after a long day at work." Rewrite: "After working a long day, she was tired." And there is no answer key for the exercises. Not a problem here. But if you don't feel comfortable with this stuff, I doubt you will actually do the exercises. After all, how will you know when you have hit the target?

 

So far? Still listening. Waiting for "OK. Now this is getting good."

But the upshot: It's always to cool to realize, "Hey! I know more than I thought I knew. Who would have thought? Maybe I AM the best-equipped gal to teach my kids. Who would have thought?" Life in a near-vacuum has its disadvantages; no matter HOW much you learn, it never seems like it's good enough.

 

Still listening. I'll try to remember to check back in after I make my yes/no choice. Especially if I can take the time to argue my point. ;)

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[Kfamily]

Wow, how funny! I was definitely going to order this one today. I had considered asking about it here, but since I ask too many questions as it is...:lol:

 

I'll be ordering this one.:001_smile: I need all of the help I can get...

 

ETA: Okay, I might wait until Janice in NJ gets back with her opinion...

[atozmom]

My catalog says February 10th.

 

I received this course on Friday. I've watched the first two lectures. So far, not that psyched about what I'm hearing. But I've learned to give courses at least a 25% preview before sliding them into the "no go" pile.

 

Additional caveat: I have a LOT of courses. I think I'm starting to head toward a tipping point: I've learned a few things as a hser. Not everything is new territory for me anymore. So some courses are too introductory. Make sense? So far there is nothing wrong with this course; I've just found myself nodding and saying, "Yes, I know." BUT I'm only part of the way into lecture three. Things may change.

 

And another thing that really bugs me: the reading list for each lecture just lists books: no chapters, no direction. Just books - like an entire college-level literature anthology??!!? NOT very helpful. Come on, TC, do the work for me!!

 

Oh - others have mentioned this here: the TC has changed the format of their guidebooks. They used to be in outline form. Now there is a prose description of the lecture. Seems dumbed down to me. I liked the outlines. I'm getting a sinking feeling that they are sliding toward a different demographic. :glare:

 

So far some of the exercises look good. Things I hadn't thought about doing with my kids. But then others are pretty basic. Rewrite the following sentences. Example: "She was tired after a long day at work." Rewrite: "After working a long day, she was tired." And there is no answer key for the exercises. Not a problem here. But if you don't feel comfortable with this stuff, I doubt you will actually do the exercises. After all, how will you know when you have hit the target?

 

So far? Still listening. Waiting for "OK. Now this is getting good."

But the upshot: It's always to cool to realize, "Hey! I know more than I thought I knew. Who would have thought? Maybe I AM the best-equipped gal to teach my kids. Who would have thought?" Life in a near-vacuum has its disadvantages; no matter HOW much you learn, it never seems like it's good enough.

 

Still listening. I'll try to remember to check back in after I make my yes/no choice. Especially if I can take the time to argue my point. ;)

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

Thank you Janice, this was very helpful. I will be waiting to hear your further analysis.

[swimmermom3]

So you liked it? The lecture titles looked REALLY good including some on rhetoric techniques that I never learned nor studied even though my field was English. (To be honest, I never heard of it until I came here.. So I would really like to learn about it.) But the review was just awful. Would 9th and 11th grade boys find it useful?? I really need to get their writing at a much higher level, and I'm not sure how to do that. I can fix it, but I need to get THEM to see how to fix their own writing. They think if they write something once that is enough. It is done. I do a little bit of writing and I am constantly giving things to them to have them proofread and to make sure what I am saying makes sense. So I model that you must edit. But I just can't get them to work on their own instead I sit with them and we go over it line by line by line. They hate it and I hate it.

 

Christine

 

I would think that 9th and 11th grade boys would find the course useful; an experienced writer or experienced writing instructor (Janice or 8FilltheHeart!) may not find anything new. There are anecdotes that will speak directly to the college-bound student whether it is Professor Armstrong's experience with her own college application essay or her responses to student papers. My favorite example so far is the student who was writing about Sir Lancelot and said something to the effect that Lancelot had no business going to sleep in the woods, exposing his butt which was shot at thus rendering him in incapable of performing his duties. The student was not writing with his audience in mind.:D

 

Your boys may be happy to know that even Melville had to rewrite the ending to Moby Dick. It seems it was a bit of a stretch for his audience to be hearing the story from a narrator who drowns at the end of the book and who would have no opportunity to tell the story. This was from the lecture on respecting your audience.

 

Did you read the other review by the same person for one of the other courses?

 

I have never experienced any inaccessibility with TC courses, so I don't give the reviewer that much credit.

 

Being the TC junkie that I am and having a coupon waiting to be used, I ordered this course and the new Hubble course last week and they should arrive today. :lol:

 

Eight, I think your review will probably look like Janice's, but I could be wrong. You have been there, done it, and own the t-shirt. This course is accessible to the point where I may have my youngest (7th grade) listen with his older sister. They will both appreciate the literary selections and the examples.

 

Thanks for the heads-up on the reviewer.

[swimmermom3]

Lisa, thank you for posting this. I have been debating all weekend whether I should buy the lecture set or not. It looked so intriguing to me. You convinced me! ;) (You know I didn't need much help) I will order it today. Now I need to decide whether to get DVD or CD.

 

Yet another thread that is making me want to buy something! This board is getting expensive. :lol: But seriously though, thank you for posting this. I really do like the looks of this. My dd is more visual so we would definitely get the DVDs. This comment at the bottom of the course clinched it for me "While this course works well in all formats, the DVD version features a wealth of visual elements to enhance your experience. Prominent among these are the dozens of on-screen textual examples that allow you to visually break down the components of great writing."

 

Does anyone know how long the sale lasts?

 

I picked the audio download because I was hesitant due to the review and because frankly, my budget for TC courses is already shot.:tongue_smilie: The course was more for me than for my kids, but now that I have it, I can see how to use it for them. Either format would be fine, so choose what works for you

[swimmermom3]

My catalog says February 10th.

 

I received this course on Friday. I've watched the first two lectures. So far, not that psyched about what I'm hearing. But I've learned to give courses at least a 25% preview before sliding them into the "no go" pile.

 

Additional caveat: I have a LOT of courses. I think I'm starting to head toward a tipping point: I've learned a few things as a hser. Not everything is new territory for me anymore. So some courses are too introductory. Make sense? So far there is nothing wrong with this course; I've just found myself nodding and saying, "Yes, I know." BUT I'm only part of the way into lecture three. Things may change.

 

And another thing that really bugs me: the reading list for each lecture just lists books: no chapters, no direction. Just books - like an entire college-level literature anthology??!!? NOT very helpful. Come on, TC, do the work for me!!

 

Oh - others have mentioned this here: the TC has changed the format of their guidebooks. They used to be in outline form. Now there is a prose description of the lecture. Seems dumbed down to me. I liked the outlines. I'm getting a sinking feeling that they are sliding toward a different demographic. :glare:

 

So far some of the exercises look good. Things I hadn't thought about doing with my kids. But then others are pretty basic. Rewrite the following sentences. Example: "She was tired after a long day at work." Rewrite: "After working a long day, she was tired." And there is no answer key for the exercises. Not a problem here. But if you don't feel comfortable with this stuff, I doubt you will actually do the exercises. After all, how will you know when you have hit the target?

 

So far? Still listening. Waiting for "OK. Now this is getting good."

But the upshot: It's always to cool to realize, "Hey! I know more than I thought I knew. Who would have thought? Maybe I AM the best-equipped gal to teach my kids. Who would have thought?" Life in a near-vacuum has its disadvantages; no matter HOW much you learn, it never seems like it's good enough.

 

Still listening. I'll try to remember to check back in after I make my yes/no choice. Especially if I can take the time to argue my point. ;)

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

Janice, thanks for taking the time to post this. I really dislike writing reviews of anything, so I am glad you took it a few steps further. So far, there is nothing here I can argue with you on.;) One's level of experience will dictate whether or not you can use the course. I am in complete agreement about the book list. I already own Lunsford's Everything's An Argument, but did not purchase anything else. Most of it looked like standard fare. Many of the exercises are basic, but I appreciate the real-world applications like that of writing a letter to the insurance company when a claim has been denied. Students especially, need to be reminded that strong writing skills aren't reserved only for school papers.

 

I have just started lecture 7 so I am looking forward to hearing the rest of your review.

[atozmom]

I would think that 9th and 11th grade boys would find the course useful; an experienced writer or experienced writing instructor (Janice or 8FilltheHeart!) may not find anything new. There are anecdotes that will speak directly to the college-bound student whether it is Professor Armstrong's experience with her own college application essay or her responses to student papers.

 

 

This course is accessible to the point where I may have my youngest (7th grade) listen with his older sister. They will both appreciate the literary selections and the examples.

 

Thank you, this was good to hear as well.

 

I picked the audio download because I was hesitant due to the review and because frankly, my budget for TC courses is already shot.:tongue_smilie: The course was more for me than for my kids, but now that I have it, I can see how to use it for them. Either format would be fine, so choose what works for you

 

As was this.

[swimmermom3]

Thank you, this was good to hear as well.

 

 

 

As was this.

 

I did a test run on the 12 yo this morning with the first lecture. He is already predisposed towards Professor Armstrong because he watches her Medieval World lectures. Overall, he liked the lecture but was a bit frustrated because not every written passage is in the course book. For example, Professor Armstrong stated that one of the biggest mistakes a writer can make is to misunderstand the audience. She read a teenager's proposal for a raise to the teen's allowance, discussed what was wrong with the writing and then presented a more effective proposal. Swimmer Dude would have liked to have seen those in writing side-by-side for comparison and they may show up on the dvd; I don't know. It was a basic exercise, yet it was eye-opening for my son as he paused the audio and grilled me as to how I would respond as a parent to each of the proposals. He also had to pause the lecture to re-read the lines from Swift's A Modest Proposal regarding stewing, roasting, baking, and broiling Irish children, so we took the time to discuss satire and it's purposes.

 

I believe the course would work well being taught in conjunction with literary analysis, but since I am only into month 5 of teaching an older high school student, take my impressions with a grain of salt.:tongue_smilie:

[8filltheheart]

Well, ours came this morning.

 

This is the first time we have received any with the "new" books. May I just say that I am extremely disappointed in the change!!! Goodness, it is about 1/4 of the information that you got out of the outlines and now you can't just skim the main topics of the lecture.

 

FWIW......I didn't order the lecture series for me. I did order it for my high school kids to listen to on their own. Sometimes, I just like someone reinforcing what I harp on. ;)

[swimmermom3]

Well, ours came this morning.

 

This is the first time we have received any with the "new" books. May I just say that I am extremely disappointed in the change!!! Goodness, it is about 1/4 of the information that you got out of the outlines and now you can't just skim the main topics of the lecture.

 

FWIW......I didn't order the lecture series for me. I did order it for my high school kids to listen to on their own. Sometimes, I just like someone reinforcing what I harp on. ;)

 

I don't mind the notes on this course, but find it difficult to maneuver the Joy of Science summary. Reinforcement is good. "Listen Swimmer Dude, Professor Armstrong says the key to being a good writer is to be a good reader." "Should I replay that part for you, Mr. Non-Reader?";)

 

ETA: You got the DVDs, didn't you?:lol:

[Create Your Ritual]

Did you say you got the download fro $25? I look online and the audio is $129.95 on the link I am seeing. I just wanted to make sure I was in the right place.

 

Also.. can you point me towards those medeival lectures. I would love to look into these as a tool for the upcoming middle ages, and just getting myself up to snuff in history. Thank you.

[Julie in MN]

Did you say you got the download fro $25? I look online and the audio is $129.95 on the link I am seeing. I just wanted to make sure I was in the right place.

 

Also.. can you point me towards those medeival lectures. I would love to look into these as a tool for the upcoming middle ages, and just getting myself up to snuff in history. Thank you.

 

TTC runs its business by producing large quantities of some courses at certain times during the year and selling them at around 70% off. I would advise never buying something from them for less than 70% off. If it's not on sale now, it will be soon!

 

From their website:

 

 

Our Sales

 

 

 

There's always a sale at The Great Courses. We call it The Great Deal, and here's how it works:

 

 

 

* Every single one of our more than 300 courses goes on sale at least once a year!

 

* You enjoy savings as high as 70% off standard prices!

 

 

 

Why do we do this?

 

 

 

The answer is simple. By producing large quantities of only the sale courses, we keep our costs down and pass the savings on to you. This approach also enables us to fill your order immediately—99% of all orders placed by 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time ship that very same day.

 

 

 

When on sale, our typical course on CD is $49.95 for 12 CDs, or 12 hours of content. That's only $4.16 per CD. Compare $4.16 to what you pay elsewhere for a CD—$10? More? In any format, a Great Course costs much less than most audiobooks, DVDs, or CDs.

 

Julie