Feedback from college freshman on WTMA Rhetoric sequence with Tom Hummel

[snowbeltmom]

For those of you with younger high school kids, I thought it might be helpful to share the conversation I had with my college freshman yesterday::  He told me that his WTMA rhetoric classes (he took all three with Tom Hummel) have prepared him extremely well for the dense reading and numerous writing assignments required at his school.  He says, thanks to Tom Hummel, he has the skill set necessary to understand and discuss the authors' arguments, a skill that many don't seem to have been taught in their high school years.

[summerreading]

That's fabulous feedback!  :hurray:

[Chanley]

Tom Hummel is an EXCELLENT teacher, truly an asset to WTMA. I agree that his teaching is top notch. He can get my kid out of her comfort zone without her even realizing that she is there. 

[Roadrunner]

May I ask how the assignments were corrected? Was it graded based on a rubric or did he take a red pen approach?

[snowbeltmom]

May I ask how the assignments were corrected? Was it graded based on a rubric or did he take a red pen approach?

 

I am not going to be much help in answering this question because I am pretty hands-off with my kids' outsourced classes, especially once they are in high school.  I have been in the same room during the online lecture at times, though.  From what I overhear, I think kids' essays are posted for the entire class to see and comment on. 

 

I am not sure what you mean by a red pen approach to grading. 

 

I was surprised to hear that the format of my son's college class is very similar the format of the WTMA Rhetoric class:  The class meets twice a week for discussion and the professor posts discussion points on an online platform that the students post to outside of lecture hours. 

 

[Roadrunner]

I am not sure what you mean by a red pen approach to grading.

 

I was surprised to hear that the format of my son's college class is very similar the format of the WTMA Rhetoric class: The class meets twice a week for discussion and the professor posts discussion points on an online platform that the students post to outside of lecture hours.

 

I just meant if the papers are returned with a lot of teachers comments and corrections and suggestions for rewrite... sort of likenin old days we would get a paper back with a ton of red ink from the teacher.

[snowbeltmom]

I just meant if the papers are returned with a lot of teachers comments and corrections and suggestions for rewrite... sort of likenin old days we would get a paper back with a ton of red ink from the teacher.

 

I just checked with my D who is taking one of his classes this year.  During the classes, Mr. Hummel and the other students comment and provide feedback on each writing submission.  Some of the assignments are not full essays, but chunks of an essay. For example, writing introductions for the essays and gathering sources may be one assignment.  My D says that the feedback from both Mr. Hummel and the other students is very helpful in helping her improve her writing. 

 

Mr. Hummel also provides detailed written feedback on some of the more major essay assignments. 

 

 

[Chanley]

Yes, Hummel uses the workshop method for writing instruction. There is an essay at the WTMA site where he explains why he feels that is a better way to teach writing than a red pen. He is a very approachable teacher as well, so if the kids have any questions about the quality or content of their writing, they can just ask him.