Sarah Swofford

Writing Prof, WPA, Dir of CTL at UofSC-Beaufort. I geek out about Southern Englishes & helping students transition to & thru college writing. Tweets are my own.

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@Ebonyteach I cured some ballots across the bridge in GA last time, and the “problematic” signatures were somehow all voters who weren’t white (and many of them were older folks)….absolutely infuriating.

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@bethallisonbarr Beth, I have to say (with every bit of sincerity in my soul) that you are doing the Lord’s work right now. I hope you’ll be able to keep fighting this fight. And I hope you’ve got all the institutional support you need to make it happen! (🩷 a Baylor alum)

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@MandyMatney 2-part geeking: written English is VERY DIFFERENT than spoken Englishes. Structurally, semantically, pragmatically DIFFERENT. People should stop expecting them to be the same and should really chill w the language ideologies.

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@MandyMatney “Like” in this context is actually a super-helpful linguistic resource. We sometimes call it a “discourse marker,” and it’s useful for “holding the floor” (um and uh and right? are other examples). We use these markers to cue our conversation partners that we’re not done talking!

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@DrCJSobers @HeyDrLaila Idk if this is helpful or not helpful, but this semester I did a “pre-conference survey” and a “post-conference survey”. Pre helps students prep for the conversation, post helps them reflect AND they confirm what grade we landed on & their thoughts/feelings. Can share if helpful!

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@jessgrieser I’m seeing this too. We’re access-oriented, so a LOT of my students really need structure/support. I have theories and could go on & on but I’m trying to put students more in control of their engagement in the course. Getting first-years to believe me about late work=struggle.

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@EnglishOER @elireview I love Eli. I use Writing Spaces for my readings so Eli is all students pay for as a textbook in my FYC courses. It’s been wonderful for me, and students love it. I love how much easier the logistics of peer review are, and how the platform reinforces peer feedback is important.

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@karenraycosta Maybe just my context, but I’m noticing that bc the conditions of k12 changed bc pandemic, our students aren’t always believing that profs will follow through w their policies, and the consequences are so high. I’m thinking about what to do w what I’m noticing but for now I’m 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@TheEricBland I think you’re about to discover that people who do “yarn stuff” will absolutely correct you that this is crochet, not knitting! They’re FANTASTIC!

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@karenraycosta Either a Google doc or a notebook in MS Teams, which is where I situate my class materials. I encourage them to use commenting and such, but they need some scaffolding and support to learn how to take notes and to collaborate.

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@karenraycosta I keep trying to make collaborative notes happen! Tried having students sign up for days to be “point person,” etc. didn’t work. I gave up and they asked me if they could have them back so I 🤷🏻‍♀️ and let them take over. Some classes do them and others don’t.

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@dowellml I’ve been having some of the other-way-round convos too…asking advising what patterns they’re seeing in FY Ss across classes. Been super helpful/stressful/discouraging/hopeful all at once lol.

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@karenraycosta It can also be important to distinguish btw assignments—my “building blocks” need to be done on time bc we use them in class to learn the next skill (completion “credit”), but “big drafts” can have some flexibility based on student need. Ss totally get this when I explain it!

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@jessgrieser Lol

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@GeekyPedagogy @SUNYPlattsburgh Req writing conferences! No class that day—coming to conf IS their class—and I use class time+regular office hours to schedule 10-15 min 1-on-1 conf with Ss. They’re in charge of their conf and when they gush about how helpful it is I say “this is office hours! Come back!”

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@LizWFab I think this has worked for me because sometimes they’re not really confused—they’re afraid of failing or not meeting the expectations and they struggle to find momentum. I can affirm their understanding without taking back the work from them.

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@LizWFab I’ve had some success when they say they’re confused with asking them to explain the assignment to me as best they can. I cheer them when they’re on track and reteach where necessary. Then I say, “you’ve got it! What’s the first 10 min of work you can slice off to get started?”

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@leahjsinkhaynes (And I still felt sooooo anxious the day of the defense. A kind friend took copious notes about the Q&A and sent to me later which is good bc I don’t remember any of it.)

[Sarah Swofford @SarahSwoff]

@leahjsinkhaynes I baked cookies. So many cookies. Then I had to find people to give cookies to because I had too many cookies. It was a good distraction and cookies make people happy. And I remembered they wouldn’t let me schedule if I wasn’t ready.