137 Words

midwinter · February 10, 2004 1:09PM

I?m considering engaging in a little teacherly fun this semester. For a long time now, I?ve been using strange tactics to get students to become aware of how they have to make choices when they write--whether or not they are conscious of these choices. So here?s what I?m considering: 137 words. I give them an assignment (anything, really) and they have to write me exactly 137 words in response. I may even at a future date apply this to longer assignments (write me 1,000 words. No more; no less). Is this mean? Sure. Is this cruel and unusual? Without a doubt. But it will, at the very least, force them to confront the process of their writing.

Anyone care to respond? Using exactly 137 words?

Cheers,

Scott

(By the way, this entry is exactly 137 words.)

billybobsky · February 10, 2004 1:30PM

No I cannot. But I do think that 137 words would make the point but 1000 words would not unless you have a requirement for the length of each paragraph. Now that would be cruel.

End passage.

brussell · February 10, 2004 1:33PM

Cool. I like it. Maybe as a special kind of assignment, rather than as a rule on a regular assignment. And I'd suggest having them e-mail you their papers so you can check the number of words electronically rather than counting them.

I think people like limitations like that. Like writing a haiku or even a traditional sonnet in iambic pentameter. It's kind of fun to see if you can make something meaningful with strict limitations.

tmp · February 10, 2004 1:35PM

Are you willing to count the words in all of your students essays, or are you going to have them submit their papers in a Word file so you can check it easier? (It?s been a few million years since I was in school; I think we beat our assignments out on native drums, or chipped them into stone tablets?.) It seems to me that this is cruel and unusual only to you if you plan on the former, especially if you manually scan essays for word count of up to 1000 words apiece. If the latter, I think you?d be forcing your students to confront their creative use of the Tools menu and the ministrations of Clippy rather than ?the Process?. Which sounds more like a class in secretarial skills than a class in creative writing.

shetline · February 10, 2004 2:04PM

for another task

when the springtime has arrived

have them do haiku

midwinter · February 10, 2004 2:05PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shetline

for another task

when the springtime has arrived

have them do haiku

If I taught creative writing, I would. (sorry this isn't not 137 words...I'm in a bit of a time crunch)

Cheers

Scott

bauman · February 10, 2004 2:05PM

Well done tmp.

I'm far too lazy to even try, but I think it's a good idea. 1000 would only work well in an upper level course...

shetline · February 10, 2004 2:17PM

Quote:

Originally posted by midwinter

If I taught creative writing, I would. (sorry this isn't not 137 words...I'm in a bit of a time crunch)

Cheers

Scott

I was thinking about the haiku, and forgot all about trying to answer using one hundred thirty seven words. (I?m spelling my numbers out to help diffuse any potential arguments over how many words a number represents.)

Anyway, for forgetting about the one hundred thirty seven words I?m very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very sorry.

hom · February 10, 2004 2:18PM

You?re the reason that students hate school and their teachers or professors. Making up asinine assignments just to torment these kids is not what education is about. Professors are by far the worst of the bunch. They think that because they wasted their money on some piece of paper entitles them to a superiority complex. All they do is take out their frustration from being shat upon by professors and review boards on their students. The last thing a professor wants is original thought. They would much rather have their students regurgitate the same shit that they have been spewing for years so that they can feel better about all that wasted time and money.

Oh in case you were wondering, professors suck, but I don?t really hate all of them, just the ones that I had.

709 · February 10, 2004 2:30PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shetline

for another task

when the springtime has arrived

have them do haiku

I thought about this

One hundred thirty seven

Seventeen won't fit

midwinter · February 10, 2004 2:32PM

Quote:

Originally posted by HOM

You?re the reason that students hate school and their teachers or professors. Making up asinine assignments just to torment these kids is not what education is about. Professors are by far the worst of the bunch. They think that because they wasted their money on some piece of paper entitles them to a superiority complex. All they do is take out their frustration from being shat upon by professors and review boards on their students. The last thing a professor wants is original thought. They would much rather have their students regurgitate the same shit that they have been spewing for years so that they can feel better about all that wasted time and money.

Oh in case you were wondering, professors suck, but I don?t really hate all of them, just the ones that I had.

I should also point out that the 137 words must be grammatically correct.

Cheers

Scott

br · February 10, 2004 2:35PM

You should make them use 137 UNIQUE words.

hom · February 10, 2004 2:52PM

Quote:

Originally posted by midwinter

I should also point out that the 137 words must be grammatically correct.

Cheers

Scott

screed · February 10, 2004 3:00PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BR

You should make them use 137 UNIQUE words.

Ouch! That is evil.

That will only end in eggs

on your vehicle.

Screed

ganondorf · February 10, 2004 3:04PM

I think it's a stupid idea, personally. I think the students will hate you for it, and it will give them no benefit whatsoever in their life. Just do your job and process them through.

tmp · February 10, 2004 3:10PM

Depending upon what he's teaching, it could be his job. If he is teaching a class to people who expect to become journalists, then it's valid to prep them to write to a word count.

Quote:

I think the students will hate you for it, and it will give them no benefit whatsoever in their life.

I think you've just described Trig.

shetline · February 10, 2004 3:13PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ganondorf

I think it's a stupid idea, personally. I think the students will hate you for it, and it will give them no benefit whatsoever in their life.

Learning to think carefully about word choices most certainly can be a benefit in one's life. Even an artificially imposed constraint, like a length of 137 words, can help open students up to that process.

Quote:

Just do your job and process them through.

Now there's a sad, bleak outlook on what a teacher is supposed to do. This isn't stamping out license plates or shearing sheep you know, it's teaching he's talking about.

ganondorf · February 10, 2004 3:14PM

Yeah I guess I just assumed he taught high school or some intro English class, since he didn't specify.

shetline · February 10, 2004 3:18PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ganondorf

Yeah I guess I just assumed he taught high school or some intro English class, since he didn't specify.

Seen in the light of the above assumption, "Just do your job and process them through" is somehow supposed to sound better?

brussell · February 10, 2004 3:19PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ganondorf

Just do your job and process them through.

kickaha · February 10, 2004 3:19PM

So high school is just 'stamping them through'?

You... haven't graduated high school yet, have you, Ganondorf?

That's really a sad commentary.

I think it's a great idea, myself, but it has to sold to the students carefully. I do this in my programming classes. "OK, this week, see how concise you can make your code without losing readability." "Alright, this week play around with minimizing the number of methods in each class, but keep it at least three."

You'd be surprised at how innovative some students can be. I never make it a hard requirement, but they do get extra credit if they write up a discussion on what they tried and what they learned.

Rote memorization is useless.

137 Words

Comments