#thresholdconcepts

For this post, you are going to create a threshold concept similar to what you read throughout the book, Naming What We Know.

Please follow *all* of these guidelines:

(1) Use the lens of “naming what you know.”

(2) Create an actual threshold concept, this literally means beginning the post with a title such as “Reflection is Critical for a Writer’s Development.”

(3) Create a concept that you believe is important to know, understand, and master within the field of composition studies. This furthers our thinking from where we began the course (in one of the opening posts, you defined what composition studies is/means).

(4) Use at least 3 of the readings (you can include this book, of course, but it doesn’t have to be one of them) from the course to ground and evidence your concept.

(5) Be reflective, think about what we’ve been reading and discussing for the last six weeks. Don’t be afraid to “theorize” a bit (my philosophers might really like that! :-).

(6) Be critical, what do you believe is important in composition studies and why? That’s a good place to start.

(7) Be creative, composing/composition isn’t just about being critical and that’s it, there is an element of creativity that lies within the threads of this field.

Good luck! I look forward to seeing what you can come up with!

As you read in the last two readings, reflection is pretty important part of writing -- many theorists may disagree on how to define reflection, but they all agree that reflection is a pivotal part of the writing process. Reflection, along with cognition and metacognition, are also part of what's referred to as threshold concepts or core concepts to a field of study that once understood transforms a way in which a student views the discipline. These threshold concepts help students have a better grasp of a discipline and allow them to continuously move forward in their understand of the concepts within it. They also help provide an enhanced language.

For this post, you are going to create a threshold concept similar to the ways in which you read (the "Excerpts from Naming What We Know") -- this literally means starting out the post with a threshold concepts like the readings do (as in begin with something like “Reflection is Critical for a Writer’s Development”). Create a concept that you believe is important to know, understand, and master as part of learning how to be a more effective good writer. To do so, you will be reflective, you will pull on prior knowledge about writing, and you will theorize about the field which is writing studies. Please don't try and create a threshold concept before you read the readings -- they will help you figure out how to respond to this prompt.

Response to your peers: please respond to 2 of your peers' threshold concept, do you agree or disagree with their choice and why? 

Threshold Concepts acknowledge that students don’t all begin in the same place or move through the threshold at the same pace. A Threshold Concept includes a liminal space where the student engages with “troublesome knowledge”. A Threshold Concept (according to Meyer and Land who invented the term) should therefore be: 

Transformative - students are changed by engaging with a new concept

Irreversible - there is no going back

Integrative - new concepts build on other concepts

Bounded - concepts are clearly defined

Troublesome - the new knowledge takes time to absorb and ‘master’

The aim of today’s lesson is to begin the process of creating an artist’s statement related to your Personal Investigation.

You will create a new Google Document entitled My Personal Investigation (Your Name). The document will begin with a statement about your interests as a photographer. You should recall the responses you made to the questionnaire recently.

Once you have created your Google Document, please share it with [email protected].

You could read this blog post about writing an artist’s statement and use some of the recommended resources to help you. You may also want to refer to the Threshold Concepts for photography.

Your statement should:

Be at least 250 words long

Summarise your personal photographic interests - genres, subjects, ideas, methods, techniques, equipment, attitudes, audiences, purposes etc.

Include at least one key photograph you have made - choose an image that indicates the kind of photographs you are interested in making

Refer to at least two photographers whose work you admire and the reasons why