From Tragedy to Learning Opportunity:

The Tucson Shooting in ESL Writing Class

Angel Miller, Center for English as a Second Language ANUPI Conference, October 15, 2011

The Tucson Shooting

On January 8, 2011, Arizona State Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot while holding a public meeting with her consituents 20 people were shot, 6 people were killed, including federal judge John Roll and 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

The Tucson Shooting, cont.

The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, opened fire in a crowd in a supermarket parking lot during Giffords Congress on Your Corner meeting with constituents Loughner used a legally-obtained Glock 9mm semi-automatic weapon with a 30-round extended clip Loughner showed signs of mental illness and had a history of problems with the police Loughner had been kicked out of Pima Community College and rejected from the US military

Jared Lee Loughner

The Classes
Two

advanced-level (Level 70) Writing, Reading, and Listening classes Held at the Center for English as a Second Language, an Intensive English Program at the University of Arizona Students preparing to enter undergraduate or graduate classes Students from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds

Why This Topic?

Broad

umbrella topic for students to choose a narrower topic of interest Relevant to the community and US culture Timelyevent had just occurred, was always in news National attention

President Obama came to campus Regular coverage on national news

The Controversies Explored

Rhetoric

in American politics and media Slow vs. fast news Gun control in Arizona Mental health care in the US

The Goals
A

better understanding of rhetoric and persuasion Increased critical thinking skills Connection to and engagement with the local community Familiarity with research techniques Ability to write a research essay citing outside sources appropriately Clearer, more specific writing

Class Requirements

Weekly in-class writing assignments

Four-page opinion essay

Reflections and reactions to controversies discussed in class Letter to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer No research required Evidence of rhetorical strategies assessed Built on opinion essay topic Incorporated at least five outside sources Based on argumentative research essay

Five-page argumentative research essay

Final presentation open to the public

The Materials

Media outlets

Newspaper and magazine articles Local and national television and radio news broadcasts Blogs and aggregate sites Comedy shows
Bowling for Columbine

Documentaries

Internet resources Independent research

Sample Readings

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8 599,2041465,00.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2011/01/09/AR201101090 2680.html http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/ 2011/01/the-vitriol-will-likely-return/69298/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/18/a rizona-guns-on-campus-janbrewer_n_850808.html

Goal #1:
Direct

A Better Understanding of Rhetoric and Persuasion

instruction on rhetorical strategies Analysis of rhetoric in articles and speeches Discussion of vitriolic rhetoric as covered in the media Weekly writings to practice Opinion and Argumentative Research essays with persuasiveness as part of the grade

Goal #2:

Increased Critical Thinking Skills

Students choose a topic within the umbrella they find most interestinglots of flexibility in how they approach it Students asked to think about something that may directly affect them Direct instruction on logical fallacies In-class discussions of controversies related to the topic Activities showing how the different controversies affect one another Discussion of media bias

Goal #3:
Attended

Connection to and Engagement with the Local Community

campus protests Wrote a letter to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Read local news reports Compared local news reports to national and global reports on the same topic

Goal #4:
Required

Familiarity with Research Techniques

to find at least three sources related to the topic on their own Instructed on how to evaluate sources Discussion about bias and subjectivity Taken on a trip to the Universitys Main Library and taught how to find books, etc.

Goal #5:
Required

Ability to Write a Research Essay Citing Outside Sources Appropriately five-page argumentative research essay Directed instruction in summarizing, quoting, and paraphrasing In-class activities practicing in-text citation and Works Cited page creation

Goal #6:
Directed

Clearer, More Specific Writing

instruction in vague vs. specific language Carefully chosen readings (related to the topic) serving as cautionary tales about improper word choice

Sarah Palins Blood Libel speech

Analysis

of word choice and vagueness vs. specificity in public debate about the Tucson Shooting

The Outcome
Students

reported:

A greater sense of connection to the community More awareness of US culture and government Increased critical thinking skills Better understanding of US media More comfort with research and writing in the US academic environment

How Can You Use This?

Focus on a local controversy that is in the news frequently Find something that can serve as an umbrella topic Allow students to explore the controversy on their own through independent research Engage students through direct action (e.g., writing letters, attending protests or rallies) Provide students with clear objectives and goals from the outset so they dont get lost Incorporate humorous or light-hearted sections, especially if the topic is very serious

Discussion
Have

you done anything similar in your classes? What are your concerns about discussing something local and controversial? How would this have been different in an EFL setting rather than ESL? Do you have any suggestions for how this could have been improved?

Questions?

Thank You!
Angel Miller Center for English as a Second Language University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona, USA Email: amiller2@email.arizona.edu Presentation available online at: www.scribd.com