This class has helped me think, practice and reflect on the art of writing and my role as a writer/writing instructor. After rereading my first attempt at a writing philosophy, I realize I still agree with some of the ideas I presented in September, but that because of this writing course, my philosophy has evolved.
One important piece that I left out of my first draft was the simple fact that the only way we improve our writing is to write. We need constant and consistent writing practice in order to improve. This means that relying on worksheets to practice grammar, usage, mechanics and style should not be a constant classroom routine - meaningful writing instruction asks writers to analyze and revise their own work, not a textbook model.
Another feature of writing that I didn't consider in September is the importance of an audience for one's writing. Student and adult writers write to express their thoughts and feelings. This should not remain a solitary act. Including an audience for one's writing is an essential aspect of the writing experience.
Finally and more conclusively, after this course I came to realize how important it is to thoughtfully design writing curriculum on the school level. Too often teachers repeat lessons from grade to grade and lead students through units heavy in textbook practice and light on individual writing practice. These inconsistencies in curriculum set students years back in their writing development. In order to strengthen student writing, we need to ensure that the school's approach to writing instruction is based in research and meaningfully implemented.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Writing with and for an audience
It's funny that this reflection is about writing with and for an audience because my scholarly project topic was on writing for an authentic audience. After reviewing my research and reflecting on the project, I began to feel that all writing should have the opportunity to be shared with an authentic audience. Blogging this semester allowed me to explore my perspective on writing with and for audience and personally, I think writing with the awareness of your audience and having the weekly feedback from my think tank is a valuable experience. This process also inspired me to reflect on my experiences with writing for/with an audience online.
Writing for a select audience on the internet has been a practice of my for the last 15 years. Prior to the advent of blogs, during my high school days in the late 90s, a group of friends and I started to share our thoughts on an email group we called the "hello there" list. ("hello there" was always the subject line) It was just a list of 30-50 people (depending on the year) that we "replied all" to constantly. We discussed school drama, our home lives, music, TV... you name it. I remember how exciting it was to read through my email at the end of the weekend and see that I had 35 messages. A friend of mine still has all of the "hello there" emails saved in a file. I wonder if there's evidence of digitalk on those... I bet the beginning of digital language is there. I know most of us chose not use any capital letters when sharing those emails.
After "hello there" began to dissolve as most of us went to college, I began to keep a livejournal. This was a blogging site that allowed writers to "friend" other writers and to see all of their livejournal posts on a "friends" page. I kept my livejournal page up until the fateful day when I signed up for facebook. :)
Because of my experience with writing for/with an audience online has spanned over 15 years, I some times wonder where I fall on the continuum of digital native/immigrant. I'm comfortable writing in public forms and have been posting my thoughts online for years, but I did adapt to this practice as a young adult. I was not working online when I was 10... does that make me a digital immigrant? I'm grateful I didn't post my 7th grade thoughts online, but if I was in the 7th grade now, I wouldn't have that choice. Is that what makes me a digital immigrant, the fact that I still consider my online filter? My enthusiasm to share online is accompanied by a hint of caution and concern for my future reputation. I'm very interested in the experience of writing digitally and how it continues to evolve. This blogged helped me explore that topic and many more throughout the semester. :)
Writing for a select audience on the internet has been a practice of my for the last 15 years. Prior to the advent of blogs, during my high school days in the late 90s, a group of friends and I started to share our thoughts on an email group we called the "hello there" list. ("hello there" was always the subject line) It was just a list of 30-50 people (depending on the year) that we "replied all" to constantly. We discussed school drama, our home lives, music, TV... you name it. I remember how exciting it was to read through my email at the end of the weekend and see that I had 35 messages. A friend of mine still has all of the "hello there" emails saved in a file. I wonder if there's evidence of digitalk on those... I bet the beginning of digital language is there. I know most of us chose not use any capital letters when sharing those emails.
After "hello there" began to dissolve as most of us went to college, I began to keep a livejournal. This was a blogging site that allowed writers to "friend" other writers and to see all of their livejournal posts on a "friends" page. I kept my livejournal page up until the fateful day when I signed up for facebook. :)
Because of my experience with writing for/with an audience online has spanned over 15 years, I some times wonder where I fall on the continuum of digital native/immigrant. I'm comfortable writing in public forms and have been posting my thoughts online for years, but I did adapt to this practice as a young adult. I was not working online when I was 10... does that make me a digital immigrant? I'm grateful I didn't post my 7th grade thoughts online, but if I was in the 7th grade now, I wouldn't have that choice. Is that what makes me a digital immigrant, the fact that I still consider my online filter? My enthusiasm to share online is accompanied by a hint of caution and concern for my future reputation. I'm very interested in the experience of writing digitally and how it continues to evolve. This blogged helped me explore that topic and many more throughout the semester. :)
Monday, December 5, 2011
Reflection
This course has helped me meaningfully reflect on the way I approach the teaching of writing. Overall, my three take-aways at this point of the class is that the only way you get better at writing is to write, that when assessing writing mechanics less is more and that the act of composing includes more than just typing. All of the reflections I mentioned also apply to the forum of digital writing. Although students may use "digitalk" when they write in online formats, they are still getting writing practice. It's so important to encourage students to explore various forms of self- expression and collaboration. Discouraging students from writing online would be doing everyone a disservice. However, I do believe that students need to pay attention to audience as they're writing- this allows students to naturally code switch and to remind students that writing is a social act. I'm also considering using the word "composing" more often. When we discussed multimodal writing, I realized that I believe multimodal composition can include images, videos and other digital elements. At the start of the class I began to think that writing was more complex than I realized, but now my view of writing is actually more simplistic. Writing is a social act and the act of composition is a form of self expression that should be supported in the classroom, online and everywhere inbetween.
In the next three weeks I hope to complete my scholarly project, update my annotated bibliography, make sure I'm up to date on all of my Learning Log posts and comments, complete my last Sociolinguistics reflection, complete my comprehension presentation and paper, submit IRB for my research apprenticeship... and a partridge in a pear tree... oops, that reminds me... I reeeeealllly need to go shopping as soon as possible!
In the next three weeks I hope to complete my scholarly project, update my annotated bibliography, make sure I'm up to date on all of my Learning Log posts and comments, complete my last Sociolinguistics reflection, complete my comprehension presentation and paper, submit IRB for my research apprenticeship... and a partridge in a pear tree... oops, that reminds me... I reeeeealllly need to go shopping as soon as possible!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Data Collection Practice #4 Survey
(Warning: I was a little confused about this assignment. I wrote "Video Reflection" in the log entry portion of my syllabus, but after looking through a few other blogs it appears that we were supposed to choose a fourth data collection process. Also, I noticed that a few students posted about the Google+ hangout and the grammar presentation- I have not, but please let me know if I should! Sorry, this semester has been a little confusing for me.)
The fourth data collection process I attempted this semester was to create and administer a survey. At my school, all teachers participate in quarter one meetings where the teacher, department chair and school director come together to discuss student progress, data and to reflect on the first quarter. Because the teachers are subject to quarter one reviews, the department chairs (including myself) decided to administer surveys to our respective departments about our progress.
This is where I faced the first hurdle. Because I've conducted survey research before (last Spring in Dr. Turner's class), I volunteered to create the survey document and then upload it to surveymonkey.com. However, because the five department chairs decided to send an identical survey, I had to create several drafts to narrow down what questions should remain on the survey.
My first attempt was:
1.On a scale of 1-10, how positive do you feel about the direction of your department?
2.Do you receive consistent feedback on your lesson plans each week?
3.On a scale of 1-10, how effective do you feel the lesson plan rubric is?
4.On a scale of 1-10, how effective do you feel the Walk-Through Observation form is?
5.Reflecting on the formal observation and quarter 1 meeting procedure, do you have any questions or concerns?
6.Does your department share best practices and lessons with each other?
7.What area of professional development (Lesson Planning, Sharing Resources, Classroom Management etc) do you feel should be addressed more? Please explain.
My final draft, which was approved by the school's executive director was:
1. What is going well with our department?
2. If you could change one thing about our department, what would you change, why would you change it, and how would you change it?
3. What do you find most helpful about the feedback you receive?
4. If you could change one thing about the feedback you receive, what would you change, why would you change it, and how would you change it?
5. What do you find most supportive in our coaching relationship?
6. If you could change one thing about our coaching relationship, what would you change, why would you change it, and how would you change it?
The notable differences between the drafts include the omission of the Likert scale type questions and the clear pattern of questions in the final draft from What is happening to what would you (the teacher) change.
This survey is still in progress. Teachers have until December 9th to complete it, but the data I'm currently receiving has been helpful. Until I receive all the responses, it's difficult to begin coding answers, but I have noticed that the three teachers who have responded have been overwhelmingly positive and are all returning staff members. I'm predicting that the teachers who are short on time and a bit overwhelmed will be the last few to complete the survey, but we'll see. I will add on to this post as soon as all of my responses come in!
The fourth data collection process I attempted this semester was to create and administer a survey. At my school, all teachers participate in quarter one meetings where the teacher, department chair and school director come together to discuss student progress, data and to reflect on the first quarter. Because the teachers are subject to quarter one reviews, the department chairs (including myself) decided to administer surveys to our respective departments about our progress.
This is where I faced the first hurdle. Because I've conducted survey research before (last Spring in Dr. Turner's class), I volunteered to create the survey document and then upload it to surveymonkey.com. However, because the five department chairs decided to send an identical survey, I had to create several drafts to narrow down what questions should remain on the survey.
My first attempt was:
1.On a scale of 1-10, how positive do you feel about the direction of your department?
2.Do you receive consistent feedback on your lesson plans each week?
3.On a scale of 1-10, how effective do you feel the lesson plan rubric is?
4.On a scale of 1-10, how effective do you feel the Walk-Through Observation form is?
5.Reflecting on the formal observation and quarter 1 meeting procedure, do you have any questions or concerns?
6.Does your department share best practices and lessons with each other?
7.What area of professional development (Lesson Planning, Sharing Resources, Classroom Management etc) do you feel should be addressed more? Please explain.
My final draft, which was approved by the school's executive director was:
1. What is going well with our department?
2. If you could change one thing about our department, what would you change, why would you change it, and how would you change it?
3. What do you find most helpful about the feedback you receive?
4. If you could change one thing about the feedback you receive, what would you change, why would you change it, and how would you change it?
5. What do you find most supportive in our coaching relationship?
6. If you could change one thing about our coaching relationship, what would you change, why would you change it, and how would you change it?
The notable differences between the drafts include the omission of the Likert scale type questions and the clear pattern of questions in the final draft from What is happening to what would you (the teacher) change.
This survey is still in progress. Teachers have until December 9th to complete it, but the data I'm currently receiving has been helpful. Until I receive all the responses, it's difficult to begin coding answers, but I have noticed that the three teachers who have responded have been overwhelmingly positive and are all returning staff members. I'm predicting that the teachers who are short on time and a bit overwhelmed will be the last few to complete the survey, but we'll see. I will add on to this post as soon as all of my responses come in!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Document Analysis
I was excited to attempt the process of Document Analysis this week. I constantly work with the writing of my students and now I work with the lesson plans of my department, so the opportunity to analyze the documents I receive weekly was an interesting and time consuming experience. Altheide says, “In general, data analysis consists of extensive reading, sorting, and searching through your materials, comparing within categories, coding, and adding key words and concepts; and then writing minisummaries of categories” and I have to agree. I already have a checklist that I use weekly to provide feedback for my teachers and I figured this checklist would be a good starting point for developing the categories of my document analysis.
Some of the categories I use weekly are:
-Essential Questions and Standards inform the lesson
-Coherent Structure
-Differentiation
-Checks for Understanding/Assessment
-Learning Activities are appropriate, meaningful and valid
Through this protocol (and the use of my weekly lesson plan rubric), I was able to analyze each teacher's lesson plan document and how succesfully the plans met the school lesson plan goals. However, because the process did not prompt me to change the categories I wasn't sure if I had successfully implemented the process.
Some of the categories I use weekly are:
-Essential Questions and Standards inform the lesson
-Coherent Structure
-Differentiation
-Checks for Understanding/Assessment
-Learning Activities are appropriate, meaningful and valid
Through this protocol (and the use of my weekly lesson plan rubric), I was able to analyze each teacher's lesson plan document and how succesfully the plans met the school lesson plan goals. However, because the process did not prompt me to change the categories I wasn't sure if I had successfully implemented the process.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Stimulated Recall
My experience with Stimulated Recall was much more effective than my use of the Think Aloud protocol last week. Although I wish I used Stimulated Recall directly after my Think Aloud, I reintroduced the material and the recording before I asked my student to recall his reasoning during the writing process. My "data" was much more detailed and revealing than the Think Aloud.
For example, when I asked my student how he found the words to explain "his dreams" (the class writing assignment based on Cisnero's The House on Mango Street). He told me, "well I spoke them in my mind, but sometimes when I typed them... I didn't like them so I edited them until I liked them". This appeared to evidence of what Flower and Hayes referred to as goal setting and translation. My student appeared to set a goal for his assignment and then translate his ideas into words.
My second question about the assignment was about my student's use of similes throughout the paper. I was impressed by the use of similes, but I had to ask when he incorporated the literary devices into the paper. He told me that, "after my first draft I thought it looked sweet and good, but then, I wanted to make it amazing and I tried to add the similes. So I read it and thought about where I could add them and the I typed them and and...um... keep the one's I liked the most." This reflection made me think of the revision and discovery part of Flower and Hayes writing process.
Overall, I found this process more effective than the Think Aloud, but I was glad that I had the original recording to refer to during the recall procedure.
For example, when I asked my student how he found the words to explain "his dreams" (the class writing assignment based on Cisnero's The House on Mango Street). He told me, "well I spoke them in my mind, but sometimes when I typed them... I didn't like them so I edited them until I liked them". This appeared to evidence of what Flower and Hayes referred to as goal setting and translation. My student appeared to set a goal for his assignment and then translate his ideas into words.
My second question about the assignment was about my student's use of similes throughout the paper. I was impressed by the use of similes, but I had to ask when he incorporated the literary devices into the paper. He told me that, "after my first draft I thought it looked sweet and good, but then, I wanted to make it amazing and I tried to add the similes. So I read it and thought about where I could add them and the I typed them and and...um... keep the one's I liked the most." This reflection made me think of the revision and discovery part of Flower and Hayes writing process.
Overall, I found this process more effective than the Think Aloud, but I was glad that I had the original recording to refer to during the recall procedure.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Think Aloud Reflection
This week I attempted to gather a useful Think-Aloud recording of a student working through a piece of writing. I was able to get 7 minutes of reflection and speaking from my selected student, but instead of thinking through the editing process, my student really focused on reading aloud his draft and only paused a few times to think about what he was writing and why. After the first read aloud, I asked him to go back and edit and share the similes he included in the piece in an effort to get more details about his writing process. This activity helped me gain insight into his thought process and actually served as a strong understanding check for the student, but it wasn't as authentic as I was hoping the recording would be.
At least I was able to gather such gems as:
"I put a lot of similes because I'm, I'm like nasty at them"
and
"But, I really want to be a wrestler. A hard core, high flyin', sensational hall of famer, like Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock and all of those good people."
At least I was able to gather such gems as:
"I put a lot of similes because I'm, I'm like nasty at them"
and
"But, I really want to be a wrestler. A hard core, high flyin', sensational hall of famer, like Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock and all of those good people."
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Evocative Process and Product!
Process:
It's been years since I've been asked to write an evocative piece, so at first it was hard for me to pick a topic. I usually lean toward writing quirky narratives and I had a few ideas, but I wanted to deviate from the narrative form for this assignment. Once I settled on writing a letter to my cousin, the words initially came quickly, but because I felt a little nervous writing down some of my reflections, I came to class two weeks ago with a very rough draft.
After meeting and sharing my writing with a small group, I decided to revise my work to incorporate more snapshots of my cousin as I remember him. When I completed the first draft, the only audience I was thinking of was my cousin (the letter is addressed to him after all). Dr. Turner and Alessia helped me realize that in order to speak to a larger audience, I was going to have to support some of my musings with memories.
I'm still deciding whether or not I will actually send this letter (or an edited version).
Product:
Dear Johnny,
This letter is difficult to start. I’m not sure what life is like for you now or if anyone else in the family is taking the time to write you. If I’m the first to actually send you a letter, I think it’s important for you to know that everyone thinks about you all of the time. Whenever there’s a family gathering, everyone mentions how much they miss you and how sad this entire experience has been for the family. I’m sure that many have sat down and struggled to put their thoughts to paper, but since I’m the English major of the family, I guess I have the best shot. I do want to let you know that even if this is the first letter- that does not mean you are forgotten. We worry about you all of the time. No one hates you. We all hope you are hanging in there.
Speaking of there, I know it’s awkward to write something casual like, “How are you?” because I can imagine that the answer is far from positive. I also can’t help but wonder, “What’s jail like?” Can I ask that or is it too informal to capture the distance between us? I don’t want to be careless with language here, and I want you to be aware of the fact that although I don’t know what you need to hear, I’m trying my best to support you.
As one of your first cousins in a close-knit family, it was nearly impossible for me to believe that you hurt someone that you cared about so much. I’m not sure what kind of stress you were under when you decided that the best way to communicate your inner turmoil was to violently attack the girl you were staying with in Texas. I didn’t know her, and I’m not sure if she was unkind to you. I can only imagine that she must have broken your heart in the worst possible way. But, even with this image in mind, I can’t quite believe that you felt the only way to solve the problem was to stab her. You’ve always been a gentle and funny kid. I remember the speech you gave at your graduation party. It was so silly and honest. I can see you standing in front of the crowd in a collared shirt and slacks balancing your cue cards and the microphone. Remember when you decided to go off the script to thank your parents and you just threw the cue cards in the air? That was hysterical. When I reflect on that day, I can’t fathom the desperate turn of events that landed you in jail.
Was it the fact that you never had a chance to move out of the house? Did it feel like moving to Texas with this girl was your one way to be a man? Was it because your mom acted a little too protective of you? You were her baby and when you were diagnosed with epilepsy she definitely tried to keep you home and out of harm’s way. I know it was frustrating that she didn’t let you drive for two years after the diagnosis. When was that concert you begged her to drop you off at, but she said it was too dangerous for you to go? I think it was after your senior year of high school. I know that was hard, but she was trying to help you. Was it because this girl was your first serious girlfriend? I know that when you lose your first love it’s hard to imagine that you can ever feel loved again. When my high school boyfriend broke up with me, I didn’t think anyone would ever like me again, but it really does get better. Was it her rejection what made you so hopeless?
I want to know, John. Everyone does. We are all wondering how we can help you and in order to do that, it would help us if you could offer a small glimpse into what you were feeling then and how you feel now. It’s hard for me to imagine that the cousin I remember having movie nights with is completely gone. Even after digesting the fact that you are serving time, I’m still hoping that we can move through this episode as gracefully as possible and that one day the family will get you back and be whole again. Please don’t give up on yourself again, John. We haven’t given up on you.
Love,
Michelle
It's been years since I've been asked to write an evocative piece, so at first it was hard for me to pick a topic. I usually lean toward writing quirky narratives and I had a few ideas, but I wanted to deviate from the narrative form for this assignment. Once I settled on writing a letter to my cousin, the words initially came quickly, but because I felt a little nervous writing down some of my reflections, I came to class two weeks ago with a very rough draft.
After meeting and sharing my writing with a small group, I decided to revise my work to incorporate more snapshots of my cousin as I remember him. When I completed the first draft, the only audience I was thinking of was my cousin (the letter is addressed to him after all). Dr. Turner and Alessia helped me realize that in order to speak to a larger audience, I was going to have to support some of my musings with memories.
I'm still deciding whether or not I will actually send this letter (or an edited version).
Product:
Dear Johnny,
This letter is difficult to start. I’m not sure what life is like for you now or if anyone else in the family is taking the time to write you. If I’m the first to actually send you a letter, I think it’s important for you to know that everyone thinks about you all of the time. Whenever there’s a family gathering, everyone mentions how much they miss you and how sad this entire experience has been for the family. I’m sure that many have sat down and struggled to put their thoughts to paper, but since I’m the English major of the family, I guess I have the best shot. I do want to let you know that even if this is the first letter- that does not mean you are forgotten. We worry about you all of the time. No one hates you. We all hope you are hanging in there.
Speaking of there, I know it’s awkward to write something casual like, “How are you?” because I can imagine that the answer is far from positive. I also can’t help but wonder, “What’s jail like?” Can I ask that or is it too informal to capture the distance between us? I don’t want to be careless with language here, and I want you to be aware of the fact that although I don’t know what you need to hear, I’m trying my best to support you.
As one of your first cousins in a close-knit family, it was nearly impossible for me to believe that you hurt someone that you cared about so much. I’m not sure what kind of stress you were under when you decided that the best way to communicate your inner turmoil was to violently attack the girl you were staying with in Texas. I didn’t know her, and I’m not sure if she was unkind to you. I can only imagine that she must have broken your heart in the worst possible way. But, even with this image in mind, I can’t quite believe that you felt the only way to solve the problem was to stab her. You’ve always been a gentle and funny kid. I remember the speech you gave at your graduation party. It was so silly and honest. I can see you standing in front of the crowd in a collared shirt and slacks balancing your cue cards and the microphone. Remember when you decided to go off the script to thank your parents and you just threw the cue cards in the air? That was hysterical. When I reflect on that day, I can’t fathom the desperate turn of events that landed you in jail.
Was it the fact that you never had a chance to move out of the house? Did it feel like moving to Texas with this girl was your one way to be a man? Was it because your mom acted a little too protective of you? You were her baby and when you were diagnosed with epilepsy she definitely tried to keep you home and out of harm’s way. I know it was frustrating that she didn’t let you drive for two years after the diagnosis. When was that concert you begged her to drop you off at, but she said it was too dangerous for you to go? I think it was after your senior year of high school. I know that was hard, but she was trying to help you. Was it because this girl was your first serious girlfriend? I know that when you lose your first love it’s hard to imagine that you can ever feel loved again. When my high school boyfriend broke up with me, I didn’t think anyone would ever like me again, but it really does get better. Was it her rejection what made you so hopeless?
I want to know, John. Everyone does. We are all wondering how we can help you and in order to do that, it would help us if you could offer a small glimpse into what you were feeling then and how you feel now. It’s hard for me to imagine that the cousin I remember having movie nights with is completely gone. Even after digesting the fact that you are serving time, I’m still hoping that we can move through this episode as gracefully as possible and that one day the family will get you back and be whole again. Please don’t give up on yourself again, John. We haven’t given up on you.
Love,
Michelle
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Writing assessment! Oh my!
When reading Smagorinsky’s Research on Composition, I was disappointed, but not entirely surprised to read about the ongoing struggle teachers, researchers and states grapple with when trying to assess student writing. I mentioned that for many teachers using a rubric to grade writing can be challenging in my philosophy, so I was not surprised when the topic of rubrics and assessment came up in Chapter 3.
While reading through Chapter 3, I was surprised to read about three different types of writing rubrics because throughout my teaching career the word rubric has been thrown around so much that any grading worksheet stapled on top of an essay constitutes a rubric in my mind. The idea of holistic rubrics, primary trait rubrics and analytical rubrics made sense to me and I have to admit that when I think about a rubric, most likely, I’m thinking of an analytical rubric. I’m curious to see if anyone has used a holistic or primary trait rubric because in my experience rubrics have point values assigned to different writing traits and usually tally up to equal 100 points.
As I continued to read about the assessment of Secondary writing, the fact that most rubrics are vague and unclear frustrated me. On page 52, Smagorinsky reports that, “even though American students need not meet high standards for support, elaboration, or precise language, only about a quarter of them score at the level of proficient. The vast majority are not proficient according to the expert definition, even though the standards are vague and not very stringent.”
Honestly, it’s that type of unhelpful confusing state feedback that makes teaching writing utterly perplexing. Later in the chapter, the author reflects on the fact that the high stakes testing environment is impacting the way teachers prepare and present writing instruction (maybe because we’re being graded by the test results) and that some teachers use state sample materials as a model for classroom writing. I hate to admit that I am one of those teachers. Couple this fact with the data on test score gaps and it’s a miracle any of my students can communicate in writing.
Based on the data in this chapter and the bind teachers of high needs schools get into with mandated state tests, I struggle to find advice for my teachers. We need high scores on the test to keep our school open, but the materials provided by the state are weak and bias… so should I even prepare my students for the state format of a single writing snapshot? Maybe I should just teach my students the writing process (rather than a 30 minute response) and hope that they gain the knowledge to support them on this vaguely graded unhelpful state assessment? I don’t know. Maybe I should teach in Kentucky where the state at least values the student’s writing portfolio?
While reading through Chapter 3, I was surprised to read about three different types of writing rubrics because throughout my teaching career the word rubric has been thrown around so much that any grading worksheet stapled on top of an essay constitutes a rubric in my mind. The idea of holistic rubrics, primary trait rubrics and analytical rubrics made sense to me and I have to admit that when I think about a rubric, most likely, I’m thinking of an analytical rubric. I’m curious to see if anyone has used a holistic or primary trait rubric because in my experience rubrics have point values assigned to different writing traits and usually tally up to equal 100 points.
As I continued to read about the assessment of Secondary writing, the fact that most rubrics are vague and unclear frustrated me. On page 52, Smagorinsky reports that, “even though American students need not meet high standards for support, elaboration, or precise language, only about a quarter of them score at the level of proficient. The vast majority are not proficient according to the expert definition, even though the standards are vague and not very stringent.”
Honestly, it’s that type of unhelpful confusing state feedback that makes teaching writing utterly perplexing. Later in the chapter, the author reflects on the fact that the high stakes testing environment is impacting the way teachers prepare and present writing instruction (maybe because we’re being graded by the test results) and that some teachers use state sample materials as a model for classroom writing. I hate to admit that I am one of those teachers. Couple this fact with the data on test score gaps and it’s a miracle any of my students can communicate in writing.
Based on the data in this chapter and the bind teachers of high needs schools get into with mandated state tests, I struggle to find advice for my teachers. We need high scores on the test to keep our school open, but the materials provided by the state are weak and bias… so should I even prepare my students for the state format of a single writing snapshot? Maybe I should just teach my students the writing process (rather than a 30 minute response) and hope that they gain the knowledge to support them on this vaguely graded unhelpful state assessment? I don’t know. Maybe I should teach in Kentucky where the state at least values the student’s writing portfolio?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Philosophy of the Teaching of Writing- a work in progress
Writing has many forms, styles and genres. Part of the appeal of writing is its varied forms of expression. When teaching writing, one must attempt to expose students to this variety and the capacity for freedom of expression that writing offers us, in addition to the structures of grammar, sentence form and paragraphs. This difficult balance is necessary if teachers hope to cultivate a love of writing in their students.
In my experience, students are eager to participate in writing assignments early in the year when many of the assessments have a personal and creative bend. Yet, as the school year progresses, teachers focus mainly on paragraph structure and grammar which begins to become the sole focus of student writing. This structural focus eventually disengages young writers in the English classroom.
Part of the struggle that surrounds the teaching of writing is the daunting process of grading written work. In reaction to the complaint that the grading of writing is at times subjective and arbitrary, many teachers of writing have adopted rubrics to guide the grading process. Unfortunately, in many classrooms, the rubric based approach to grading leads to the teacher focusing on the easily measurable aspects of writing such as grammar and form. If this is the case, classroom feedback regarding writing leaves students correcting surface errors instead of analyzing style and purpose.
One solution I see to this dilemma is to treat writing as an individual process. Although it is a challenge to manage in a classroom, teachers must strive to treat students as writers with their own style, strengths and weaknesses. In this format, student conferencing and dialogue journals would function to support each student individually. Also, teachers would have to break the habit of relying solely on rubrics as a form of feedback. Students should maintain writing portfolios throughout the year. If used properly, writing portfolios will allow teachers and students to monitor individual growth in their work throughout the year.
In order to teach students to become writers, we must treat them as writers; as individuals expressing ideas. Although form and structure should be taught and individually monitored, teachers cannot afford to cut corners and leave the art of writing behind.
In my experience, students are eager to participate in writing assignments early in the year when many of the assessments have a personal and creative bend. Yet, as the school year progresses, teachers focus mainly on paragraph structure and grammar which begins to become the sole focus of student writing. This structural focus eventually disengages young writers in the English classroom.
Part of the struggle that surrounds the teaching of writing is the daunting process of grading written work. In reaction to the complaint that the grading of writing is at times subjective and arbitrary, many teachers of writing have adopted rubrics to guide the grading process. Unfortunately, in many classrooms, the rubric based approach to grading leads to the teacher focusing on the easily measurable aspects of writing such as grammar and form. If this is the case, classroom feedback regarding writing leaves students correcting surface errors instead of analyzing style and purpose.
One solution I see to this dilemma is to treat writing as an individual process. Although it is a challenge to manage in a classroom, teachers must strive to treat students as writers with their own style, strengths and weaknesses. In this format, student conferencing and dialogue journals would function to support each student individually. Also, teachers would have to break the habit of relying solely on rubrics as a form of feedback. Students should maintain writing portfolios throughout the year. If used properly, writing portfolios will allow teachers and students to monitor individual growth in their work throughout the year.
In order to teach students to become writers, we must treat them as writers; as individuals expressing ideas. Although form and structure should be taught and individually monitored, teachers cannot afford to cut corners and leave the art of writing behind.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Participants Page- About me.
Hello fellow writers! My name is Michelle Walker. I live in Queens with my husband and two cats. I love to read, write, travel and teach. This is my fourth year in the LLL program at Fordham and also my fourth year teaching in the city. For the last three years, I've been working with an energetic group of 7th Graders at New Heights Academy Charter School in West Harlem. I'm still at NHACS this year, but I accepted the position of Department Chair of English this summer and now my job consists of overseeing and supporting 16 teachers grade 5-12. Although I loved teaching middle school in the city, I actually started my teaching career in the suburbs of Connecticut where I taught 9th, 10th and 11th graders for five years. Both jobs have impacted my persona in the classroom and my relationship with the world of education. I'm personally thrilled to be part of this class. I thoroughly enjoy the peace of writing, but I have to admit that over the last three years, I have rarely produced any writing for pure enjoyment. I hope this class rekindles my passion for writing. I'm looking forward to working with all of you!
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