I found this section a bit harder to divide into 5 key points easily.. at this point, both Weaver and Anderson have presented their overarching arguments, and the texts tend to repeat themselves a little bit more than before. Accordingly, this list only contains 4 larger ideas, but should hopefully nonetheless indicate a familiarity with the reading. The first 2 points are essentially the same points from past chapters re-stated, where the 3rd and 4th refer to new concepts.
1. Freewriting deep in experimentation, without emphasis on the 'correctness' or 'quality' of the content, is an essential element of education with regards to developing writing talents.
2. After or during the process of freewriting, elements of the material which make the content effective or less-effective should be discussed, so that these stylistic elements are integrated or removed, with the goal of improving individual writing style.
3. In grammar and structure instruction, classroom wallcharts are more effective than posters because they allow regular and dynamic revision and/or addition, thereby more effectively "keeping up" with student needs.
4. Because writing should be taught in the context of practical application, examples should be derived from actual student or instructor composition, and less from pre-fabricated samples and assignments.
I'm fully in support of the first 3 points here--particularly the idea of using dynamic, ever-growing wallcharts, because these charts develop for the individuals reading them and can change or grow as needed. I can recall instructional posters from my own childhood, but I remember finding the examples given thereupon so stunted and difficult to apply in a broader context that I did not use them in the course of my elementary school education. After elementary school, most of the posters I can recall apply to abstract labor-related concepts such as hard work and not making excuses, and did not contain pedagogical material, and those posters beyond that point are therefore irrelevant here.
The only major point of disagreement I have found with the assigned texts lies in the 4th point, which I derived from Weaver on page 57. Here, in order to obtain the sentences for discussion and instruction, Weaver indicates that examples may be taken from sentences students have written. This may just be my personal opinion, but I DESPISE these exercises and have since I was 5 years old. To me, it violates the "safe" environment of the composition notebook which Weaver describes, in which freedom is granted, to put sentences on public display. Obviously, a student can be asked, but this creates a pressure situation in which there is very little individual autonomy. To be more direct, it puts students "on the spot" and invites their writing to be discussed or dissected at a point when they may not be ready. I can recall this experience many times throughout my school career. Generally speaking, the ordeal goes the same way--the sentence is selected and then picked apart--dissected, usually cruelly--by the class at large. It may be to do, to some extent, with the existing models of grammar, but I tend to believe the ultimate reality of this matter is that students are not kind on their peers work and teachers, though well-intentioned, seem to forget this. If the objective really is fostering individual strength in writing, these surprise sentence trials create too high a level of tension to teach effectively.
I would instead encourage more separation of these two points. The original writing notebook that students use should only be checked for completion (if at all), and from this students should be allowed to compile their own self-designated lists of sentences they wish to discuss, thoughts they wish to better structure, etc. Writing is, like any other creative process, one that does not necessarily need to be completely transparent. Adding this layer of "protection" to student writing would help avoid embarassing or uncomfortable situations for developing writers but not allowing their works to be put "on the spot" for the sake of a larger lesson.
I am excited to discuss these pieces in a larger group discussion, to see how individual experiences among the class have informed opinions on these ideas!
I agree with you when you state about student's writing being out in the open and free for discussion. I always hated that, because it made everyone in the class so worried about being judged and/or picked on for their style of writing. However, I do think that Weaver is correct when saying that teachers should not be using simple sentences or text from a sample book. My idea for using Weaver's method in a classroom would be to use the previous year work written by students' and do not say any names (obviously) when reading/discussing it with the class. This way students do not feel awkward or scared about their work being shared and they are open discuss the text without hurting anyone's feelings.
ReplyDeleteI give all of your observations from this reading a resounding yes, especially your point about changing wallcharts to meet students current writing goals/needs. I can recall that there was an English teacher that I had several times throughout my middle and high school career who NEVER changed his bulletin board examples. Those curled-edged, yellowed papers said a lot about his approach to expression in writing.
ReplyDeleteI admit that I had misgivings about sharing student's writing in class, especially early on. I think that in order to keep the safe environment, I'd keep the writing notebooks between the students and myself at least for the first half of the year until the students felt more confident in sharing and use mentor texts instead.
I like you girls' suggestions about the sharing of sentences! I shared a few of the same ideas about solutions to these problems. Going along with Krista's idea, you could maybe even assign students partners who could share their ideas together throughout the year. Would students think that is really corny? Maybe even groups?
ReplyDeleteIf you are looking for individual esperiences, I only have one story I can think of. I was in tenth grade, and we were writing in our (what do you know!) daily writing journals. It was always the first thing we did after coming into class: respond to the prompt. On this particular day, the prompt was something along the lines of, write a poem about a window. Mine was something sappy, about love... it talked about seeing a new world through the window or something like that. I just remember the last line was, "You are my window." The teacher was going around the room, looking over our shoulders to see what we were writing. It came time to share, and she asked me if she could read mine. I said, no. Then she decided she was going to read it anyway! Why did she even ask me for my preference?! It didn't horribly offend me, or traumatize me; my first reaction was shock, and I am still amazed at the teacher's gusto. This is definitely not the way to use writing journals!
Dude - did you have the Garfield posters in school? I felt like every classroom that I had in high school had Garfield lounging on the walls admonishing my audacity to turn in late work or sleep in class!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I agree that using student writing can be abused, but I think I interpreted the readings a bit differently. I don't think that Anderson advocates putting student sentences on the chopping block. He doesn't select sentences to dissect and criticize. Instead, he gets excited about student writing. So excited, in fact, that he can't help but share what he has read. If done right (and I suppose that is really the key), sharing student writing can be very empowering.
This does require a very positive, free, and trusting classroom environment - but that can be established. That should be established. And, I agree with both you and everyone else: students should be given the choice to share their writing. If they say no, that should be respected.
However, the teacher also must be savvy enough to distinguish between when a student is really uncomfortable with sharing their writing and when they just do not feel confident about their writing.
I know I've already said a lot, but I remember throughout high school and even now, I hesitate from sharing my thoughts, ideas, and writings because I honestly do not believe that they are good.
However, all it takes is for a teacher or professor to say: "Hey. This is good. This is really, really good. I think we can all learn something from this." And with that confidence boost, I am able to see something in my writing. Something worth sharing.
So while I understand your misgivings, I think that if the sharing of student writing is completely eliminated, students lose a valuable learning tool.
Besides, don't we want our students to feel a little uncomfortable in the classroom? Isn't that how we grow - by being prodded out of our boxes? Don't we want them to take risks?
"I would instead encourage more separation of these two points. The original writing notebook that students use should only be checked for completion (if at all), and from this students should be allowed to compile their own self-designated lists of sentences they wish to discuss, thoughts they wish to better structure, etc. Writing is, like any other creative process, one that does not necessarily need to be completely transparent. Adding this layer of "protection" to student writing would help avoid embarassing or uncomfortable situations for developing writers but not allowing their works to be put "on the spot" for the sake of a larger lesson."
ReplyDeleteI really like your point and I myself did not think all the way through about doing it this way. Yes journals are a great idea so that students can enjoy a creative way to express their writing freely. I also agree with you that the original work should be checked by the teacher only for completeness rather than grammar or structure or correctness. This is a student's, probably only, chance to be completely let loose when it comes to writing and that student should not be put down by negative comments that deal with something other than the expression given towards the assignment.
I can see where the use of student writings in classroom examples can hinder the "safe" enviroment of the classroom. Knowing that a piece of work was going to be put on display for the entire classroom adds an unneeded pressure to student writing. The only way I think that this could work is if the teacher as already created a safe student enviroment, where a student would feel comfortable letting their work be displayed for the rest of the class. That being said, however, I only think a students writing should be displayed for the rest of the class if they want to have it displayed. It would instill in students that they should have a sense of pride in their work.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your points about the wall charts being a growing and changing teaching tool. You're right about the fact that posters in upper level classes become less and less about how to write and more and more about...well nothing. I think this is because it's assumed that by the time you reach an upper level English class you're supposed to KNOW the rules for writing, and as we keep discussing in class, most students don't. A writing wall chart should be a must, at least on some level, for nearly every English classroom.