Drip. Drip. Drip. Splat! That's the sound of my tears falling on the keyboard as I tap out my last blog. No, I'm just kidding. I'm not crying, but I am saddened. Blogging has been a great, big part of my life the last few months. I've (surprisingly) truly enjoyed learning through this mode. When first told that we would be keeping a blog, my first
reaction was honestly a mixture of confusion and annoyance. I've always
hated keeping journals for classes... and I thought that this blog thing was
going to be just a digital extension of one. I didn't understand the point of blogs either... weren't these just things weirdos dreamt up because they thought their thoughts were super important and that others would want to read them? But then we actually started blogging and I fell in love with it. I realized that this space was meant for reflection... good honest reflection that could be done all at one time or in pieces. The format allowed me to peer deeper into my understanding because I could quickly and efficiently tap out my thoughts. Wooops.. I didn't like something - no problem-O! I wanted to rearrange an earlier thought to a later one... click, click, done! I had organized, thought out reflections, neatly typed, written in my own voice and published in the style I desired.
The flexibility of the blog allowed me to fully engage in the topics we studied throughout the semester. There were a few objectives in particular, that by keeping a blog, I was able to fully realize. I now truly understand "the role of metacognition in writing proficiency and reading comprehension". Blogging helped me to practice the different writing strategies good writers do (Heck! I was forced to in order to keep up with the amount of writing that is required!). We've learned in this class and others, that during the drafting process, getting down a meaningful message is most important. While I understand this idea, it is not natural for me. I often construct text sentence by sentence, making sure it "sounds right" and everything is spelled correctly before I move on. In writing this past semester I've forced myself to follow this advice, to just write, let the ideas flow out of me and then come back and edit. While before I felt disappointed if I deleted much of my first draft (or felt that I had just wasted a bunch of time) now I know this is actually good and encouraged! I'm OK with making my original first paragraph my last or my third! I'm slightly OK with even deleting it (truthfully, this still makes me twinge a bit, but I'm getting over it!). This retraining if you will, has allowed me to have fun creating more robust pieces that I'm extraordinarily proud of.
In regards to the other learning outcomes, such as understanding the variety of genres readers use, the role of purpose and audience in writing and reading, and writing assessment and evaluation this blog has given me a place to reflect, test out and flesh out my issues. At the beginning of this class I was terrified of grading my students' writing. I know that I'm a "good writer" and the teacher... but how did I explain to them why their writing was "good" or not. I've explored this question a couple times now in this blog, and by doing so, I was able to come to an answer and now feel confident in doing this task. Tied with what I found out about assessment, was my realization of the importance of audience. While I've always heard "consider your audience" I had never made the connection that your audiences' needs and expectations will govern how and what you write (think voice and structure). I believe, personally knowing my audience and reading their feedback, that my style of writing in this arena is not only OK, but welcomed. Therefore I've safely been able to explore writing styles and techniques I was too scared to before.
The obvious outcome that was substantically taugt by the use of this blog (and help from Hicks ) was gaining knowledge and proficiency in new digital literacies -at least in blogging. As stated earlier, I have a completely new outlook on the purpose and function of blogs. I've been using them now for only a month or so in my own classes with juniors and seniors, and I am continually impressed by what my students compose. Blogging will definitely be a tool I utilize in my own classroom to help students learn both environmental content but also to gain digital proficiency of their own.
I found that using blogs was not only a learning tool for the individual, but for the class to learn and explore with each other. I often turned to others blogs as a resource in times of confusion or need for inspiration. It allowed me to see into other people's minds which is often useful when learning something new. Drip. Drip. Drip. Splat! Oh gosh, here comes the last few sentences... In short, blogging was the main reason why I learned so much in this class and had such an awesomely fantastic time taking it. It helped me learn the objectives of this course because I was engaged in thoughtful reflection that was personal but not private. Knowing that I had an audience, helped me to be more specific in my thoughts and creative in my writing. So, thank you Dr. Jones for forcing us to blog because I would have never done it without the push. I never thought I would say this but... I'm a bonafide blogger, and proud of it!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Entry 11: To new friends...
As I think back over the past couple months... I've come to the realization that I knew the genres, but I didn't really know the genres. I had a lot of the superficial details about them in my mind, but I didn't have a deep understanding or appreciation for them. They weren't real to me. The genres were something taught in high school, that I was expected to know, but never expected to really use.
So which of these genres am I still unsure of? Well it would have to be poetry and biographical writing. Even though I no longer despise them, I'm just not familiar with them. I believe I just need some time to develop a true friendship... and I'm going to actively try and do this. The one autobiography that kept catching my eye over the past year or so was Tina Fey's Bossy Pants. I think one, because I get a good vibe from Tina Fey, in whatever movie or show that she is in. And two, I like that she uses man arms on her front cover. How fun... especially in an age when many famous women are trying desperately to make themselves look like the "ideal image", here comes Tina Fey, miss bossypants.... with giant hairy man arms. I would like to get a beer with Tina and pick her mind. Since I can't, the next best thing seems to be able to read her book... with a beer:) Which by the way... I just ordered via kindle and will start reading as soon as I have some free time!
About five years after high school, I got reacquainted with some classmates that I had never really talked to in high school. One gal because she was rude and one guy because he was kind of strange. I became friends with these people later in life because either my view on them had changed, they had changed... or maybe I had at one time misread them and my new perception was more accurate (they were actually pretty decent people). Either way, had I maintained my original idea of who they were, I would have missed out on some great friendships and good times. I find that I've had a similar experience with this class. I am extraordinarily pleased that I was able to get reacquainted with the genres. I feel like I've caught up with old misunderstood friends who I don't plan on losing touch with anytime soon!
Coming into this class, I felt comfortable with the narrative, personal, persuasive and expository genres. These guys were my friends, I interact with them often both in my personal and professional life. I came to learn them better though throughout this class, building a deeper appreciation for their different and specific characteristics. I found it similar to meeting my husbands family for the first time, where in I was able to have a greater appreciation for his idiosyncrasies now that I knew this whole new layer of information! I found different uses for the journal genre (simulated journals to be used in my science classes) and was reminded of how confusing the expository genre can be. While I'm perfectly comfortable with the expository genre's text structure (ie. compare/contrast, sequence, etc.) and text features (bold vocabulary words, headings and subheadings) I had somewhat forgotten how difficult this text can be for students who do not have a good understanding of this genre. I was happy to have this gentle reminder and will be sure to keep this in the forefront when teaching my students how to transact with expository text.
Upon walking through the doors, I had two enemies lurking about: Poetry and Biographical Writing. When Dr. Jones asked which of the genres we didn't want to learn about because we already had a good understanding, I was silently praying that the class would choose one if not both of the dreaded genres to cast aside. I had already learned how horrible they were once (or maybe a few dozen times throughout my school career) I did not want to learn about them again.Alas, they were not shunned and abandoned like I'd hoped...so I was forced to revisit them. That's a good thing too... or boy would I have been missing out! My blog entries nine and ten vividly show how my perspective on these particular genres has changed.
The genre that I didn't know much about was descriptive writing. Given this genre for my expert presentation was one of the biggest blessings. I not only learned about the descriptive genre, I embraced it. My blog entries after my expert genre presentation are starkly different from the entries prior. (Check it out... entry seven: A Fluke was published on March 25, only a few days after Nicole and I presented on the wonderful world of Descriptive Writing). This change was due to my new found love for the descriptive genre. My writing now has a strong, sometimes quirky, voice. It sounds like me. It is thoughtful, descriptive and interesting. It's fun - fun to read, but maybe more importantly (for me anyways) its fun to write.
So which of these genres am I still unsure of? Well it would have to be poetry and biographical writing. Even though I no longer despise them, I'm just not familiar with them. I believe I just need some time to develop a true friendship... and I'm going to actively try and do this. The one autobiography that kept catching my eye over the past year or so was Tina Fey's Bossy Pants. I think one, because I get a good vibe from Tina Fey, in whatever movie or show that she is in. And two, I like that she uses man arms on her front cover. How fun... especially in an age when many famous women are trying desperately to make themselves look like the "ideal image", here comes Tina Fey, miss bossypants.... with giant hairy man arms. I would like to get a beer with Tina and pick her mind. Since I can't, the next best thing seems to be able to read her book... with a beer:) Which by the way... I just ordered via kindle and will start reading as soon as I have some free time!About five years after high school, I got reacquainted with some classmates that I had never really talked to in high school. One gal because she was rude and one guy because he was kind of strange. I became friends with these people later in life because either my view on them had changed, they had changed... or maybe I had at one time misread them and my new perception was more accurate (they were actually pretty decent people). Either way, had I maintained my original idea of who they were, I would have missed out on some great friendships and good times. I find that I've had a similar experience with this class. I am extraordinarily pleased that I was able to get reacquainted with the genres. I feel like I've caught up with old misunderstood friends who I don't plan on losing touch with anytime soon!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Entry 10: I Had to Know What Elyse was Thinking...
Biographies - Blah! or I Had to Know What Elyse was Thinking.
These were the two options for the title of my post this week. Both we're fitting. Alas, I could only use one, so I wanted to make sure everyone knew about the other title I considered. And that this second title would have set the stage right a way as to what my original thoughts were on the biographical genre. Biographies are disdainful. Which is silly now that I reflect on it. I should owe a whole heap of thanks to the biographical genre because this genre values my thoughts, what I think and what I feel... which I clearly love to share in this blog! As I perused the posts of my fellow bloggers in the quest to "bless, address or press" I kept coming back to Elyse's 9th post. Her entry "The Power of Biographical Writing" struck something inside of me. My first blessing is to Elyse's easy-going but definite voice in her blog... I could hear her message loud and clear: "People... do not overlook biographies and autobiographies!" Although I tried to ignore her (while I like the more abstract autobiography pieces like Life Boxes and Bio Bags, I wanted nothing to do with biographical books) Elyse's strong voice combined with her personal narrative and use of pictures kept drawing me back. Not only did I find her blog pleasing and interesting to look at, it was informative. See, I had one burning question that I had to have answered: Why would anyone want to willingly learn more about the biographical genre. I had to know what Elyse was thinking.
Biographical writing has never held much interest to me. I'm not really sure why - part of it might be that I was only given "boring" biographies as a small child. I do know however that, like most children, my thoughts and experiences were marginalized as I got older, leaving me with the distinct impression that no one (besides my mom who does by the way read this blog on a weekly bases) would be interested in reading about what I think, therefore writing any type of personal narrative was out of the question. "Get rid of the 'I think's Alyse, no one cares what you think" -an actual quote from numerous teachers! Don't get me wrong, I know that you can't have a paper filled with "I think this", but what an interesting message to send to a developing writer...
Thus, my experiences over time with the genre allowed me to to develop my own personal definition for "biography" which is: A biography is a small book with no book cover, just dull book flaps which are usually a brownish-red color. The front cover is home to the "interesting person's name", in a not so interesting font with no pictures. It smells musty. The pages are stained dingy (the color of a four year old use-to-be-white-but-not-quite-so-now Hanes T-shirt). It is located in the back of the library, with the rest of the boring books. The biography fits in here nicely, because its a dull book, written about a person that might/should be important, but who's life is described in a matter-of-fact way. The voice of the text could only be described as voiceless. One does not get excited, laugh, cry or is in anyway entertained when reading a biography. Biography = dull.
Now you know why I read Elyse's blog over and over again. How could she have such revere for this type of genre. I had to find out why! It was Elyse's second paragraph that answered my question. As she described how most folks think "boring" when they hear the word "Biography", I thought to myself: Hey! She's talking about me (except for in my mind I actually sing BOOOOORRR-rrrinnnng). Elyse goes on to say: "Biographies and autobiographies are intriguing, compelling, and sometimes ridiculously funny... I even laugh to myself-- sort of in a way that would potentially call my sanity into question-- when I think of something funny each of these authors have written. What a shame that people might be missing out!".
I appreciated that Elyse took the time to explain why she chose the biographical genre and what biographical texts she held near and dear. Which ironically may be exactly why I might actually enjoy the genre. While I love reading stories, that's all they are, stories. Yes, they might be based in fact and they might have a moral to them, but they aren't about real people. I like to know about people, sometimes it's purely because I'm nosy, but it's mostly because I like to learn and I believe you learn a lot from knowing another perspective and simply listening to (or reading about) what others have to say.
The second part of Elyse's blog I wanted to bless was her point that personal narratives can be used to scaffold instruction of more difficult and abstract texts. Tompkins (2009) states "Students' greatest source of information for writing is their own experiences" (pg. 233). As literacy specialists, we know that when students are learning a new reading or writing strategy, most of their cognitive resources need to be devoted to meeting this new challenge. Having students focus on a topic that they are familiar with (themselves) gives them the flexibility to practice the new skill while having ample background knowledge to easily draw from. There is a second very important reason for using biographical writing when exploring new topics... it can help to motivate the writer. Radcliff (the author Elyse quoted in her blog) used personal narratives to not only scaffold, but also to help build intrinsic motivation. I clearly see the benefit of this in my own posts. I get the intrinsic motivation to write and learn about something I originally despised, because I see how it relates to moi! I like to reflect on my initial beliefs and where those beliefs came from. Not only because it helps to clarify the message I'm trying to construct, but also, for pedagogical reasons... I want to know what happened to me so that I don't do the same thing to my own students.
While I know in my heart-of-hearts I've not yet fully ready to pick up a biography/autobiography, I'm going to start giving them a try...this summer. In the mean time I promise not to tell any impressionable youngsters my slightly biased definition of biography!
ps. I do have one issue to press with Elyse. Would you have a suggestion for an autobiography (I'm thinking funny!) that this Alyse would enjoy?
Works Cited
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product
(6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
(6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Entry 9: I don't Want to Write a Poem and You Can't Make Me! stomp stomp stomp
A month or so ago, I was talking with Dr. Jones about my genre project and she suggested that I think about writing a poem.
"Hmmm... naaaaaooooo. I don't think so. I don't really like poems" was my response. Dr. Jones knew that I was trying to write something "fun" and with voice, so she persisted, telling me that I didn't have to write a poem that rhymed and that poems could be very creative.
"You should consider it" she said.
"I'll think about" I replied
I did NOT want to write a poem. That's what I thought about... very loudly in my head. If my thoughts had feet, they would have been stomping. Acutely aware of my internal hissy fit, the adult in me perked up. See, as I've gotten older, I've started to force myself into exploring things that I'm initially adverse to. As much as I hate to admit this, usually I shy away from things that I think will be too hard or too much work. This case was different however, I just plain don't like poetry! I didn't want to write a poem. Now I know I haven't always felt this way. I believe my disdain for poetry came (here's a shocker) from multiple bad experiences in high school. The straw that broke the camels back however was this one: I was trying to write a haiku in history and there were all these stupid rules I had to follow, so of course I didn't (wasn't able) to write the poem "correctly". Not only did I fail at writing the poem, I had just a phenomenally boring time doing it. I don't remember what I was supposed to learn that day, but here is what I did: Poetry was difficult, stupid and pointless. I learned to shun the genre.
"If you don't try it out you won't know if you like it and you might miss out on something really great" I told the little girl throwing a tantrum inside of me. So, I stopped silently yelling "No, I won't do it!", put on my big girl pants, and started considering how to go about writing a poem. I did this with great effort and dread, and eagerly awaited the expert presentation on the genre, silently hoping (praying and wishing) that I would be inspired. This is where I owe Lexi and Jackie a BIG THANK YOU, because I left that presentation with exactly what I needed. A new outlook on poetry and a desire to give it another chance. Thank you ladies for banishing my high school grievances!
This is what I learned about poetry: I don't have to write a poem that rhymes and poems can be very creative. Hmm... look at that, Dr. Jones was right! Poetry is a celebration of the unconventional. It allows people the freedom to construct a message in a unique way, placing more emphasis on the meaning of the text instead of following traditional form. Poems can be structured or free-verse, with a focus on detail or figurative speech. Or (and here's the best part) you can smash up and reconfigure the "rules", types of writing and structure of the text to create something unique. Writing like this forces the author to consider an idea, topic or feeling more deeply and/or from a different point of view; it requires higher-order thinking and can be a difficult but rewarding task.
So where did my high school teachers go wrong? First and foremost, they imposed too many rules which smothered the creative process. The message that should have been stressed was this: "Poets choose words carefully and structure lines and stanzas in creative ways" (Tompkins, 2009, p. 156). Thinking back to the haiku disaster it is important to include this note; the objective of the lesson that day was not to learn how to write a haiku, it was to more fully engage in a historical topic discussed in class (which of course I don't remember what that was now). Our teacher should have given us options. Tompkins would have suggested the use of formula poems for this would have provided us with enough direction and structure to start, but also enough wiggle room to think out-side-the-box (Tompkins, 2009). Having a variety of poetic devices to pick from would have allowed the author to choose what type of poem best fit the message trying to be expressed, instead of trying to force meaning into 17 measly syllables. Said in a different way, form should have come later in the drafting process and it should have been flexible. Hm... I've heard this before... maybe Dr. Jone's does know what she's talking about :)
While I'm going to create a poem for my genre project, I thought that I would try out the process here (since this is the first "real" poem I've written in ten years). I took Tompkins' advice and used the formula poem "I used to be... Now I am..." because according to her, this poem would help me to explore how something (myself) has changed over time (Tompkins, 2009). I thought it was quite appropriate concerning my new found appreciation for the poetry genre.
"Hmmm... naaaaaooooo. I don't think so. I don't really like poems" was my response. Dr. Jones knew that I was trying to write something "fun" and with voice, so she persisted, telling me that I didn't have to write a poem that rhymed and that poems could be very creative.
"You should consider it" she said.
"I'll think about" I replied
I did NOT want to write a poem. That's what I thought about... very loudly in my head. If my thoughts had feet, they would have been stomping. Acutely aware of my internal hissy fit, the adult in me perked up. See, as I've gotten older, I've started to force myself into exploring things that I'm initially adverse to. As much as I hate to admit this, usually I shy away from things that I think will be too hard or too much work. This case was different however, I just plain don't like poetry! I didn't want to write a poem. Now I know I haven't always felt this way. I believe my disdain for poetry came (here's a shocker) from multiple bad experiences in high school. The straw that broke the camels back however was this one: I was trying to write a haiku in history and there were all these stupid rules I had to follow, so of course I didn't (wasn't able) to write the poem "correctly". Not only did I fail at writing the poem, I had just a phenomenally boring time doing it. I don't remember what I was supposed to learn that day, but here is what I did: Poetry was difficult, stupid and pointless. I learned to shun the genre.
"If you don't try it out you won't know if you like it and you might miss out on something really great" I told the little girl throwing a tantrum inside of me. So, I stopped silently yelling "No, I won't do it!", put on my big girl pants, and started considering how to go about writing a poem. I did this with great effort and dread, and eagerly awaited the expert presentation on the genre, silently hoping (praying and wishing) that I would be inspired. This is where I owe Lexi and Jackie a BIG THANK YOU, because I left that presentation with exactly what I needed. A new outlook on poetry and a desire to give it another chance. Thank you ladies for banishing my high school grievances!
This is what I learned about poetry: I don't have to write a poem that rhymes and poems can be very creative. Hmm... look at that, Dr. Jones was right! Poetry is a celebration of the unconventional. It allows people the freedom to construct a message in a unique way, placing more emphasis on the meaning of the text instead of following traditional form. Poems can be structured or free-verse, with a focus on detail or figurative speech. Or (and here's the best part) you can smash up and reconfigure the "rules", types of writing and structure of the text to create something unique. Writing like this forces the author to consider an idea, topic or feeling more deeply and/or from a different point of view; it requires higher-order thinking and can be a difficult but rewarding task.
So where did my high school teachers go wrong? First and foremost, they imposed too many rules which smothered the creative process. The message that should have been stressed was this: "Poets choose words carefully and structure lines and stanzas in creative ways" (Tompkins, 2009, p. 156). Thinking back to the haiku disaster it is important to include this note; the objective of the lesson that day was not to learn how to write a haiku, it was to more fully engage in a historical topic discussed in class (which of course I don't remember what that was now). Our teacher should have given us options. Tompkins would have suggested the use of formula poems for this would have provided us with enough direction and structure to start, but also enough wiggle room to think out-side-the-box (Tompkins, 2009). Having a variety of poetic devices to pick from would have allowed the author to choose what type of poem best fit the message trying to be expressed, instead of trying to force meaning into 17 measly syllables. Said in a different way, form should have come later in the drafting process and it should have been flexible. Hm... I've heard this before... maybe Dr. Jone's does know what she's talking about :)
While I'm going to create a poem for my genre project, I thought that I would try out the process here (since this is the first "real" poem I've written in ten years). I took Tompkins' advice and used the formula poem "I used to be... Now I am..." because according to her, this poem would help me to explore how something (myself) has changed over time (Tompkins, 2009). I thought it was quite appropriate concerning my new found appreciation for the poetry genre.
I use to Hate Poetry, especially Haiku
I use to be a person that hated poems.
Now I am a person that is ready to give them another chance.
I used to be a person that was scared to break the rules
of writing.
Now I am a person that is still timid
but willing to try.
I used to be a person that would never willingly write poetry.
Now I am a person that is excited by the possibilities.
I used to be a person that hated haiku.
Now I am a person that sill does!
(but I think that's just fine!)
Works Cited
Works Cited
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product
(6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
(6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Entry 8: This post is good
What makes writing good? This is a question that I keep asking myself. While I'm starting to formulate an answer, it keeps shifting and changing like a meandering river. For an example, I look at the last sentence. Was it a good sentence? I think it was because I was using the figurative language technique, a characteristic of the descriptive genre, to help the reader get a better understanding of what I meant (Tompkins, 2009). But then I start doubting myself. While I don't believe I've ever been told (actually that's not true I do remember one specific time in undergrad) not to be creative or humorous in writing a text, I believe it has been strongly implied throughout my high school and college career. Therefore, I'm extremely uncomfortably writing similes or adding anything remotely creative to my pieces for fear that it will be crossed out with a big red slash.
What makes this question even more difficult to answer is the implications it will have towards my students. If I don't know the EXACT answer to this question, then how am I to assess their writing, more importantly, how do I help them to become good writers? Since two heads are better than one, I turned to my peers and their blogs to gain some perspective.
One particular blog that got me thinking was Kristine's, more specifically, her sixth post titled "Assessing Student Writing". Kristine stated in her blog "Writing, for the most part, should be a personal experience that can transcend the author into a creative mindset. In my opinion, journal writing and personal narrative pieces should only be graded if the writer gives permission to the teacher. Otherwise, these pieces should be viewed from a stand point that invokes creativity and originality." I would like to bless this statement. Writing should be an act of exploration and creativity. For our students to truly explore a topic, whether it be focused on something personal or informational, constrictions and rules often hinder this process rather than help it. Therefore I think it is EXTREMELY important to emphasize creativity and constructing a meaningful, purposeful message. I would actually take this idea, and go one step further...
Kristine also wrote: "On the other hand, educational pieces such as reports, informative writing, responses to literature, summaries, and persuasive essays should all be assessed using the basic fundamentals of Standard English. Did the student spell everything correctly? Were proper mechanics and grammar used? Did the student carry out all of the indicated objectives? This is the time to fully grade a student's writing piece-- when it matters to the audience who is reading it." This statement I would like to press. Before taking this class, I would have completely agreed with this statement, I may have even agreed with it two weeks ago, but now I'm not so sure. Shouldn't we maybe include this idea of creativity in the more "standard" writing assignments as well, not just in personal or narrative writing?
In reflecting on this second statement I think about "real life" reports, informative writing and essays which are included in magazines such as National Geographic. For the most part, I do not like (or usually continue to read) text that is written in perfect standard English and follows standard grammar. I like when text sounds authentic and carries with it a definite voice, furthermore I prefer that voice to be smart and witty. Therefore, if I wouldn't bother to read what I consider "boring" real world text, then why would I promote that type of writing in my own class? Which leads me back to Kristine's statement... if I don't completely agree that class assignments should be assessed by following the basic fundamental of standard English (which by the way I don't completely disagree with either) then how will writing be assessed?!
I turned to an article that I've recently read entitled "What Makes Writing Good" (Nauman, Stirling & Borthwick, 2011). The authors of this paper conducted a study to try and answer this question. Their study group included teachers, students and professional (published) writers. What they found was that different people had different views on what constituted "good" writing. One group found creativity to be vital, while another choose organization as a top priority and a third group prised proper spelling and grammar (each of these groups contained a heterogeneous mixture of the population polled). The authors concluded that when writing is assessed it is subjected to thejudge's assessor's opinion, thus in order for students to write a "good" piece they must understand who their audience is and what their expectations are. What I took away from this is that differing views on what makes writing "good" is not inherently bad but can be confusing when not properly discussed. Teachers must clearly explain that considering audience is an integral part of the writing process and will determine what style of writing, tone and word choice is appropriate for a student's piece.
This last point leads me to my newest understanding of what makes writing good, how to teach it and finally how to assess it. Students must clearly understand their audience, whether they are choosing for themselves or it is given to them. Teachers must clearly understand to whom the student is writing to and put themselves in the mindset of the designated audience. Finally, to gain experience and become "good" writers, students must be given ample opportunity to explore not only different genres but also different audiences who may view certain aspects of writing more important than others.
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product
What makes this question even more difficult to answer is the implications it will have towards my students. If I don't know the EXACT answer to this question, then how am I to assess their writing, more importantly, how do I help them to become good writers? Since two heads are better than one, I turned to my peers and their blogs to gain some perspective.
One particular blog that got me thinking was Kristine's, more specifically, her sixth post titled "Assessing Student Writing". Kristine stated in her blog "Writing, for the most part, should be a personal experience that can transcend the author into a creative mindset. In my opinion, journal writing and personal narrative pieces should only be graded if the writer gives permission to the teacher. Otherwise, these pieces should be viewed from a stand point that invokes creativity and originality." I would like to bless this statement. Writing should be an act of exploration and creativity. For our students to truly explore a topic, whether it be focused on something personal or informational, constrictions and rules often hinder this process rather than help it. Therefore I think it is EXTREMELY important to emphasize creativity and constructing a meaningful, purposeful message. I would actually take this idea, and go one step further...
Kristine also wrote: "On the other hand, educational pieces such as reports, informative writing, responses to literature, summaries, and persuasive essays should all be assessed using the basic fundamentals of Standard English. Did the student spell everything correctly? Were proper mechanics and grammar used? Did the student carry out all of the indicated objectives? This is the time to fully grade a student's writing piece-- when it matters to the audience who is reading it." This statement I would like to press. Before taking this class, I would have completely agreed with this statement, I may have even agreed with it two weeks ago, but now I'm not so sure. Shouldn't we maybe include this idea of creativity in the more "standard" writing assignments as well, not just in personal or narrative writing?
In reflecting on this second statement I think about "real life" reports, informative writing and essays which are included in magazines such as National Geographic. For the most part, I do not like (or usually continue to read) text that is written in perfect standard English and follows standard grammar. I like when text sounds authentic and carries with it a definite voice, furthermore I prefer that voice to be smart and witty. Therefore, if I wouldn't bother to read what I consider "boring" real world text, then why would I promote that type of writing in my own class? Which leads me back to Kristine's statement... if I don't completely agree that class assignments should be assessed by following the basic fundamental of standard English (which by the way I don't completely disagree with either) then how will writing be assessed?!
I turned to an article that I've recently read entitled "What Makes Writing Good" (Nauman, Stirling & Borthwick, 2011). The authors of this paper conducted a study to try and answer this question. Their study group included teachers, students and professional (published) writers. What they found was that different people had different views on what constituted "good" writing. One group found creativity to be vital, while another choose organization as a top priority and a third group prised proper spelling and grammar (each of these groups contained a heterogeneous mixture of the population polled). The authors concluded that when writing is assessed it is subjected to the
This last point leads me to my newest understanding of what makes writing good, how to teach it and finally how to assess it. Students must clearly understand their audience, whether they are choosing for themselves or it is given to them. Teachers must clearly understand to whom the student is writing to and put themselves in the mindset of the designated audience. Finally, to gain experience and become "good" writers, students must be given ample opportunity to explore not only different genres but also different audiences who may view certain aspects of writing more important than others.
Nauman, D.A., Stirling, T., Borthwick, A. (2011). What makes writing good?
An essential question for teachers. The Reading Teacher, 64(5),
318-328.
An essential question for teachers. The Reading Teacher, 64(5),
318-328.
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product
(6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Entry 7: A Fluke
Over the past few weeks I have been as busy as a beaver, no that's not busy enough, make that as busy as a twenty something year old, third year teacher still working late at school in order to create the best lessons ever while simultaneously trying to keep laundry baskets and kitchen sinks empty, bathroom counters and kitchen floors sparkling, dinner tables full with healthy, delicious, home made goodness and doggies properly exercised, all while taking a grad class that (rightly so) requires lots of writing and thinking... and oh yeah... also trying to maintain a healthy relationship with a husband, parents, in-laws and friends. Now I know this is not the place to vent, but perhaps it will help explain why it's been some time since I've blogged. Like I've mentioned in my last post, I LOVE my blogging time, but I've been so tired over the past couple weeks, I didn't want to blog because it felt like work and not only did I not have the desire to do more work, I felt like I was going to have a melt down if I did. I was exhausted, and I was too tired to sit down and think... and then write... and then think... and then re-write.
Now it wasn't that I was simply ignoring this class. I had spent many hours researching and working on my expert genre presentation. And I've spent even more time doing research and planning for my genre piece project. But during the past week, I had started on a downward spiral. I was starting to become frustrated because I couldn't nail down exactly what I was going to create for my first piece with the information that I had collected, and because of this, I also didn't know if I had collected enough information... so then I kept trying to find more. I started to dread the assignment. Today, as I tap out my blog, I realize now what my problem was.
Deep down I still have that unfortunate tendency to think of writing assignments purely as a chore, with one way of doing it - the five (or 25) paragraph research paper. Even though you told me not to Dr. Jones, I had somewhat subconsciously constrained and restrained my thinking by designating my first piece to be a somewhat traditional research paper. Oh yes, it was going to take the shape of something different and digital (a Prezi) but it was still going to have the same formula. And this was just not exciting... it was again more work. So then... I started putting off my genre piece too.
Crap! Now I was TWO writing assignments in the hole. But then something happened.... a fluke actually.
This past Saturday afternoon I sat down for some popcorn time (the time devoted to me... Alyse... where I sit and read and enjoy a good book while munching on hot, buttery homemade popcorn) and picked up my current read, Christopher Moore's Fluke. Christopher Moore is my new favorite author. While his fictional tales are somewhat crude, they are often entertaining and have literally made me laugh so hard that I was actually crying. As I was reading, I became acutely aware of his use of descriptive writing.
I rewrote one particular section that I found to be an excellent example of the descriptive genre (Tompkins, 2009). I color coded the words to emphasize which technique of descriptive writing Moore used.
Technique One: Specific Information
Technique Two: Word Choice
Technique Three: Sensory Images
Technique Four: Figurative Language
Excerpt from Fluke: "Leather bar girls worked the charter booths at the harbor, smoking Basic 100's and talking in voices that sounded like 151 rum poured into hot grease - a jigger of friendly to the liter of harsh. They were thirty-five or sixty-five, the color of mahogany, skinny and strong from living on boats, liquor, fish and disappointment. They'd come here from a dozen coastal towns, some sailing from the mainland in small craft but forgetting to save enough courage for the trip home. Marooned. Man to man, boat to boat, year to year - salt and sun and drinking had left them dry enough to cough dust. If they lasted a hundred years - and some would - then one moonless night a great hooded wraith would swoop into the harbor and take them off to their own craggy island- uncharted and unseen more than once by any living man- and there they would keep the enchantment of the sea alive; lure lost sailors to the shore, suck out all of their fluids, and leave their dessicated husks crumbling on the rocks for the crabs and black gulls. Thus were the sea hags born... but that's another story. Today they were just razzing Clay for leading two girls down the dock."(Moore, 2004, p. 61)
And one additional quote to show Moore's use of technique five-dialog:
"Rum." said Kona."Too much hostility in dat buzz. Rum come from da cane, and cane come from slavin' the people, and dat oppression all distilled in de bottle and come out a man mean as cat sh*t on a day." (Moore, 2004, p. 99) The character Kona is not originally from the islands but is rather a twenty-something native of New Jersey who mimics "rastafarian".
I couldn't help being inspired as I read Moore's book. How fun must it be to create such vivid images and colorful and creative characters - it made me want to write my own zany narrative. Alas, I couldn't handle one more thing on my plate... so writing a novel was not in my immediate future. Coincidentally, I just showed a video in my Earth Science class called "Born of Fire". This video was an educational video focusing on plate tectonics however it was narrated using descriptive techniques. My kids were enthralled with it. I asked them at the end why they liked it so much, their comments: "She said weird things. It was said in an interesting way. Like when she said 'the earth passed gas... really bad gas'!".
Where is this all going? WELL! I killed two birds with one stone. I figured out my first genre piece, AND I caught up on my blogging (almost). In writing this blog, I was able to nail down what it was that I wanted to create with the fracking information that I have. I'm going to write a descriptive expository piece on the formation of fossil fuels and the process of fracking. I'm using Christopher Moore as inspiration and "Born of Fire" as a mentor text (even though it's a video). I am now SUPER excited about my genre project... I've included my very first draft (just the first paragraph) below.
Ten million years ago, on a warm sunny day in the tropics, a phytoplankton floated lazily on the ocean surface. The phytoplankton had chosen this particular section of the ocean because of it's vicinity to the sun. As a warm, gentle breeze strolled along the surface, it carried with it photons, subatomic whirling balls of energy, produced in the core of the sun. The photons slammed into the phytoplankton, bombarding the chlorophyll within it's cell. The phytoplankton didn't mind however, this assault was welcome for it spurned the process of photosynthesis, a reaction that not only provided the energy to build all of the organic matter within the plant like microorganism, but also to carry on all of it's living processes.
Moore, C., 2004. Fluke. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Now it wasn't that I was simply ignoring this class. I had spent many hours researching and working on my expert genre presentation. And I've spent even more time doing research and planning for my genre piece project. But during the past week, I had started on a downward spiral. I was starting to become frustrated because I couldn't nail down exactly what I was going to create for my first piece with the information that I had collected, and because of this, I also didn't know if I had collected enough information... so then I kept trying to find more. I started to dread the assignment. Today, as I tap out my blog, I realize now what my problem was.
Deep down I still have that unfortunate tendency to think of writing assignments purely as a chore, with one way of doing it - the five (or 25) paragraph research paper. Even though you told me not to Dr. Jones, I had somewhat subconsciously constrained and restrained my thinking by designating my first piece to be a somewhat traditional research paper. Oh yes, it was going to take the shape of something different and digital (a Prezi) but it was still going to have the same formula. And this was just not exciting... it was again more work. So then... I started putting off my genre piece too.
Crap! Now I was TWO writing assignments in the hole. But then something happened.... a fluke actually.
This past Saturday afternoon I sat down for some popcorn time (the time devoted to me... Alyse... where I sit and read and enjoy a good book while munching on hot, buttery homemade popcorn) and picked up my current read, Christopher Moore's Fluke. Christopher Moore is my new favorite author. While his fictional tales are somewhat crude, they are often entertaining and have literally made me laugh so hard that I was actually crying. As I was reading, I became acutely aware of his use of descriptive writing.
I rewrote one particular section that I found to be an excellent example of the descriptive genre (Tompkins, 2009). I color coded the words to emphasize which technique of descriptive writing Moore used.
Technique One: Specific Information
Technique Two: Word Choice
Technique Three: Sensory Images
Technique Four: Figurative Language
Excerpt from Fluke: "Leather bar girls worked the charter booths at the harbor, smoking Basic 100's and talking in voices that sounded like 151 rum poured into hot grease - a jigger of friendly to the liter of harsh. They were thirty-five or sixty-five, the color of mahogany, skinny and strong from living on boats, liquor, fish and disappointment. They'd come here from a dozen coastal towns, some sailing from the mainland in small craft but forgetting to save enough courage for the trip home. Marooned. Man to man, boat to boat, year to year - salt and sun and drinking had left them dry enough to cough dust. If they lasted a hundred years - and some would - then one moonless night a great hooded wraith would swoop into the harbor and take them off to their own craggy island- uncharted and unseen more than once by any living man- and there they would keep the enchantment of the sea alive; lure lost sailors to the shore, suck out all of their fluids, and leave their dessicated husks crumbling on the rocks for the crabs and black gulls. Thus were the sea hags born... but that's another story. Today they were just razzing Clay for leading two girls down the dock."(Moore, 2004, p. 61)
And one additional quote to show Moore's use of technique five-dialog:
"Rum." said Kona."Too much hostility in dat buzz. Rum come from da cane, and cane come from slavin' the people, and dat oppression all distilled in de bottle and come out a man mean as cat sh*t on a day." (Moore, 2004, p. 99) The character Kona is not originally from the islands but is rather a twenty-something native of New Jersey who mimics "rastafarian".
I couldn't help being inspired as I read Moore's book. How fun must it be to create such vivid images and colorful and creative characters - it made me want to write my own zany narrative. Alas, I couldn't handle one more thing on my plate... so writing a novel was not in my immediate future. Coincidentally, I just showed a video in my Earth Science class called "Born of Fire". This video was an educational video focusing on plate tectonics however it was narrated using descriptive techniques. My kids were enthralled with it. I asked them at the end why they liked it so much, their comments: "She said weird things. It was said in an interesting way. Like when she said 'the earth passed gas... really bad gas'!".
Where is this all going? WELL! I killed two birds with one stone. I figured out my first genre piece, AND I caught up on my blogging (almost). In writing this blog, I was able to nail down what it was that I wanted to create with the fracking information that I have. I'm going to write a descriptive expository piece on the formation of fossil fuels and the process of fracking. I'm using Christopher Moore as inspiration and "Born of Fire" as a mentor text (even though it's a video). I am now SUPER excited about my genre project... I've included my very first draft (just the first paragraph) below.
The initial paragraph of my very first draft for my descriptive expository genre piece:
Ten million years ago, on a warm sunny day in the tropics, a phytoplankton floated lazily on the ocean surface. The phytoplankton had chosen this particular section of the ocean because of it's vicinity to the sun. As a warm, gentle breeze strolled along the surface, it carried with it photons, subatomic whirling balls of energy, produced in the core of the sun. The photons slammed into the phytoplankton, bombarding the chlorophyll within it's cell. The phytoplankton didn't mind however, this assault was welcome for it spurned the process of photosynthesis, a reaction that not only provided the energy to build all of the organic matter within the plant like microorganism, but also to carry on all of it's living processes.
Moore, C., 2004. Fluke. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (6th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Merrill.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Entry 6: Sending out an SOS...
Did I get your attention? Great! I need help. I've decided to take up the challenge of using blogs (and eventually the digital writers workshop) in my Environmental class, and I'm not quite sure how I need/should do it. This week I chose to use this space/time to pose a question to my fellow classmates. How would you suggest I go about using blogs in my 11th/12th grade Environmental class?
First, let me give you some background. This is what I've been doing to answer this question....
I've spent this weekend going back through our readings and checking out other science classroom blogs. I reflected on what I now know about the similarities between the reading and writing process and considered how leaders in the field suggest the use of blogs to encourage writers choice and development of digital literacy, but also as a tool to learn through writing... better yet, composing. I wanted to really think about how my understanding and use of blogs has evolved since I started this class. Having a deeper understanding on how writing to learn and blogging has positively influenced me, would hopefully guide my decisions in how to set up a blog in my environmental class.
Hicks suggests the use of blogs for numerous reasons, however one of the most significant is the blog's ability to provide a writer with an actual audience. This is by far one of the most compelling reasons that I blog. Just knowing that someone else is going to read my stuff greatly increases my intrinsic motivation, it makes me want to write something good (and make it look good with fun text, interesting hyperlinks and groovy blog themes).
A second reason provided by Will Richardson (an edublogger that Hick's quotes and also the author of my new favorite/inspirational blogs that I follow ) is that composing a post can utilize verious modes of thinking which range from low level thinking (ie. students are responding to simple questions) to higher level thinking which would require to use analysis and synthesis of various texts and posts (Hicks, 2009, p.41). Obviously, high-order thinking is what really helps students learn, hence why we're encouraged to do it. This is apparent in my own blogs, as they have evolved to include more complex thinking in more resent posts.
The final reason, also given by Will Richards, is that blogging "opens up conversations between writers through commenting on the posts of others and then incorporating those posts into one's own writing" (Hicks, 2009, p. 41). This mode of discourse, while similar to face-to-face conversations, demands that students "read, respond and write in in ways that encourage more specific response and utilize the features of a digital writing space" (Hicks, 2009, p. 41). Thus, those who use blogs would get more practice and experience in utilizing features like pod casts, videos and hyperlinks. As I've continued to practice using this space, I've become more comfortable with adding features to my posts other than text (check out my awesome hyperlinks!). Having the ability to add hyperlinks causes me to consider the following questions: How is this link useful? It is just for entertainment/interest? Will it answer my readers potential questions? What other texts may I have to include in addition to this link to compose a clear message? While I've only included hyperlinks to other websites and blogs (so far) in my recent posts, I plan to utilize more digital tools in my Environmental blog for sure.
#1 It is a creative process.
#2 It is a real process. It is meant for an audience to read. I mean lets face it, with the close to 7.0 billion people out there, someone has to be interested in what I have to say. Plus for right now... I have people that are highly encouraged to read my blog (wink wink)!
#3 It has given me an appreciation of reading other peoples blogs. If I'm honest it what I originally thought about blogs, I didn't really get the point of them, understand them or understand why anyone would bother writing one. I thought bloggers were a little strange. Now I truly appreciate blogs, I give them more (way more) merit, and have realized that I much prefer them to other types of online texts. Obviously one still needs to view blogs through a critical lens, but they can definitely be a legitimate resource for information.
In writing this post, I've come to realize that the one, biggest, most important reason why I want my students to blog, is because I think it will be one of the most beneficial tools to help them learn. It could be a creative way to help them explore issues that they are interested in. And my ultimate goal, would be for my students to blog on their own, whether it be for my class or on other issues important to them.
So as far as my Environmental Blog goes, this is what I've got so far. I need to explore edublog more, but at this point in time I think that I would post a question based on information we are learning in class on the classroom blog, and ask students to reflect individually in their own blogs (this way they could see what their original thoughts were later in the semester). Then, I would want them to find a news story/video/podcast/blog that would relate to the topic at hand and post this on the classroom blog. I would encourage students to respond to these classroom posts and also eventually to other individual blogs using the "bless, address, or press" strategy (Hicks, 2009, p. 83). I was hoping those of you following this blog might also follow my classroom blog and offer suggestions to me as I experiment with this. AND... here's the really interesting part, maybe you could also comment on my student's pages so that they have an additional audience. Totally up to you all... but I thought it might be interesting!
On a side note, but not completely separate, many people believe that the current educational system needs a major rehaul. I found these video on TED that I thoughtto be intriguing, where Will Richardson and Sugata Mitra explain how and why they would like to see education change. As I was watching them I thought to myself, that if education does swing this way, how beneficial and useful blogging would be!
First, let me give you some background. This is what I've been doing to answer this question....
I've spent this weekend going back through our readings and checking out other science classroom blogs. I reflected on what I now know about the similarities between the reading and writing process and considered how leaders in the field suggest the use of blogs to encourage writers choice and development of digital literacy, but also as a tool to learn through writing... better yet, composing. I wanted to really think about how my understanding and use of blogs has evolved since I started this class. Having a deeper understanding on how writing to learn and blogging has positively influenced me, would hopefully guide my decisions in how to set up a blog in my environmental class.
Hicks suggests the use of blogs for numerous reasons, however one of the most significant is the blog's ability to provide a writer with an actual audience. This is by far one of the most compelling reasons that I blog. Just knowing that someone else is going to read my stuff greatly increases my intrinsic motivation, it makes me want to write something good (and make it look good with fun text, interesting hyperlinks and groovy blog themes).
A second reason provided by Will Richardson (an edublogger that Hick's quotes and also the author of my new favorite/inspirational blogs that I follow ) is that composing a post can utilize verious modes of thinking which range from low level thinking (ie. students are responding to simple questions) to higher level thinking which would require to use analysis and synthesis of various texts and posts (Hicks, 2009, p.41). Obviously, high-order thinking is what really helps students learn, hence why we're encouraged to do it. This is apparent in my own blogs, as they have evolved to include more complex thinking in more resent posts.
The final reason, also given by Will Richards, is that blogging "opens up conversations between writers through commenting on the posts of others and then incorporating those posts into one's own writing" (Hicks, 2009, p. 41). This mode of discourse, while similar to face-to-face conversations, demands that students "read, respond and write in in ways that encourage more specific response and utilize the features of a digital writing space" (Hicks, 2009, p. 41). Thus, those who use blogs would get more practice and experience in utilizing features like pod casts, videos and hyperlinks. As I've continued to practice using this space, I've become more comfortable with adding features to my posts other than text (check out my awesome hyperlinks!). Having the ability to add hyperlinks causes me to consider the following questions: How is this link useful? It is just for entertainment/interest? Will it answer my readers potential questions? What other texts may I have to include in addition to this link to compose a clear message? While I've only included hyperlinks to other websites and blogs (so far) in my recent posts, I plan to utilize more digital tools in my Environmental blog for sure.
So in laymen terms... this is why I like to blog...
#1 It is a creative process.
#2 It is a real process. It is meant for an audience to read. I mean lets face it, with the close to 7.0 billion people out there, someone has to be interested in what I have to say. Plus for right now... I have people that are highly encouraged to read my blog (wink wink)!
#3 It has given me an appreciation of reading other peoples blogs. If I'm honest it what I originally thought about blogs, I didn't really get the point of them, understand them or understand why anyone would bother writing one. I thought bloggers were a little strange. Now I truly appreciate blogs, I give them more (way more) merit, and have realized that I much prefer them to other types of online texts. Obviously one still needs to view blogs through a critical lens, but they can definitely be a legitimate resource for information.
In writing this post, I've come to realize that the one, biggest, most important reason why I want my students to blog, is because I think it will be one of the most beneficial tools to help them learn. It could be a creative way to help them explore issues that they are interested in. And my ultimate goal, would be for my students to blog on their own, whether it be for my class or on other issues important to them.
So as far as my Environmental Blog goes, this is what I've got so far. I need to explore edublog more, but at this point in time I think that I would post a question based on information we are learning in class on the classroom blog, and ask students to reflect individually in their own blogs (this way they could see what their original thoughts were later in the semester). Then, I would want them to find a news story/video/podcast/blog that would relate to the topic at hand and post this on the classroom blog. I would encourage students to respond to these classroom posts and also eventually to other individual blogs using the "bless, address, or press" strategy (Hicks, 2009, p. 83). I was hoping those of you following this blog might also follow my classroom blog and offer suggestions to me as I experiment with this. AND... here's the really interesting part, maybe you could also comment on my student's pages so that they have an additional audience. Totally up to you all... but I thought it might be interesting!
On a side note, but not completely separate, many people believe that the current educational system needs a major rehaul. I found these video on TED that I thoughtto be intriguing, where Will Richardson and Sugata Mitra explain how and why they would like to see education change. As I was watching them I thought to myself, that if education does swing this way, how beneficial and useful blogging would be!
Hicks, T. (2009). The digital writing workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Entry 5: Dear Dr. Jones... writing ROCKS!
Dear Dr. Jones,
Class is going great so far! Not just great - FANTASTIC! This is one of the most enjoyable classes I’ve ever taken. I have to tell you, I’m somewhat surprised by this realization. When I signed up for this class, I did it because I felt that I was weak in the area of teaching writing. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to learn. Did I think it would be interesting? Yes. Useful? Yes. But fun? No, I didn’t really think that. I am pleased as punch! This is why: I have never taken a course where I was given so much freedom to write, to explore and use writing in such a truly creative way and to use phrases such as “pleased as punch” and have it be OK. I have never been able to take time to study and appreciate and LEARN the author’s craft. I love it!
Over the past few weeks I have learned A LOT. I am beginning to see more clearly the parallel between reading and writing because I’m consciously looking for it and experiencing it. The biggest turning point for me this semester so far has actually occurred over the past week when I was reading chapter four from Hicks (2009) and two and three from Tompkins (2012). My own definition of writing was revised after reading chapter four in Hicks (see my response: Challenging the definition of writing) and having this fuller appreciation of the creative, recursive and thoughtful processes that writers use has helped me see the connection between reading and writing.
Where I really see the connection (and the importance) is with the process of revision. “If readers are to develop some control over and a sense of discovery with the models of meaning they build, they must approach text with the same deliberation, time and reflection that a writer employs as she revises a text (Tierney & Pearson, 1983, p. 576). If readers understand how the revision process occurs with writing, meaning they understand that a good writer will go back to revise and edit as a text grows because the meaning of it will change as the piece is developed, students may be able to more easily grasp the idea that the meaning of text must also be revised. As one reads through a text, or rereads a text, the reader is exposed to new information that may change their initial understanding and assumptions constructed at the beginning, middle and end of the text. This action is necessary to ensure that the reader is fully transacting. Helping students see this connection by using writing as the more tangible example will help students develop this more tacit skill.
Over the past few weeks, in attempts to fulfill the goals of this class, you have required us to use writing as a mode of exploring, clarifying and learning new ideas. I use writing to do this on average once a week, for an extended period of time. I question if this is enough? I don’t think it is. Over the past two days (in attempts to leave a good quality response to the weekly reading question and craft well thought out blogs) I’ve had to create these texts in pieces, leaving them to complete some other task and coming back later to reread, revise and edit. I believe these breaks I took were beneficial because it allowed the ideas swirling in my head to incubate, and become more potent. I was able to come back to each piece with “fresh eyes” and a clearer goal in mind for my message. So even though I’ve had less time to do these revisions, I have used my time more appropriately and effectively. I do have to give you some credit as well! During our last class, while I don’t remember your specific words, you challenged us to think more critically about how we were using our reading and writing. I took this to heart and by doing so, I was able make some considerable changes.
The most significant change to my writing process is the amount of thinking I do, as well as how I go about doing it. I think it is safe to say that I’m always thinking when I write, but I have become more aware of what type of thinking I’m doing. I’ve realized that when I write, I spend very little time in the generating, narrowing and organizing stage. I spend most of my time in the monitoring, rereading and revising stage… which I have to do a lot of because I jump right into creating a text without a clear goal in mind. I’ve been able to get away with this for such a long time that it is difficult for me to consciously tell myself to stop and spend time to do those truly beneficial prewriting activities. This tendency to rush into the “writing” stage was revealed to me in the past two days, when I took the time to consciously pay attention to my inner voice (especially when I recognized I was having trouble). I deliberately kept figure 2-1 in Tompkins (2012, p. 35) open when completing the writing tasks over the past two days to help me recognize what writing strategy I was employing at a given time, taking care to consider when I was using it and why.
As of right now, forcing myself to generate, organize and narrow ideas is probably the most important writing habit I have to change. Like I said, this will be hard because my natural process is to jump right in. I have however seen an improvement by utilizing the prewriting strategies; the writing process has become more enjoyable and productive. As far as my reading habits, I need to continually remind myself of the importance of taking on the role as reviser as I read. When I mentioned about that truly understanding the revision connection between reading and writing would help students recognize this process with reading… that student was me! Keeping this idea in mind will be beneficial not only when I reread a text for myself, but also when I reflect on the comments made in our group forum or in our blogs; always remembering that the meaning of the text can change when exposed to additional perspectives and information.
Overall, the realizations that I’ve wrote to you about in this letter are extremely useful in aiding me as a teacher of literacy. To actually experience and understand what the authors are talking about in the text we read gives me a deeper insight as to how I should go about teaching literacy. That being said, there are some specific strategies that we’ve been taught that I think will also be beneficial. First is the use of blogging. Giving my students a true audience and reason to create a well crafted text, letting them see how their text affects other as well as giving them the ability to receive real feedback and engage in discussion are all great ways to spur intrinsic motivation to write. Additionally, the Card Strategy (Kucer & Rhodes, 1986, p.189) activity was great because it causes writers to really engage in prewriting activities. I think my students would really like the Card Strategy because, like most teens, they would be interested in sharing why they think their way is the best but would probably still be (secretly) interested in seeing how their peers might arrange their ideas differently.
At the present time I don’t feel like I’m struggling. I was two days ago, but after spending some time doing some honest thinking, I believe I’ve sorted my confusions out. Don’t worry though, I know where to find you if I start have problems!
Sincerely,
Alyse Palumbo
Works Cited
Hicks, T. (2009). The digital writing workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (6th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
Kucer, S. B. & Rhodes, L. K. (1986). Counterpart strategies: Fine tuning language with
language. The Reading Teacher, 40(2),186-193.
Tierney, R. & Pearson, P. D. (1983). Toward a composing model of reading. Language
Arts, 60(5), 568-580.
Entry 4: a diffilcult blog
I had a really difficult time coming up with what I was going to blog about for this entry. After I read Dr. Jone’s comment about making sure to include more reflection and connection to my readings, I felt some anxiety over what I was going to write next. So, I diligently read chapter four over again in Hicks (2009) and paid careful attention to my thinking when reading chapter two and three in Tompkins (2012). Alas, even after doing all this reading I was still bemused as to what it was I should blog about.
SO I considered what writing strategies I knew about that would help me with this writers block. I also turned to Tompkins, chapter two, page 37, and focused on the generating section because I needed some ideas (2012). I used the brainstorming strategy because it was similar to the Card Strategy suggested by Kucer and Rhodes (1986, p. 189). When we used the card strategy in class this past Wednesday, I found it very helpful in not only generating ideas to write about, but it also helped me clarify what I wanted to write about and how to go about organizing my piece.
I spent a few minutes coming up with a list of words and statements pertaining to the chapters in Tompkins, and finally a question emerged that I had asked in the beginning of this class but that I keep coming back to Why do we have kids write? The first answer that popped into my head (unfortunately) is to demonstrate knowledge of something. While I know now that there are multiple other reasons why we should have students write the answer that I initially came up with seems the most automatic/natural? maybe because it was the usual reason that I was always asked to write. So then I began to think about the other reasons why we should have kids write.. and I wonder if most teachers do this? With all the time constraints and prep for standardized tests, do we really give kids the chance to write the way the writing workshop and leaders in the writing field suggest?
I pondered this question... why do we have kids write... and then, using my brainstorm list as well as reflecting on the chapters I read, I began to organize my thoughts and use the various writing strategies explained by Tompkins to help me construct this piece (2012, p. 34).
Entry 4: Why do we have kids write?
Why do we have kids write? This is a question that I keep coming back to. Unfortunately in school, all too often writing is used as a tool for assessment, where topics are chosen for the student, void of any intrinsic interest. I don’t remember ever enjoying writing a paper in high school, which is both unfortunate and interesting, because I’ve always produced decent papers. If I had been given the proper guidance however, I think that instead of just trying to get the task of writing over with, I really would have enjoyed the writing process, perhaps creating phenomenal papers! It's interesting to note, that while my papers turn out reasonably well written, I’ve always had a difficult time writing. It takes me a ridiculously long time to write a paper, even this blog, by the time it is complete, will have taken me just over a couple of hours to finish (and that’s with shaving off time because I employed some writing strategies that I do not usually use, namely generating, narrowing and organizing ideas).
In the last year, when I have been assigned papers, I have been given more of a choice in my writing ventures, but even those were slightly limited because the topic had to be relevant to a class or chosen from a suggested selection. Knowing this, I reexamined my blog entry number three. This piece was different. It was unique... but also did not fulfil the requirements for this blog. What happened? I asked myself. I knew what I was supposed to do in the blog, I knew I was supposed to make more connections, but I didn't do that... why? Then I realized… this idea of student choice was the answer. I chose to start that blog entry as a journal, just because I wanted to, because I was intrigued about a genre that I haven't used in such a long time. I was interested in reproducing the mentor texts I saw in class. It was one of the first times ever I got to write for myself (and a real audience) about ANYTHING that I wanted to write about… so I ran with it (isn’t that sad yet beautiful at the same time?). I was excited about it, I was consumed by it. When I left class that Wednesday I couldn’t wait to get back to writing my blog, editing it, and making it look just the way I wanted to.
Reflecting on my entry three blog, I am able to more fully appreciate, relate to and understand the importance of the writing strategies and traits presented by Tompkins in chapter two and three. To develop great writers, strategic writers and crafty writers, us teachers need to give students the liberty to write about something meaningful (I see now why Dr. Jones has given us free reign on choosing the topic for our Genre Pieces Project!). With this in mind, I'm able to reach my goal I had set out when beginning this blog... attempting to answer my initial question: Why do we have students write? As I constructed this blog, revised it and reread it (which I did over and over again last night... then stepped away for the evening and came back to this morning) I came to an answer. At least one that I’m content with for the moment for it may be revised as I learn about the writing process… but for now, the reason why we should have students write is to feel that passion I felt during my composition of blog entry three, that need to create and share something awesome with the world! This is the best most organic reason to have students write!
Hicks, T. (2009). The digital writing workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Kucer, S. B. & Rhodes, L. K. (1986). Counterpart strategies: Fine tuning language with
language. The Reading Teacher, 40(2),186-193.
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (6th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Entry 2 - Setting up a a Digital Writing Workshop: Scary or Exciting?
A digital writing workshop is not set up in my room. I had thought about creating some sort of blog during the summer time, but then considered all the factors that would have to go into it as well as the possible consequences (which I'll be honest, were none of those addressed by Hick's when setting up her frame of reference) and then quickly dispelled the idea. Setting up a digital space for my students seemed scary. Too much uncertainty and student responsibility, too little control. After reading Hicks however, while still overwhelmed with how to go about setting up a digital workshop, I've reconsidered the effectiveness and use of a digital writing workshop and am excited about the prospect of setting one up.
The WHO:
When I reflect on my student's abilities, I recognize that I am not actually sure what they can and cannot do. Hicks addresses this by warning that while students can appear to be technologically savvy, they may be lacking important skills needed to craft and critique digital media (Hicks, 2009, 129). The only time my students have used computers and the internet in front of me has been during the past month when researching and writing their environmental midterm paper. I know (through individual conversations) that many of my students think they know how to navigate through the copious amount of information on the internet, but based on classroom observations, I am not convinced that they can do this well or with ease. What concerns me even more is that they don't know this about themselves.
The WHAT:
I have never given any thought as to how I would go about teaching digital writing. I guess I assumed that if I ever incorporated a digital writing component in my class I would tell my students what to do, not teach them. This would probably turn out to be a pointless exercise because they probably would have no idea what to do (I am not sure if teachers in my building emphasizes digital writing). In addition to this, I probably would have little student buy-in. Because my students have never really used digital writing in their other classes, I am not sure if they would deem it as a legitimate form of writing.
The WHERE, WHEN AND HOW:
Up to this point, I had a pretty dismal outlook on what I have set up for my digital writing workshop. I don't know what my students know (I think not much), I'm not sure how I would teach it (or who else could help me or if my students would value it!) but I do have a space and I do have computers and (maybe most importantly) I do have the TIME to teach digital writing. In my environmental class I have the time and the freedom to teach the curriculum I would like, so with the proper planning and vision, I should be able to easily incorporate a digital writing workshop. As far as the space and classroom set up, this would depend on how I wanted my students to work. If I wanted students to work independently, I could book the computer lab, if I wanted students to work in groups within my classroom, I could borrow a lap top cart.
The FUTURE:
So what else do I need to do? Well, first I need to familiarize myself with the different types of digital writing (so far I'm digging this Blogger... there is room for creativity but also structure for blogging novices like me!). Then I need to consider how my students might use it as well as what and how they could explore the class curriculum through the use of digital writing. I need to help build a true purpose for digital writing, not only for the format of it, but also the subjects in which my students will explore. I will have to carefully consider who my students' audience will be, who will have access to our digital writing and how it will be assessed.
One concern/vision I do have is that I would want my students to compose digital writing not only during class, but feel some sort of ownership towards it and want to write outside of class. In my district (even though there is plenty of computers available throughout the school day) out of class participation may be an issue due to the fact that many students lack home internet access. Looking at the bright side however, if there was a digital writing element to this class, this may provide a viable way for students to actively participate in class when they have attendance issues or difficulties interacting with other students face-to-face.
Works Cited
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Entry 1: "What was the point of having them write?"
My experience in teaching writing in a classroom is little to none. I have had ample practice at assigning writing and then reading my students writing... and then judging my students writing. But I have never given constructive feed back, nor have I ever given my students time to revise and edit their pieces. The first (and only) time I assigned a writing project (a brochure on renewable energy) was two years ago to my Environmental class. It was a disaster. It was given at the end of the year and I didn't even grade it until after the last day of school. Looking back I can pinpoint numerous problems with the entire situation. First, the students didn't really have a true purpose to write. While they did have somewhat of a choice, there was no true audience. No one would read the brochures besides me, and even I wasn't really reading it to learn from them, I was reading it to judge how well they conveyed information. I had students plagiarizing all over the place. I don't think many of them even realized they were plagiarizing. I was never able to give them constructive feedback, so my students really didn't learn anything from the project. They didn't learn any new writing skills, and for those that just copied and pasted information, they didn't learn factual knowledge either. Which left me with the question: What was the point of having them write? Because of this disastrous experience, two things resulted. Number 1: I enrolled in the literacy program at Nazareth due to my new found and vital appreciation for the importance of literacy skills. Number 2: I did not assign another writing assignment to my Environmental class for almost two years. Side note: I have never even attempted to have my Earth Science kids write more than a summary because of the limited amount of teaching time due to curriculum requirements.I have just recently (in the past week) assigned a research paper to my current Environmental students. The project required them to come up with a question or topic that they had a genuine interest in. Their research was to revolve around one of three topics that we had studied in class. I had my students spend an entire class period coming up with their topic or question. I visited with each student to give them feedback on their question. I felt that this portion of planning was important to ensure student buy in and alleviate anxiety over the writing process. I next provided my students with a graphic organizer to assist them in writing a generic five paragraph essay. I provided them time in class to do research and required that the graphic organizer be filled out before even beginning the writing process. Next week, I plan on having students participate in the "read around" peer review strategy to facilitate discussion and understanding of what good writing looks like. I think it is extremely important that students understand that writing a good paper requires more than one sitting down and pounding out some words.
There are numerous things that I would like to start incorporating into my Environmental class, but nothing that I have done on a continual basis.
While I have a better understanding of what should be done when asking students to write, I do not feel comfortable explaining the writing process to them because I'm not entirely sure myself how it is to be done.
.... Dr. Jones you told me to stop!
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