“What young writers need most is the freedom to render experience into words in whatever ways they can muster and adults who offer strong support and encouragement for those efforts” –Kirby, Latta-Kirby, Liner
I love the fact that Gallagher used
the police application example within the chapter because students often forget
that even though they may not become an author, poet, or English teacher, they
will more than likely still have to do some type of writing whether it is
emails, presentations or business plans. Students fear writing. Why? The
reasons are limitless; there is organization, details, grammar, and so on. When
teaching students to write, I think teachers should stress that it is okay to make
mistakes; just as with any sport, writing also gets better with practice. After
teaching a creative writing class, I picked up on three different groups of
students that I found in each of my classes. (Disclaimer—I’m not saying every
student fits in one of these groups; rather, the students that disliked writing
often told me these three reasons why.)
The first group of students would immediately
stress out because they felt they had to reach perfection on their first try.
Even if these students were generally interested in the topic, the fear of not
achieving what I expected all within the first try took over their creativity
and willingness to actually explore the different ideas they had. The second
group consisted of students that become discouraged as soon as they received their
rough draft back and saw corrections they needed to make. The last group was
the hardest to win over—these were the students that had little confidence in
themselves as writers and thought they simply could not do it. I remember one of
my seniors say, “If I haven’t gotten an A on a writing assignment in all of
high school, how will I now?”
Although I do not believe templates
should be used with every writing assignment, for some students, especially
those in the third group I mentioned, they provided a necessary starting point
for students. Once they fill in the missing spaces on the template, they see
that the hardest part is done. My goal
is that after students start using the templates and become more confident
writers, the need for templates lessens and the student is able to both begin
and complete a paper on their own. For the students that feel that they need to
create their final draft while only writing the first draft, doing a Think
Aloud definitely helps them see that yes, I am your teacher, but I still make
mistakes and sometimes struggle with a topic, and that is completely okay. I
have to admit, I did this type of modeling at the beginning of the year in each
class but stopped because I did not think I was using my classroom time wisely.
After reading Gallagher’s chapter, I am now reminded of how it is not time
wasted at all; instead, it is time well spent proving to my students that
writing is a process, even for good writers.
I think so many students do not like to write because they have been forced their entire school career to write, to write about things that do not matter to them, and then they are critiqued in a way that leaves a bad impression, ultimately cultivating a dislike for the whole process.
ReplyDeleteI like to write, I still have those days where I stare at a paper for a computer screen with no idea how to start, but I don't panic or stress out. I think this is because even in grade school, the writing assignments I was given were diverse, from poems to songs to essays. And they almost always were accompanied by some other text, a drawing, a presentation, an art project. This approach to writing took the stress out of it. If I couldn't think of something to write, I would draw first and go from there.
In addition, from a young age, I can remember we worked on essays and papers in class. We weren't required to go home, write 3 pages and then turn it in. We worked on a rough draft in class, peer-reviewed it, and then were able to discuss with the teacher if we felt we needed it. There was always this understanding that the first draft you produce was not going to be the final draft and that was okay.
I think the groups of students you've observed and their approach to writing are completely accurate. I have seen those students in my entire schooling career and unfortunately, I think a lot of that stems from how teachers approach writing assignments at a young age.
It all really comes down to that idea of writing-as-process vs. writing-as-product. Too often has writing been contextualized as some high and mighty art-form that must be mastered lest you be left in the dust post-secondary. That's the problem. Students are forced to, time and again, spend hours crafting highly structured (and boring) texts.
ReplyDeleteThese blogs and blog responses are some of the easiest and rewarding things I've had to write in my academic career. I'm positive it has to do with the fact that it is entirely removed from that traditional writing-as-product stance that so many of my teachers in high school took. Blogs are not essays. They aren't 5 paragraphs long. They are very informal. The writing style is something I use every day. The feedback is immediate and from my peers.
Regardless of your discipline or content area, keep these things in mind. Don't let your writing become stagnant and droll. Diversify your writing. I think that the RAFT strategy we covered was excellent, and can be used ANYWHERE.
Sometimes students can be discouraged to write because they have an ideal writing form in their mind that they feel like they should fit. I know growing up writing could be intimidating because I did not write how everybody else wrote. It wasn't until my senior year, my English teacher emphasized to me that I have my own writing style and worked with me to make it better. She had a couple meetings with every student in my class to discuss their specific writing styles and how to progress further. Thus, every student has their own writing style and their own unique voice- their writing just might need some fine tuning.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea of check marking boxes when reviewing students' papers. Especially for those students who are intimated or discouraged, this will lessen the red marks on their paper. Holding conferences for students who are discourage will also allow the teacher to highlight the student's strengths along with their weaknesses. I know from my senior year, meetings such as those will help students gain more confidence and even an active interest in writing.
I have encountered many of the same issues with my own students, and I think that the three types of writers you mentioned are spot on. The third type is the most challenging. In my senior writing class, when I ask students to name one of their strengths in writing, many will say, "Nothing." It's often because they have never gotten an A on a paper, and it reinforces that idea of writing as product: I tried, I didn't receive the grade I wanted, so now what's the point of trying again? They don't see it as a process where they can improve-it becomes a complete skill deficit that they can never correct.
ReplyDeleteI have also found that modeling and Think Alouds are just as effective in writing as in reading. I have flat out been told that these types of activities are not an effective use of classroom time. My school is leaning toward a very "student centered" approach, but it's tough for students to guide the learning when they don't know where they are going. I find templates to be extremely useful as well-though I always present them as an option, not the be-all, end-all. For example, I might give an outline template with space for three main points, but encourage students to add a fourth or fifth point if they are comfortable. That way, those who are creative can have a chance to explore, and those who are lost won't feel completely stranded.
I suffer from intermittent graphophobia. I'm not certain if that's a recognized phobia since Blogger has underlined the word with red dashes, which is really stressing me out. In all honesty, I enjoy writing immensely with one exception, and that is any writing assignment that is rigidly timed, or requires the use of what may loosely be defined in my case as penmanship. This is when it becomes essential to use an outline or template. It also relieves the writer of some of the stress, as they have broken down the assignment into bite-size chunks that are more easily digested. It also leads to a more logically arranged paper where one theme leads naturally to the next and so on.
ReplyDeleteHowever if I have the luxury of time and the ability to use a word processor, I might not rely on an outline, for better or worse. Rather, I'll just write as I the ideas come to me. When I've reached the end of an idea, time to hit the return key and head down some other tangent. In a way, this is what we do when we speak extemporaneously or just engaging in conversation. If you and I are discussing our thoughts about 'X', I don't follow an outline. Writing in this way may lead to a more relaxed, conversational style. This is a result of the process, however the risk is that the product may end up as a rambling, incoherent mess. It's vital to read and re-read to make sure that the paper has a natural flow, and that you're taking your reader on a fascinating but not bewildering ride.