I love how Ray broke down the five layers of teaching into simple terms that should be used to have a successful writer’s workshop in chapter nine. I feel that how we as teachers set up the room plays a big impact on how students will engage themselves. I think it is so important to set up the room where your students can learn from what is in the room even if you are not there. I really liked how Ray compared the classroom setup to a hands-on science center or museum. As Ray said “You learn in these places because you are surrounded by things to learn from”. Writer’s workshops should and can be like this. If teachers set up the classroom learning environment to allow students time to write and resources all around the room to use it will help them become better writers. I also like the suggestions of having students visit another class to talk about their writing. I also think the idea of having a place in the room where students can teach small groups a writing strategy they have learned about is a wonderful idea. I also feel it is so important to display students work. I think this can help build their self-confidence. My favorite suggestion was the “notebook news” board where students can write down their new strategies and other students can use the board to support their own writing. I also agree that as a writing teacher it is vital to demonstrate what a writer is and students will respect that I can speak about writing from my own experiences. This is something I know that I will have to work hard on because I have not really practiced writing on my own. The only writing I have done is letters to people and school work! I do see however that becoming a writer will help me be a more effective teacher. I also agree with chapter nine when it discusses homework for writing. I really like the idea to ask students to collect ideas from the real world and record them in their writer’s notebook. I think this would not be too stressful for students but would also serve as a powerful tool to have when they are working on their writing pieces during writing workshop.
The next chapter discussed what to teach during writing workshop. These included teaching strategies, techniques, questions, relationships, and conventions to students. When discussing strategies to use during direct instruction and during conferences I really enjoyed the example to help students sense their audience and how she suggested that the students have someone read their writing and then retell what happened. I thought it was important that she mentioned not to ask the reader if it made sense, but instead ask questions about the content to see what the reader did understand. I also think it was neat how the author suggested also allowing the student you were working with to read a short piece you have written and tell it back to you for practice. Not only will this help the student understand the strategy but will help develop a strong relationship and trust because you as the teacher are using your own work for example. I also think that teaching students to ask questions when writing and reviewing their writing is so important. These questions can become habits that students ask themselves throughout the writing process. I also think the idea of connecting the writing process to metaphors can be very beneficial to students.
In chapter eleven it pointed out “The teaching of writing should revolve around strategies, techniques, and understandings that aren’t connected to specific material”. I completely agree with this point. When I was in school I remember us only writing about the same topic. I still see this going on in schools today. I think it is so beneficial to have students decide on their own topics based on what they have been observing in their writers notebooks. I giving students the opportunity to choose their own topics will allow them to express themselves more and allow you as a teacher to see the individual writer. I also think it would make it easier for you not to compare students to one another based on just their story line. I also think students would enjoy writing more if they had more individual choice. I know I would have enjoyed writing more this way. Due to the fact I never really got to pick out my own topics that I felt were important for me to write about, now if I do have that opportunity I have a real hard time thinking of ideas because I have always been provided with what to write about!
Your last point is so important - if we are with a class of 5th graders who struggle to choose topics, we might be tempted to conclude that students can't do this. However, it could also be the case that after 4 or 5 years of being told what to write about, we don't even remember how to find our own topics and purposes. Certainly this is the case for my students, who often have been told what to write their whole student lives. But, it can be done. Just takes some effort and guidance and the deep-down belief that every student has worthwhile things to write about.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate the insight you shared about students learning to question and think about their own writing. This is truly the goal, to develop writers who can be self-managed (and also know when to seek help.)
Beth