Inspiration

Something that Professor Lowe said during her lecture last week really struck a chord with me. I get pretty hung up on spelling and grammar. It never occurred to me what a damaging effect on students' writing correcting every little error might have. Of course this would be really discouraging. Why would a student want to continue writing if a teacher caused them to believe they were not a successful writer? Professor Lowe pointed out that students become good spellers and writers by reading and writing, so they should be given many opportunities to do so and should be encouraged. This was a major lightbulb moment for me.

As a result, I read the readings this week with the following question in mind: "What does this article contain for me about encouraging my students to write?"

I soon realised I had already formed a strong opinion which definitely informed my reading. The first article I read, about using blogging as a pedagogical resource to get students writing and reflecting (as I am doing right now) supported the idea that enjoyment and freedom were important elements of getting students to write. Reluctant writers were quoted as commenting that although they had dreaded contributing to class blogs, they found that they both enjoyed and gained a lot from the process. They felt the medium was flexible and freeing and were encouraged to continue writing.

The second article I read, in contrast, focused on the necessity of teaching form over content. It emphasised the importance of the type of instruction in which basic elements such as sentence structure and the relationships between words took priority over meaning. The author, in this and several subsequent articles, argued that allowing students to wax lyrical on whatever subjects and issues interested them without providing rigorous instruction on how to use linguistic forms had led to a dramatic decline in the quality of students' writing.

So I am left to ponder the question: "How do I maintain high expectations of my students' writing and set a standard for quality work in my classroom without discouraging my students from writing altogether?"

Food for thought.

Perhaps a clue lies in my other reading - a quote from Henri Nouwen, the aptly named 'A Reminder to Those of Us Who Would Write'. A beautiful, inspiring quote concerning the great importance and enormous value of writing. Perhaps inspiration is the key!

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

After Prof Lowe's tutorial earlier this semester I was really looking forward to her tutorial this week. I learned a great deal last time and the same can be said this time. Prof Lowe's enthusiasm is infectious, and I what I particularly appreciate as I listen to her is the empathy she clearly displays for young readers, writers, and spellers. We are asked to put ourselves in the role of learners, and this is so very effective and memorable. I have taken a great deal of practical advice from this week's tutorial, and a reminder of how important it is to demonstrate information and to actively engage and involve students and to make learning relevant.

Perhaps the most important concept I can take away from the tutorial is that of giving ownership to the writer, of giving many opportunities to write, to share, and to self-edit by reading aloud. I think it is valuable to remember that we learn to spell by reading and writing, so students should be given many opportunities to read and write. I loved the spelling quiz and the curiosity it aroused - I genuinely wanted to know how to spell "accommodation" because none of us were certain! This was a real lesson for me in providing ownership - even just during my two prac experiences I have had a number of students call out "Miss - how do you spell...?" and I have simply given them the spelling, rather than encouraging an enthusiasm for words by responding "Does anyone know? Where might we find that word? Let's look for it!"

I guess the real lesson here for me is to be encouraging and not to get hung up on the details, perhaps ease up on the red pen and support students in their efforts to express themselves. I can see now that being handed back a page covered in red crosses and corrections will hardly create a sense of success or an incentive to keep trying, to keep writing, to keep exploring. So (sigh) despite the fact that things such as grossly misused (and NOT used) apostrophes drive me to distraction... I need to remember that details such as this are not, in fact, the point. The point is that the student wrote something, and that is to be encouraged.

I think this is a very, very valuable inclusion to our research. Providing genuine assistance to students struggling with writing independently is more than just providing them with a set of rules, or skills, or stuff to learn and memorise - it is an attitude to impart, one of "letting the pen take you on an adventure".

Purpose

I don't consider the questions posed by this unit to be a distraction from the core disciplinary business of an English teacher in any way. As a number of others have noted, reading and writing is an integral part of the English curriculum. So, in fact, our discussions and explorations have all directly addressed issues relating to the daily business of an English teacher.

I'd like to - if i may - put on the hat of a Drama teacher for a moment (on this forum rather than the somewhat empty Drama page...) and address these questions from that perspective.

The Drama curriculum is concerned with developing performance and playbuilding skills, an appreciation of theatre and dramatic works, building empathy and values about working collaboratively. In my heart-of-hearts - the curriculum definition pretty much covers it! I'll be working with students to help them to appreciate theatre and to create it, to work together, and to put themselves in other people's shoes from time to time. I've pretty much spent my life in this field and I know what a challenging and rewarding world I'll be introducing them to. The radically transforming literary landscape we live in I think will only enhance students' experience of Drama. They'll have access to more resources, be able to see more, consider more, create in different mediums, explore possibilities from all over the world, think outside the box... I think they'll also be able to teach me a thing or two as many will be far more technologically "literate" than me.

So how does redefining writing come into it? Written communication is a major aspect of Drama for a number of reasons. I've been asked to consider "purpose" by a number of sources this week. Why? Why write? I've always enjoyed writing, so I can't really connect to the question unless I consider "purpose" from another perspective. I've never liked computers, so I've always sucked at using them. I was a very basic email and word processor user, and that was as far as it went. This year we were asked to create a wiki - nightmare of nightmares - and I had to figure out how to hyperlink, how to embed videos, upload, download, attatch, insert. Fortunately as each of these elements were introduced I could see a use for them beyond the assignment. I could blog. Create a website. Get connected! I had a purpose, so I learned.

So what is the "purpose" of writing for a Drama student? I would say it's twofold - creating and reflecting. Self devised works, scripts, journals, self-evaluations... there's a number of reasons for Drama students to write and to express themselves effectively, and it's definitely not a distraction from my core disciplinary business to illustrate and facilitate this aspect of their learning and to encourage their explorations.