ASSIGNMENT TWO: WRITTEN REFLECTION–Section One- The Essential Writing Life Chapters 1-3
Reflect on the following comments written below from Chapters 1-3 and any additional thoughts that you have after reading these chapters.
Chapter 1: Simplify the Teaching of Writing• Simplify our teaching
• Becoming more knowledgeable about teaching writing
• Examine your beliefs
Regie gets to the heart of her book Writing Essentials with this quote on the final page of Chapter One: “By reducing the clutter in our teaching lives-the overplanning, the unnecessary activities, the paper load, all the ‘stuff’ that takes our time and energy and does little to improve teaching and learning-we bring joy back into our work and the world of our students.” Many of us work very hard and spend many hours complicating our teaching lives. In this book Regie will help you simplify your teaching life for your benefit and that of your students.
One of the frustrations that teachers encounter regularly is the ever changing “latest and best” writing programs that districts or states force on them and their students. With this revolving cycle of programs, teachers are spending too much time learning how to use the program rather than becoming better writing teachers. Regie explains that in the districts where students are the best writers, they are writing for real purposes and audiences and publishing their writing; teachers are not using prescribed writing programs.
Look at Appendix A (page A-2.) Examine your beliefs about writing by reading the statements about the writing process and marking true or false in your book. (Go ahead and write in your book, it’s OK! You can even use a pencil and mark very lightly if you want to.) We found this activity very enlightening. Let us know what you think after you complete the activity.
In your reflection for Section One, please include your thoughts about the following questions or statements:
• Regie demonstrates how to use the Optimal Learning Model (shown on the front cover and page 11) throughout the book. Consider how the Optimal Learning Model fits into your own instruction.
• As you think about how to teach writing so that all students can become successful, effective and joyful writers, reflect on how you presently teach the “12 Writing Essentials” (as described on pages 13-14 in the text) during your daily writing instruction. As we continue to read through Regie’s book, hopefully you will begin to see how you might make changes in your instruction to better incorporate these “12 Writing Essentials.”
Chapter 2: Start With Celebration
• Make sure writing is meaningful not just correct
• Use stories as springboards and ensure that ALL students hear stories
• Write in front of your students and connect home and school
The title of Chapter Two simply states, “Start with Celebration,” and that’s exactly what we need to do for our students. The celebration of all students’ writing needs to be put into the forefront and be made our first teaching goal. Celebrations should happen school-wide, within our classrooms and with students individually. As children begin to see themselves as successful writers, they will take more risks in their writing and in turn will become better writers who enjoy the writing process.
Another key point that Regie highlights in this chapter is to “make sure writing is meaningful, not just correct!” Students need to understand that writing is “enjoyable and for a real purpose and audience.” She also reminds us “that teaching skills in isolation does not make student writers; neither does teaching to the test. And breaking writing into bits and pieces robs children of the joy of writing.”
Regie suggests using stories as a springboard for teaching and learning. Hearing and telling stories builds our students’ oral language skills and these stories are “an entryway into reading and writing.” Only when students are reading and writing real stories can they connect the “skills” based learning to their reading and writing!
Please include your thoughts about the following questions or statements in your written reflection of Section One:
• Regie explains how important celebrating student writing is. How do you celebrate student writing in your classroom? How might you add more celebration of student writing to your day/year?
• Consider what changes you could make in your writing instruction to make writing more meaningful and purposeful for your students.
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The Optimal Learning Model visually identifies the structure of my gradual release of responsibilities with my students becoming independent writers. My population of students struggle with being independent learners (4th & 5th grade special education). Writing is a particularly arduous task for many of them. Sometimes I feel as if I am in the entertainment business because I try so hard to engaged and help them make purposeful connections. I try to incorporate all 12 Writing Essentials, but honestly, I am presently working on having them establish the audience, creating engaging leads, elaborating on ideas, organization, conventions and exposing them to various genres/authors. My goal is to teach by guiding his/her writing towards independence. I want my students to feel successful before challenging them with more “things” to consider and incorporate. I understand what Regie is saying by the comment, “make sure it’s meaningful, not just correct,” but it gets tricky when deciding which conventions to let go during the writing process for each child. I am very conscience about the questions I ask to help push their level of thinking, which also scaffolds meaning.
ReplyDeleteCelebrating writing is my favorite part about writing. When kids model their own writing for peers, it seem to be much more inspirational and motivating than my own instruction. I teach a few writing groups a day. At the end of each group, I have a couple of students share his or her work. However, it’s not always appropriate for each lesson. When we do critique, we do it as a group. I also pre-teach the expectations of giving an effective critique.
You MUST be:
• Kind (start with a compliment)
• Helpful (give suggestions on word choice, organization, etc.)
• Specific (tell exactly what to “fix” with examples)
I teach this skill using the Optimal Learning Model. Critiquing is the first skill my students learn as writers, which is kind of ironic. It is a very effective motivator once we get into the swing of things. I could probably add more celebration during critiquing by asking he children what they are most proud of in his piece.
Thanks Andrea – We’ve been holding off on responding hoping to get the semester going a little bit – it’s been a very slow start this semester. There are at least 3 more people enrolled in this course, but so far no one else is responding. I laughed when I read your comment about feeling like you’re in the entertainment business…I think so many teachers feel like that as they are constantly trying to engage and re-engage their students :) I think it sounds as though you are setting perfect goals for your students. When I began to focus in more on audience (and purpose) with my last classroom teaching job (inclusive 4th grade), I began to see a tremendous amount of growth in their writing. I think that you are having to constantly balance the modification needed for your individual students with the curriculum…it is a very big juggling act. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteWhen I consider how the Optimal Learning Model fits into my own instruction, I realize that I have been more conscious of trying to hand over the responsibility to the students more in the past year or so than I have in the past. Prior to this time the majority of my writing instruction has been me demonstrating to the kids and definitely being the one “holding the pen” more times than not. I’d then assign directed assignments that had limited student choice much of the time. This framework fits in with where I’ve been on the “12 Writing Essentials” as well. I think I’ve been more “part to whole” for most of my teaching career…all in the name of “teaching to the standards” so the kids can pass “the test” at the end of the year. I related well to the teacher (Terry Lamp) that was mentioned in this section of the book. I hope to have my own “extreme makeover” as he did!
ReplyDeleteThere has been so much emphasis placed on passing the state writing test, with double weight on conventions, that the “12 Essentials of Writing” has, unfortunately, become more of a checklist to me that has to be accomplished by “such and such a date” rather than things that are taught to help students convey a message in their writing. I’ve been working on making a much more conscientious effort the past year or so to get away from this “checklist mentality”.
Celebrating my students’ writing is my favorite part of teaching writing. Having kids share their own writing with each other as well as with the whole class tends to provide much more inspiration and motivation for them than any number of lessons I could hope to teach. Publishing their writing in a simple class book brings so much excitement and pride to the kids…and they become books that are looked at again and again. I need to make sure I leave enough time in my daily schedule for these times of celebration.
Changes to make in my own writing instruction, in order to make it more meaningful and purposeful for my students is to let go of more responsibility and trust that my students can, indeed, handle it. I need to continually remind myself that if I don’t give them the chance to “fly” on their own when it comes to becoming competent writers, they’re never going to learn how. I have to become the one that “nudges” (or in some cases, shoves! ) them out of the nest rather than holding them back and keeping them there.
I love Regie’s Optimal Learning Model and am fairly astute at implementing it within my reading instruction. Having read Regie’s Reading Essentials book and taken a course based on the text last winter, I have already learned about the model and have been using it for about 6 months now. I can personally attest to the effectiveness and success of the model. Following the model during reading instruction is the easiest because I feel I have more fluidity when it comes to my reading instruction. With my writing instruction being one of my weakest areas (and my main reason for taking this course!), I am looking forward to consistent implementation of the Optimal Learning Model since it is one I am both familiar and comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteThe 12 Writing Essentials for All Grade Levels is a very eye-opening and enlightening when it comes effective writing instruction. I would say I am doing fairly well in the areas of embrace language and elaborate on ideas with my students in connection to previous coursework I have taken that focused on powerful vocabulary and language in the classroom. I see my students really struggling with creating engaging leads and composing satisfying endings because the instruction they received in 4th grade was very “canned”; i.e., you can tell they were taught a very particular writing formula in order to help them pass the State Writing Assessment. I see them literally at a loss for words and ways to start and end their writing with any sort of pizzazz. I look forward to learning some ways to help teach and grow my students in these writing areas, along with better crafting my writing instruction with these 12 writing essentials.
When it comes to celebrating student writing in my classroom, I schedule some time, once a week, where my students have an opportunity to share their writing IF they want to (they always have the option to pass). This happens during a quick writes that comes from Regie’s book and that I learned about last year. From week to week, it’s always interesting to see who is willing to share or not; I know much of it depends upon the selected topic (I give them two prompts to chose from – they have to chose one to write about. I make sure the prompts are ones that I am certain they can connect to and have something to say about it.) Whenever a students shares, I not only ALWAYS and ONLY give positive feedback to the write (I call them “authors” during writing times), but I always am honestly able to say: “I just learned something new about Tim. I didn’t realize he _________. Did anyone else already know that about him?” I fully understand that my students are taking a risk whenever they share their writing, so nothing but public praise for doing so is my hard and fast rule in my classroom.
I must also be completely truthful in that the amount of time I have spent so far on writing instruction this year is not at all to my satisfaction, so it is imperative I work some miracles with my schedule and spend more time with writing. My students need it AND deserve it! Providing more writing time for them will allow me more time for celebration and acknowledgement!
With my writing instruction, I am making a commitment to myself and my students to make sure the instruction they receive is WORTHWHILE!! As Regie strongly emphasizes, I want their writing to be authentic, I want it to come from their hearts, and I want it to be purposeful. They MUST have a say/some choice in what they are going to write about. I will celebrate the risk taking, focus on their strengths, model, model, model for them, AND allow a variety of writing. One writing activity I have never done is comic strip writing. I know many of my students would LOVE to do this, especially with all of the recent popularity with graphic novels and The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. I can already visualize a published classroom “comic book” of sorts. What a fun way to offer creativity, artistry, and good old-fashioned fun when it comes to writing!
Thanks Sharon and Mardy for your reflective comments! Sharon – I think the first part in having that “extreme make-over” you’d like is doing exactly what you shared so well in your comment – REFLECT! The best teachers are those who can look back on the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of their teaching and make decisions on how to change instruction where needed. I think that you’ve set some great goals for yourself – continue to celebrate writing and be willing to follow the gradual release of responsibility and give them plenty of opportunities for independent practice. Mardy – It’s great to hear that you are finding success using the OLM in your reading instruction. Reading does tend to come more naturally to many of us. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the basic similarities between using the OLM in both reading and writing. It also sounds as though you’ve done a great job setting up your “community of writers” where everyone feels safe to share their writing. I love the idea of kids being able to write graphic novels – great hook!
ReplyDelete1) - The Optimal Learning Model, (OLM), is emphasized where I teach. As a learning center teacher, I work more one on one with kids. Whole group lessons take place in the gen ed classroom. I feel that writing is a skill that takes many years of explicit instruction and then practice. Rarely have I seen a student with am instinctual writing capability. Of course, there are those students who pick up on the “way to write” quickly. Students who come through my doors are those that struggle significantly with writing. Writing takes so many skills that challenge my students; fine motor skills, reading, organization, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe students I work with require more modeling and practice. They need to feel successful, and the OLM allows this to happen gradually. We continue to work together so that kids can feel successful and supported throughout the entire writing process.
2) The 12 writing essentials are tools that are taught throughout all academic assignments. With my students, it is difficult to teach all these areas at the same time. I try and choose 1 of these areas at a time. For example, a student wrote a piece recently, and there were so many errors in every area that could be graded. I was going through the paper with him making every correction along the way. As we continued to work, this poor kid looked so defeated. I paused and considered what I was doing to this kids future writing. Here was this story that he spent hours working on, covered in marks. I asked him to go print me another copy. Then I discussed with him his writing goals. We then decided what 2 things we wanted to improve on with this piece. He decided that he wanted to work on capitalization and ending punctuation (Apply correct conventions and form). A very simple and beginning writing task, but something that he decided. I feel strongly about kids taking ownership of their work.
Overall the OLM and the 12 steps work hand in hand. I am fortunate that I work in a setting where both these things are emphasized throughout the school year.
Amy – I completely agree with your point that OLM allows children the time and practice they need to both feel and BE successful. I also think that given the amount of time and frequency that you are able to see your students, choosing 1 goal to work on is a good idea….I also think that teachers should be focusing in on 1 goal at a time in each area regardless of ability. Giving students ownership over their goals will definitely give them incentive to strive and work harder towards their goals!
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