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Both of the readings this week approached ideas that I can see myself incorporating into education, even if I did not realize it before reading these essays. Andrews’ article seemed to emphasize primarily on giving minority students a real outlet to the rest of the world in which their identity is validated. Although I can definitely see the importance of this concept for minority students I think that it is a concept that applies to all students. Everyone, especially during the pre-teen years feels like an “other” at some time or another (in my humble opinion). Finding a way to give students a voice through publishing could alleviate the feeling of alienation that is a part of growing up. Many times as an adolescent one feels frustrated because they are stuck in a strange area between adult and child. Andrews claims that writing assignments should “leave the form and content as open as possible to encourage students to write from their world view (260)” and I agree wholeheartedly. Let’s face it, the world looks a lot different at fifteen compared to the way we see it at twenty-five. Rather than trying to force students to look at the world in a different way than they are likely or capable to do, it is important to show the ways an adolescent viewpoint is credible. Publishing is a fantastic way to do this. Okay, so every kid might not be published but all of them can triumph through the victory of a peer.

Art and music are such important aspects or writing and literature for me. Really, I can not see how they could ever be separated. Alejandro wrote that “when we read and write we use the same critical thinking and decision-making brainpower that we use when we respond to paintings (135).” I feel that English teachers are obligated to introduce students to other art forms when they teach writing and literature. Otherwise, teachers are committing a great injustice to students by isolating language from art. Recently, I became aware of an upcoming teaching style know as literacy based learning where teachers use a piece of literature to adapt lesson plans for all subjects. An example for an elementary level class room is to take a chapter book such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and find ways to link it to other subjects like math, science, etc. I would use a similar method to link art, music, writing and reading into a cohesive lesson plan to any reading material. The only limitation to this teaching method is the creativity of the instructor because combinations of such materials are endless for any writing/reading lesson.

Series Finale

I won't lie, the Andrews article confuses me, however, and that may be more the fault of a tired brain than anything else. On one hand she seems to be pushing the idea that knowledge and application of performance can help writers. To this I agree. No one in the class could honestly say that they have never written a paper that was not a performance to their audience. I typically call these kind of papers the "dance monkey, dance" type. Now, there is nothing wrong with this type of paper, it is a needed aspect of the writing world and part of the idea of audience awareness that we have been so keen about this semester. The second thing Andrews seems to be talking about does not really seem to be connected to me and that is the idea of minorities finding voice in small non-professional publication. For some reason this latter concept does not seem to be connected with her previous concept.

Back in the first grade I had what is perhaps the best music class in the twelve years I was in “normal” school. In kindergarten and second grade on up music class was boring, repetitive and made no sense. Teachers would ask us to with play on some little plastic flute till our throats hurt or list the style, artist/composer, and date of a piece they play. However, in first grade I had a teacher who was in love with classical music but never told us that. Instead of putting on an old recording of Mozart or Bach and asking us what was it, who was it and when was it, he told us to close our eyes and just listen. When the piece was over we were told to write or draw (which ever we preferred more) what we saw when we were listening to the piece he played. I learned more about listening to classical music and the feelings and meanings behind those compositions in first grade than when I took a class on classical music in eighth. The reason I am telling this story is because I believe that what my first grade music teacher did is the same thing that Alejandro is talking about, and if it is all I can do is agree with it.

Blog 10

When you compare writing to another form of aesthetics such as dance or painting the immediate response in my head is "how?" the only immediate similarity that i saw was creativity but you can be creative in the way you arrange your bedroom as well as how you write a story. Then i thought about it a little more and i started piecing it together slowly but surely. I don't see the similarities so much in the process as i do in the finished product. A favorite quote of mine come from Nietzsche when he says "only as an aesthetic phenomenon is the world justified." Writing is an aesthetic, not only in the print on the page but in the physical structure of a book itself. When something is really well written, you don't realize that you have stopped paying attention to each individual word to piece together a sentence and started paying attention to each individual sentence that constructs a paragraph. Or even bigger each paragraph that constructs a chapter, or each chapter that constructs a section of, or the whole, book. The aesthetic quality of a work can be found when you stop yourself and re-read a paragraph or two of prose that put a definite image or feeling inside you. This is where i see the similarity between writing and painting because you see the whole picture first in a painting and then have to go back to study the details and critique what you say. I've been getting caught up in the nitty gritty of sentence structure and word choice, and this is important, but i think that somehow as teachers we should try to come up with a way to teach efficient paragraph writing, or efficient chapter writing because the intricacy and detail eventually leads to this greater entity altogether. Maybe if could teach writing by having our students write 10 pages worth of work with a beginning middle and end and then take that work and go through it section by section we could make them understand how to use the process as they write as well as as they revise. Good painters start by appreciating completed art, and good writers start by appreciating good books. The problem is that a lot of students don't have a wide background in literature and it's hard to teach them how to get somewhere they have never even witnessed.

Tenth and Final

It seems that both articles stressed the need to get the students to be passionate about what they do, and from that you can teach the the fundamentals of the subject matter. This can be done using all sorts of creative mediums. Alejandro not only proves the case by presenting the improved test percentages of the children she has taught, but she fully elaborates upon her methods. I remember doing similar activities, sitting in class and talking about both the artist and some important paintings. Other than reading time and art class, it was by far one of my favorite school activities. I like that she says "immersion in art can parallel and enhance immersion in text." (133) She makes the claim, fully supports it, and got results. Now why don't more educators embrace this? Andrews places great values on addressing writing through performance, much like Alejandro appreciates art as a writing tool. I like that Andrews states "by affirming knowledge of subsistence, student writers make a statement about its importance not just in the past but for the future." (261) It shows the importance of teaching to empower, that an amateur is capable of making great statements. The piece ended well too, offering a lot of pointers on the importance of editing and how publication is an end result worth pursuing.

Blog 10

One thing that I remember from my high school days of publication is my 10th grade English teacher, Mrs. Rossman. Every single one of her students in all of her classes had to write some type of love poem for Valentine's Day with the knowledge that they were going to be "published" once we completed them. Personally, I know I worked a little bit harder on my particular poem because I was worried what all my other classmates would think. Once the assignment was completed, Mrs. Rossman had a group of students arrange them and put them together in a pamphlet or magazine. At the end of the school year they were dispersed. Sadly enough, I still have that pamphlet 10 years later because I thought it was pretty cool. We never published anything locally besides the school newspaper, The Cats Meow. But I think it would be an awesome opportunity for the students to engage in.

Blogten

Ms. Andrews' experiences in Alaska sounds amazing!
I do think there is a relationship between all the arts that can be used effectively for teaching writing. Susan Andrews sees dance performance as a metaphor for the process writing we learn about. Get the creative expression out first and then go back and hone the details. Work on the mechanics of the piece.
Ms. Alejandro is also in a unique teaching environment that takes a little thinking outside the box to reach kids. Drawing, dance, drama, writing are all a form of creative expression so it is little wonder that they don't work well together in the teaching of writing. An artist has to illustrate emotion, natural form on canvass and a writer needs to do the same on paper. I taught for a time, art at a local Boys & Girls Club. These were mostly kids from disadvantaged backgrounds that often struggled academically. I loved the way the younger ones would write all over their art work. They would label things they were proud of, write captions, or messages to the intended recipient. The older they got the more they were taught that that was incorrect and stopped the practice--a shame. Here is a great example of the interaction between writing process ans artistic process-- one and the same.

Last One

The most valuable course I took in in high school was a creative writing class. Our teacher had us pick several pieces that we created over the semester and had us prepare them for "publication." These pieces were not ever published as we commonly think of the term, but we were challenged to consider all the elements of our writings and edit it to the point that we felt it was ready to be shared with a wider audience. I look back at those writings ocassionally and am always impressed with the quality of them. Andrews' piece "Writing as Performance" rang true for me because I have experienced the concept in action. I especially liked the sentiment that as a dance, a writing instructor should seek to bring out in students "whatever flash of beauty or grace or majesty." (pg 260) through their writing instruction.

Alejandro brought out the importance of publishing as well, when she spoke of the in class publications that she and her students worked on. I had a fourth-grade teacher who utilized a similar tool. Every few weeks we would publish a new edition of the "Dress Press" (the teacher's name was Mrs. Dress) whcih was our version of a literary magazine. Some of the prompts would be based on readings we had done, some were based on holidays near publication date or favorite memories, etc.

I am still amazed that with the evident success of non-traditional modes or tools of instruction, so many things in education are baserd on teaching to the test.

Every student's work has merit

Yeah, touchy feely title! So I was reading in Christina's blog that it was only the "popular" students in her class that had the opportunity to publish their work and I was a little upset by that. One of the teacher's who had the greatest impact on my learning was my 3rd grade teacher. Even to this day I can be in class and think of an anecdote that in some way connects to a lesson from Mrs. Chartrandt's class. Every student had the opportunity to publish their works and they didn't just sit in the library where they would never be read again. Copies of our published books would be donated to younger classes and local businesses. You could find a copy of Mrs. Chartrandt's Scary Stories in the waiting room of the doctor's office. I can remember reading other people's stories when I was younger and then reading my own story to my mother when I was waiting for Dr. Williams to call me in for my physical. Even better, each student got their own book with all of their stories in it. I still have mine.

Finding my stories when I was out and about with my family brought me such a sense of pride, and I am sure my mom found listening to my fairy tale every time we went to the doctor obnoxious. I would hope that other teachers would give their students the same opportunity.

my

My, my, my. One besotted week later I read Jim's "head's up" email about today's deadline. Thanks, man.

Alejandro inspired, or I should say re-inspired me. I often get depressed and wonder about the futility of any effort I often feel. I totally lost it one night recently when I attempted to explain what "Interdisciplinary Humanities" is to a diner waitress. She just kept giving me a look that said "Yeah, so what? How's that gonna pay your rent?" But when I read Alejandro about "the quest for beauty and making beauty at the heart of our curriculum," when I imagine little kids whispering " thank you, Jesus, for letting us come here," when I remember staring, rapt, for hours at a single painting in the Las Vegas Guggenheim, oblivious to the crowds around me and the blazing neon inferno just one wall away, I remember why it matters. We are not machines of production, computers to calculate and perform tests. We are human beings and art, beauty and communication is what makes it have any value. Pulling together with each other is impossible if we can't find beauty in our world and make it our own. Once we do that we want to share it, and writing can not only communicate beauty we've seen and felt, it creates more.

Hang on a second, I actually cried a little there.

In Susan Andrew's piece, I kept going back to the start of this course, thinking about inner speech and audience. It's because of the audience that we desire to make inner speech into voice. And an unheard voice is not much of a voice. Expecting our audience makes us want to polish and tune that voice to reach out and grab them, hold them, pull them towards our own experience. In my "Power and the Story" class with Dr Kareithi, we keep discussing and wrestling with the problem of what happens when one story drowns out another "stealing the voice" from someone else. The writers in CNIS are just that sort of voices, unheard and ignored. To get them into circulation is awesome.

Blog 10

Andrews' article reminded me of a dance instructor I interviewed during my Daily Collegian days up at Main Campus. I think her classes had some sort of end-of-the-semester showcase coming up or something. Anyway, I remember her saying that the performance would be the final piece of the puzzle for her students, the piece she couldn't teach them in the classroom. Actually, I think I'll try to track that article down in the online archives. Hold on. Wow, that was a lot easier than I expected it to be. Anyway, here's an excerpt.

Ford, who focuses on musical theater styles but also teaches both ballet and advanced jazz, said the interaction between the audience and a performer is necessary to test the performer's ability to implement a new technique.
Lon Hurst, assistant professor of dance, agreed that a performance essentially fulfills the function of dance as a performance-based art form.
"It's surprising what people will invest when they know they're doing something for an audience instead of just a grade," said Hurst, who teaches both tap classes and a beginning jazz class.

I didn't think about it relating to writing at the time, but it definitely does, especially considering the important role that audience plays, or should play, in the writing process. If audience is a part of the process, why not make it a part of the product, as well?

Statewide standardized testing. Sigh. I think I've already had about as much as I can handle for one semester, so Alejandro's article was more of the same, for me. As we've discussed in class, I think that by "teaching to the test," we're not really teaching our students anything but the test. If we're doing our jobs as teachers, our students should be able to succeed. Period. However, that type of teaching takes time, probably more time than many teachers who are under pressure feel that they have. Isn't it easier to teach students how to apply knowledge in one specific scenario than to teach them how to apply it anywhere? At the school where I am observing this semester, the seventh-grade students take language arts and a literacy class, which is supposed to improve reading and, as a result, PSSA scores. It's not a perfect solution, but at least PSSA preparation isn't taking up all of the time in language arts.

Blog 10

In my high school, the only people who were asked to refine their writing for publication were the popular kids. I think that's why Andrews' essay this week just didn't click for me. I think those of us who weren't popular would have benefited more from the ability to share our work, to become better writers, if the teachers had come to the less popular kids and had us try to publish our stories- or to have the entire class do it as a whole. I like the idea of having the class attempt to publish, I just wonder about the effect one student getting published will have on those that aren't. Will they push themselves to get to the level of the published writer? Or will they just give up and decide that if they aren't good enough to be published now, they won't ever be? The teacher will have to make sure students don't get discouraged from writing if the publishing doesnt work out. I don't mean to play devil's advocate here, I think this could be an interesting idea if done well.

Alejandro really seemed to hit the nail on the head, though. Why are we just having our students fill in bubbles for tests? Why does it take half a year to teach students a test? If they're not learning it in your classes as is and need a special course to learn how to take a PSSA, mayne we need to redefine how we teach our subjects. We take away art classes, band classes, music and choral classes. If we take away writing too, where are kids going to focus on their creativity? I'm not a talented artist, but if I hadn't taken mechanical design and 3D art classes, I would be missing something. I spent years learning to play an instrument, discipline from marching across a football field throwing flags. seeing how lighting turned a regular stage into a scene. These were all intergral parts of my high school years, and parts that helped form me. Kids are really missing out on a huge part of their development as we continue taking all of these creative outlets away. I love the idea of bringing art into the classroom. Not just to expose students to it, but to use the pieces as a starting point for creative writing and learning.

Blog Ten

The Andrews chapter in WTL had some helpful suggestions for future writing instructors to encourage students to write beyond the classroom. The belief is that once a young writer sets a goal of contributing for a publication, their expectations broaden along with their considerations for audience. I suppose it would not be farfetched to conclude that it would also allow for more stress and pressure on the writer to be perfect if it was to be scrutinized beyond the classroom. However, if the young writer produces work that successfully makes it through editing and it is printed for the masses it certainly would be an encouraging experience for their confidence and abilities. One could make the argument that the internet is one such forum for a writer to reach out and be heard by many, but let’s face it; being “published” on the internet on a blog or some obscure website would not be as gratifying as a printed publication amongst your peers or community. And while it is unlikely that many publications exist that will accept untrained or amateur writing, it would be worthwhile for young students and writing instructors alike to investigate if such avenues of opportunity and experience are accessible.

A secondary part of the Andrews chapter called for socially responsible writing if the opportunity or forum allowed for it. The author is also an English teacher in Alaska and has noticed that the Native population is somewhat overlooked and treated as second class. Many of the publications that would permit amateur submissions would be an ideal place for an effective sounding board for the under-represented. Of course, a larger media outlet would be the preference but not realistically attainable for the student writer.

The Alejandro chapter begins by displaying a Texas third grade she taught at where less than half of the children were reading at a first grade level, while the other half had little to no English speaking skills. The teachers at that school would have to be miracle workers to get those children up to the state proficiency standard. The obstacles such as language, poverty, crime, and graduation rates suggest that it is not a combination where any success could be achieved quickly. The next section was about miracle worker like results with the use of art, to build on an array of skills but obviously had a tremendous impact on the children’s cognitive skills of learning and perception. Alejandro’s utilization and significance of art as a tool went unnoticed and was mandated to change her teaching techniques to better instruct for the state tests; she resigned instead of adapting. The same children one year later made baffling improvements, and the school was rewarded as a result. When I first read the chapter I didn’t notice the years of Alejandro’s service at schools, but for effect she goes out of sequence to build up the drama of “can she do it again with those kids, at that school?” As it turns out she could. Using art to development other skills including confidence proved to once again allow the improbable to occur. In my I-search paper I discussed how teacher’s skills were being stripped away when you command them to teach to a test. Alejandro, in amazing fashion was able to implement her skills to accomplish improvement in the students and improvement on the test.

The two chapters clearly suggest that teachers must sometimes consider and adapt alternative methods to tap into student potential.

Blog 10

I was very inspired by both of the readings for this week. With my background in performance, I was easily able to identify with Susan B. Andrews’ Writing As Performance, and I appreciated the many connections she made between the two processes. I loved her notion that “everyone should be afforded an opportunity to be published and to ‘perform.’” I think when teaching writing, it is important to give students a higher objective than simply getting a good grade on a paper. Preparing a piece of writing to be published, even if in a local paper or magazine, will give students the extra motivation to really develop their own voice as writers.

I was also really affected by Andrews’ description of how her Alaskan Native students used this process to pass down cultural heritage and life experiences to younger generations. I remember that during 9th grade English class, we prepared several pieces for entry into the Scholastic Writing Awards. In the same way as Andrews discusses, students were forced to constantly revise and reword their writing for the “final performance.” I am happy to report that through this effort, one of my essays was chosen for publication in a magazine. Interestingly, I still consider that work to be some of my best writing to this very day.

Reading Alejandra’s article on the use of art in her elementary language arts classroom was incredibly appropriate after having just this past week attended two lectures at Dickinson College by playwright Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf; 3 time Pulitzer Prize winner). Albee raised some amazing points regarding both the state of theater in the United States and the problem with America’s public education system. I was so glad to discover that his thoughts and opinions helped to confirm the reason I decided to go back to school and get my teaching certification. He talked about the fact that the lack of arts education in public schools is part of the reason that we are seeing a decline in the amount and quality of creative art in our country. Like Alejandra, Mr. Albee made the point that “all students need to learn how to see, to interpret data from the world, the canvas, and the page”.

In Albee’s opinion, elementary school room walls should be filled with abstract art, so that from an early age, students can begin making sense of the beauty in the world around them. He discussed the important role that the arts play in allowing people to reflect on themselves as humans and to make changes if they don't like what they see. From my experiences in the classroom so far, I think it is evident that there is too much focus on testing and not enough on preparing students to be responsible and observant human beings. As Edward Albee so brilliantly pointed out, the arts is the one thing that truly separates us from other animals. It gives us the ability to make sense of our reality and the world in which we live. The more schools begin to cut art and music programs, the more our society as a whole stands to ultimately lose.

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I have lightly considered teaching because I'm not really an outgoing person when it comes to speaking in front of people, you will all soon experience this personally. However when I read things like the Aleandro part, it really does inspire me like Danielle said. I respect ANY teacher that would teach underprivileged children, I can remember a select few teachers that really helped me. I can't say I was underprivileged but I know how it feels. I never excelled in ANY subject in school so most teachers would just glance over me and not "waste" their time trying to help me. I think that trust in the real world and trust in the classroom is something that should be treated completely separate. I know a lot of people don't trust people from day to day out in the streets, but in the classroom, it is our duty to trust all students. Trust the students that they will do good if given some help and guidance.

I think at a young age, the idea of art to inspire writing would work. However, what is the age limit? I don't think it would work for all ages, it might become debilitating. If a student is used to seeing what they want to write about, what happens to their creativity? It's just like the 5 paragraph format, it's been force fed to us with a rusty fork! If we had some variation I don't think people would have such a hard time writing other formats.

"Variation is the key to nurturing someones creativity!"
-Justin Michael Weidman

Blog 10 or Boo! Standardized Testing, Hooray! Art

Did Ms. Andrews move to Alaska to pursue ballet or teaching? Seems an odd place to go to be a ballerina but I suppose if that's what you really want to do you will go where they have a job. Nice of the Anchorage Daily News to step up and accept the student work. The incentive to get published surely can make an impact on the work. I like to write with the idea that someone might read it even if that never happens. It helps. For me at least.

Ooh that mean old Ann Alejandro tricking those poor little urchins into learning by using art and pictures and writing and such. The cruel injustice of actually making learning into something fun and enjoyable so much so that the poor defenseless little children wouldn't even realize they were gaining knowledge until it was too late. She should be ashamed of herself for duping those naive previous underachievers into bettering themselves in spite of how the world would see them. Shocking, just shocking. I am appalled. Bad, bad teacher. She should just stick to her test preparation and allow the school to go down the tubes like the rest of them. The unmitigated gall. The nerve of some people. I . . . I . . . I can't deal with this, I need a spot of Sherry.

Blog 10

Good articles for our final blog. First, I need to say that I found the Aleandro piece very inspiring- it almost made me want to become a teacher! I thought reading her accounts of teaching underprivilidged elementary students were fascinating. If only all educators could be so passionate about their work and desire to make a difference in students' lives. My favorite quote from Aleandro was "Treat students as if they were all gifted and talented, and they will show you that in some way or in many ways, they are" (WTL 144). Aleandro has both trust and faith in her students, regardless of how young they are, and as we discussed with previous readings teachers need to trust students more and have faith in their ability to surprise and excel in their work. Aleandro's classrooms are a great example of what happens when teachers trust students.

I loved her interdisciplinary idea of bringing the world of art into the world of writing. I agree with her statement that "most writing is visually dependent" (133) and the art world is a great way to demonstrate this idea with young kids, or any age students for that matter. More importantly, Aleandro discusses that she wants to teach her students to learn 'how to see' and how to interpret data from the world around them. This is what writing is supposed to do, but it often gets neglected (in my opinion). I think it's wonderful that she teaches this to her students at such a young age, giving them the necessary tools to become strong writers. I loved when she was talking about how she doubted any of her young students had witnessed anything beautiful in their lives "because nobody had shown them how to see it" (133). What a sad concept. I think bringing the visual arts into writing is great because it not only expands the students knowledge to a wider scope, but also because it teaches how everything is connected and writing is one way to explore that. Interdisciplinary techniques are also a good approach to writing because every student is able to find something they connect with, which we know fuels good writing.

The Andrews piece was also good- another way of integrating the arts (this time performance) into writing. The analogy of writing being like a dance rehearsal was a good comparison. I think it was important that she mentioned that writing should not be a competition, rather an individual challenge. This helps to take the pressure off the writers and allow them to produce their very best work without comparision to others. Writing is supposed to make us feel a sense of achievement in that we have reached a personal best without being judged by others. The idea that everyone should be published (in some format) to increase a sense of self confidence is a good one. Everyone should have their moment to shine and feel proud of their work since writing is supposed to be an enjoyable and fulfilling experience.

Number Nine

I'll probably never try to teach writing to prisoners. That said, I have heard from former prisoners that reading, writing, and religion are extremely common ways to reach out to prisoners and help them cope with the situation they find themselves in as well as their past. It's interesting that the author explores the way both the prisoners and non-prisoners resist the writing and also put down the idea of prison writing, with a "what good will it do" attitude. I'm sure Julie enjoyed this piece, it had Moffett quotes throughout. What I found most enjoyable is some of the techniques that we talk about using with students, such as freedom of topic, is just as applicable to prisoners.

I like what Smith had to say, though this was another one of his chapters where I felt he ways just reiterating a lot of bits of common sense. "Writing is learned by writing, by reading, and by perceiving ones self as a writer." (217) Well of course. He makes many similar comments in his opening, saying things like "teachers are influential" and "writing is fostered rather than taught." More valuable information comes out as the piece continues. Smtih boldly stated "I have never seen a testing or evaluation instrument that would help students learn to write or teachers to teach writing." (224) I enjoyed that he actually wrote that into the chapter. He then tears apart the notion of teaching for the sake of evaluation. And then he tears apart the institution that is the school system. I was loving it. Another great statement was "schools are not primarily concerned with learning." (226) Smith calls it like it is, I'll give him that, so even though I cynically might say he writes common sense notions out on paper, there are moments when you need to be reminded of such things, even if it's just to reaffirm what you know. Smith tries to end positively though with a list of what educators can do to make teaching effective dispite the flaws in the system.

Again, I found 9R a hard read, only because Spandel rubs me the wrong way. I really loath the way she uses the word "publish". We have talked several times in class about the way curriculum and assessment can get in the way of teaching students to write. For Spandel to ask us to be intuitive and don't give feedback such as "you do not write well" is another duh moment. She does make the point "reviewers should be able to put personal preferences aside," (100) which is likely the hardest of her recommendations. We know what we like, and to deny that is hard. Spandel just refers to types of bias, another thing to file into duh category, but if you open it up to matters of what we feel is "good", then we may often find ourselves struggling in our evaluations. For example, the assessor that prefers modern poetics to romantic styling may be much more harsh on a student that adopts romantic devices and makes mistakes than they would of a student who uses modern devices and makes mistakes. Is that wrong? It's hard to say, because when you serve as the authority on something such as poetry writing, you should be able to explain yourself for making the choices you did in the scenario mentioned.

Rubrics, ugh!

Whenever I created lesson plans while an undergrad I always lost points on the assessment section. I found it difficult to outline how I would assess the assignment. Sometimes the process will determine which type of assessment is used. Therefore the idea of students helping to create the assessment is one that I would likely implement in the classroom. By the time students reach high school they know what is expected of their writing assignments. They will likely mention these things when creating their assessment. More importantly, they will likely address other concerns that they have with about their writing.

As for our discussion in class Monday, there is a web-site that a professor recommended I use to create rubrics and I thought it might be interesting for the class to explore it. If you do, keep in mind that the site is sponsored by the federal government. What do they know about assessment? (rubistar.4teachers.org) One thing I noted is how they define mechanics. A perfect score for mechanics means that you have "No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors."

Blog 9

I'm torn on the idea of students helping build rubrics. From a theoretical standpoint, it's a great idea to have students engaged in forming what they feel is important to learn but from a realistic standpoint, at least if I were still a student, I'd be trying to make it as easy as possible for myself and put a lot of weight on format and grammar because I know that I could knock it out the box. I think that a teacher should use indirect student involvement rather than direct. By coming up with several options for a student to choose from as far as what type of writing they want to produce and allowing them to choose, a teacher can then take what works the best for a variety of students and adjust the available options for the next year. Granted, this might mean that the ratio of satisfactory to unsatisfactory work will be lower for the first two or three years, but I feel that ultimately, the effects will be overwhelmingly positive once an effective system is established.

I have been thinking back to my high school days more and more since I've been doing my observation and i think that the reason i am a confident writer is that i was taught how to read deeper right off the bat. Our first assignment was a glorified book report known as an Explication de Texte in which you are to focus on subject, theme, diction, imagery, symbolism, genre, structure, and other literary techniques and devices systematically and contextualize the use of these devices in the effect of the novel as a whole. My first couple Ex de Texte's were not very strong because i wasn't familiar with the techniques, but as I learned what to look for, I got much more insightful as to what I look for as i read and I learned to apply these techniques in my own writing. We continually read ad analyzed text in this manner all through high school and good reading skills are necessary do develop good writing skills. Plus, in understanding these techniques more fully, students will start to use them more even if it is subconscious.

One of my questions then is would if be effective to establish grading criteria on the use of different literary techniques? and how can that be quantified? If something is present in a students writing should they get the same credit that another student gets for having a much more developed representation of the same technique? I don't know how fair it is to score writing objectively.

blog 9

I agree with Chris that grading rubrics make more sense when the teacher involves the students in the process of creating the assessment. As a matter of fact, I think self-assessment is an important part of assessment in general. Students involved in setting goals are, in my opinion more likely to achieve those goals. Knowing how to evaluate your own writing will not only help you become a better writer but it will also help you learn to offer constructive criticism to others. Spandel wrote that “good assessors sense a heartbeat behind the words” . Of course Spandel was referring to teachers evaluating students but I think that statement can easily be applied to self-assessments.

I liked the WTL article a lot because it was interesting, entertaining and emotional. Furthermore, I feel that writing experiment shows the importance of self-assessment.
Sadly, Smith went back to his old ways this week. The most interesting and useful part of the article was his list at the end.

Blog 9

I responded to Chapter 7 of 9R right away, probably because it addressed issues I am already facing or will be facing in the near future. The gray box at the beginning addressed assessing what is easiest to measure, which is an issue that has come up in conversation several times during our class discussions. We keep coming back to the fact that good teaching techniques often require more time and effort than many teachers are willing to give. I also think there's an underlying issue of personal accountability. If teachers can refer to an answer key or award a certain number of points for fulfilling the various requirements of an assignment, they remove the responsibility from themselves if the grades they give are questioned by students, parents or administrators. It's safe.

"Ours is a nation obsessed with assessment" (93). As a student and especially as a future teacher, I am already beginning to see how much time teachers spend on preparing for "the test" and how much influence statewide standardized testing has on everyday assignments and activities in the classroom. The argument is that the testing needs to be revised, but that's not as simple as it sounds. I went to school in Kentucky during a period of extreme educational reform, and students were required to submit math and writing portfolios in grades 4, 8 and 12. It sounds good, but teachers fell into the same patterns of assigning pieces specifically for the portfolios, and students quickly learned which formats and formulas seemed to work best and adjusted their writing accordingly. The focus was still on the assessment itself, just a different type. I was surprised to read that 80 percent of Kentucky's teachers endorsed the portfolios because every English teacher I had hated them.

"Courage is of more enduring value than any writing technique or strategy" (94). I found this quote to be a refreshing one, and a true one, especially in middle and high school classrooms. Students at that age are so worried about what other people think, and most of them have already decided whether or not they can write well and whether they like to write or not. With all of the techniques and strategies out there, both for writing and for teaching in general, I thought it was important to be reminded how powerful a tool the simple act of encouragement can be.

Blog 9

The whole issue of assessments and the such have always been a particularly frustrating one to me. It recalls those profs I've had that (mind you they aren't Eng. profs) take me for a fool when scrutinizing my grammar and mechanics. Granted a PhD or whatever gives them the "authority" in their classroom, but I'm not a fool and don't always need a thesis and ugh...can u tell this was recent? I guess my point is, if these professors, teachers, whatevers would have clearly stated rubrics that does not mean I'd strictly adhere. I write how I write, and the 9R's chapter made one of the best suggestions I've heard for assessing--and that is to collectively create or define the "rubric" or what have you.

Assessments with such student-defined parameters would not only benefit the students, as they have their own best interests in mind I'm sure...but teachers can see what exactly students are comfortable with. The ideas that are left out of these assessments could become starting points for further instruction, and, unbeknown to the students, those shortcomings could be addressed.

Happy Halloween!!!!!

In "The Right to be Assessed Well", Spandel brings up many good points about assessments; that is, what components a good assessment should possess. Instead of looking for the faults of our young writers, we should be looking for their abilities and strong points. I don't believe, as some do ,that we are pampering our children by focusing on these things...I believe we're shaping their future. This country (lacking the educational quality it so deperately needs) is now obsessed with assessments to try and make up for the loss. It's not going to work. I, like many other students, am sick to death of the grading system. Yes, I'll go out on a limb and say it's not just assessments that make me sick, but also the grades we're constantly struggling for. We've buried ourselves too deeply in the idea that this will somehow measure our intellectual ability and therefore, we can monitor our progress or failure accurately. Tax payers need to see where our money is going...Yeah, and our kids aren't learning half of what they should be. Nice try. But I definitely agree that we need serious reform in the grade grubbing and overbearing assessments. I don't know if it was Spandel or another writer, (I've read so much this week) but an interesting view came about in my research that I have adopted for my own classes: My students will know that as long as they are willing to redo the work, I am willing to regrade. This includes tests as well...

It is exactly this very idea that is carried over into Writing and the Writer, where Smith discusses the importance of the teacher, and the many ways in which we can implement learning writing in the classroom. I am concerned with providing my students with a positive, and productive writing environment. I don't want my students learning what they have to learn, I want them wanting to learn. I hate dittos (what we called them in my days) and they bore me to death. I remember well, the feeling of dread as my teacher presented us with yet another stack of "ditto's" to complete in our limited time allotted. Lovely...Time tested dittos. Yum. Please Sir, can I have some more? (Oliver Twist).

In addition, (I'm in smart-ass mode now) I agree with Smith when he states that "inexperienced writers usually stop writing because they are tired, lose interest, or become uncertain of what in particular to say next-or simply because they think they have written enough." (222) Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. I'm going through the same thing right now, and I never thought I would say this, but I'm tired of writing. I'm tired of writing for a grade. I'm tired of having to, all the time, regardless of whether I'm motivated or not. Obviously I've been in school long enough to learn how to write, (seven years to be exact) and most people know that I am quite capable of producing quality work. Not every paper teaches me something new, and I don't always walk away feeling better off as a result of having written it. Penn State should be paying me to write, as often as I'm doing it. And I can't perceive how deadlines, due dates, forced writing, grades, etc. is going to help me want to teach this to my students. Hopefully, I won't hold a grudge...I don't think I'll ever stop loving writing, but I'm to my breaking point. How many papers do we actually need to write in order to prove ourselves worthy? Yes, writing can be fun, but when it's the only method we're using, it beings to bore after a while. I've started wishing for the lecture teacher again. It would be nice to sit back and enjoy the ride for once...

And when our students begin to say this to us, how do we rectify the situation (in keeping our students wanting to write) and still keep the parents, taxpayers and administrators happy? There must be a better way...

I understand that assessments are necessary and that we do need to grade our students somehow, otherwise we would not be able to assess their ability to succeed. My question, however, remains; how can we teach what are not being taught? (Or taught little of). Granted, some professors are flexible, but not all of them, all the time. If we're exhausted by the time we graduate, how will we be able to motiviate our students? How will we write with them? Lastly, how will we tell them that this is what they're going to go through if they attend college? Sure, we all need to learn to write well in order to teach it, but at this level of education (including the dissertation we'll need later if we pursue college further), we should be well endowed with at least some effective writing ability, and I don't feel we need to prove it all the time.

We have learned a plethora of information this semester regarding assessments, learning environments, teaching methods, etc., and yet we are being taught the opposite of what we learn, simply because we're in college--so we are expected to have the maturity, responsibility and ability to write day in and out. In addition, not all teachers have an understanding of the projects we face in other classes.

Don't get me wrong, I love my classes and have learned from them, I just think that 3 papers per class or better yet, 3 exams (x how many classes?) can wear a person out. This is our major (for most of us anyway) and we could use a break once in a while--especially if we're supposed to teach our students how to love writing. Although I am still learning new knowledge through the process, I'm also learning to burn out--quickly. If it seems like I'm bitching, well please excuse me, but I guess I am. I want to enjoy my projects and writing as I wish my students will. But sitting at my computer 10-18 hours per day is causing me a bit of frustration. (Although I'm good, I'm not fast.) I can do it, but it won't be my best work, and I certainly won't enjoy it. The thought of taking more classes next semester overwhelms me...

Like I said, there must be a better way...

Blog 9

I'm sensing that some of us didn't find the article in WTL that beneficial this week, whereas I, on the other hand, found it to be very reassuring. To be quite honest, I never really thought about anyone teaching in a prison. I'm not saying that it couldn't be done, the thought just never crossed my mind. I especially didn't think that teaching inmates who had life sentences had any purpose. What could they use it for and could they really be taught? Would they even care to be taught? After I completed these arrogant thoughts, it occurred to me... how many older adults say the same thing about the younger generation now? It was a real eye-opening experience for me. I was thinking very inside the box and shallow thoughts. Everyone deserves the right to write and to learn ways to strengthen their abilities. This article also put me at ease as well. If this woman can teach prisoners locked away for doing murder, than I sure as hall can teach a bunch of teenagers.

Another interesting thing that happened for me during this week's readings is that I didn't gag as much while reading Smith and I feel that he actually made some sense to me. The one thing that I agree with and find it very useful is that if I'm going to do an in-class writing assignment that I should be doing it with my students. I should never ask someone to do something if I wouldn't do it myself. In my observations, I notice that sometimes teachers have a habit of not really paying attention to what their students are doing. This just lets the kids no that if the teacher thinks it's pointless than I will too. I think by writing along with my students with will ensure a bond that lets them know I'm not afraid to get down and dirty right along with them.

Blog 9

I enjoyed the Juska reading in WTL this week. I've never really thought about prison life or the availability of classes for prisoners, but it's intriguing. I liked how she walked through each step of the writing process and then related it to how she and the inmates taught each other. It was also interesting how they wouldn't talk about what landed them in prison in the first place, and would ask Juska for grammar and writing rules since they'd missed out on other important rules throughout their lifetime.

Spandel's writing on assessment was helpful. We've talked about rubrics in class, but Spandel's descriptions really made it click for me. Some of her ideas have been discussed already, like being perceptive and compassionate when delving into the writing. However, I like the idea of having the class help you create the rubric they'll be assessed with; I think that would help them better understand not only what you're looking for, but what they'll want to keep an eye on while revising and editing.

I will admit, I'm interested in how Kentucky assesses its students. It makes so much more sense to let students take their time creating pieces they actually enjoy than to give them topics and a time period to write in. Shows respect for the writers, yes, and also allows students to show off what they can really do. Sometimes magic happens when you're given a set amount of time to write in and a topic you enjoy; but other times, if you give them junk to work with, you'll get junk in return. And the idea that teachers/administrators aren't always the ones reading state assessments? That just doesn't seem right to me. It feels like it would be common sense to have teachers, who know what to look for in these writing assignments, assess and grade the essays.

Smith was actually easy to get into this week. He went over a lot of the topics we've covered so far this semester and added some good tidbits. I never realized that students only write about half a page per day in the classroom, even though it makes sense when I think about it. You take notes on the reading, take down what the teacher is saying, but that's usually about it unless you have a test or some kind of classwork.

Like Matt, I also picture Smith, raybanned, on top of a car carrier, on the LA freeway trading blows with Neo. Well when he's not writing, writing books.
Smith was the most enlightening for me this week. I got alot out of this chapter. I agree that the role that writing teacher plays is often quite different from the one that is perceived. I can't imagine teaching writing and not thinking of oneself as a writer but I have taken high school classes from such teachers. If learning is a give and take, a dialogue between learner and instructor then both must be engaged in lessons. Its a growth process, learning by imitating--modeling. "even the best ideas can be misused in the hands of a misguided or insensitive teacher." I fear this happens in classrooms every day and creates kids that hate writing, or at least find it a chore.
"Teachers cannot expect writing to be a controlled and well-ordered activity..." I think this is just the thing that scares some teachers away from great instruction--a fear of loosing the ordered class they struggle to maintain every day. I remember a high school journalism class I observed. Desks were willy-nilly and almost no one sat in them, there was a big old overstuffed sofa in the class that some of the kids were flopped over, it was loud as the kids debated what to write. It was barely-controlled chaos, but the students were totally engaged at what they were doing. The class buzzed with energy. I read some of the work they produced and it was wonderful! Later that day I moved into another writing class, desks in even rows, grammar rules posted on the board, it was like night and day--these kids were not at all into what they were doing. I made the mistake of mentioning the other class to this teacher and she snapped back about students must be kept under control or they will not do their work. No so.
WTL-But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die, ..and to take writing 101. Love the story that reads like a police report. I was heartened by the fact that these guys are in prison and yet they still feel the time is not enough to get their projects completed. "Stan stays after class which means he will miss showers." Stan, you're in prison buddy, this just might be a good thing.
Spandell adds another voice to the shortcomings of government assessment tests. They are inaccurate, biased, and take valuable time out of the year to "teach to the test" I am not a fan.

Blog 9

Chapter 7 in Spandel has some helpful commentary on assessment, which is an apparent developed skill in itself. I imagine it would be a difficult task to be compassionate and useful with students who could care less and put little thought into their work; while being offering perceptive commentary would come naturally. I can envision that teachers eventually become accustomed to being shocked by the creativity or lack there of or totally misguided attempts when assessing. Students know that feeling of hanging on every word of an assessment from an instructor, while we fear the honesty; it can be a very positive and reaffirming experience to have praise heaped upon us from a respected, knowledgeable source. This chapter actually speaks more of the large scale state or national testing assessments which have and will always be under scrutiny. At a quick glance I could totally see how writing could be an even greater challenge to assess on a large scale, but if the reviewer themselves meet specific criteria and are coupled with a proven rubric it does seem more likely to function systematically and be useful as a gauge. However, the pleas for compassionate assessment would be a difficult and predictable request unless you had the luxury to have multiple reviewers. But I always suggest people to remember the constructive side of assessments and to not take the criticism or praise too seriously, it’ll make you kooky.

The Juska piece was fascinating, as are most stories derived from prisons. We are amazed at why people do what they do and this chapter showed examples that some prisoners learned poor examples at young ages, but most were under educated. Prisoners certainly produce unique reactions, sometimes threatening bodily harm, to assessment but it is insightful to examine how education may have better served them and that despite all that is troubling about a prisoner and their crimes, they still demonstrate potential and desire to improve even when they have no have no need for it anymore (life sentence).

Chapter 14in WW offers some valuable advice and insight for the writing teacher to remember in their classrooms. The teaching of writing will be more useful for students if the teacher is a reader/writer themselves, committed, and has a grasp of the probable challenges. The challenges come in many forms: the students, the environment, the administrations, the parents, the support, and just the knowledge of the approaches will best serve your classroom. Smith continues to include many suggestions in a teachers approach that should yield results, such as the power of positive feedback, an understanding the realities of testing, an acceptance of the realities that are educating in masses, and that those who never appreciated simply never had an inspirational instructor.

Blog 9

When reading Jane Juska’s The Writing Process Goes to San Quentin, I was intrigued to learn about her experiences teaching writing in a San Francisco prison. This article really helped clarify the important role writing can play in any individual’s life. It is such an essential outlet and means of expression and communication. It was likewise wonderful to see that any environment can be transformed into a community that supports writing. As a future teacher, I am sure that I will encounter students with various behavioral issues. However, this story has impressed upon me the fact that if Jane Juska could successfully teach writing to convicted murders in a prison, then I can teach writing to any type of student I might encounter.

In Chapter 7 of The 9 Rights of Every Writer, I found it quite interesting to read about the writing assessment used in Kentucky to rate student writing abilities. Rather than adopting the five-paragraph essay format, students are assessed on “a combination of on-demand and portfolio writing that spans genres, themes, and purposes, and includes writing produced for classes other than English” (Spandel 97). I find this new approach to be extremely promising because it acknowledges the fact that writing is a process that includes multiple drafts and ongoing revision. It amazes me that more states have not switched to a similar format.

Spandel recommends that teachers design their own rubrics to be used in the classroom for grading student writing assignments. In the middle school classroom where I am currently observing, the teacher employs the PSSA rubric for assessing students. This is mainly due to the fact that students will be scored using the same guidelines when taking the PSSA test next spring. The opening of Chapter 7 describes a six-week time period called “boot camp” in which students are being prepared for state testing. In the classes I observe, the teacher works with PSSA packets when teaching new literary or writing concepts. It appears to me that this so called “boot camp” no longer lasts a mere 6 weeks but has been extended to encompass almost the entire school year. As Spandel comments, “I wonder whether the parents and others who applaud testing as a means of ensuring quality in our schools are at all uneasy about making test preparation a curriculum unto itself” (93).

In regard to evaluation, I found it interesting that Smith choose not to discuss grading in any great detail. I completely agree with his point that “I have never seen a testing or evaluation instrument that would help students learn to write or teachers to teach writing” (pg.224). Ironically, Smith points out that many students will not put forth an effort in their writing if they know that an assignment or activity is not being graded. This is the fallacy of our system. Our schools place too much value on grades instead of focusing on the actual learning process.

Usually I'm not that interested in the essays in Writing, Teaching, Learning, but the article this week really made me think. Many of us in this class want to be teachers, but I don't know how many of us would be willing to teach in a prison. If we want prisons to be more than punitive, we have to make resources available to these prisoners so when they are out of prison they do not repeat the same mistakes. I know that this could get into a discussion about punishment versus rehabilitation and that is not what this class is about, but any case it made me think.

I have to say that usually every time that I read the Smith book, I have to take a nap afterwards. That didn't happen this week. I thought it is chapter about the writing teacher was really good and helpful. Many of the things that he said are things that I've heard before, like the best way to get students to write is have the teacher write with the students. I like that he said, "Students need to see that writing can be a struggle." If students think that teachers can write perfectly the first time, they're going to think that they should be able to and if they can't, they're going to think there's something wrong with them.

There was a long section about the teacher's handicaps, and of course I was going to like it. I always have that "we have to stick it to the man" mentality. I really liked to have his quotes. One was, "The principal concern of any institution is the perpetuation and smooth daily operation of the institution in itself. Institutions tend by their nature to be resistant to change, intolerant of anything that interferes with their good order and routine, and gripped by a stultifying inertia." The second, which I think is what happens often, is "That is why schools have rigid routines, not to help the students learn but to keep them under control."

I was really fascinated by the average times of students reading and writing. It really boggles my mind that children in elementary school read more four minutes a day. How can that be? Even the time writing for high school students seemed so short. I mean really, when I was in high school I was writing all the time. Granted, it was long notes to my friends rather than "schoolwork," but I was still writing a lot. Smith's figures didn't seem to make sense, but I thought it was interesting.

The Spandel book really annoyed me this week; I felt it was very condescending. I like her information about Kentucky's assessment of writing. If it's so helpful, I don't know why more states are following Kentucky's lead.

blog 9

I thought all the readings were interesting this week. As far as the WTL article, it was nice to see a personal reflection on how the writing process had to be modified considering the population and circumstances of the class. I also think the article was a testament to the power of writing and the benefits that writing brought to the prisoners. I felt that this essay pretty much summed up everything we have been talking about this semester: writing as therapeutic, adapting to audience and purpose, modifying the writing process, and the sheer enjoyment writing can bring. I also enjoyed the numerous quotes from James Moffett that appeared throughout the chapter.

I think the topic of the 9Rights chapter, "the right to be assessed well" is an important and often overlooked area in writing and education. If only all assessors could be perceptive, compassionate, and useful in their criticism. That would make writing much more enjoyable. I think some of these ideas need to be refreshed in the minds of current K-12 English teachers and others as well. I personally don't see any purpose or advantage in using standardized assessments, especially on demand writing assessments. No one enjoys them or feels particularly confident after they complete one of these types of assessments, so why continue them? Spandel brought up three great points as to why schools should not use on demand writing assessments and while I think all three points are valid, her second point questions whether this type of writing produces the students best writing. I think we can all agree that it doesn't. So why are we showing evaluators something that we just threw together in an allotted amount of time? Isn't the purpose of these standardized assessments to show off a students best work? In talking about how most students and teachers/evaluators put more emphasis on a numerical grade than a heartfelt analysis, Spandel said "We trust our calculators more than we trust our hearts" (111). I thought that was a great way of looking at the situation.

Smith's chapter in WW was also enjoyable this week. I felt that he mostly reiterated what we discussed in former chapters, but it was a nice refresher. Besides, even those teachers with the best intentions need to be reminded of these things occasionally.

All

To me, Juska's ethos is an amazing thing. Why teach people "without a date" how to express themselves in writing? I wrestled with my own self perceived insensitivity on this point for a while, finally realizing that the purpose I was originally attaching to 'teaching writing' was wrong. I had thought the life prisoners could not gain anything by better writing ability. I mean, it's not like they'd get a better job or into a better college. Then I felt truly the fool because I had forgotten what writing was really for. It is a way to communicate, but also to think, and to learn about yourself and other people. And if I were incarcerated for the rest of my life, I know I'd want to understand the people confined with me, and be able to share my experience and self with them.

Spandel, bandel, bo-bandel, banana fana fo fandel...Oh, sorry, got distracted. Yeah, assesment can be the breaker of a beginning writer and compassion is needed badly. But the balance has to be maintained; if a piece has a lot of "suck points" then the writer needs that feedback. I realize you shouldn't tell a beginner "Hey, this really beats a preacher" (you figure it out, it sounded mean to me) but if I write a transition that reminds you of rolling lead bricks, then ONLY pointing out my strengths won't help me. I don't think this is what Spandel is suggesting we do, but it's easy to forget that blind encouragement can fool people into believing they don't have any need to try hard or revise.

"Nothing is as unhelpful as a blank sheet of paper when words refuse to come. But assisting with a theme is not the same as imposing a topic to write upon." As always, I find myself willingly accepting the label of the Smithophile. This is yet another area where that balance of roles (in this case the roles are collaborator vs. tyrant) is the most helpful thing. This is what Julie did to us that very first time with the "no verb prompts." She gave a nudge, not a prescribed route. To use a different analogy many writers are like wagon on a hill. The only reason they aren't careering (careening? I always confuse those two) wildly down the road is because they've got a little block next to one wheel preventing the start. If someone can come by and either nudge them over the block or kick the block out of the way, they'll pick up speed the further they roll on their own. The hope is that soon they'll roll along so quick we'll have trouble keeping up, never mind giving pushes.

Blog 9 . . .

Okay, Ms. Spandel bugged me this time. All of her student writers were female: her sheet of paper, she will be alone on top of a Mesa. And then, and then . . . a reference to Olympic ice skating judges!? One hundred sentences for Spandel to conjugate and diagram! Due tomorrow!
Maybe it's just me.

As for assessment, it can be of help, if the assessment is constructive. To assess, to peer review, is not always the easiest thing. What to say, how to say it, in a way that helps the writer can be as confining as the writing process itself. I found the peer review process to be much more comfortable in my Creative Writing classes than in my current classes. The "vibe" was different.
I sometimes find it difficult to criticize my peers' writing due to the inadequacies I perceive in my own. I have never pictured myself as a teacher, still don't, could be part of the problem.
Maybe it's just me.

Interesting essay about teaching in prison. Good to see that she allowed them to find their own way. It really is the only way to learn how to write. Make mistakes, find a subject of your choosing. Not sure if I could teach in a prison though. Could be that teacher thing again.
Maybe it's just me.


Smith. I write that name and I hear Hugo Weaving in my head say, "Mister Anderson."
Maybe it's just me.

The Smith reading was going along fine until I got to this point: page 222, middle of the page, "In writing, the old rural joke often applies: It may not be possible to get where you want to go from where you are at present." WHAT? Was the farmer a retired professor from Harvard?! How does "you can't get there from here" turn into "it may not be possible to get where you want to go from where you are at present." Aauughh!
Maybe it's just me.

Blog 09

“More teachers than ever before are sharing criteria openly with students – or even working with students to define together what it means to write well” (Spandel 102). If there has been one subject I have been interested in since I started college it is the subject of trust and what trust is. I believe that one of the biggest obstacles faced by teachers is the lack of trust that exists between the teachers and their students. I just mentioned obstacles and that is exactly what a lack in trust is and near physical wall that permanently separates student from teacher. One way I think that trust can be gained is through what Spandel is talking about in that single line I quoted above. By allowing the students to know, up front, all of the rules, expectations, and requirements of an assignment the teacher can effectively beginning to hammer at the wall that exists between him or her and the student. However, I am slightly apprehensive about allowing students to help define those rules, expectations, and requirements. During the summers I work as a councilor at summer day camp close to my parent’s home. One year, after taking a course in adolescent psychology, I decided to allow my kids (as I called and still call all the children at my camp)to help in the formation of the rules of the camp . . . it was the biggest mistake I ever made, and for one overriding reason: the majority of children and teenagers are self-serving. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it is a crucial part of mental development, however, the self-serving attitude of many children and teenagers make any rule just and balanced rule system impossible. The only thing I can suggest is that after fully disclosing the rules, expectations, and requirements in a class the students should be allowed to make suggestions and give feedback on the rules and such with the teacher taking the suggestions and feedback under advisement.

The Juska article was interesting, but more for the setting than the message behind the article. After all, we have had it beaten into our heads for four or more years that process writing is flexible, adaptable, and the way to go when teaching writing (although I wonder if the product writing generation had the same message beaten into their heads as if it was “gospel truth?”), so it was no surprise that Juska managed to teach writing, and teach it well in a maximum security prison.

One of the worst things about writing is getting started. The ideas exist, the thoughts bubble up and overflow in the brain like a cup of chocolate milk that a child is blowing into, but those thoughts cannot, for some reason, make it from the overflowing cup of the brain to the hand holding the pen or resting on the keyboard. Oft times what a writer needs is a sounding board, someone that they can just blurt, with no form, no function, no style the ideas overflowing (yet trapped) in their minds. This sounding board of a person acts also as a filter and focuser, asking the questions that need to be asked and cutting off the loose ends that are not needed. I think this may be what Smith is trying to say in the first part of his article about teachers demonstrating writing. Maybe by acting as the soundboard and focuser of one student while allowing the other students to watch and study would allow them (the students) to figure out how to finally allow the overflowing cup in their brain release itself through pen or keyboard . . . this is one very long fragment. When Smith talked about the researchers and the stop watches the only thing I could think was my own difficulties lately with lesson planning and “proper use of time.” While it is not true I think part of the problem with allowing time (enough time) to read and write in school is that allowing them can be seen as not a productive or full use of time. Here let me explain better:

Students are reading Romeo and Juliet in class, a mixture of silent self reading and group reading out loud. The school administration does not see this as productive because class time should be used to discuss and drill into the students Shakespeare’s intent, and meaning, and the subtles of his language and the meanings behind the text. And most importantly a large chunk of class time must be spent reviewing what they read to make sure they understood it.

I am not saying this is the case all around, and I’m not saying that it is even a real reason, but I do know that many teachers feel that they may get in trouble if it looks like THEY are doing nothing.

Late I Know...

So there seems to be a general consensus that the reading in WTL was painful so I won't say what has already been said. Smith, on the other hand, was refreshing. I too was struck by the quote on 193 that "reading is the essential source of knowledge about writing." I took an advanced college writing class my senior year at Hartwick and was surprised by the number of books that we were required to buy for the course. Here I thought it was a writing course. The first day Dr. Martini told us that in order to learn to write better we have to read more. It was a great class and I think I enjoyed the reading more then the writing. All the books had the same general theme (war) but took a different perspective, were written in different styles, and each author had a distinct voice. After taking this class I wondered why educators would bother to teaching reading and writing as separate subjects. They truly aren't. Nearly everything you write is meant to be read by an audience. No two subjects are more connected then reading and writing.

Blog 8

I always liked to revise, it's never been a problem for me. It helps to understand your main point in the paper or general writing. This is the time that you hope said writing has a point. It's been said before, pounded in our heads; revise, revise, revise!! On the topic of reading, I couldn't agree more. I think the more reading you do the better writer your going to be. You might even develop your ideas from your reading. I am a strong believer in versatility, you have to be open to different writers. If not you'll start writing in the genre and you may never come back.... i.e. Stephen King

The Eighth Blog

One of the most common tips from established writers to those who wish to become established writers is to read and read well. Smith hits this directly at the beginning of chapter thirteen with "reading is the essential source of knowledge about writing." (193) Smith had many good points in this chapter relating to learning to write through experience the techniques before you try to practice them. He even goes on to accredit spelling well to reading well. I am also glad he assessed the lacking ability of textbook instructions. And the whole bit about how no one says that knowing grammar made them into writers (204) made me smile. Like Smith, I feel grammar should not take the place of writing, but like Jim, I remember all of those students who couldn't begin to understand a sentence, much less compose one. It's a hard battle to try and find new ways to revamp old schools of teaching, but there needs to be some sort of concession to make grammar and writing come together in the process of composition. And no, conjunction junction does not cut it.

The Hartwell on the other hand left me knee deep in grammar speak that I was not ready to handle. Like Smith, there is a call to learn grammar through means beyond the textbook jargon students find inaccessible, but to address the matter Hartwell used textbook jargon I found inaccessible. Like in our previous classes, Hartwell asks the reader to address the "why" issue of teaching grammar, which is understandably a good lead in. The five meanings of grammar was an interesting way to present why grammar is so complex, and why students have issues with it. I agree with the author in accrediting "the internalized system of rules" from Francis (202) as a good point for how most of us come to know grammar. As a child, grammar just made sense, so when I couldn't decipher the rules, I went with my gut and was typically right. As a whole, this piece made many good points about grammar, but the theory-speak was a big turn off, and though I might find metalinguistic awareness to open my eyes to the way grammar is approached, I didn't find myself in full understanding of why Hartwell chose to approach the matter with heavy citation and heavy-handed language.

This is why I'm not a linguist.

Blog 8

First of all, I totally agree with Seth and Danielle about the Hartwell article. I actually thought for awhile that I was reading Smith all along. I found Hartwell to be a painful read. It seemed like an awful lot of wasted words to come to the conclusion the reader already expected.

So, it turns out that all those miserable grammar classes were a waste of time after all. There is a part of me that feels kind of vindicated on that point.

Actually, this time around, I found Smith to be pretty interesting. I like the concept that “writing is learned rather than taught” (215). If I were ever to find myself teaching composition I think that would be my mantra. When you think about it from this angle it really makes sense to take the focus off of teaching and put it back on learning. This also explains why writing (both in process and product) and different for everyone. There is no truly right way to write.

Finally, I especially though that Smith’s concept of beginning writers as apprentices. After all, what is writing if not a skilled trade? Just like any other hands on art the product varies from artist to artist.

This section of reading has me convinced that breaking writing down into distinct parts (composing, reading, grammar, spelling, etc.) in the classroom is counter-effective. Rather than fracturing knowledge, teachers should be showing students how the bigger picture comes together.

Blog 8: Revise!

Smith is getting quite a bit more accessible lately. I would agree that more reading transfers into better writing. Most of the well known authors that I've seen interviewed talk about the large amount of reading they do. Not only does it get one used to grammar and syntax it fuels inspiration. The more ideas that a writer has going in the mix the better. I read alot and yet still spell like the average Elizabethan, I'm still waiting for the improvement that Smith says is imminent. Thank God for spell check in the mean time. One thing is certain, and this class continually impresses this idea, writing must come out first before rules are applied. Starting with all the rules first and then expecting kids to write with inspiration will not work. I know this is the way I learned in school. Endless classes (or so it seemed) on grammar, spelling, vocabulary before pen was put to paper. At that point everyone was so intimidated by the multitude of boundaries, that is was amazing anything got written at all. That's not to say that grammar is not essential, the idea is to communicate with others and there should be a common meeting ground. Read, Write, Revise.

Blog 8

As students, we have heard so many times that reading will make us better writers, but I never really stopped to think about why. Obviously, any piece of writing can serve as an example of what works or what doesn't, but I think if you read a really good piece of writing, and you enjoy it, you'll be much more excited about the idea of writing and what it can produce. The more positive associations you have with writing and the writing process, the more likely you'll be to actually engage in it yourself. And, whether it's intentional or not, you'll probably incorporate elements of the writing that inspired you.

I thought Smith's idea of the author, not the text, showing the learner was really interesting. "Authors - even dead ones - have this tremendous advantage over live teachers; they always proceed at the pace of the individual learner, and are able to repeat their lessons as often as the learner wants, without any coercion, embarrassment or punitive threat" (196). This makes sense but seems to totally contradict the idea I had of authors, especially textbook authors, being totally detached and far less personal than live teachers. I guess it depends on the author. Based on our discussions of voice, an author should be able to make that kind of connection.

The section on children, and adults, butchering the English language reminded me of a word my family now uses, in fun of course. My aunt, who teaches second grade, once had a student ask her how to spell "aposta," as in "I'm aposta do my homework when I get home from school." It seems silly, but it totally makes sense if you think about children trying to use what they hear without considering spelling rules. I've had experiences with my friends misusing words, but when they've grown up around other people who consistently do the same, there's really no way for them to know the difference until they encounter someone who doesn't.

I must admit, I cringed at the thought of reading an entire chapter about the teaching of grammar after recently writing an entire paper about it for my writing portfolio, but I think Hartwell makes a good point. People on either side of the argument should be informed and share points of reference. To me, the bottom line isn't whether grammar should be taught but how. I think there are ways to work it into everyday activities and existing assignments, which would make it seem less formal and detached for students.

it's (nobody's actually tracking these titles)

Ah, Smith. The theoretician shows insight. I loved it. But you all new I loved Smith already. What did I love? Spelling and punctuation and the distinction between revision and editing. I believe I've mentioned before that I often help my friend with her drafts of Crim J papers/articles she's producing. I'm becoming more familiar with criminological theory and terminology via my exposure to her work and realized that this learning on my part is analogous to how we learn both spelling and grammar. Alese has not "taught" me about her discipline in a direct manner. I have LEARNED how much of it goes by the demonstrations of it she keeps presenting to me. We often argue about proper word choice to make points in as concise a manner as possible (and she is armed with a Blackberry, so online dictionaries are not a simple solution). But it's during this interplay that we both see how vocabulary and spelling are done and accepted. While arguing over the use of "apogee" or "apex" we ended up polling passersby in the coffee shop to make a final decision. When Smith says that "Every convention of writing is tied to an intention that lies behind writing" we need to see that the audience is intimately tied upo in these intentions. Add to this the need for purpose and I have a much greater appreciation for Alese's assertion that she hates writing any academic piece that she's unlikely to submit for publication. Her purpose is publication, literary masturbation is not enjoyable to everyone.

Hartwell brought back memories long forgotten of diagramming sentences with Mr Smith (Andrew, not Frank) in Honors English in High School. Chalk all over the place and the end result an alien graphic representation with subjects and predicates in the center while adjectives, conjunctions, and adverbs radiated outwards the the flagella from some alien beast. Oddly, since I often have a visually oriented mind, these moments cemented how the word-components of a sentence structure worked together and linked up, for me. I was in the minority. But I think this is like giving the chance at different methods to compose. Show it, give it a chance, but don't cram it down the students throat as THE way.

What?!

Not surprisingly, Smith points out that many of the perceived “rules” of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and handwriting are nothing more than convention and tradition. I really appreciated this sentiment on page 196; “Authors – even dead ones – have tremendous advantage over live teachers; they always proceed at the pace of the individual learner, and are able to repeat their lessons as often as the learner wants, without any coercion, embarrassment or punitive threats.”
While I never thought much about it, I think that it is probably accurate that, “… Poor writers rarely read their work at all. Poor writers are much more likely to be satisfied with what they have written, without really knowing what they have written.” I don’t know that I have been satisfied with them, but I do know my worst writings have been those that I did not take the time to read.
The Hartwell piece was very confusing to me. It was if Smith’s consciousness inhabited someone else for awhile.

nothin' like a late night blog

Smith writes about the importance of self-image to the writer and I sort of suppose it is true. I mean, technically I may be a writer, because my hopefully degree(which is upcoming) will say so on it. It will be raised, embossed print on a parchment certificate saying I am a “professional writer”, but I have always felt my writing is technically sound but crappy shade of gray from an creative view point, but as it has been written about in a few of our readings, inspiration is out there to be discovered, it may be right in front of you but didn’t know yet. I don’t see myself as a creative writer, so Salinger should have no worries over me stealing his fan base. It certainly wouldn’t hurt if I read more, but as stated in my case study paper, with school, family, work, a love of HBO, and sleep I have had very little time to do “extra” reading other newspapers, online reading, and Golf Digest on the can, with the latter being the most reliable forum. Resisting my digression I have to admit that reading can only help one’s writing. Reading makes people ponder and reflect; it is constant feed if one is up to the task or has the time. Word choices, sentence structure, idea generation, style, voice, grammar, and punctuation are just a few positive by-products of reading. I read Smith and some of my classmates’ responses to this and I can only imagine some of these technical aspects of writing may only be important in handwritten documents. I say this because that is the only way that our grammar, spelling, some punctuation, sentence structure are exposed as terrible with emergence of the computer. My trusty computer solves all of these writing woes so quickly, so what’s the point? I will say that while I misspell the same words seemingly all the time (especially recommend, see my computer already corrected it so you wouldn’t know), I have become more aware of some of faults and it is primarily punctuation and spelling, but is has come so far since high school that’s its comical. I also wanted to address the petering out of my handwriting skills because the computer, most of classes requires a lot of writing and reading, but not too much note taking because of the ease of printouts and Angel; it allows the student to have no excuse to not be informed. My handwriting has had to come out of the closet and pat the dust off with my internship which requires me to take hand written notes almost extensively. It was a little rusty, but it’s coming around, thanks for asking.

And just some comments on WTL, it is easy, and I apologize for de-emphasizing grammar by simply stating that my computer will just take care of it. Good readers will always pick up on poor or suspect grammar. My grammar is far from stellar, but I do understand that knowing grammar reflects one’s seriousness in understanding the limits and capabilities of their language. So, while knowing when to use relative clauses and modifiers can be exhausting and painful, it will prove beneficial in your writing.

Blog 8 Grammar

First of all, I can barely stand to read any more Smith. I may be a bit dramatic, but seriously, sometimes he makes me want to gag. He is so full of himself that it makes it quite difficult for me to learn from him. He may very well be a very knowledgeable man, but just the way his "voice" comes off, I can't stand it. It literally makes me sick. And... apparently I'm holding a grudge because it seems as though some of you didn't have such a problem with him for this weeks readings.

As for grammar... I am a huge supporter of it being taught in school. For example, while I was observing today, I actually did something besides stapling or cutting things out. (This is funny to those of you who know my situation). I graded the students end of marking period exam without an answer key. There was this one section on the test that had the students put one line under the subject and two lines under the verb. After grading about 135 papers with I'd say without exaggeration about 90% of the students missing every single question, it made me start to second guess myself. I questioned if I really knew what I was doing. I was thinking, it's me against 135 students. Maybe they are not all wrong and maybe it's me. So I verified my answers with my host teacher and she informed me I was correct and then I showed her the results from the test.

Once she saw the results from the test, she then informed me that she was not supposed to focus on grammar, but rather focus on ways to improve PSSA scores by building vocabulary and reading comprehension. I found this really interesting because without grammar, these other areas of English are rather pointless, don't you think? She told me that the thought process is, is that by seventh grade, students should already know how to do grammar and to move on to other things. So to summarize... students do it once and they are experts. So when they turn 16 and drive a car for the first time they should get their license right away? Or a medical student reads how to do open heart surgery, he/she now qualifies to do the actual surgery? I don't really get this thought process. I apologize for getting on my soap box, but I am a firm believer in grammar and think that it needs to be reinforced with quality instruction throughout all grade levels.

Blog for 10/24 Here we go again...

This grammar thing eludes me--completely. I was just discussing (persuasively) my opinions on the old paradigm vs. the new one today; once with a round-table conference of teachers (pretty cool that I can do that now) and my Mom--who was wishing to know why I was being called in for my son. This issue continuously pops up in my life now, and just when I thought my stance was concrete, Hartwell sheds doubt on my confidence in the new paradigm. I mean, I will always feel that grammar can be taught through writing and it should be, but he did remind me of why we taught grammar the old way to begin with: We can learn a lot through writing, but we can't learn everything all the time. Touche

The old method worked. Somehow, we learned this boring, drone subject while sitting in a chair, taking notes, quizzes, exams, etc. But we still learned it. As Hartwell points out "Those of us who dismiss the teaching of formal grammar have a model of composition instruction that makes the grammar issue 'uninteresting' in a scientific sense. Our model predicts a rich and complex interaction of learner and environment in mastering literacy, an interaction that has little to do with sequences of skills instructions and such." (WTL, 200)

I do realize that the new paradigm will shake the foundations of the tried-and-true, old school philosophy.However, we will be able to incorporate grammar instruction within the writing process, thereby making it easier and more FUN to learn. As I read the text and realized that I do still hold fast to the ideology behind teaching grammar in a formally structured approach, I will readily embrace the "rich and complex interaction" of learning and teaching the process methodology. Remember, the key word here is "fun". We may have learned grammar the old way, but how many of us really remember exactly what it is that we learned about it? As it is, I can't even remember half the stuff I read in this chapter about the many different forms of grammar. I wonder we can't just integrate both methods, while focusing on new and inventive ways of teaching the subject.

I speak to people all the time who speak and write effectively, yet they can't even remember the definition of grammar. And I will admit that up until a few semesters ago, I was one of them. Chomsky, Lester Christensen and Britton's analogies made perfect sense. Maybe we don't need Grammar 2 in order to learn to write and produce effective results. As Smith reiterates "The major problem with formal statements about punctuation is that they require an understanding of what they are supposed to explain in the first place. They may also require an understanding of grammatical terminology, which itself is explained with respect to punctuation--complete circularity." (Smith, 201)I can't tell you how many times in my life this was true. Why, just this week I found myself grammatically confused and upon looking up the first answer, I had to utilize my dictionary and several other books to clarify the meaning of the definition. I was exhausted to say the least--never mind my frustration...

Regardless of the structure in the old method, something is wrong with the system. If we can't teach students that writing and grammar (ugh!)can be fun, (and slightly easier to learn than in my story above) we're not doing our job. Our students won't remember it later on and we'll just be earning a paycheck rather than teaching--we'll be wasting our time. This is not why I want to teach. We dicussed in class this week that only a small percentage of students in this country actually graduate from college. What about the other ninety-something percent that don't or can't go? Once they graduate from high school,(if they make it that far)they won't have anyone making them write and so they won't. We are the ones who need to change this mindset (and unfortunate statistic) and although we may not have all the details right, we need to try. I don't need research to know I'm right...I've performed the experiment several times, and to me, it's already proven--especially as I struggled through the WTL text. (yawn)