In class today, the question was posed: What do you do to develop a community of writers already?
Reflecting on my own teaching practices at the moment, I think encouragement and choice are the things that are most valuable to my students. When I taught second and third grade in the general education classroom, I used the writer's workshop approach. I believe strongly in the process of teacher modeling and students being able to "try it" in writing pieces that are meaningful to them.
In my current position as a G/T language arts teacher, I find that most of the time, my students have the basics. What they are often missing is the opportunity to express themselves in writing that is meaninful to them. Also, they are often afraid to try new literary devices n their writing because they are afraid they will use them incorrectly. For many of these students, the desire to be "perfect" is strong.
So, my role in developing a community of writers is quite simply, to be there. I must be ready to cheer them on as they journey into unknown waters, be ready to jump in and save them if they're in over their head, to praise the effort, and to encourage them to wander back into the waters again.
Great blog. I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing that the drive for perfection from our students can be very rewarding as a teacher. The G/T students provides a rewarding challenge to thier teachers.
ReplyDeleteEffort and praise for strong effort are keys to success, I'm learning. Students are so driven by results and being right from the start, rather than seeing value in the journey to knowledge or skill mastery.
ReplyDeletei love the idea of "just being there". very nice!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it refreshing to take a step back and reflect upon your role when helping children with their writing?
ReplyDeleteA very thoughtful response. I would like to comment on the idea that we have become learners. Although I believe that I learn daily from my students, I am in a familiar setting, discussing literature, etc. But this is a new learning curve and new approach and I find that when I don't "get" something new right away I get frustrated. This makes me realize that the learning curve for students must be similar for students exposed to difficult tasks, especially when the task is writing, which really is a process that requires diligence to create a final piece that is greatly improved from that first draft.
ReplyDeleteI just had the opportunity to hear Nancie Atwell speak, and she pointed out that one of her sadnesses as a teacher is that her 7th (and 8th?) grade students, who have many opportunities to write on a variety of topics that are self-selected and meaningful to them in her writing workshops--and developed a voice as a writer!, often head off to high school classrooms where they will rarely have that option (to pick subject/genre) UNTIL senior year, when they again have to write open topic personal essays for their college applications. How can we expect students to do well on those crucial personal essays, if they haven't had the opportunity to practice the genre since 7th-8th grade, or earlier!, IF they were lucky enough to have a classroom like yours! All this is just to agree with your point that it's so important to create an environment and assignments that allow our students to express themselves and take risks as writers. Bravo!
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