Respond to the Take 20 video. What was most surprising? What were some “themes” you saw emerging? What was most inspiring?
The question in the Take 20 video that resonated with me the most was “How do you address process and product?” At the end, McQuade gives the analogy that writing is like molding a clay pot. Whatever shape it takes in the beginning can be re-shaped or taken down as much as the writer wants to. The importance shouldn’t not be stressed on the shape so much as the substance, or clay, the writing is made of.
A general theme within this dialogue of teachers emphasizes giving time to the students to collaborate, put together, take down, check, re-check their writting in class. I believe this is an excellent way to focus time in the classroom. This way, the teacher and students alike are setting a foundation they can stand, or write on I suppose, outside of the classroom and in other aspects of their daily lives. This re-emphasizes the need to take a step back in the writing process to go over what may or may not need to be changed, added, taken out, corrected, etc, etc. From this viewpoint, writing as a product doens’t matter anymore because you have a ‘product’ at the end of each stage regardless of how well written it is or isn’t. I like how Condon remarks that even the “writers at the ‘New Yorker’…have teams of copyeditors”. This statement just supports the the collaborative effort even more.
I think it is important to keep this aspect of writing in mind at all times when writing/teaching. Even if you stress grammar or idea planning within your teaching, writing as a process will always play an integral part in the student’s writing and life outside of and after the class. They will be able to use this skill for as long as they write.
amieksheffer said,
September 29, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I agree that collaborative learning in the classroom can create a foundation students can build upon outside the classroom. I highly doubt that students, especially high school students, often take much time to reflect on their work. If we model ways to reflect, and each student clearly understands the benefits of doing so, perhaps they will employ these techniques on their own and in other areas of their life.
hoopster2984 said,
September 30, 2009 at 3:24 am
I also think it’s important that students have time to “re-check their writing in class.” However, it seems rather difficult to implement. Some students really take to it, while others are just so eager to be done that they’re pretty much happy with what they have. If I ever time at the end of a class after teaching the appropriate skills and giving the students time to practice them, I’d like to show them an example of a short story revision I did and show them how vastly different one draft can be from another. Students tend to focus on proofreading more than they do actual revision.
DennisVega said,
September 30, 2009 at 6:17 pm
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kkhammassi said,
October 1, 2009 at 1:37 am
Hello Olivia!
I appreciated your mentioning the clay analogy. First because it is a poetic idea and second becuase it really is very much in harmony with teaching writing as a process.
I would like to build on the point made in the second paragraph. That is of giving student time to write and re-write. I understand that teaching under the umbrella term “communicative teaching/learning” is the “fashion these days. However, I do believe that college is where students are prepared for their professional life. Thus, including some pressure is beneficial. I am saying here, make it all about pressure because, if so, then the gist of the whole activity of learning is being distracted. I am simply saying that if we make it more real life-oriented, then students will be benefit more from being at school.
I am aware this is kind of utopic idea fro some but I do believe it is still feasible.
Khouloud
RobD said,
October 6, 2009 at 9:44 pm
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Leigh said,
October 8, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I also appreciated Condon’s remarks about “correctness.” So many students view the ends of the writing process as the achievement of a “correct” essay rather than the best possible expression of their ideas. This is the reason that so many merely correct the grammatical and mechanical errors in their essays rather than actually “revising” them. If the emphasis was removed from “correctness” and more focus was given to revision early on (elementary-high school), then I believe that our students would be much stronger writers. (Obviously, the focus on grammar and mechanics has been relatively ineffective.)
Becky said,
October 27, 2009 at 7:20 pm
I want to go back to what Amie said about reflection. I think reflection is KEY for students to see their own work in a way that will be beneficial. So…any ideas on how to encourage reflection on a regular basis?