Williams discusses several methods for grading student papers, including rubrics, setting anchor scores, and teaming up with other teachers. Briefly discuss the "anchor score" method. What might the advantages and disadvantages of this method be?
After reading this section, I was somewhat surprised to learn about this anchor method. It has the teacher holisticly read through each paper before assigning a grade. After the initial read-through, the teacher goes back and grades them in comparison with the other papers. As a student, this bothered me because I would not want a teacher to base my individual grade off of the grades of my peers.
However, from a teacher's viewpoint, I can see how this may be helpful. Since there is such a variety of writing styles because each individual writes in his or her own style, it is hard to score. As a teacher, it reduces the workload because papers of similar quality are grouped together. One grade is assigned to a paper that serves as the basis for the rest. The teacher will know the range of the papers that she is working with and therefore can hold them to similar standards.
For me, this method is too biased. Teachers may choose a paper written by a student who usually does great writing and assign it an A. However, if this student's paper does not meet the scoring requirements as it should, it will alter the standard for the rest of the class.
In my classroom, I would rather grade each paper individually. While it may take more time for me, the grader, I feel like it is in the students' best interests that they not be set to the standards of their peers. Additionally, it is easier for the students to see why they received a specific grade, like with a rubric, instead of being told that their paper was similar to "Johnny's" paper, and he got a B.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Responding to Student Writing
Sommers addresses the issue of teachers' commentary on their students' pieces of writing. She says that as teachers, we should read and comment on the text as a whole before correcting mechanics. Do you agree that this is the proper method to go about grading a student's writing?
I completely agree with Sommers' claim that students' papers need to be looked at entirely before picked at mechanically. I found it interesting that she says the student's revision goes from being "This is what I'm trying to say" to "This is what you, the teacher, are asking me to do". I never thought of revision in that sense before; however after reading that quote, I find it very applicable. More often than not, students get revision from the teacher in hopes that she will tell them what needs to be corrected. This takes away from the entire writing process. Students are no longer writing for themselves; rather they are writing for a good grade. Therefore, whatever the teacher says, goes.
We as future teachers need to reverse this misconception for our students. It is important that they see themselves as the primary author, and are able to take into account what they are trying to convey. It is our job to guide students, not to tell them what they need to do to get an A. Students need to realize this, as well. We need to help them understand that first drafts are not final drafts. We can do this by commenting on the paper as a whole and making specific references to content, context, audience, and purpose.
Another aspect that I was able to relate to was that students made revisions to their first drafts that were suggested by the teacher, and turned it in as their final paper. I definitely have done this in the past because when teachers make comments on mechanical aspects of the paper, I felt that everything else was good enough since she had made no comment on it. This is where teachers and students need to have clearer communication.
I completely agree with Sommers' claim that students' papers need to be looked at entirely before picked at mechanically. I found it interesting that she says the student's revision goes from being "This is what I'm trying to say" to "This is what you, the teacher, are asking me to do". I never thought of revision in that sense before; however after reading that quote, I find it very applicable. More often than not, students get revision from the teacher in hopes that she will tell them what needs to be corrected. This takes away from the entire writing process. Students are no longer writing for themselves; rather they are writing for a good grade. Therefore, whatever the teacher says, goes.
We as future teachers need to reverse this misconception for our students. It is important that they see themselves as the primary author, and are able to take into account what they are trying to convey. It is our job to guide students, not to tell them what they need to do to get an A. Students need to realize this, as well. We need to help them understand that first drafts are not final drafts. We can do this by commenting on the paper as a whole and making specific references to content, context, audience, and purpose.
Another aspect that I was able to relate to was that students made revisions to their first drafts that were suggested by the teacher, and turned it in as their final paper. I definitely have done this in the past because when teachers make comments on mechanical aspects of the paper, I felt that everything else was good enough since she had made no comment on it. This is where teachers and students need to have clearer communication.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Chapter 7: English as a Second Language and Nonstandard English
Chapter 7 of Williams' text discusses English as a Second Language [ESL] students. Have you ever experienced first-hand accounts with an ESL student? Describe your experience. If you have not, how would you go about teaching a student who's primary language is not English?
This chapter in Williams' text was especially interesting to me because I am a Spanish minor and interested in teaching ESL children. However, I failed to think about the differences that these children will have when it comes to their writing. This chapter pointed out those differences and made me realize what I would have to do to accommodate them.
One thing that struck me was on page 220 when Williams talks about the immersion of ESL students into the English school system. He mentions how many educators refer to it as submersion because this method fails so many ESL students. A beginning to a solution was addressed that involves incorporating the non-English speaking parents of these ESL children into the school. Just the other day, I was in a local elementary school on my weekly visit to my Little Brother. I witnessed a Hispanic woman, her young child [maybe 5 years old], the school vice principal, and a school secretary walking through the hallways, obviously on a tour of the school. The secretary, who is fluent in Spanish, was acting as a translator between the Hispanic woman and the vice principal. This is a GREAT first step towards promoting parental influence in the classroom. It will help ESL students feel more comfortable, and potentially lower the high Hispanic drop-out rate.
Another aspect that goes hand-in-hand with the former is the conflict between home and school, as addressed on page 228. The problem results between learning a language, which occurs through class and lessons, and acquisition of a language, which is the natural assimilation of the language. The reason that this is so challenging is because teachers are unable to take the "classroom" language and relate it to the "street" language that the students are acquiring. As a bilingual teacher, I hope that I will be able to bridge this gap. I plan on teaching my students the traditional, as well as everyday, language so they are able to practice what they learn. My Spanish teacher during my second semester at JMU did an excellent job at relating the language to things that people our age would eventually use in a conversation.
In order to effectively teach a student whose primary language is not English, the teacher must be patient and aware of these conflicts that will be present. Grammar should be used to teach the basic concepts of the language, so that students will have a good foundation to build their language upon. By teaching the grammar alongside of the day-to-day language, the student will benefit the most.
This chapter in Williams' text was especially interesting to me because I am a Spanish minor and interested in teaching ESL children. However, I failed to think about the differences that these children will have when it comes to their writing. This chapter pointed out those differences and made me realize what I would have to do to accommodate them.
One thing that struck me was on page 220 when Williams talks about the immersion of ESL students into the English school system. He mentions how many educators refer to it as submersion because this method fails so many ESL students. A beginning to a solution was addressed that involves incorporating the non-English speaking parents of these ESL children into the school. Just the other day, I was in a local elementary school on my weekly visit to my Little Brother. I witnessed a Hispanic woman, her young child [maybe 5 years old], the school vice principal, and a school secretary walking through the hallways, obviously on a tour of the school. The secretary, who is fluent in Spanish, was acting as a translator between the Hispanic woman and the vice principal. This is a GREAT first step towards promoting parental influence in the classroom. It will help ESL students feel more comfortable, and potentially lower the high Hispanic drop-out rate.
Another aspect that goes hand-in-hand with the former is the conflict between home and school, as addressed on page 228. The problem results between learning a language, which occurs through class and lessons, and acquisition of a language, which is the natural assimilation of the language. The reason that this is so challenging is because teachers are unable to take the "classroom" language and relate it to the "street" language that the students are acquiring. As a bilingual teacher, I hope that I will be able to bridge this gap. I plan on teaching my students the traditional, as well as everyday, language so they are able to practice what they learn. My Spanish teacher during my second semester at JMU did an excellent job at relating the language to things that people our age would eventually use in a conversation.
In order to effectively teach a student whose primary language is not English, the teacher must be patient and aware of these conflicts that will be present. Grammar should be used to teach the basic concepts of the language, so that students will have a good foundation to build their language upon. By teaching the grammar alongside of the day-to-day language, the student will benefit the most.
Monday, March 15, 2010
"I am a Pencil" Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
1. [Application] On page 133, Mr. Swope is talking with Mrs. Melvern about Miguel not doing his homework. Mrs. Melvern says that the reason he does not do his homework is because he wants the attention. She goes on to say, “If you don’t care, I don’t care.” If, in your future classroom, you have a student like Miguel, would you take Mrs. Melvern’s approach or Mr. Swope’s?
I have seen multiple occasions where students perform a particular action, hoping to gain the attention of the teacher or peers. Teachers choose to respond to these actions in different ways. I feel like the most effective way for dealing with this behavior is to speak with the child outside of the classroom setting, like Mr. Swope does in this chapter. By eliminating the student’s peers, the student has the teacher’s attention fully, and it is easier to have a discussion. Mrs. Melvern addresses the problem in front of the classroom, which grants the student attention, whether good or bad, from both his peers and the teacher.
2. [Evaluation] On page 28, Mr. Swope tells the students to, “Write a story, any story you want.” Evaluate the success of this free-write method with the students in his class.
The free-write method proved to be fairly successful in Mr. Swope’s experience. Mrs. Duncan seemed extremely taken aback by the success of Mr. Swope’s idea because in her experiences, many students freeze under the pressure of having such an open topic. However, Mr. Swope’s students were eager to come up with a story that would impress him. This may have had to do with the fact that Swope himself is a writer, not a teacher. The students knew that he would be able to see their stories in a different light than Mrs. Duncan.
3. [Analysis] At what point throughout the book do you believe Mr. Swope went from being a writer to being a teacher?
One of the beginning chapters discusses when Sam Swope became “Mr. Swope”. It is at this point that the reader would assume that Mr. Swope sees himself as a teacher instead of a writer. However, I see this transformation occurring later in the text, specifically when the students are in the third grade. On page 91, Mr. Swope realizes that being a teacher requires talking things out with the student [Su Jung] and being able to see the story from each point of view in order to help the student succeed. It isn’t until page 287 that Mr. Swope tells Miguel how three years ago, his life had no purpose. By teaching this special group of students, his life was changed.
1. [Application] On page 133, Mr. Swope is talking with Mrs. Melvern about Miguel not doing his homework. Mrs. Melvern says that the reason he does not do his homework is because he wants the attention. She goes on to say, “If you don’t care, I don’t care.” If, in your future classroom, you have a student like Miguel, would you take Mrs. Melvern’s approach or Mr. Swope’s?
I have seen multiple occasions where students perform a particular action, hoping to gain the attention of the teacher or peers. Teachers choose to respond to these actions in different ways. I feel like the most effective way for dealing with this behavior is to speak with the child outside of the classroom setting, like Mr. Swope does in this chapter. By eliminating the student’s peers, the student has the teacher’s attention fully, and it is easier to have a discussion. Mrs. Melvern addresses the problem in front of the classroom, which grants the student attention, whether good or bad, from both his peers and the teacher.
2. [Evaluation] On page 28, Mr. Swope tells the students to, “Write a story, any story you want.” Evaluate the success of this free-write method with the students in his class.
The free-write method proved to be fairly successful in Mr. Swope’s experience. Mrs. Duncan seemed extremely taken aback by the success of Mr. Swope’s idea because in her experiences, many students freeze under the pressure of having such an open topic. However, Mr. Swope’s students were eager to come up with a story that would impress him. This may have had to do with the fact that Swope himself is a writer, not a teacher. The students knew that he would be able to see their stories in a different light than Mrs. Duncan.
3. [Analysis] At what point throughout the book do you believe Mr. Swope went from being a writer to being a teacher?
One of the beginning chapters discusses when Sam Swope became “Mr. Swope”. It is at this point that the reader would assume that Mr. Swope sees himself as a teacher instead of a writer. However, I see this transformation occurring later in the text, specifically when the students are in the third grade. On page 91, Mr. Swope realizes that being a teacher requires talking things out with the student [Su Jung] and being able to see the story from each point of view in order to help the student succeed. It isn’t until page 287 that Mr. Swope tells Miguel how three years ago, his life had no purpose. By teaching this special group of students, his life was changed.
"I am a Pencil" Analysis
Analysis
“I am a Pencil” Page 261
“She did rewrite the story… [but] Her heart wasn’t in it.”
In this chapter, Swope takes the class to the park in the middle of winter, where they examine buds on tree branches. The focus of the passage is mostly on Su Jung, one of the better writers in the class. Swope continuously questions parts of her story, hoping that she will take it a little further each time. This quote was said after Swope reread Su Jung’s revised paper. He noticed her thoughtful revisions that showed her taking into account the suggestions that he had given her. Although she made changes to her original story, he could tell that she lacked the drive to become an exceptional writer.
In this chapter, I see Swope’s struggle to find motivation for his students. Swope is such a devoted and passionate writer. He sees so much potential in many of the students, especially with Su Jung. However, he realizes that Su Jung does not have the enthusiasm behind her writing. She is going through the motions, even incorporating pieces of her own life into each piece; however, she lacks the passion that Swope has.
Swope recognizes that he can only do so much for his class. He is able to teach the students how to write and offer them guidance or suggestions to help them. However, he is not able to convey his passion for writing to the children because passion is something that cannot be taught. Swope hopes that these talented writers will eventually attain that passion, but he understands that this may never happen.
“I am a Pencil” Page 261
“She did rewrite the story… [but] Her heart wasn’t in it.”
In this chapter, Swope takes the class to the park in the middle of winter, where they examine buds on tree branches. The focus of the passage is mostly on Su Jung, one of the better writers in the class. Swope continuously questions parts of her story, hoping that she will take it a little further each time. This quote was said after Swope reread Su Jung’s revised paper. He noticed her thoughtful revisions that showed her taking into account the suggestions that he had given her. Although she made changes to her original story, he could tell that she lacked the drive to become an exceptional writer.
In this chapter, I see Swope’s struggle to find motivation for his students. Swope is such a devoted and passionate writer. He sees so much potential in many of the students, especially with Su Jung. However, he realizes that Su Jung does not have the enthusiasm behind her writing. She is going through the motions, even incorporating pieces of her own life into each piece; however, she lacks the passion that Swope has.
Swope recognizes that he can only do so much for his class. He is able to teach the students how to write and offer them guidance or suggestions to help them. However, he is not able to convey his passion for writing to the children because passion is something that cannot be taught. Swope hopes that these talented writers will eventually attain that passion, but he understands that this may never happen.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Grammar for Language Arts Teachers: Chapter 1
In "Grammar for Language Arts Teachers", Chapter 1 discusses how dialects are formed from the same language, depending on different regions. How does this relate to grammar? Do you think this has an effect on how teachers need to teach grammar to their students?
The book states that every human being is born into a specific dialect, based on those living in his or her surroundings. One example was given that demonstrated how some people say "soda" while others say "pop". I feel that this has a huge effect on how teachers must teach their students grammar. The book mentions "Traditional" grammar, which is the formal method of applying rules to language. However, the majority of people do not use formal language when conversing with peers, family, and friends. The traditional method is used primarily in conversations with people in authoritative positions.
I feel like this is one of the main reasons why students struggle so much with grammar. They are unable to relate it to their daily lives. If we, as teachers, want to engage the students, it is imperative that we are able to relate to them. While doing this with grammar may seem hard, it is possible. I agree with the method of teaching grammar in context. I do not think that students need to sit down and be drilled with grammar exercises. I do, however, believe that grammar should be taught in context with what the teacher's lesson is for the day. The book gives the example of teaching about the participle phrase when a student is struggling with sentence fragments, because by knowing the grammatical rules, he or she will better understand why his or her sentence is wrong.
Ultimately, dialect relates to grammar almost directly. A prominent example that I can think of is "southern" dialect. For example, many people who have southern dialects use the words "ain't" and "ya'll". While these words are familiar, they should not be taught or used in formal writing. Teachers need to make this clear to their students because in context of the professional world, words and grammar like that will not suffice.
The book states that every human being is born into a specific dialect, based on those living in his or her surroundings. One example was given that demonstrated how some people say "soda" while others say "pop". I feel that this has a huge effect on how teachers must teach their students grammar. The book mentions "Traditional" grammar, which is the formal method of applying rules to language. However, the majority of people do not use formal language when conversing with peers, family, and friends. The traditional method is used primarily in conversations with people in authoritative positions.
I feel like this is one of the main reasons why students struggle so much with grammar. They are unable to relate it to their daily lives. If we, as teachers, want to engage the students, it is imperative that we are able to relate to them. While doing this with grammar may seem hard, it is possible. I agree with the method of teaching grammar in context. I do not think that students need to sit down and be drilled with grammar exercises. I do, however, believe that grammar should be taught in context with what the teacher's lesson is for the day. The book gives the example of teaching about the participle phrase when a student is struggling with sentence fragments, because by knowing the grammatical rules, he or she will better understand why his or her sentence is wrong.
Ultimately, dialect relates to grammar almost directly. A prominent example that I can think of is "southern" dialect. For example, many people who have southern dialects use the words "ain't" and "ya'll". While these words are familiar, they should not be taught or used in formal writing. Teachers need to make this clear to their students because in context of the professional world, words and grammar like that will not suffice.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Minds across Space: Teaching University Writing Consultants and High School Writers to Work Together in the Webbed Writing Center
The article that I read addressed the issue of technology being incorporated into the writing environment. Specifically, this talked about teachers effectively preparing their students, mostly high school and college, for electronic web conferences. It made reference to Kairos' article involving On-Line Writing Labs [OWLS]. Many perspectives were offered both in favor of and opposed to the OWLS. One point that is addressed by Joan Latchaw and her students is the concept of anonymity. This can be problematic because writers never know if they will be working with the same tutor or not. However, it can also be a good thing because students will not feel intimidated or shy as they may in a face-to-face conference.
Another interesting topic that I encountered while reading this article was an OWL especially for English as a Second Language [ESL] students. Here, ESL students had access to online dictionaries, grammar assistance, and writing samples.
In high schools, this concept has become especially important. As college students, we are usually able to find a time to meet with our professors face-to-face in order to discuss our papers and receive helpful feedback. However, high school schedules and class sizes do not offer the same flexibility. Since this is the case, the OWLS can act as a useful tool to enrich the writer’s paper, even if there may be no time to meet face-to-face.
The importance of the face-to-face conference was stressed in this article as well. Rapport is the ability for effective communication between the writer and the teacher/reader. Next comes setting a set agenda to make sure that all tasks are complete. Third, feedback should be given to the writer. It should include strong areas as well as areas for improvement. Finally, the writer and reader assess the session itself to see whether it was successful in completing its goals or if there were some aspects still missing.
A group of students involved in the OWL submitted their opinions and thoughts on having their papers revised online versus face-to-face. The majority of the responses were in agreement, saying that they did not feel as much pressure because they knew that the tutor was looking solely at the paper. Also, the students seemed to agree that the tutors explained the mistakes in a non-confrontational manner. The only major problem students repeatedly brought up was the time it took to receive their responses.
Castleberg, Laura W., and Bruce Closser. "Minds across Space: Teaching University Writing Consultants and High School Writers to Work Together in the Webbed Writing Center." Technology and the Face of Language Arts in the K-12 Classroom 5.1 (2000). KAIROS. Web. 2 Mar. 2010..
Another interesting topic that I encountered while reading this article was an OWL especially for English as a Second Language [ESL] students. Here, ESL students had access to online dictionaries, grammar assistance, and writing samples.
In high schools, this concept has become especially important. As college students, we are usually able to find a time to meet with our professors face-to-face in order to discuss our papers and receive helpful feedback. However, high school schedules and class sizes do not offer the same flexibility. Since this is the case, the OWLS can act as a useful tool to enrich the writer’s paper, even if there may be no time to meet face-to-face.
The importance of the face-to-face conference was stressed in this article as well. Rapport is the ability for effective communication between the writer and the teacher/reader. Next comes setting a set agenda to make sure that all tasks are complete. Third, feedback should be given to the writer. It should include strong areas as well as areas for improvement. Finally, the writer and reader assess the session itself to see whether it was successful in completing its goals or if there were some aspects still missing.
A group of students involved in the OWL submitted their opinions and thoughts on having their papers revised online versus face-to-face. The majority of the responses were in agreement, saying that they did not feel as much pressure because they knew that the tutor was looking solely at the paper. Also, the students seemed to agree that the tutors explained the mistakes in a non-confrontational manner. The only major problem students repeatedly brought up was the time it took to receive their responses.
Castleberg, Laura W., and Bruce Closser. "Minds across Space: Teaching University Writing Consultants and High School Writers to Work Together in the Webbed Writing Center." Technology and the Face of Language Arts in the K-12 Classroom 5.1 (2000). KAIROS. Web. 2 Mar. 2010.
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